Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
Norman Pannell is taking part in the UKs largest study of Covid -19 impact in schools. We would appreciate your participation to find out where our school has done well and understand better where concerns have arisen for parents and pupils.
There are two links below for surveys for parents and pupils. The surveys are anonymous. School will receive a summary report of the findings which will support our future planning to be better prepared for any future disruption. We thank you for your continued support and ask that you take a few minutes to complete the survey below so that we can improve what we do at Norman Pannell.
Parents - https://edurio.com/poll/LhrFdz
Pupils - https://edurio.com/poll/ie2r5T
Following the successful re-introduction of Year 6 and Reception this week, I am delighted to announce that governors have approved our plan for Year 1 children to be invited back to school from Monday 6th July.
More details will follow at the start of next week, including a contact form for parents to secure a place for their child in the Year 1 'bubble'.
Children of key workers from Year 1 will be welcome next week, as they have been throughout lockdown.
Kind regards,
Rob Simpson
Good morning parents,
Following a further change in the local health guidance and local authority advice, we are delighted to now invite the Reception children back to Norman Pannell from Wednesday 24th June.
More information will follow on this later today and at the start of next week, including photos and a video to explain how things will be a little different. I will text Reception parents as and when the Reception page is updated today. Please wait for the Reception page update and details this afternoon before contacting us to give final confirmation that your child will or will not be returning.
Click here for the Reception class page
There is still no confirmed date for the return of any other year group. The next year group we would be trying to get back into school before the end of the summer term would be Year 1, following Government guidance. However, this will be subject to further risk assessment and a review of capacity, as children need to be taught in 'bubbles' of no more than 15 children. Unless government guidance on social distancing changes, it is unlikely that other year groups will be able to return before the end of the summer term on 17th July.
Many thanks to Miss Gold and the Early Years team for their determination to make this happen as quickly as possible for the benefit of children and parents. Thanks also to governors who came in yesterday afternoon at short notice to go through the plans and risk assessments. The health and safety of children, parents and staff remains our top priority.
Good afternoon parents,
Following Liverpool LA's advice, we are now planning to re-open to Year 6 children on Monday 22nd June. We are delighted to be able to welcome these children back to school as they approach the end of their primary school education.
There is currently no confirmed date for any other year groups to return in Liverpool schools, but we will update as and when there is any new information.
For Year 6, normal school hours will apply, with children entering through the vehicle gate onto the junior yard from 8:50am. If you are a Year 6 parent, please confirm with school whether or not you intend for your child to come in next week. We must know before a child comes back so that we can prepare staffing, classroom furniture and resources needed for teaching and learning.
Please e-mail me (Rob Simpson - headteacher) at norman-ht@normanpannell.liverpool.sch.uk to confirm either way. If we do not receive an e-mail, we will call parents to find out numbers by the end of the week.
Click here for the Y6 class page with more information and photos
Dear Parents / Carers,
Our school can now accept children from families where one of the parents is a key worker, even if the other parent is not. This is different to the original guidance when we were running the hub in the first phase of school lockdown.
If one of your child's parents is a key worker and you would like him/her to attend school, please contact the school office on 0151 487 7718.
We have a key worker form for the parent's employer to complete to provide evidence of key worker status, which can be collected from school. Government definitions of 'Key Worker' status can be found at the bottom of this page.
At present, we still have no set date for the return of Year 6 or any other year group in Liverpool. We will inform you as soon as we know more.
New children's work packs for each year group are now available to collect from the school office today. It would help if you could phone the office before collecting to ensure we have enough packs ready.
In the meantime, please go onto your child's class page on the website: www.normanpannell.com (click 'Pupils' then 'Class Pages') and follow the class page on Twitter (@NormanPannellPS) for latest updates and messages from individual teachers.
Yours sincerely,
Rob Simpson
(Headteacher)
Key Worker definitions - Gov.uk
This includes, but is not limited to, doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers; the support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector; those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributors of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.
This includes:
This includes:
This only includes:
This includes those involved in food:
This includes:
This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the COVID-19 response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.
This includes:
Good afternoon parents,
Yesterday, Director of Children's Services in Liverpool, Steve Reddy updated Headteachers and Governors on Liverpool LA's position on the wider re-opening of schools. Initially, as previously posted, the plan had been for Y6 children to be invited back from this coming Monday 15th June. It was made clear that this was subject to change, depending on the local and national picture with regard to Coronavirus.
Unfortunately, due to continued regional concerns about the virus levels, the LA have updated their guidance and advised that it is not considered appropriate for primary schools to open to Y6 on 15th June.
In his letter to schools, Steve Reddy said:
"Doing the right thing in the right way at the right time is critical. Following recent information about the virus and advice from local Public Health colleagues we are advising against any wider openings to children in Year 6 on 15 June.
Schools are encouraged to continue to follow the guidance issued by the local authority and in carrying out risk assessments. The date at which schools can open to wider cohorts of children will vary from school to school. It is dependent on a number of variables including advice from local Public Health colleagues, availability of teaching staff, cleaning staff, classroom capacity, entrances and exits and PPE.
Schools will continue to be supported by the local authority and School Improvement Liverpool services, continuing to work together and doing our best to meet the needs of as many children as possible."
This revised guidance was discussed at length in an online governors meeting this morning and it was agreed that Norman Pannell will follow the advice from the Local Authority on this. We remain planned and ready to open to Year 6 children, and other selected year groups as advised by the Local Authority, as and when it is deemed safe to do so.
We appreciate that this may be a disappointment to children and parents who have been looking forward to returning to school, and would like to assure you that we are itching to get our school back to a sense of normality as soon as we can; however, the health, safety and welfare of our pupils, family and staff remains our number one priority.
We will further update you as soon as we have any new information to give. In the meantime, if you have any questions, opinions or concerns, please do not hesitate to e-mail me, Rob Simpson (HT) at norman-ht@normanpannell.liverpool.sch.uk
Dear parents and carers,
Thank you for the many replies to the opinions page on the website. If you haven't done so, please follow the link below and click on the Y6 link or 'all other year groups':
https://www.normanpannell.com/coronavirus-school-closure-help-page/
I would like to address some of the questions and concerns raised in the messages below.
We continue to work with governors and the Local Authority, writing new risk assessments and implementing completely new safety measures to minimise any risk from Coronavirus to children, staff and parents as we plan for the gradual re-opening of school to more children in the coming weeks.
It is ESSENTIAL that any children coming back to school are observing the government's social distancing guidance with their family at home. If children and families are not following government guidelines at home, they will potentially be putting themselves, other children and their families, and school staff at risk when they come to school. Our many social distancing and safety measures can only be effective if the same is happening at home.
Our risk assessments and safety measures, including photos of classrooms, corridors etc. will be published before any year groups return to school. Some parents have asked whether they would be able to come into the classroom to see the environment; this will unfortunately not be allowed due to the risk assessment guidelines, which stress the need to minimise people coming into the school building. However, we will attempt to post a video explaining entrance, exits and some of the other changes for the younger children and their parents when we have further details from the Local Authority.
I can assure you that we know the children individually and are sensitive to their needs. Depending on numbers, we cannot guarantee that your child would return to their usual teacher or classroom; however, we will ensure that children are personally greeted, feel comfortable, understand and practice new routines for staying safe and learn to adapt to the new style of schooling. We understand that pupils and parents may feel very anxious initially, but we will do everything we can to make sure your child receives the personal care, nurture and attention they need to feel happy.
Uniform
Parents have asked about uniform expectations. The most important factor is that clothes worn to school must be washed at the end of each day and clean clothes should be worn each day. While we always prefer uniform to create a sense of normality and focus, we do understand that after a long break from school, children may have grown out of uniform and school shoes since March and with a few weeks of the year left, it would be unfair on parents to expect clean uniform that fits, every day. We certainly wouldn't want parents to feel they need to go out and buy new uniform. Therefore, uniform will not be enforced. If parents would prefer their child to wear uniform and/or find that easier to manage, that is fine. We do stress that good quality, safe footwear is essential - no open-toe sandals please.
School 'normality'
If parents decide to send their child back into school, it is important to understand that this is school, not an extension of the 'hub' style childcare during lockdown. The usual high expectations of behaviour, attendance and punctuality will be expected. Teachers will be planning a sensitive curriculum that responds to the confusing and worrying times we have been living in. The local authority have helped to produce curriculum guidance that will focus on children's social skills and understanding of the world we live in, alongside the usual important skills such as English and Maths.
Lunches
Hot dinners are available as usual. Where possible, we would encourage packed lunches that the children can eat outside in good weather or in their classroom bubble. When the weather is good, the school kitchen may prepare packed lunch meals that can be eaten outside as a picnic. Free school meals will be available as usual. If your child is attending school each day and you are entitled to free school meals, your online voucher order will stop.
Arriving and collecting from school
Children and parents will notice big differences in arrangements at the start and end of the day, ensuring social distancing and avoiding contact between children and parents.
For example, when Year 6 children return on 15th June,
parents and children will enter and leave school via the vehicle gate on Brownbill Bank by the junior yard from 8:50am, while the key worker and vulnerable children from other year groups will continue to arrive through the front pedestrian gate. Staff will be there to welcome children and give instructions on lining up safely. Further details will be given specifically to individual year groups when they return.
There will be signage outside the gate on the fence indicating how parents should wait for the gate to open in order to maintain social distancing. When we know more about which other year groups will return and when, similar specific arrangements will be made and communicated with parents so that the process is sensitive, safe and simple for the returning children.
Cleaning
High standards of cleaning are essential and we have new guidance and standards to work to. Cleaners are working before, during and after each day, ensuring that all areas are thoroughly cleaned each day. In addition, teaching and support staff will also have responsibility to clean door handles and commonly used surfaces in the classroom throughout the day.
Children with Special Educational Needs
We understand that there may be some children with particular needs and anxieties about returning to school. We will work with individual parents to address concerns and discuss how best to cater to their needs. If a class is split into more than one classroom, children with particular areas of sensitivity will be prioritised for remaining in their usual classroom with their familiar adults as much as possible.
I realise there may be other questions you may want to ask. We have started calling parents who have not yet e-mailed their thoughts and we hope to speak to everyone in the next couple of weeks to answer questions and check in with you and your child.
In the meantime, if you have any specific worries, please e-mail me directly at norman-ht@normanpannell.liverpool.sch.uk and I will do my best to answer as soon as possible.
Thank you for your support and partnership.
Rob Simpson
(Head Teacher)
Dear Parents and carers,
As time goes by, parents and teachers are rightly concerned about the valuable learning that their children are missing in school. Many parents have worked tremendously hard to maintain their children's learning throughout this time, but we realise that this is a very difficult task and that not everybody has the same access to resources to help them.
A few weeks ago we produced year group work packs, which some parents picked up from school. These packs are still available to be picked up from the school office and we would encourage parents to do this in order to ensure children continue to develop and practise the many skills they need for learning.
We will be producing a new pack for each year group from 15th June, which will last until the end of the academic year, for those children who do not return before the summer holiday.
We remain committed to your child's learning, whether they are in school or not during the remainder of this year. If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know.
If you would like to pick up a work pack, please phone school (0151 487 7718) between 9am and 3:15pm to arrange pickup.