CONSENT UPDATES - URGENT!                  

Can all parents / carers please update their consent / permissions using the scholarpack app.

Please give careful consideration to the photo permissions.  There are times when group photos or whole class photos are taken to showcase learning or events but we aren't able to publish or share these with parents if consent is not updated on the scholarpack app (generally the Facebook and website photos permissions).

If photo permissions aren't given for class dojo then unfortunately, we aren't able to share class or group photos.  Please note that class dojo is not a public-facing app as all parents / carers have individual logins.  We ask that any photos shared are not shared on social media or with wider audiences in order to ensure all children's privacy and safety.

All parents must complete the walking home permissions on the scholarpack app.  Children will not be allowed to leave the playground or their teacher, even to walk round to meet parents at the car park or main road, if permission is not given.  Please note that all children who are to be collected must be collected by someone who is 16 or older.

CLUBS 25-26

Last year (2024-2025) we ran and participated in over 100 sporting events and clubs over the year.

We ran into a couple of difficulties however, that we would like to avoid this year.

1) Over £1400 was spent on whole school team kits so that every child who represented us at an event or match was able to have a school kit to wear.  Unfortunately, we had over 40 kits (full kits or JPS t-shirts) not returned.

Out of 4 brand new football kits, we no longer even have one full kit.

Please make sure that if your child is provided with a school sports top or kit, it is returned by the end of the week.  All kits should be signed back into the school office with Mrs Blacknell or Mrs Kirk.

2) We had a lot of children signing up for clubs, who then decided not to attend or to stop taking part.  Often there was no communication from parents with a valid reason.  This included children deciding on the day that they did not want to go to an event.  Please talk to your child and agree that if they have been selected or have signed up for a club or event, then they will continue to attend every week.  It is not as simple as 1 person saying they don't want to take part and asking the next person on the waiting list at short notice when we have to complete registers and risk assessments which are submitted to NCC 4 weeks before.  If a child cannot attend a club due to illness or an appointment parents / carers must phone the school office directly.  Messages cannot be accepted from children.  This creates safeguarding issues if children do not turn up and delays the start of the club by up to 15 minutes as we try to locate children or contact parents / carers.

                                                                             A new fire alarm has been installed over the summer to replace the previous alarm system.  Each term we run a practice fire drill in school so that whatever time of day it is, and wherever the children are in the building, they know what the alarm sounds like and whereabouts they go with their class and adults to stay safe.  We aim to evacuate the whole building in under 3 minutes.  Last year, each fire drill showed that the children were all safely evacuated in under 2 minutes, 10 seconds.

We also like to play 'Hide and Seek' with the children (as another safety precaution).  If needbe, the staff have been trained to follow agreed emergency processes and procedures to ensure the safety of the children whilst on site.  Some schools or venues may refer to this as a 'lockdown'.  We do not use this language with the children but they have practised 'Hide and Seek' with their teachers - this takes place termly.  It means that in any event, should there be an issue which is deemed to cause danger to the children, the school is as safe as it can be for them to be protected.  Should there be a need for this to happen, we liaise with the emergency services for an immediate response.  At this point we would notify parents via the school Scholarpack App that we are in lockdown and would ask that parents do not attend site as this may breach the safety measures for the children.  Some schools have had to follow this procedure when there have been significant fires, or if there have been local disputes and it is deemed unsafe for children to leave school as they normally would.  

We like to be prepared for every eventuality and hope that none of the above measures are required to be used, but we are secure in the knowledge that the children and staff know what to do if they are.

DONATION THANKS

We would like to say a huge thank you to The McLean family, Jay Mills & The Royal Oak.  Their fundraiser event in the summer in memory of Robert McLean was really successful and they have made a donation of £1,100 to the school.  The donation has been made to contribute in a way that promotes learning and support for the pupils and staff - for education, materials, classroom resources or anything else the school believes will have a positive impact for the children.

Thankyou!

Following feedback from parents last year, we will be using Class Dojo to share updates about what each class is learning across year 1 - 6 (EYFS use 'Tapestry for staff to log observations and parents / carers have access to').  Each child can be awarded 'Dojo Points' so you can see how they are getting on each day / week, and each class has a 'story', where teachers will be able to upload photos of the different activities and learning children are doing (pending consent from parents / carers on the Scholarpack app).  Each family is allocated an individual sign in code which you may choose to share with mums / dads / carers / grandparents, though children are not permitted to access Class Dojo using these codes.

Only general messages or reminders from the class teacher will be sent via Class Dojo.  The whole school formal communication will still be sent via the Scholarpack messaging app or emails.  Whilst there is the possibility of 2-way messaging, this is not part of the facility we are actively using currently, so if you need to speak to the teacher, please do so at the end of the day as you normally would.

Our Jacksdale Family Ethos - how we address behavioural concerns and celebrate successes so that every child is supported to become the very best that they can be

We want every child to feel safe, valued and included. We know that children come to school with different experiences, and sometimes with worries or challenges we can’t always see. That’s why we work as a trauma-informed school – which simply means we always try to respond with understanding, care and fairness.  There is nothing worse than knowing, even an adult, that you have said or done something which has hurt someone else and then being berated for it.

When things go wrong, we use a restorative approach. Instead of just giving out punishments, we talk with the children involved so that each child has time to explain their perceptions and viewpoints (if they know them) for their decisions and actions; help them see the impact of their actions, and support them to put things right. This way, they learn from mistakes and build stronger relationships for the future.

You may sometimes hear your child say that “nothing was done” if there’s been a problem. Please know that isn’t the case. We follow the idea of PIP and RIP – Praise in Public and Reprimand in Private. We celebrate successes openly so children feel proud, but when a child makes a mistake, we deal with it quietly and not in front of other children. This way, they can learn without feeling shamed or embarrassed in front of others.

Our goal is always the same: to guide children towards making good choices, showing kindness, and being respectful members of our school community.