Dear Parents,

On Thursday 2 March it is World Book Day and we cannot wait to celebrate as a school and share our love of reading. The children will take part in fun activities throughout the day that celebrate the magic of books.

Children are invited to come to school dressed as their favourite book character or wearing an accessory to show their love of reading. We encourage creativity and do not expect anyone to purchase a new costume for World Book Day. We would love to see what you can create with items that you already own at home.

Please can your child bring their favourite book to school with their name clearly shown. During the day each child will have the opportunity to visit our reading café where they will share their book with another child in school and enjoy some refreshments. We are so excited to see everyone’s costumes and appreciate the effort taken to make this day special.

Kind regards,

Mrs Bradwell (English Subject Leader)

Please see the message below from Durham County Council:

February half term is just around the corner and we are super excited about all of the wonderful Fun and Food activities with healthy food that are on offer across County Durham.  Activities are now being loaded onto our Fun and Food landing page at www.durham.gov.uk/funandfood  and we will be uploading more activities daily so keep visiting to see what’s new.

Durham County Council leisure centres are offering free swimming and fun sessions for children and young people during the half-term holidays. Families can find out more by visiting www.durham.gov.uk/freeswimming.

Please see the message below from Durham County Council:

Dear Parent or Carer,

With the continual challenges we are facing in terms of inflation and energy and to ensure a sustainable and nutritious meal is provided to the children, it has been necessary to agree a price increase in relation to the primary school meal.

From Monday 27th February (following the half-term break) a school meal will cost £2.41 per day.  From September 2023 meals will increase to £2.50 per day with this rate fixed until April 2024.

The meals are freshly produced on site by a catering supplier Chartwell’s and offer a 3-choice menu per day. Each meal is developed to ensure the right amount of protein, carbohydrates, fruit, and vegetables is available while avoiding confectionery and artificially sweetened drinks, with limits on the fat, salt, and sugar content in each meal.

The good news is if your child or children attend an infant school or infant class from Reception to Year 2 (KS1) then school meals will be free to them under the government Universal Infant Free School Meal Scheme.

Don’t forget that if your child has a medical dietary requirement (supported by a Medical Practitioner) then this can be provided for.

This is an unprecedented period of financial challenge across a range of industry sectors and services, the education team has worked hard with the current provider to agree a pricing mechanism to ensure a high quality and sustainable meal service is provided for children within Durham schools.

Thank you for your support.

Dear Parents,

You may already be aware that Northern Powergrid will be carrying out an upgrade on their high voltage electricity network which will involve interrupting the power supply to Byers Green and Binchester on Thursday 2 February from 9.30am for a period of 4.5 hours.

Northern Powergrid are intending to supply our school with a generator for the day and, therefore, the plan is that our school will be open as normal next Thursday. Should there be any changes to this, I will let you know at the earliest possible opportunity.

Kind regards

Mr Kirtley

Headteacher

Please see the January newsletter from Chartwells below:

DURHAM Primary Jan 23 Chartwells Schools Newsletter

Please see the information below from Durham County Council and the Health Protection Team:

Schools leaflet -winter illnesses

This is a reminder of information sent out last term.

Please see the information below from Durham County Council and the Health Protection Team:

The latest data from UKHSA shows that scarlet fever cases continue to remain higher than we would typically see at this time of year. Currently, there is no evidence that a new strain is circulating. The increase is most likely related to high amounts of circulating bacteria and social mixing. It is therefore advisable to be alert for symptoms and seek medical advice accordingly.

Scarlet fever is usually a mild illness, but it is highly infectious. Look out for symptoms in children, which include a sore throat, headache, and fever, along with a fine, pinkish or red body rash with a sandpapery feel. On darker skin the rash can be more difficult to detect visually but will have a sandpapery feel.

Contact NHS 111 or your GP if you suspect a child has scarlet fever. (See our advice to parents below).

Early treatment of scarlet fever with antibiotics is important to reduce the risk of complications such as pneumonia or a bloodstream infection.

If a child has scarlet fever, they should stay home until at least 24 hours after the start of antibiotic treatment to avoid spreading the infection to others.

Scarlet fever is caused by bacteria called group A streptococci. These bacteria also cause other respiratory and skin infections such as Strep throat and impetigo.

In very rare occasions, the bacteria can get into the bloodstream and cause an illness called invasive Group A strep. Whilst still uncommon, there has been an increase in invasive Group A strep cases this year, particularly in children under 10.

Our advice to parents:

There are lots of viruses that cause sore throats, colds and coughs circulating. These should resolve without medical intervention. However, children can on occasion develop a bacterial infection on top of a virus and that can make them more unwell.

As a parent or carer, if you feel that your child seems seriously unwell, you should trust your own judgement. Contact NHS 111 if or your GP if:

• your child is getting worse
• your child is feeding or eating much less than normal
• your child has had a dry nappy for 12 hours or more or shows other signs of dehydration
• your baby is under 3 months and has a temperature of 38C, or is older than 3 months and has a temperature of 39C or higher
• your baby feels hotter than usual when you touch their back or chest, or feels sweaty
• your child is very tired or irritable

Call 999 or go to A&E if:

• your child is having difficulty breathing – you may notice grunting noises or their tummy sucking under their ribs
• there are pauses when your child breathes
• your child’s skin, tongue or lips are blue
• your child is floppy and will not wake up or stay awake

Good hand and respiratory hygiene are important for stopping the spread of many bugs. By teaching your child how to wash their hands properly with soap for 20 seconds, using a tissue to catch coughs and sneezes, and keeping away from others when feeling unwell, they will be able to reduce the risk of picking up, or spreading, infections.

Schools leaflet -winter illnesses

The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) has confirmed changes to the 2023 key stage two (KS2) tests schedule in England, due to the additional bank holiday set to take place on Monday 8 May 2023, in honour of the King’s coronation.

Ministers have decided that KS2 tests will take place in the same week, with tests following the usual order but each taking place one day later than originally planned. As such, the new schedule will be as follows:

• Tuesday 9 May 2023: English grammar, punctuation and spelling (GPS) papers 1 (questions) and 2 (spelling)
• Wednesday 10 May 2023: English reading paper
• Thursday 11 May 2023: mathematics papers 1 (arithmetic) and 2 (reasoning)
• Friday 12 May 2023: mathematics paper 3 (reasoning)