Corona- virus
On this page, we have gathered some key information and documents to help you and your children through these challenging times. We have kept everything from the last two years, as well as the latest materials, so the further you scroll down, the further ‘back’ it goes.
Information
School Risk Assessment
Please click here to view a copy of our school Covid Risk Assessment. This document is reviewed and updated regularly.
Remote Learning Provision
Please click here to view our Remote Learning Provision document
Please click here to access our survey to let us know about your home internet and device access
Current provision
Please click here to read a letter detailing the current situation and provision (from January 2021)
Accessing the ‘On site’ Provision for children of Critical Key Workers and Vulnerable children
If, having read the letter above, you feel you must request a place for your child on site, please use the link below to submit your application.
Once you have been contacted back, please use this link to indicate days required
Track and Trace
Please note, the information below has been updated, however, the email account remains active and we do ask that you still use it to inform us. September 2021
We have a dedicated email address which is monitored 24/7 for you to inform us if your child tests positive for Covid-19. It is very important you inform us, even if it is the weekend, or if your child has not been in school that day, as we may have to contact other people who your child has been in contact with and advise them to isolate. Please inform us by emailing
covid@stjosephs-birkenhead.wirral.sch.uk
Engage with the NHS Test and Trace process:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-test-and-trace-how-it-works
Contacting us
During this period of closure, there are ways you can still contact us -
If you have our Parent App, you can use the Contact us feature to send us a message
On this website, there is a contact us page
You can send an email to schooloffice@stjosephs-birkenhead.wirral.sch.uk
You can call the school on 0151 652 6781 - However, the office desk is not constantly staffed, so please use Option 2, leave a message and a member of the team will get back to you
You can follow us on Twitter @stjosephsbh to see updates and join in with our community
Us contacting you
We will send Tweets from our account so that you can remain in contact with our school community, see what is going on and continue to feel part of St Joseph’s. Please do comment on tweets, but please remain kind and note we do not use Twitter for ‘two way’ communication - just as a way of sharing what is happening
We will send messages out via our app. If you have parent friends who you know don’t have the app, please share any messages you receive
Our team will be making regular phone calls to just say hello and check in. Therefore if you receive a call from a withheld number, please do answer as it might be us!
School Meals
For those children who are eligible for Free School Meals and on our records, the Government are rolling out a voucher scheme during the period of school closure. The scheme is for FSM children and those eligible will be provided with an e-voucher to the value of £15 to spend in supermarkets each week. If your child already receives a Free School Meal due to you being in receipt of certain benefits, please ensure you send us your email address as the food vouchers are sent electronically. The vouchers are for term time only during the period of school closure.
We need to stress - the voucher system is only for those children who receive a Free School Meal because the family receive certain benefits. The vouchers do not cover Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM). So your child may receive a free meal in school, but that is because they are in KS1 (Infants), not because they are Free School Meal (FSM). Some KS1 children may receive a FSM and therefore will be eligible for the vouchers.
There may be some children in KS1 who would be eligible for FSM currently, and we are also aware that as this situation continues, household income may reduce due to changes to work. We therefore encourage you to register by visiting https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/sims and entering your details.
You will qualify if you are currently receiving one of the following benefits.
Income Support
Income Based Jobseekers Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
Child Tax Credit but not Working Tax Credit and have an annual income that does not exceed £16,190
The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
Universal Credit - your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
If you think you meet at least one of the criteria, please click on the link above and apply for free school meals. If approved, we are sent an alert, but please do let us know directly yourselves
Emergency Food
Wirral Local Authority have also put systems in place to help with very vulnerable families who are struggling with food. Please click the link below to find out more
Distance Learning
The section below is from the Summer Lockdown period. We now use Google Classroom to set and collect work from the children. However, we have kept and archived this section for you to use to supplement home learning if you so wish:
Right now, the main priority is making sure the children are safe and happy. Academic standards are secondary to this so please don’t worry. We will pick this up when we all return to ‘business as usual’. However, in the interim and to support you and the children, we are setting weekly planning sheets full of activities, resources and links you may wish to use at home. The sheets can be accessed from this website, in the menu bar by selecting ‘Remote Learning’ and then clicking on the relevant year group. The sheets will be uploaded weekly. Feel free to use sheets from other year groups, adapt them, follow them or don’t use them at all! We will not add any pressure to you- they are there to help if you want them.
Click here to access the Summer home learning work
Year 6 Year 5 Year 4 Year 3 Year 2 Year 1 Early Years
Resources
Below is a collection of useful resources and guidance. We will continue to update
What parents and carers need to know about schools and education during the coronavirus outbreak
Click here for DfE Advice
CAMHS - Mental Health and wellbeing
Click here for a bank of resources and advice from CAMHS
CAMHS and NHS - Coping with Coronavirus and Living in lockdown!
Hand washing
Updated handwashing advice
The most important thing individuals can do to protect themselves is to wash their hands more often. Soap and water and regular handwashing for at least 20 seconds is the best way of staying safe. Hand washing with soap employs mechanical action that loosens bacteria and viruses from the skin, rinsing them into the drain. Drying hands afterwards makes the skin less hospitable to the virus. Hand sanitiser can be effective if soap is not available or the situation makes using soap less feasible (i.e. when outside) but using hand sanitiser provides none of the virus-destroying friction that rubbing your hands together and rinsing with water provides.
A video on hand washing can be found at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQCP7waTRWU&feature=youtu.be
The e-Bug project is led by Public Health England and has a dedicated webpage for learning resources on hand washing and respiratory hygiene.
Resources are currently available for KS1, KS2 and KS3 and can be used in various settings including schools and at home:
When Someone dies from Coronavirus
Click here to download a support guide
Online safety - Merseyside Police
Click here for a document put together by the Merseyside Police Digital PCSO. The document contains simple top tips that parents and guardians can follow to help keep their child safe online, there is also a list of useful resources that can be accessed via the links which will direct parents/guardians to a range of activity packs that they can complete during home learning.
Distance Learning
The DfE have published a list of websites and other resources to support distance learning.
Click here to view the DfE Webpage.
SEND resources
Sue Calveley, SEND Advisory teacher for Edsential, has prepared some online multi-sensory spelling lessons suitable for KS1 children or older children with SpLD such as Dyslexia
https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLjuuZvefDPVWuY7jhzBnVJNLIejNxABK1&v=ldZxfvv6Zlo
Advice from our school nurse
Click here to view a video put together by our school nurse, Rhianne, about support for young people and Mental Wellbeing
Hungry Little Minds
Click here for simple, fun activities for children aged 0-5
Online Classroom
The sector-led Oak National Academy has launched its online classroom and resource hub. The Academy offers 180 video lessons each week for schools to use, across a broad range of subjects. The lessons cover children in Reception through to Year 10 and are free to use by both teachers and young people.
The Oak National Academy can be accessed here: https://www.thenational.academy/
BBC Bitesize
The BBC has launched an education package across TV and online, featuring celebrities and teachers, helping to keep children learning at home and supporting parents. BBC Bitesize can be accessed here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
Be kind to your mind
Launched this week, a new campaign across Wirral, Cheshire and Merseyside is urging people to be kind to their minds during the Coronavirus outbreak.
Julie Webster, Director of Public Health at Wirral Council, said: “Key workers and members of the public are likely to be feeling stress or anxiety at this difficult time as we make major changes to how we live and work. It is more important than ever that we look after our mental wellbeing and encourage others to do the same. This will help us during the pandemic and aid our recovery.” Read more
Emotional Exhaustion
Emotional exhaustion guide
During the COVID-19 crisis have you found yourself to be easily irritated, completely unmotivated, anxious with a sense of panic, having trouble sleeping, lacking patience, having a short temper, experiencing indigestion issues, stomach aches or constant butterflies in your tummy and crying unexpectedly Read more
Stress
Being aware of your stress patterns can help ease your Coronavirus anxiety.
An awareness of your stressors is the first step to coping. Watch this short video where Joey Hubbard, Thrive Global’s Chief Training Officer, explains when the brain senses danger, the body’s stress response kicks in — which is what many people are experiencing right now. Watch
Children’s Mental Health
Supporting your children’s mental health through coronavirus pandemic
Regardless of their age, this may be a difficult time for children and young people. Some may react right away, while others may show signs of difficulty later on. Read more
Invigor8
Invigor8 now have live classes via their Facebook page. Don’t worry if you’re unable to take part in the live stream as they are all recorded too, so you can catch up at your convenience! Try Pilates with Becky or Bodycom with Barb among other classes. Join
Silver Swans
Sponsored by Angela Rippon, the Royal Academy of Dance has set up online classes for over 55’s, but all ages and abilities can take part. Read more
Work/Life
Feeling the pressure of juggling work and home? This article provides some tips on coping practically and emotionally. Read more
Scams
Beware of Coronavirus scammers
Some useful information and advice to help identify potential scammers has been published on Wirral View. Read more
Cooking
Coronavirus kindness
A food writer has offered cooking tips to those struggling to find ingredients after panic buying cleared-out supermarket shelves. Read more
Chester Zoo
Go behind the scenes as a zookeeper!
Chester Zoo are doing a ‘visit our zoo’ live streams. You can enter the virtual gates at 10am and then there's a live tour around the zoo. There's a full programme including pandas at 10am and giraffes at 11am. Register on the zoo's facebook page to gain access Join
Wild Workouts
Are your kids too young for Joe Wicks’ daily PE lesson? Why not try Andy’s Wild Workouts on BBC Cbeebies channel, also accessible on the iplayer. Watch
Virtual Challenge
Whilst we’re still able to venture outdoors once a day for exercise (whilst practising social distancing), you can add a little more interest to your walk, run or cycle by giving yourself a cumulative target to achieve – for example walking the distance of a marathon (26.2 miles) across a month.
There are lots of different ways to get involved in a virtual challenge:
Sign up for a challenge with online providers such as Race the Distance, Virtual Racing UK orRace at Your Pace
VE Day resources
Friday 8th May marks the 75th Anniversary of VE day. Click here to download some resources and activities you can do at home
Well being Activity Pack
As part of our HFCMAT family of schools, we have joined together to create some activity packs and resources to do with well being and mental health.
Click here to download EYFS and KS1 Pack
Click here to download KS2 pack
Letters
(including from Summer period)
Addendum to Behaviour Policy
Please click here to view an addendum to our behaviour policy covering Covid specific issuesLetters
FAQ letter
Please click here for letter 11th September with some FAQ
Letter from the end of the first day
Please click here to read a copy of the letter sent out 2nd September
September 2020
September Updates
Click here to read a letter with details of some of the arrangements for September
Meet the Teacher Zoom meetings
Letter for F2 parents from 1st July
Letter for Year 6 parents from 22nd June
Letter for parents using our Childcare from 1st June - updated to include from the 8th June
UPDATE - 1st JUNE
Please click here to read the latest update regarding 1st June
1st June
Please click here to read a letter regarding the potential opening on 1st June