Mayor of London and London Assembly Elections take place every four years. The next Mayoral and London Assembly elections will take place on Thursday 2 May 2024. As Grange Park Infant School is used as a Polling Station the school will be closed to children on this day.  The school will re-open on Friday 3^rd May.

The Government has set out guidelines on the expectation of all state funded mainstream schools to deliver a school week of at least 32.5 hours.  Case studies have proven that schools have found positive benefits from increasing the length of their school week so this is a positive change.

This means that after half term – starting Tuesday 20^th February our school day will finish at 3.20pm for RECEPTION, YEAR 1 AND YEAR 2 not 3.15pm.  Nursery will continue with their soft finish time of between 3.15 – 3.30pm

Dear Parents and Carers,

You may have seen recent media coverage regarding Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) and its use in educational settings.

In May 2023, the Department for Education carried out a RAAC Survey of our school as part of a national programme to identify public buildings with RAAC.

We have been informed in writing, the results of the survey and that is that we do not have any RAAC in our school buildings.

We will therefore continue to function as normal. Parents may want to understand more about RAAC and the support to educational settings to manage RAAC safely; you can read more through the article published by the DfE on the Education Hub:

https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/08/31/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/

I hope that this offers reassurance to all parents of children attending Grange Park Infant and Nursery School. I look forward to welcoming the children back as planned.

Yours sincerely,

Kiran Thapar

Head Teacher

We wish all children, parents and carers a very happy, safe and peaceful Summer Holiday.

School finishes for children in the Nursery on Thursday 20th July, and children in the Main School finish on Friday 21st July at 1pm. Please ensure you collect your child on time.

School starts again for children in Reception, Year 1 & Year 2 on Wednesday 6th September. Children joining Nursery have been given their individual start dates on their offer letter.

7^th December 2022

Dear Parent(s) / Carer(s),

Re: Increase in scarlet fever

We are writing to inform you of a recent national increase in notifications of scarlet fever to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), above seasonal expected levels.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the signs, symptoms and the actions to be taken if you think that you or your child might have scarlet fever.

Signs and symptoms of scarlet fever

Scarlet fever is a common childhood infection caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, or group A Streptococcus (GAS). It is not usually serious, but should be treated with antibiotics to reduce the risk of complications (such as pneumonia) and spread to others. The early symptoms of scarlet fever include sore throat, headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. After 12 to 48 hours, the characteristic red, pinhead rash develops, typically first appearing on the chest and stomach, then rapidly spreading to other parts of the body, and giving the skin a sandpaper-like texture. The scarlet rash may be harder to spot on darker skin, although the 'sandpaper' feel should be present. Patients typically have flushed cheeks and be pale around the mouth. This may be accompanied by a bright red red ‘strawberry’ tongue.

If you think you, or your child, might have scarlet fever:

• contact your GP or NHS 111 as soon as possible
• make sure that you or your child take(s) the full course of any antibiotics prescribed. Although you or your child will feel better soon after starting the course of antibiotics, you must complete the course to ensure that you do not carry the bacteria in your throat after you have recovered
• stay at home, away from nursery, school or work for at least 24 hours after starting the antibiotic treatment, to avoid spreading the infection

You can help stop the spread of infection through frequent hand washing and by not sharing eating utensils, clothes, bedding and towels. All contaminated tissues  should be disposed of immediately.

Invasive Group A Strep (iGAS)

The same bacteria which cause scarlet fever can also cause a range of other types of infection such as skin infections (impetigo) and sore throat. In very rare cases, the bacteria can get into the bloodstream and cause an illness called invasive group A strep (iGAS). Whilst still very uncommon, there has been an increase in iGAS cases this year, particularly in children under 10 years old. It is very rare for children with scarlet fever to develop iGAS infection.

As a parent, you should trust your own judgement.

Contact NHS 111 or your GP if:

• your child is getting worse
• your child is feeding or eating much less than normal
• your child has had a dry nappy for 12 hours or more or shows other signs of dehydration
• your baby is under 3 months and has a temperature of 38C, or is older than 3 months and has a temperature of 39C or higher
• your baby feels hotter than usual when you touch their back or chest, or feels sweaty
• your child is very tired or irritable

Call 999 or go to A&E if:

• your child is having difficulty breathing – you may notice grunting noises or their tummy sucking under their ribs
• there are pauses when your child breathes
• your child’s skin, tongue or lips are blue
• your child is floppy and will not wake up or stay awake

Stop the spread

During periods of high incidence of scarlet fever, there may also be an increase in outbreaks in schools, nurseries and other childcare settings. Children and adults with suspected scarlet fever should stay off nursery / school / work until 24 hours after the start of appropriate antibiotic treatment. Good hygiene practice such as hand washing remains the most important step in preventing and controlling spread of infection.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Yimmy Chow

Consultant in Health Protection

and Head of NWL Health Protection Team, UKHSA

Kelly O’Neill

Director of Public Health

London Boroughs of Hounslow and Hillingdon

Resources

NHS – Scarlet Fever
Scarlet fever: symptoms, diagnosis and treatment 
Health protection in education and childcare settings 
Hand hygiene resources for schools
 

Grange Park Infant & Nursery School invite you to our Early Years Open Morning!

Tuesday 11th October at 9:30am until 11:30am

Will your child be joining Nursery in September 2023, or are you looking for a school Nursery place?

Come and visit our wonderful classrooms and see why:

"Pupils meet, and often exceed, the national standards"

"Typical comments from parents include 'very happy with the progress my child has made'"

"Pupils are proud to be members of the Grange Park Infant & Nursery School community"

Ofsted inspection report, March 2019

You will have an opportunity to visit our Nursery and Reception classes, and speak to our Early Years team. You can also visit Grange Park Junior School and have a tour there.

There is no need to book - just turn up at the school at 9:30am and you will be shown where to go.

Please use our Nursery gate on Balmoral Drive to enter the school - just opposite Whittington Avenue. (The gate at the roundabout, leading to Burns Close, will not be open).

We can't wait to meet you and your child!

The Year 1 teachers held Welcome Meetings on Tuesday 27th September to discuss what is expected of children in Year 1, and to give parents an opportunity to ask general questions about children’s learning. Thank you to all parents who came to the meetings.

You can find the slides from the presentation below and if you would like to discuss anything in detail, you are welcome to speak to your child's class teacher.

Dear Parents,

EXTRA SUPPORT FOR YOUR CHILD – PUPIL PREMIUM FUNDING

Pupil Premium is extra money that the UK Government gives to schools to help disadvantaged children catch up with their peers. We use this money to provide focused support for eligible children, and to provide a free Breakfast Club place if you wish to accept it.

If you receive certain benefits, your child could be entitled to Pupil Premium funding:

• Universal Credit - your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

(If you still qualify for Working Tax Credit, then your child is not entitled to Pupil Premium.)

You can check your eligibility by going to pps.lgfl.org.uk. All you need to apply is:

• Your name
• Your date of birth
• Your National Insurance number, or your National Asylum Support Service (NASS) number

Alternatively, you can come to the School Office for help to apply and check eligibility – staff will be available on Tuesdays just before the end of the school day (2:45pm to 3:15pm) each week. Please bring the information above to apply.

Yours sincerely

Mrs K Thapar

Head Teacher

We are very sad to learn that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has passed away.

An assembly was held this morning to reflect, and the children sang a song to commemorate her life. Children have been given the opportunity to ask questions if they want to, and additional support for the children is available.

Dear parents,

I hope you are all safe and well. We’ve had amazing sunshine throughout the holidays and I hope enjoyed the long Summer break. The children return to school on Monday 5^th September. We had two training days on 1^st and 2^nd September. Staff have been in during the holidays to prepare their classrooms ready to welcome the children on Monday.  

Some staff news

Congratulations to Miss Commerford our school Special Needs Co-ordinator who got married on August 14^th and will now be called Mrs Sheppard.

Ms Virdee, teacher of Crimson Class, will now be known as Mrs Pandhare.

Mrs Ashby is our new school Bursar and Business Manager.

Mr Meagher is our Site Manager and he has made sure the school is ready to receive the children.

Mrs Watson deals mainly with admissions, children’s records and general enquiries.

Mr Watson will be calling you if your child is absent and general enquiries.

Mrs Kirk (Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday) and Mrs Sprake (Monday and Friday) are the school Welfare Assistants and deal with all medical concerns and records.

Ms Lindsay is the Nursery Manager

Ms Jenkinson is the Reception Manager

Mrs Pandhare is the Year 1 Manager

Miss Clark is the Year 2 Manager

A complete list of staff will be updated on the school website.

Communication

Visiting the school / Contacting the school office

• To avoid being confused on return to school arrangements please take the time to read all the information sent to you. We are often overwhelmed with telephone calls on the first day back because parents have not read information sent to them.

• I want staff in the school office to keep the telephone lines open for real emergencies. All letters sent home are published on the school website.

• If you need to speak to Mrs Kernoghan, (Deputy Head), Mrs Kirk or Mrs Sprake (medical and welfare), the class teachers or me, then just email the school and someone from the office will get back to you as soon possible by telephone or make an appointment for you.

• Here’s the school email address:

grangepkinf@gpin.school

• The school website address is:

www.gpin.school

• The school telephone number is:

0203 886 0887

You can use the school email and phone:

• to report your child absent
• to let the school know if your child has a medical appointment
• to make an appointment with the head teacher
• to report any health and safety concern
• to lodge a complaint

We are trying to be more environmentally friendly and avoid sending paper communication.

Some letters will be emailed at short notice and when urgent we will send you a text message aswell to remind you to check your emails. 

If you do not have an email address then please set one up as it will make it easier to keep in touch. I will be sending out a text message to remind parents to do this.

If you have changed your contact details, then again let the school know as soon as possible.

There is also a direct email that you will be given to contact your child’s class teachers directly about non-urgent and general matters, for example if you have forgotten which day your child has PE.

Please do not use the Class Email to report your child as absent, or any medical issue as they are not monitored by the School Office and the class teacher is not likely check the emails during the day.

Update on Arrangements

Covid 19 and Variants

As the children have been absent from school for such a long time, the children are more likely to have had wider social contact than normal, travelled further and with the restrictions being completely lifted and everyone will have been exposed to less cautious behaviour.

In order to protect everyone when we return, let’s all self-regulate and remember to keep ourselves and others safe by keeping our distance.

• Children will wash their hands when they arrive at school.

Uniform / bags/ water bottles/ coats

• Children must come to school in a clean school uniform every day.

• Children should come to school in black shoes that fit them properly and NOT trainers. Do not send your children to school in boots unless it is required due to the cold weather.

• Please do not overdress your children. They just need to wear a clean vest, pants, blouse / shirt and a trouser / skirt, a school jumper / cardigan with the school logo and one pair of socks or tights. We will ask the children to remove tights/ pyjamas if they are worn under long trousers. We want children to be as comfortable as possible.

• We will send a reminder about the days your child is having PE and the information will be displayed in the class window.

• Children should come to school in their outdoor PE Kit from home; shorts, joggers, t-shirt, sweatshirt and trainers as before.

• Send your child’s black plimsoll shoes in a named plastic bag which will be kept in school. Plimsolls are available from most supermarkets locally. We want to minimise the number of things children have at school.

We will let you know if there is a change to this arrangement.

Things to remember for Monday 5th September:

• Bring all the children’s reading books back in the child’s blue reading bag.

• Wash the blue reading bag before sending it to school.

• Bring all the children’s home learning they have completed during the holiday.

• Send in any projects they have completed. We are looking forward to receiving them.

• Send in a water bottle. Label your child’s water bottle clearly with their first and surname as well as their class. Try and send in a small water bottle please. They can always refill the water bottle.

• Children will not need a coat unless the weather turns cold suddenly.

• Do not send any rucksacks into school unless they are the Grange Park rucksacks. We will ask you to take the rucksack back home if you do send it. This is because we don’t have the space to hang the huge bags we often get from home.

• Please do not send pencils, rubbers, sharpeners or pencil cases. The children have everything they need to complete their work at school.

Presentation

• Impress on the children that we wear our school uniform proudly.
• Long hair must be tied up securely, with instructions to your child not to take it out.
• No fancy hair clips or hair bands. A simple black or blue hair band is permitted.
• Head scarves should be royal blue, black or white.
• No long earrings, only studs; no other jewellery
• No nail varnish.
• Girls should wear grey tights and white socks. Boys should wear grey or black socks.

Tissues

• Please send in a box of tissues at the beginning of every term.

Birthday celebrations

• We will acknowledge your child’s birthday in class but please do not bring any party bags, sweets or cakes to give out to your child’s class as many children have allergies. This includes giving sweets and cakes outside the classroom.

Lunch

• All children will have a school lunch. If your child has a medically recognised allergy then please email the school and we will arrange a meeting with Mrs Kirk or Mrs Sprake. You will need evidence of your child’s diagnosis from the hospital or your doctor. Also let your child’s teacher know as soon as possible.

• Please help your child choose their lunch for each day, the menu is on the school website and displayed on the class window.

I hope you are all having a restful weekend with family and friends and I look forward to seeing you all on Monday. Please check the start and finish times at the end of this letter.

Kind regards and best wishes

Kiran Thapar

Head Teacher