Chris Shield, a DCC Physical Activity Officer, who facilitates in the running of FISCH club is running some free after school clubs for year 6 and has offered us a Wednesday. There are 25 spaces available. It is a 10 week course which start next Wednesday (15th) and is aimed to increase physical activity by a variety of multi sports. Children have been provided with a leaflet today. To secure your place please ring Mrs Raine.

Some sessions will be cancelled due to previously booked events i.e. Valentines Disco

Activities will range from dodge ball to scooter board games. This club will also aim to promote community programmes that we are currently running in the area.

For more specific information about this club please contact Chris on:
03000 262455 or see the flyer below.

After School Club

It has again been brought to our attention that many parents/carers are dropping their child off at breakfast club before it starts at 7.45 a.m.

Please can we stress that breakfast club starts at 7.45 a.m. and not before. We are not insured for children to be on the premises before this time and the staff are not responsible for them. If families continue to drop their children off, sometimes as early as 7.30 a.m. they are leaving their children unsupervised, which is a safeguarding issue.

If this policy is not followed we will have no option but to ensure each child is signed into the club by an adult.

Before Christmas, members of the senior leadership team attended a forum to discuss updates on pupil premium.

The pupil premium funding was introduced in 2011, it is a sum of money given to schools each year by the Government to improve the attainment of disadvantaged children. This is based on research showing that children from low income families perform less well at school than their peers. Often, children who are entitled to pupil premium face challenges such as poor language and communication skills, lack of confidence and issues with attendance and punctuality. The pupil premium is intended to directly benefit the children who are eligible, helping to narrow the gap between them and their classmates, often, all of the children in a class will reap some benefit from how the school spends its pupil premium.

Schools receive guidance on how to spend their pupil premium money, following this guidance schools identify what would be of most benefit to the children who are eligible. The overall goal is to ensure that gaps between all children are closed, in particular, the children that attract this funding to school.

Primary schools are given pupil premium for:

• Children in Reception to Year 6 who are, or have ever been, entitled to free school meals based on their family income
• Children in care
• Children previously in care who have been adopted, or who have a special guardianship order, a child arrangements order or a residence order. As long as permission to record this has been granted.
• Children recorded as being from service families

Schools do have to show that they are using their pupil premium fund appropriately. This is measured through Ofsted inspections and annual performance tables showing the progress made by children who are eligible for pupil premium. Schools must also publish this online, which can be found at

https://www.consett-jun.durham.sch.uk/about-us/premium-allocations/

As a result of attending the forum, we have looked into the way we allocate our funding and would like to include Free Breakfast Club for children who we receive additional funding for, as identified from the list above. This free club will commence from Monday 24^th February so we can ensure the staffing in the club can accommodate the increase of children. If you are applicable you will be informed by an individual letter. If you already have money outstanding for Breakfast Club, this must be paid before Friday 14^th February, to allow the free provision to be offered.

Kind regards

Mr P Dixon

Head Teacher

Please click on the link below to access the Janaury 2020 Newsletter

https://consett-jun.durham.sch.uk/parents/school-newsletters/

Welcome back to the start of a new term, this is the spring term, with a one week half term holiday in February (w/c 17th February, returning to school on Monday 24th February).

School term and half term dates can be found on our website or this School App. We hope everyone has enjoyed a restful break, with special moments and times with family and friends, we look forward to hearing all the special stories from the children this week.

School re-opens tomorrow (Tuesday 7th January) at 7.45 a.m. for breakfast club, please can we remind you that breakfast club CANNOT be accessed before this time so please ensure you wait with your child until 7.45 a.m.

Please pay dinner money/ breakfast club on ParentPay for this week as well as any money outstanding from last term. Children must return to school on the same dinner arrangements (unless otherwise changed with Mrs Raine), if your child changes without giving notice, your ParentPay account will be charged.

Apart from Cross Country, there are no after school clubs this week. Some existing clubs and all new clubs start next week (Recycling Club and Basketball). If your child has requested to join one of the new clubs and they handed in their form, this was returned last term. A text reminder will be sent to parents/carers this week, please ensure you pay before the club starts. Both new clubs are full. Band, Karate, Art and Football training ARE all back on next week. Further club details can be found on this website or the School App. Football training is now for children in Year 5 & 6 (but only if they were members in September 2019).

Swimming will recommence this week, Year 3 on Thursday, Year 5 on Friday and Year 4 next Monday.

Year 3 children will have an opportunity to participate in a cross country trial at the end of the spring term term, and those successful will be invited to join the weekly training team after Easter.

Attendance letters were sent home last term, some letters requested a meeting, if this is the case please ensure you ring school to make a convenient time to come in for the support we feel you need to improve this moving forward. If you do not make a meeting, we will need to contact you.

I am sure you are very excited about this weeks performances, for a reminder of the details see our website link. https://www.consett-jun.durham.sch.uk/christmas-show-productions-important-information/

We have recently met with staff from the Academy, who suggest doors open at 2.00 p.m. for a 2.15 p.m. start. as our children are only arriving at 1.30 p.m. therefore opening at 1.45 p.m. would cause unnecessary congestion on entering the Academy.

If you have siblings at our school they can remain at school until you collect them, so please ensure they are aware of this. If you have children in the Infant school, we have made them aware that there will be a late collection on those days. We estimate a show finish between 3.00 and 3.15 p.m. At the end of the performance, Mr Dixon will inform families to how children will vacate from the stage.

If you are not watching the performance you child will be walked back to school for the usual collection.

Enjoy the Show and remember not to take photographs of the children, it is everyone’s responsibility to keep them safe.