Mobile testing units are at various locations across Essex and they are run by the Ministry of Defence.
To get an appointment at a mobile testing unit:
What to do if someone in your household has symptoms of COVID-19
Please access this link for details, including who can get a test, when to get a test, help applying for a test.
https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test
Dear Parents/Carers
You may already be aware that part of the government support package during the coronavirus pandemic is to provide all parents with children eligible for free school meals with a £15 voucher each week to help towards the additional cost of food from having your child/children at home.
Dear Parents/Carers,
As a number of you have contacted the school to ask for support for students in structuring the half-termly projects, I have asked colleagues to provide more guidance.
To support you and your family through the COVID-19 pandemic, Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service has created a brand new resource hub.
We registered with the Government’s scheme for free school meals vouchers before the Easter holidays. We have received notification that they are pending, however due to the volume of schools also registering, there has been a delay in vouchers being despatched for the period 6 to 17 April 2020.
Families in Focus Essex is a leading independent parent led registered charity providing holistic support to families of children with disabilities and special needs (aged 0 to 25) across Essex, who require advice, information and support, particularly at times of change, challenge and crisis.
Their services are accessible to all families from Essex whatever their background, as long as at least one child or young person in the family between the age of 0 to 25 has a disability or special need.
During the Coronavirus pandemic, many of you will have worries and concerns for caring for vulnerable children and young adults. There are lots of online resources and organisations that provide support and information;
Carers UK - https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/health/looking-after-your-health/coronavirus-covid-19
Wellchild - https://www.wellchild.org.uk/2020/03/11/covid-19-information-for-parents-and-carers/
National Autistic Society - https://www.autism.org.uk/services/nas-schools/vanguard/news/2020/march/coronavirus-(covid-19)-advice.aspx
Mencap - https://www.mencap.org.uk/advice-and-support/health/coronavirus
Place2Be – https://www.place2be.org.uk/about-us/news-and-blogs/2020/march/coronavirus-information-for-children/
Young Minds - https://youngminds.org.uk/blog/talking-to-your-child-about-coronavirus/
Covibook – https://www.mindheart.co/descargables
Families in Focus will run their helpline email address and telephone helpline as usual for both new and existing service users during the pandemic. Please see below contact information:
Helpline phone: 01245 353 575
Helpline email: helpline@familiesinfocusessex.org.uk
Website: www.familiesinfocusessex.org.uk
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FamiliesInFocusEssex/
Mrs C Wager
Designated Safeguarding Lead
As a result of campus closures, student access to the Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, InDesign etc.) in labs and classrooms is not available.
Adobe has provided temporary at-home access for students and educators so that they can continue their work remotely. Please follow the instructions attached below to enable access to Creative Cloud Desktop Apps on your personal device.
We are contacting you following the government announcement this evening concerning measures to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
We are writing to you to consider if it is absolutely necessary to send your child/children to school tomorrow and for the next few weeks.
Whilst the need to support critical workers is vitally important we need to minimise the number of people travelling and coming into contact with others.
23 March 2020
Dear Year 11 Students, Parents and Carers
Following the cancellation of the exams this summer, I am writing with an update about expectations of students’ work at home at this time. As you will be aware, it has been announced that exam boards will be awarding students a calculated grade for their GCSE exams this summer which will be in part based on teachers’ predictions. We have not yet received any details from the exam boards about this process, or about expectations about any internally assessed components which would normally count towards a qualification. We are also waiting for further guidance about vocational qualifications. Once we know what the guidance is, we will be able to share this with you.
At the moment, while we wait for information, we are not expecting teachers to set any home learning tasks for Year 11 students or to mark anything other than written work, such as assessments and coursework, which have already been submitted. We will revisit these expectations and look to provide guidance about independent learning once we have the information we need. Teachers will not be able to discuss students’ predicted grades with students at any time. However, I can reassure you that it is accepted that mock exams alone do not always predict students’ final results accurately, and that this will be reflected when staff are asked to make their predictions for exam boards.
We will continue to support you with your next steps and will provide you with further updates as we have them. These will include expectations about independent learning, as we work to support you to achieve your next steps.
Yours faithfully
Mrs C Wager
Assistant Headteacher – KS4
23 March 2020
Dear Year 13 Students, Parents and Carers
Following the cancellation of the exams this summer, I am writing with an update about expectations of students’ work at home at this time. As you will be aware, it has been announced that exam boards will be awarding students a calculated grade for their A Levels this summer which will be in part based on teachers’ predictions. We have not yet received any details from the exam boards about this process, or about expectations about any internally assessed components which would normally count towards a qualification. We are also waiting for further guidance about vocational qualifications. Once we know what the guidance is, we will be able to share this with you.
At the moment, while we wait for information, we are not expecting teachers to set any home learning tasks for students or to mark anything other than written work, such as assessments and coursework, which have already been submitted. We will revisit these expectations and look to provide guidance about independent learning once we have the information we need. Teachers will not be able to discuss students’ predicted grades with students at any time. However, I can reassure you that it is accepted that mock exams alone do not always predict students’ final results accurately, and that this will be reflected when staff are asked to make their predictions for exam boards.
We know that this is a very uncertain time for many of you who are in the process of deciding on your responses to university offers. The advice from UCAS is for schools to ‘advise students not to rush into making any decisions, and to carefully consider any unconditional offers’. Please do contact Mr Bridgwater or me if you have questions about this or want to discuss what to do next.
A number of you who chose not to apply to university or further education may now wish to put in an application. If this is the case, please do contact Mr Bridgwater via email so that we can help you get started.
We know that this is not the end to your time in the sixth form that you could possibly have expected, and it is certainly not what we would have wanted. We will continue to support you with your next steps and will provide you with further updates as we have them.
Yours faithfully
Mrs M Townsend
Assistant Headteacher – KS5
Friday 20th March 2020
Dear Parents,
I am writing to give you further guidance on the way that schools across Essex will be operating over the coming weeks. These changes cover all registered childcare providers (including nurseries and childminders), maintained and academy primary schools, maintained and academy secondary schools; special schools, further education colleges and independent schools.
Schools are working closely with the Local Authority and the Headteacher Associations in order to offer a consistent and safe response to the current crisis. The health and safety of children and young people is everyone’s priority and I wanted to inform you about our ongoing arrangements to keep children safe during this period of school closure. We understand how worrying it is for your during this time and we will do everything we can to continue to support our children and families.
With the current coronavirus outbreak and Government recommendations to limit social contact, many people will be spending more time at home than they are used to. We appreciate this is an uncertain time and many children and young people will have mixed feelings about what is happening. With this in mind I have put together a list of resources that might be of use during the coming weeks.
If parents/carers or students have any wellbeing concerns during the school closure they can email sso@notleyhigh.com and someone will get back to them.
Mrs C Wager
Designated Safeguarding Lead
A YouTube video from our school counsellor and mental health expert, Jo Morton-Brown.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2EgkDtOGP4&feature=youtu.be
Self-isolating may mean spending more time with family, carers or friends and this may create difficult situations, especially for those coping with pre-existing family problems. The Children’s Society asked one of their well-being practitioners to share her top tips for dealing with conflict at home.
https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/news-and-blogs/our-blog/dealing-with-conflict-at-home
Heads Together have published a free toolkit with resources and tips to help address anxiety arising from these challenging times. The toolkit includes videos to provide practical guidance and tips to parents/carers about coronavirus and mental health, activities to ease anxiety that can be done at home and other helpful advice, helplines and resources for adults and children.
https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/media/1960/coronavirus-mental-health-and-wellbeing-resources.pdf
Dr. Jon Goldin is a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist who works at Great Ormond Street Hospital. In this podcast he discusses child mental health in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
https://www.acamh.org/podcasts/dr-jon-goldin-on-the-coronavirus-and-child-mental-health/
If you are concerned about a young person's mental health during this difficult time, you can contact the Young Minds Helplines.
Parents Helpline: If you are a parent who needs advice about your child’s mental health you can contact the Parents Helpline directly on 0808 802 between 9:30am-4pm
YoungMinds Crisis Messenger: If you are a young person experiencing a mental health crisis you can text YM to 85258 for free 24/7 support
The Young Minds website is: https://youngminds.org.uk/
If you wish to contact the person responsible for this page, please email helen.thomson@notleyhigh.com
