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

• Letter to Parents from our Education Directors

  Wed 06 May 2020
  

• Letter to Parents

  Mon 27 Apr 2020

  Monday 27^th April 2020

  Dear Parents/Carers,

   

  These are such challenging times for us all and while Oaklands Primary remains closed to its pupils it is important that we all stay connected. The staff and I want you to know that you are very much in our thoughts. The most important thing for your children is to make sure that they are able to Stay Safe and Stay Learning.

  As parents you can support your child to stay learning. It is important to remember you are not on your own. Our teachers at Oaklands are providing daily tasks and will continue to do so throughout this time.

  These daily tasks will be set out on your child’s class pages on our school  website: www.oaklandsprimary.co.uk. In addition to the class pages, if your child is in Key Stage 2, they will be communicating with their teacher via the hwb platform and Microsoft Teams.

   

  Your child’s teacher can be contacted via email and these are displayed on the class page.

  Bedwen Bach: Mrs Griffiths: GriffithsC673@hwbcymru.net                                                                       

  Bedwen: Mrs Moseley: moseleyv@hwbcymru.net

  Collen: Mrs Hughes: hughese115@hwbcymru.net

  Onnen: Mrs Morgan: morganc114@hwbcymru.net

  Afal: Mrs Cook: CookR50@hwbcymru.net

  Gwern: Mrs Bird: BirdL4@hwbcymru.net

  Llwyfen: Mr Dainham: Daviesw223@hwbcymru.net

  Helyg : Mr Zaplatynski: zaplatynskiD1@hwbcymru.net

  Derw: Miss Whitney: whitneye@hwbcymru.net

  Mrs Wright: admin.oaklandsprimary@rctcbc.gov.uk

   

  As a parent we are not asking you to take on the role of your teacher and deliver a school day at home. Remember that learning takes place in many ways and not just in school. There may be days when you or your child is unwell or just too tired and learning cannot take place and that will be fine but just know we are here to help and support you. I would also encourage you to check out the ‘Stories Just for You’ page. Here you will find staff reading their favourite stories for children. We hope you enjoy!

   

  Thank you to those who completed the on line survey; this gave us some quality feedback. One of the main barriers for your children’s learning was the motivation as well as access to digital devices. To address these, we will:

  • Be introducing phone calls from your teachers, just to check in and keep in touch.

  • Making sure that a range of activities set on class pages can be completed using paper and pencil

  Lastly I would like to thank you for your positive messages about our staff video; we hope you and your families had as much fun watching it as we did creating it! I am looking forward to seeing some of the pupil responses in their own version so please send short videos or pictures to admin.oaklandsprimary@rctcbc.gov.uk

   

  In the meantime, please stay home and stay safe as this will help us get back to our normal routine. If there is anything we can help or support you with, please get in touch.

   

  Yours sincerely,

   

  Caroline Wright                                

  Head teacher  

• Hwb Heroes

  Thu 16 Apr 2020

   

  We are calling for children and young people to become  Hwb Heroes by creating  messages  to share with older and more vulnerable people across Wales

  Wales Education Minister, Kirsty Williams, has launched an initiative to get the children and young people of Wales using their creativity to spread positive and entertaining messages online to older people who are currently self-isolating due to the Covid-19 lockdown. 

  Digital inclusion is more important than ever at the present time, with many older people missing out on face to face communication with family and friends. 

  Hwb and Digital Communities Wales* are jointly calling on children to become ‘Hwb Heroes’. 

  We would like you to get creative and send us your original artwork such as: 

  • drawings 
  • poems 
  • stories 
  • messages 
  • songs 
  • dances 
  • animations 

  The messages you create will also be shared with our partners, Digital Communities Wales, who lead on the national Digital Heroes programme: bringing older and young people together to use and enjoy technology. 

  They will also be published on Hwb so that  everyone can see all the messages of hope, love and support and importantly, show older and vulnerable people how much we care. 

  Only upload messages that you have made yourself and not copied from anyone else.  Our younger Hwb Heroes must ask a parent or carer or other responsible adult if it is ok to upload their message for everyone to see it online.  

  Here’s how you can send us your message: 

  1) Login to Hwb
  2) Visit https://hwb.gov.wales/HwbHeroes#entry-form

  to upload your files (this link can only be accessed when logged into Hwb) 

  Messages will be moderated and then published here: https://hwb.gov.wales/HwbHeroes#messages

  ---

  *Digital Communities Wales - Digital Confidence, Health and Well-being is a Welsh Government project which is delivered by the Wales Co-operative Centre. The project began in July 2019 and will continue until June 2022. If you would like to find out more about Digital Communities Wales, please visit: https://www.digitalcommunities.gov.wales/

• Emergency Childcare Provision from April 20th

  Mon 13 Apr 2020
  Applications for emergency childcare for the week commencing 20^th April will be going live on the Council’s website from 10am today (Monday 13^th April).  Parents/carers have until 23:59 hours on Wednesday 15^th April to apply. 

   

  

• Let us know how you are all doing

  Thu 02 Apr 2020

  Hello everyone, its seems like a long time since we've seen you, we hope you are all safe and well. As we are approaching the end of our second week of home learning we wanted to see how everyone is getting on with the online classrooms and home learning.

   

  It would be really helpful if our parents could complete a brief survey for us following the link below.  The results will help all our staff to be able to support you and our children through the next few weeks.

   

  Parent / Guardian Survey

   

  Thank you all.

• Emergency Childcare Guidence in RCT

  Mon 23 Mar 2020

  Advice for Parents/Carers

   

  1. The latest scientific advice

  The most recent scientific advice on how to further limit the spread of COVID-19 is clear.  Everyone must, as far as possible, minimise social contact and make sure that anyone who is particularly vulnerable to the virus is able to adopt strict social distancing.

   

  2. How does social distancing affect your children?

  Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has advised schools that emergency childcare should only be open to a limited number of children. We must keep the number of children in educational, childcare and play settings to the smallest number possible.

   

  We also need to make sure children are not left with anyone who should be following strict social distancing guidance, such as anyone over 70 or anyone with the specified underlying health conditions.

   

  Keeping children safe in their home should limit the chance of the virus spreading and protect those vulnerable to more serious illness as a result of the virus. Parents/carers should also do everything they can to ensure children are not mixing socially in a way which can continue to spread the virus. They should ensure that children remain at least 2m apart where possible and that gatherings are avoided. Play areas across the County have now been closed and should not be attended. If your child is not in an emergency childcare setting please keep them safe at home during the day and in the evenings. This is essential to ensure the safety of your family, friends and neighbours and to limit and slow down the spread of the virus

   

  If your child receives free school meals, this will continue. In Rhondda Cynon Taf, all children eligible to free school meals will access this from their nearest primary school on a daily basis between 11am and 12pm. This has to be applied for on-line using the e-forms on the Council website.

   

  3. What is the latest advice on key or essential workers?

  A list of categories of critical workers has been published on the Welsh Government website. Places in schools and childcare will be highly limited and only particularly vulnerable children and the children of critical/essential workers whose work is critical to the COVID-19 response should be attending during this time.

   

  If you are classed as a critical or essential worker but are able to perform the critical parts of your job effectively when working from home, then you should do so.

   

  Even for critical or essential workers, provision will only be made in schools or other settings where there is no safe alternative for your family.

   

  4. I’m a key or essential worker but my partner isn’t. What should we do?  

  If one parent is a critical or essential worker but the other parent is not then the other parent should provide safe alternative arrangements at home when possible.

   

  5. What support is available in Rhondda Cynon Taf?

  The Council is doing everything it can to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Please refer to the Council website for further detail. These plans will now adapt and change as we respond to the latest guidance available from the Welsh Government and Public Health Wales.

   

  For the very latest advice, please check your local authority’s website at https://www.rctcbc.gov.uk/EN/Resident/EmergenciesSafetyandCrime/InformationforResidentsCoronavirus/CoronavirusCOVID19latestinformationandadvice.aspx

  and https://gov.wales/coronavirus-health-advice

   

   

   

   

   

   

• Covid-19 Update

  Mon 23 Mar 2020

  Coronavirus continues to spread in Wales. Public Health Wales yesterday announced that a further seven people have died in Wales over recent days as a result of the virus and the number of confirmed cases in Wales continues to grow by the day, with significant increases over the last two days in particular.

   

  The social distancing advice is there for a reason – people are falling ill and people with under-lying health issues are dying as a result of continued transmission of the virus. Therefore, it is absolutely imperative that we all personally take the responsibility to minimise the contact we have with one another to slow the spread of the virus.

   

  Play areas across the County have all now been closed and should not be attended. 　If your children are not in the Emergency childcare settings please keep them safe at home, this extends to the evenings too. You have to do this for the safety of your family, friends and neighbours, to limit and slow down the spread of the virus.

   

• Childcare provision available due to school closures

  Fri 20 Mar 2020

  Dear Parents/Carers,

   

  We have received information from the Welsh Government and Education authority of how our schools will be operating over the next few weeks to support our families and vulnerable learners. As you are aware schools will not be expected to provide statutory education from Monday 23th March 2020, with children ceasing to attend school at the end of the normal school day on Friday 20th March. 

   

  However, Oaklands Primary will remain open to provide effective childcare to support our essential workers and vulnerable children in these significantly challenging times.  

  During the week commencing 23^rd March, emergency childcare will be offered at your usual school settings for 3-14 year olds. This provision will be available during normal school hours and usual school transport will be available for eligible learners from the 23^rd to the 27^th of March.  Due to staffing issues there will be no breakfast provision during the 23^rd and 27^th of March.

   

  For the week commencing Monday 30th March, emergency childcare will be offered in seven key centres from Monday to Friday 8am – 6pm.  The Council is exploring future home to childcare transport arrangements for 3-14 year olds from March 30^th onwards for the childcare between normal school hours. The provision for 3-14 year olds will be offered in seven school settings throughout Rhondda Cynon Taf area, namely:-

  • Aberdare Community School
  • Heol-Y-Celyn Primary
  • Ferndale Community School
  • Tonyrefail Community School
  • Ysgol Nant-gwyn
  • Ysgol Llanhari
  • Ysgol Hen Felin (only for those pupils who require specialist provision).
     
    Childcare provision will be made available for ‘essential workers’ between the ages of 0-3 and 3-14.  Existing private providers will continue to provide for 0-3 year olds.  For 3-14 year olds, childcare provision will be available in the 7 identified school settings listed above.
     
    In addition, it is the responsibility of the parents/carers to ensure that if their child is vulnerable due to an underlying medical or health need that they self-isolate their child.
     
    If you are an essential frontline worker with a child/children aged 0-3 years please email childcareplayemergencyplanning@rctcbc.gov.uk to arrange your support.
     
     
     
    Emergency Childcare and Free School Meals Breakfast and Packed Lunch
    Emergency Childcare Request
     
    Parents whose work is critical to the COVID-19 response include those who work in health and social care and in other key sectors outlined below. Many parents working in these sectors may be able to ensure their child is kept at home. And every child who can be safely cared for at home should be.
     
    Please, therefore, follow these key principles:
     
    1.         If it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be.
    2.         If a child needs specialist support, is vulnerable or has a parent who is a critical
               worker, then childcare provision will be available for them.
    3.         Parents should not rely for childcare upon those who are advised to be in the      stringent social distancing category such as grandparents, friends, or family             members with underlying conditions.
    4.         Parents should also do everything they can to ensure children are not mixing      socially in a way which can continue to spread the virus. They should observe           the     same social distancing principles as adults.
    5.         Residential special schools, boarding schools and special settings continue to    care for children wherever possible.
     
    If your work is critical to the COVID-19 response or you work in one of the critical sectors listed below, and you cannot keep your child safe at home then your children will be prioritised for childcare provision. These include:
     

  • Health and social care;
  • Education and childcare;
  • Key public services;
  • Local and national government;
  • Food and other necessary goods;
  • Public safety and national security;
  • Transport;
  • Utilities, communication and financial services.

   

  Further details is provided in the following link:

  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision)

   

  Emergency childcare provision is available for these essential frontline workers during the Coronavirus school closure period.  This emergency childcare is for children up to the age of 14 years. 

   

  This emergency childcare is available to RCT residents and RCTCBC employees only.

   

  If you are a key frontline worker with a child/children between the ages of 3 to 14 years, please click on the attached link to an e-form https://forms.rctcbc.gov.uk/en/Web/coronaviruschildcare/startnew

  and complete the required details. 

   

  Please note that if you have more than one child, a further form will need to be completed and there is a link at the end of the form to enable a further form to be completed.

   

   

  Free School Meals Breakfast and Packed Lunch Request

   

  Parents/carers of children who are entitled to free school meals will be able to collect a breakfast and packed lunch from their local primary school during the Coronavirus school closure period. 

   

  The food will be a cold provision which will be packaged for take away and can be collected between 11am and midday each day.  Each pack will contain a packed lunch for the collection day and breakfast for the following morning.

   

  Please click on the attached link to an e-form https://forms.rctcbc.gov.uk/en/Web/coronavirusfreeschoolmeals/startnew

  and complete the required details.

   

  Vulnerable Learners

  If your child is deemed to meet vulnerable learner eligibility and you require emergency childcare please complete the attached link. https://forms.rctcbc.gov.uk/en/Web/coronaviruschildcare/startnew

  Vulnerable learners include: children with safeguarding and welfare needs, children looked after, young carers and children with children with disabilities. During the week commencing 23^rd March, the emergency childcare will be offered in your usual school.  Normal school hours will operate and usual school transport for those who normally receive it will be provided.  For week commencing Monday 30th March, emergency childcare will be offered in seven emergency centres.  Provision for vulnerable learners will be for core school hours only. The Council is exploring future transport arrangements for 3 to 14 year olds from 30^th March onwards for the emergency childcare between normal school hours.  The provision for 3 to 14 year olds is being offered in seven school settings throughout the Rhondda Cynon Taf area.

   

   Please ensure that if your child is vulnerable and has significant medical and health needs that your child is self-isolated. Please see the attached link for further details.  https://phw.nhs.wales/topics/latest-information-on-novel-coronavirus-covid-19/guidance-on-social-distancing-for-everyone-in-the-uk-and-protecting-older-people-and-vulnerable-adults/

   

  Lastly I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and patience in these unprecedented times. All our families at TEAM Oaklands are in our thoughts and I wish you well in these uncertain times. Keep safe!

   

  Yours sincerely,

   

  C Wright

   

   

• Parents Evening and Clubs

  Mon 16 Mar 2020

  Due to the ongoing situation with COVID-19 we have taken the decision to reschedule the planned parents evenings next week.  These will now take place in the Summer Term and email invites will be sent out when a date is confirmed.  We appreciate you support with this as it helps to reduce the amount of footfall through our school. 

   

  In addition to this we are cancelling all afterschool clubs until further notice.  If your child is due to attend COPS this evening please make arrangements collect your child at the end of the school day.  We appreciate that this is short notice, if you are unable to make it to school for 3.10pm we will have staff here to ensure your child has company until you arrive.

• Coronavirus (COVID-19)

  Fri 13 Mar 2020

  13/03/20

  Dear Parent/Carer

  Coronavirus (COVID-19)

   

  I am writing to advise you that all Rhondda Cynon Taf schools are provided with regular updates in relation to Coronavirus (COVID-19) developments which are always informed by Welsh Government and Public Health Wales guidance.  

   

  As you will be aware Coronavirus is a type of virus.  As a group, Coronaviruses are common across the world and COVID -19 is a new strain of Coronavirus first identified in Wuhan City, China in December 2019. The situation in relation to the virus continues to change on a daily basis. In summary, the current advice relating to travellers returning from overseas is broken down into two categories: :

  1. Category 1 - travellers should immediately self-isolate, even if asymptomatic (no visible signs of illness), and call NHS Direct (Wales) to inform of any recent travel.
      
  2. Category 2 - travellers do not need to undertake any special measures, but if they develop symptoms they should self-isolate and call NHS Direct (Wales).

   

  In terms of the above categories, these relate to the following countries:

  1. Category 1 - countries are currently; Wuhan city and Hubei province (China), Iran, Daegu or Cheongdo (Republic of Korea) and Italy*.
      
  2. Category 2 - countries are currently; Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam.

  * Travelers who returned from areas of Northern Italy that were under containment measures (see map link below) between 19 February and 8 March 2020 should self-isolate for 14 days. If they develop symptoms they should contact the NHS Direct Wales on 111.

   

  Any Travelers who returned from the rest of Italy before 9 March 2020 do not need to undertake any special measures, but if they develop symptoms they should self-isolate and call the NHS Direct Wales on 111.

  The following link will allow people to identify whether they are in category 1 or 2 more easily:

  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-specified-countries-and-areas/covid-19-specified-countries-and-areas-with-implications-for-returning-travellers-or-visitors-arriving-in-the-uk

  The incubation period of the virus is between 2 and 14 days.  This means that if a person remains well 14 days after contact with someone with a confirmed Coronavirus, they have not been infected.

   

  Travellers returning from other countries, including France, currently do not need take any special measures although people are encouraged to check the information on the Public Health Wales website as it is updated daily.

   

  The government announced on the 12 March 2020 that all overseas education trips for children under the age of 18 should not take place until further notice.  For further information, please check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website as this specifically deals with travel advice and restrictions at

  https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-office. In the event of a school trip being cancelled due to travel restrictions being imposed, further advice will be provided by the schools as and when appropriate.

   

  What are the symptoms of Novel Coronavirus?

  Symptoms are similar to other respiratory viruses such as the flu. These may include:

  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Fever.

   

  Generally, these infections can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people and those with long-term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease.  There is no evidence that children are more affected than other age groups and presently there have been very few cases reported in children.

   

  In order to minimise risks to your child, please encourage good hygiene and frequent hand washing. Washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is recommended. The use of an alcohol-based hand sanitiser that contains at least 60% alcohol is recommended if soap and water are not available.

   

  It would also be helpful if you could encourage your child to

  • avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
  • avoid close contact with people who are unwell
  • cover any coughs or sneezes with a tissue, throw the tissue in the bin, and then wash their hands immediately

   

  Updated advice provided on the 12 March 2020 suggests that schools should remain open.  However, if a child or adult develops a new cough and a mild temperature they should self-isolate for a 7 day period. If you require any further information or assistance please call NHS Direct Wales on 0845 46 47 or 111.

   

  More detailed advice is however provided on the Public Health Wales website at:

  https://phw.nhs.wales/topics/latest-information-on-novel-coronavirus-covid-19/guidance-for-schools-advice-for-parents-or-carers/

  I hope that this letter provides the necessary reassurances that schools are receiving appropriate advice in relation to this matter.  

   

   

  Yours sincerely

   

   

  Gaynor Davies

  Director of Education and Inclusion Services