Dear Parents and Carers,

Happy New Year to you all – I hope that 2023 is a healthy, peaceful year for you and your family. I trust that you all had a good Christmas and enjoyed time spent with family and friends.

As we start a new term we are delighted to welcome Mrs Sharon Murphy who has joined us in Year 3 covering Mrs Norgate’s maternity leave. It is wonderful to see how well she is settling in and getting to know both the children and ‘The Ridge Way’. We wish Mrs Norgate well and look forward to hearing all about the arrival of her baby, due very soon indeed. We also welcome back a couple of familiar faces to The Ridge: Mrs Reynolds who is working alongside Mrs Cole in Kindergarten and Mrs Hunt who is Acting SENCo during Mrs Norgate’s maternity leave.

It has been lovely to see the children return to school with such enthusiasm after the break. However if you have any worries, please speak to your child’s teacher at the earliest opportunity. No problem is too small.

Kind regards

Mrs D Hudson

Headteacher

We continue to have a small number of children who do not have the correct uniform on the days when PE is timetabled. As a reminder, the children should come to school in their PE kit consisting of

• A plain white polo or t-shirt*
• Blue shorts or P.E. skirt or in colder weather, blue joggers/track suit bottoms.
• ‘Kingfisher Blue’ Sweatshirt / Cardigan with the school logo (obtainable from the School Office)
• Trainers

In addition the children need a pump bag in school containing

• Pumps
• Blue PE Hoodie, or tracksuit top to change in to for the lesson
• Change of pants and socks

We ask that no other leisurewear is worn so that the children look smart in uniform throughout the rest of the day when they are not doing PE. With the exception of school branded items, all items should be unbranded or with a small, inconspicuous logo.

* From September we will be asking that the PE top is a white polo shirt rather than a t-shirt, something to bear in mind if your child needs a replacement in the coming months.

We are more than happy to support parents who have difficulty in providing the correct uniform. Please ask if you need help.

We know how quickly children can out-grow their school uniform and are conscious of the expense.  Whilst we try to keep the number of school branded items to a minimum we also know that our uniform colour – as smart as it is - is not one that is generally stocked in supermarkets. 

To help with this, we want to set up a facility where parents can get pre-loved uniform.  If you have clean, items of uniform which still have plenty of life in them and you would like to donate, please send them in to school. If you need uniform, you will be able to either swap outgrown items or make a small donation to school fund to take an item from the stock.

We will let you know as soon as our ‘uniform swap-shop’ is ready for business.

In these challenging financial times, schools like lots of other public sector services, are feeling the pinch. Please consider the following ways of boosting our budget without it costing you a penny.

Pupil Premium Funding 

Our school gets extra money for each child who comes from a lower income household. This is called the Pupil Premium and available for children who are entitled to free school meals. It is worth an extra £ 1385 per child and is not only paid in the year that it is awarded but every year for the following five years even if the family are no longer on a low income! 

If your child is in Reception of Key Stage 1 they will already get free meals from the scheme which gives free school meals to all children but for school to get the Pupil Premium funding, free school meals there must be an application from eligible families.  To check your eligibility please see the school website - https://theridge.sch.life/page/detail/free-school-meals-1 

Please speak to Mrs Davenport in confidence if this applies to you and she will tell you how to apply. Eligible children may also receive other benefits such as reduction on the contributions to residential visits and access to other schemes which give for example, shopping vouchers.

Taking Up School Lunches On Census Day – Thursday 19^th January

Each term we have a school census and the numbers we return to the Department for Education determine how much money our school receives. One measure is the number of children in Reception and Key Stage 1 who take up their entitlement to free school meals from the scheme that provides them to everyone, on the day of the census. Our next census is on Thursday 19th January and we would welcome your support as we aim for every child in Reception and Key Stage 1 to have a school meal that day so that we can generate the largest contribution possible from the DfE. We will remind you nearer the time. Thank you.

There continues to be a lot of illness about and we are very aware of the balance between promoting  good attendance and the need for pupils to be at home if they are unwell. There was a very busy and challenging end to the Autumn term, and the likelihood is, that various infectious illnesses, including Group A Strep and scarlet fever, flu, COVID-19, norovirus, and chickenpox, will continue to circulate at potentially increased levels.

Children and young people with mild, respiratory symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, who are otherwise well, can continue to attend their education or childcare setting.

Children and young people who are unwell and have a high temperature should stay at home and avoid contact with other people, where they can. They can go back to school and resume normal activities when they no longer have a high temperature, and they are well enough to attend.

The guidance below and the following webpages give parents and carers further information about health protection, infections, and vaccinations,: Let’s Get,  This includes promoting the importance of effective hand washing in controlling the spread of infections, including those causing diarrhoea and/or vomiting, and respiratory infections. 

As we continue into the winter months, where we might expect to see the usual increase in seasonal respiratory infections and we continue to live with COVID-19, respiratory and cough hygiene should also be encouraged (‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’). This includes covering nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing and sneezing, disposing of used tissues in the bin, coughing or sneezing into the inner elbow (upper sleeve) if no tissues are available, rather than into the hand, and performing hand hygiene.

Group A Strep (GAS) and Scarlet Fever

GAS is usually a mild illness. However, it should be treated with antibiotics to minimise the risk of complications and reduce the spread to others.

The symptoms of GAS include a sore throat, headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. This is followed by a fine red rash (scarlet fever) which typically first appears on the chest and stomach, rapidly spreading to other parts of the body. On more darkly pigmented skin, the scarlet rash may be harder to spot, but it should feel like 'sandpaper' with raised bumps. The face can be flushed red but pale around the mouth.

Scarlet fever is a very contagious seasonal infection caused by group A streptococcus bacteria (GAS).  It is most common in children aged between 2 to 8 years but can affect any age. Early symptoms may include a sore throat, headache, fever, nausea and vomiting, with the characteristic red rash developing after 12 to 48 hours.

The advice for suspected GAS infection or scarlet fever is to:

• see your GP or contact NHS 111 as soon as possible

• make sure that the affected individual takes the full course of any antibiotics prescribed by the doctor

those affected should stay at home, away from nursery, school, or work for at least 24 hours after starting the antibiotic treatment, to avoid spreading the infection.

This Weeks attendance 

Whole School - 97.10%

Reception - 97.78%

Year 1 – 95.56%

Year 2 – 100%

Year 3 – 98.81%

Year 4 – 95.00%

Year 5 – 100%

Year 6 – 92.78%

Well done Years 2 and 5!

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Mrs Hudson is the Designated Safeguarding Lead and any concerns should be shared with her or the Deputy Safeguarding Leads – Mrs Hadley, Miss Beddoes and Mrs Burley.

Hello I’m Sallyann Tyler and I‘m a parent governor. I sit on the Finance and Premises Committee.  I have a child in year 2.

How long have you been a governor?

I was elected as a governor by parents last December.

How does your experience in the workplace help you as a governor?

I’m an ACCA qualified accountant with nearly 20 years’ experience, including working in general practice at the start of my career where I work on companies’ accounts and audits.  After qualifying I have enjoyed a varied career including working for a solicitors’ firm as their Management Accountant, a Charity and a Building Society as Finance Manager where I am now.  I understand the demands on entities such as our school, and how to juggle cashflow.  I think my experience in the private sector brings a useful and different perspective to the governing board.

Why did you become a governor?

I wanted to give back to my community and be part of something that would make a difference for others.  I work full time and, after carefully considering if I could commit fully to this role, decided that I should apply.  Being able to help represent busy parents, whether full time workers or not, is very important to me.  I personally really appreciate the texts we get from the school, I find they are vital reminders in order to function as a primary school parent!

What do you enjoy about being a governor?

Being part of a team, and ensuring our children are getting the best education they can with the resources we have at our disposal.

What have you learnt about The Ridge from being a governor?

How tight the budget is, and therefore how vital the RFA are! Those extras that our children get such as forest school (that shouldn’t necessarily be extras but aren’t in our budget) are paid for by funds raised by the RFA.  Thank you to all those who contribute as part of the RFA, and everyone else that donates by buying a raffle ticket for example, or giving 50p for break the rules day it really does make a difference to our children’s school experience.

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