Dear Parents and Carers,

As many of you know, our school is located in the centre of a busy and continually expanding residential area. This makes access and parking at drop-off and pick-up times particularly challenging, and we already struggle to accommodate all staff vehicles on site.

We continue to receive concerns from local residents regarding parking and access around the school. While we fully appreciate that the location is not ideal and that there is no simple solution, it is important that we maintain positive relationships with our neighbours. We have advised residents to contact the police if they experience ongoing verbal abuse or repeated illegal parking.

We kindly ask for your support in helping us reduce these issues. Please take extra care when choosing where to park and consider alternatives such as parking slightly further away, car sharing, or encouraging children to walk or cycle where possible.

We will also continue to contact our PCSO team to request additional support during busy periods.

Thank you for your continued cooperation and understanding with this ongoing challenge.

Miss Cook

Headteacher

As the festive season approaches, we are mindful that the ongoing cost of living crisis is making this time of year especially challenging for many families. Please remember that as a school community, we are here to help.

If you feel you may need support this Christmas (whether that’s with food, essentials, or simply someone to talk to) please don’t hesitate to reach out. All requests will be treated with kindness and confidentiality.

You can contact our Pastoral Team directly by email at Newdale.inclusion@taw.org.uk  and they will be happy to support you.

You are not alone, and together we can make sure every child and family enjoys a joyful Christmas.

This letter is to advise you that we have a few cases of diarrhoea and vomiting in the setting and are liaising with the Health Protection Hub and we are already taking measures to control it.  From the information we currently have we believe that it is a viral illness such as Norovirus (otherwise known as the winter vomiting bug).

Below is some information on Norovirus and what you can do to reduce the spread of the infection:

What are the symptoms? 

Diarrhoea and vomiting usually lasting 1-2 days

What should you do if your child is unwell? 

Make sure they get lots of rest.

Ensure they drink plenty of fluids, taking sips rather than gulps to avoid vomiting.

Give infant Paracetamol or Ibuprofen, according to product instructions, to help keep their temperature down.

If your child is unusually sleepy, won’t take fluids or has other symptoms, such as blood in their diarrhoea, an unusual rash, headache, neck stiffness or difficulty breathing, ring 111, contact your GP or take your child to hospital.

If any siblings are unwell please contact their nursery/ school and let them know that your child is ill and what symptoms they have.

Keep them at home until they have been free of symptoms for 48 hours.

Further advice here: https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/diarrhoea-and-vomiting/

How can you prevent the spread of these infection?

Hand washing is one of the most important ways to prevent the spread of both of these infections. This applies to the child who is ill and the person looking after them. Hands should always be washed, using liquid soap if possible: Before and after caring for your child, after using the toilet, before eating or handling food, after cleaning up a mess (vomit, faeces or urine).

Other ways of preventing the spread of infection are to:

• Keep a separate towel for family members who have symptoms.
• Dispose promptly of used tissues and other items that your child may have coughed or sneezed on.
• Wash soiled clothing, bed linen and towels in a washing machine. Use the hottest wash for that fabric.
• Clean baths and washbasins thoroughly and disinfect after use.
• If cleaning up diarrhoea or vomit, wash the surface with hot soapy water and disinfect before allowing to dry. If using bleach remember that it can remove the colour from fabrics and can burn the skin.
• Keep your child away from other children and people that are particularly vulnerable, e.g. the elderly and those with chronic illnesses.

We also have a few cases of nasty colds and flu. If your child is without fever and feels well enough to attend please do so.

We are able to administer Calpol in school with your permission.

As the festive season approaches, we are mindful that the ongoing cost of living crisis is making this time of year especially challenging for many families. Please remember that as a school community, we are here to help.

If you feel you may need support this Christmas (whether that’s with food, essentials, or simply someone to talk to) please don’t hesitate to reach out. All requests will be treated with kindness and confidentiality.

You can contact our Pastoral Team directly by email at Newdale.inclusion@taw.org.uk  and they will be happy to support you.

You are not alone, and together we can make sure every child and family enjoys a joyful Christmas.