Latest News

Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Changes to the Test and Trace support payment for parents

  Mon 22 Mar 2021 DfE

  Parents and carers of children who have been advised to self-isolate by their education setting or by NHS Test and Trace are now able to apply for a Test and Trace Support Payment or discretionary payment of £500, if they meet the eligibility criteria. The extension of the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme, which is administered by district and unitary local authorities in England, ensures that parents receive the financial support they need if they are unable to attend work due to childcare responsibilities.

  Parents and carers should apply to their local authority to receive a payment. Applications for the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme are made via the local authority in which the parent or carer resides, not the local authority where the setting is situated, if these are different.

  To be eligible applicants must meet all of the criteria that:

  they are the parent or guardian of a child or young person in the same household and need to take time off work to care for them while they self-isolate. This is limited to one parent or guardian per household for the child or young person’s self-isolation period they are employed or self-employed they cannot work from home while undertaking caring responsibilities and will lose income as a result they meet all the other means-tested eligibility criteria for a Test and Trace Support Payment or locally determined criteria for a discretionary payment

  That their child or young person:

  is aged 15 or under (or 25 or under with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC)) and normally attends an education or childcare setting has been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or by their education or childcare setting because they have been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19)

  A template letter can be found [HERE] and must detail the child’s name and date of self-isolation. Parents or carers will then be able to provide this letter to their local authority as evidence that their child is required to self-isolate.

  Once an application for a payment has been received, the local authority will be in touch with your setting to verify the details of the child provided on the application. This will include a check of the child’s name, age, address and days of self-isolation. This check is to minimise the event of fraudulent claims. It may be conducted before or after a payment is made, depending on the arrangements the individual local authority has chosen to put in place. The letter you give to parents and carers should explain to them that their local authority will conduct a check with their child’s setting if they apply for a payment.

• Newsletter from West Midlands Police for Young People

  Fri 05 Mar 2021 West Midlands Police

  Here is our latest newsletter for parents:

  [CLICK HERE TO READ]

• Information for Free School Meals families

  Thu 04 Mar 2021 Sarah Howard

  Hi all,

  Here is a link to an information sheet on activities and food for free school meals:

  Holiday Activities and Food (HAF)

  Each child has their own unique code that would be sent through the post or parents/professionals can obtain that code by emailing : WR4C@walsall.go.uk or call  01922 653899 The code in the example is not a working code. 

• Return to School (March 8th)

  Thu 04 Mar 2021 School Office
  Letter for 8th March return

• Clive Mark has moved

  Thu 04 Mar 2021 Joy Barker
  

• A to Z of E-safety

  Thu 04 Mar 2021 G Dwyer
  This is an excellent poster to help with lots of aspects of e-safety:
  A to Z of E-safety

• Psychological First Aid Training

  Mon 01 Mar 2021 Sarah Howard

  Public Health England are offering a free online course on how to provide practical and emotional support to children and young people affected by emergencies or crisis situations.

  
  It’s available for all frontline workers including teachers, health and social workers, charity and community volunteers and anyone who cares for or is regularly in contact with children and young people aged up to 25, including parents and caregivers. It takes about 3 hours to complete (split into 3 sessions that the learner can complete at their own pace) and no previous qualifications are required.

  
  Whilst it is free to complete all the modules there is a cost to receiving a certificate.
  More information can be obtained via the link.
  
  https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/psychological-first-aid-for-children-and-young-people.