Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Holiday Challenge

  Fri 12 Sep 2014

  Well done to everyone who took part in the Summer Holiday Challenge. The display looks fantastic!

   

  A huge well done to our two winners.

  

• Social Media

  Fri 12 Sep 2014

  Dear Parent/Carer

   

  Social networking is used everywhere and is a common feature of many people's lives. However if you want to say anything about your child's school or staff on social media there are a few simple guidelines we need to insist you follow, in order to keep all the children in school safe and to protect you from possible consequences of your online actions. We already teach the children how to be safe online and you can reinforce this at home by showing your child(ren) how to communicate responsibly online.

   

  Part of our role as a school is to ensure that no confidential information about a child or family is unintentionally disclosed by a parent/carer or a member of staff. There have been several high profile cases in the news when people making offensive comments on social media have been prosecuted.

   

  There are two parts to this brief guidance. The first part is about parent/carer responsibilities. The second is information about what staff are expected to do if they use social media, or come across information about the school (children, parents or staff) on social media.

   

  Guidelines for Parents and Carers

   

  • At all times be respectful of others.
  • Never include children's full names (even your own children's).
  • Never post or tag photographs etc without ensuring that you have the right permission.
  • If there is something you are concerned about in school please contact the school to sort it out rather than discussing it on Facebook for example.
  • Everyone who adds to online sites is responsible for any comments posted under their name.
  • If you are aware that sites are being misused you have a responsibility to report this.
  • If an online conversation looks as if it might be derogatory you should not get involved in the discussion and refer the person to the school.
  • You should not accept children as friends on a social networking site.
  • If you want to set up a site that refers to your child’s school then please let the school know.
  • If you are using social networking sites for school purposes remember that this is a school not personal area so personal comments should not be posted. 
  • Also if the site is representing the school then please make sure that the good name of the school is preserved and not brought into disrepute.

   

  Staff and Volunteer Responsibilities

   

  • No member of staff or volunteer is allowed to discuss any matter to do with pupils, staff or parents/carers through social media because of safeguarding requirements. This includes tagging photographs etc.
  • Some members of staff or volunteers may have social network accounts as a parent or member of a local community group. They must not respond to any comments about the school they come across.
  • Staff and volunteers are obliged to inform the school leadership of any concerns they have about comments being made by others.
  • Staff have a duty to monitor online spaces and report anything of concern to the school leadership.

   

  The school will always request that any inaccurate or offensive postings are removed. If necessary in an extreme case the school will take legal advice.

   

  Thank you for your understanding and support.

   

  (A copy of this information can be found on the 'Parents' section of the website)

• Pupil Attendance

  Mon 08 Sep 2014

  School Attendance.

  Young children in schools have a habit of picking up all sorts of colds and viruses, which is a normal part of growing up. Where a child has been sick (vomited or diarrhoea) we ask that they are kept off school for 48 hours. However, if they simply have a cold or injury which could be managed in school then we encourage parents to send their child into school.

   

  The vast majority of our children work extremely hard to attend school everyday and we would like to thank all parents for this - it is the single most important factor that leads to educational success. But together, we can ensure that all children attend school regularly and that no child fails academically from missing too much school.

   

  Unauthorised absences:

  When a child’s attendance drops below 90%, it is deemed to be low and is a problem that the school is legally obliged to act to improve. At this point, parents are invited to a formal ‘School Attendance Meeting’ where attendance issues are discussed. For example, it could be the case that a child has an ongoing medical condition and the school would then seek to work with parents and the school nurse to draw up a care plan. However, if there is no underlying reason, then at this point all subsequent absences are marked as ‘unauthorised’ unless a doctor’s note is provided.

   

  Holiday requests during term time.

  During this academic year (particularly in Term 6) we received a number of requests from parents for permission to take their son/daughter out of school on a family holiday during term time. These requests were refused as a direct result to changes in the legislation.

  New government guidelines, which came into effect on 1^st September 2013, prevent Headteachers from granting any leave of absence during term time, unless there are exceptional circumstances. A family holiday during term time does not fall into the category of “exceptional circumstances” and therefore such requests for leave of absence have been refused.

  If parents chose to ignore or disregard our decision then such absences will be recorded as unauthorised and South Gloucestershire Council will be advised of the issue and may be requested to issue Penalty Notices in line with their policy.

  A fixed penalty notice will be issued and a £60 fine must be paid within 21 days. Failure to pay the fine within the timescale will result in the fine being doubled to £120 which will then need to be paid within 28 days of the original fine being issued. If a fine remains unpaid after 28 days, parents may face legal action. If found guilty, parents will receive a criminal record and could be fined up to £1000.

  I realise that the vast majority of parents do not take family holidays in term time as they recognise the significant impact this can have on their son/daughter’s education.  We hope that you will continue to support us in reducing the amount of school missed due to holidays, by not planning a family holiday during term time.

   

  More information on attendance can be found in the 'Pupil Attendance' section of the website under 'About Us - Key Information'

• New Website Launched

  Mon 01 Sep 2014

  Welcome to our brand new school website! We have created the website to keep parents up to date with school news and notices, and to showcase some of the great things our pupils are achieving. The website is extremely easy to edit by all staff at the school, so check back soon for new updates!

   

  To get you started have a look out for new and exciting sections of the website, including:

   

  - New improved calender with extra information about different events

  - Our Twitter feed

  - FAQ section

  - Information on our new and exciting curriculum

  - A page on PE and Sport at BC

  - A page for our new Family Link Worker (Mrs Angela Collins)

  - Your new class pages

  - The ever popular Kids Zone

   

  Loads more information will be added over the next few weeks so keep checking back!

• Summer Challenge - We want to hear all about it!

  Sun 10 Aug 2014 Mrs Capel

   

  Are you going on holiday? A day trip? We would love to hear all about it!

   

  We want to share all of the exciting places that Barley Close friends and family visit so that we can learn all about them.

   

  Your challenge is to create a poster, brochure,  postcard,  recount, fact file or something similar which describes the place you have visited. This could contain the geographical features of the area or tell us about the history – you could even feature some of the language spoken!

   

  Your child/children will get to share their entry in class.

  
  Entries need to be in by 5th September 2014. All entries will receive a certificate and be put on display.
  
  We can’t wait to see your adventures!
  
  Any queries, please see your class teacher or Mrs Capel.
   

   

• You are invited to our Creative Curriculum Launch on Friday 5th September 915am

  Sun 10 Aug 2014 Mrs Capel

   

  As you may know, the creative curriculum is changing. This means the subjects your child learns about predominantly in the afternoons, such as history, geography, art, DT, ICT etc...
  
  We are going to 'launch' the new curriculum to the children in a fun way on Friday 5th September at 915am. We would love for you to come along. 
  
  You will be able to watch us 'launch' it to Years 1-6 and then spend a short period of time with your child in their classroom.
  
  If you would like to come along, please let the office know and sign in at the office on the day.
  
  We really hope you are able to make it.
  
  Mrs Capel