Latest News | Drapers Mills Primary Academy

A Celebration of Learning (from 29.11.21 to 03.12.21)

Fri 03 Dec 2021

A celebration of some of the fantastic learning that the children have been doing in school this week.

Closure of Years 3 and 4 due to staff absence

Wed 01 Dec 2021

Unfortunately, the increasing levels of staff absence due to sickness (including Covid) is making it extremely difficult to ensure that all classes in school have adults available to teach them on a daily basis and even more difficult to ensure that children are safe and sufficiently supervised during their breaks.

So that there are sufficient adults in school to ensure the safety of all involved, I have made the extremely difficult decision to close years 3 and 4 until the end of the day on Friday 10^th December.

The children are to return to school on Monday 13^th December to enjoy the final week of term.

If staff return from their absence and we are able to do so, the children may be invited back to school earlier. This will be reviewed next week and communicated with parents.

Work will be organised for the children to complete whilst they are not at school. Your child’s class teachers will be in touch shortly.

I appreciate and regret the inconvenience this may cause and hope that you understand that this decision has not been made lightly. We will, of course, keep you updated of any changes to this arrangement.

Yours sincerely

Mr J Manclark

Headteacher

Closure of Year 3 classes

Mon 29 Nov 2021

Unfortunately, due to an increasing level of staff absence due to sickness, I have made the extremely difficult decision to close the year 3 classes. Pupils in Browne and Blyton classes are therefore being asked to stay away from school for the next 48 hours, returning on Thursday 2^nd December when staff will be returning from their Covid-19 isolation period.

Work will be sent home with the children to complete whilst they are not at school.

I appreciate and regret the inconvenience this may cause and hope that you understand that this decision has not been made lightly.

Yours sincerely

Mr J Manclark

Headteacher

Confirmed positive cases of Covid-19 in the school setting

Wed 24 Nov 2021

Dear Parents / Carers

We have been advised by Public Health England that there has been a number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 within the school setting.

We know that you may find this concerning but we are continuing to monitor the situation and are working closely with Public Health England. This communication is to inform you of the current situation and provide advice on how to support your child. Please be reassured that for most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

The school setting remains open and your child should continue to attend as normal if they remain well.

Unless your child is showing symptoms there is no need for them to be absent from school, however, it has been suggested that they should take a PCR test if they have been in close contact with an individual that has tested positive. Positive cases have been found in the following classes: -

Butterworth Class ( year 2)
Blyton Class (year 3)
Browne Class (year 3)
Baddiel Class (year 4)
Sachar Class (year 5)
Tsang Class (year 5)

You can obtain a PCR test via Get a free PCR test to check if you have coronavirus (COVID-19) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) or by calling 119.

When ordering a PCR test it is important to check the box (online) or tell 119 ‘I’ve been told to get a test by my health protection team’ and not ‘I’ve been told to get a test by my school or nursery’. Further guidance can be found at Guidance for contacts of people with confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection who do not live with the person - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The school are currently reviewing it's current Covid-19 control measures with the local Health Protection Team and will share any changes with parents in due course.

Thank you.

Mr J Manclark

Headteacher

COVID-19 UPDATE for parents

Sun 21 Nov 2021

COVID-19 UPDATE: Because of an increase in the number of positive cases reported in both our local and school community, there are a couple of contingency measures that the school are putting into place immediately to reduce the risk of transmission: -

* Staff will return to wearing face-masks in public areas, including at the start and end of each day when meeting with parents.

* Parents will be asked to wear face-masks if they enter the school building - including the Reception area.

Staff will continue to ensure that across the school there are high levels of good hand hygiene, with children, staff and any visitors washing and/or using alcohol gel when the enter or leave the school building. They will also ensure that any working areas are well ventilated at all times.

Parents are asked to ensure that if children show any symptoms of Covid-19 they do not come to school and arrange to be tested.

We thank you for your ongoing support and will keep you updated of any further updates.

Mr Manclark

Headteacher

A Celebration of Learning (from 15.11.21 to 19.11.21)

Fri 19 Nov 2021

A celebration of some of the fantastic learning that the children have been doing in school this week.

A Celebration of Learning (from 08.11.21 to 12.11.21)

Fri 12 Nov 2021

A celebration of some of the fantastic learning that the children have been doing in school this week.

A Celebration of Learning (from 01.11.21 to 05.11.21)

Fri 05 Nov 2021

A celebration of some of the fantastic learning that the children have been doing in school this week.

A Celebration of Learning (18.10.21 to 22.10.21)

Fri 22 Oct 2021

A celebration of some of the fantastic learning that the children have been doing in school this week.

Netflix's Squid Game - Safeguarding Concerns

Fri 15 Oct 2021

Due to the popularity of Netflix’s most recent viral show, Squid Game, it has been concerning to see and hear so many of our children discussing and playing some of the games that are part of the show.

The children that attend our school are too young to watch Squid Game and need to be protected from it's content.

We have found this Safeguarding Update that highlights the main risks and concerns that parents and carers need to be aware of.

What is Squid Game?
Squid Game is a South Korean television series streaming on Netflix. The plot centres on a group of adult debtors, thieves, and gamblers competing against each other in a series of childhood games for a grand cash prize. However, there is a dark twist to these seemingly innocent games – losing competitors are violently killed off in ways that grow more twisted as the games grow more intense.

Since its release in September 2021, Squid Game has become number one across 90 different countries in Netflix’s ranking of most watched TV shows. It has been number one in the UK for thirteen consecutive days since its release.

Harmful Content in the Show

Currently, Squid Game has a rating of 15+ as the visual content includes high levels of gore, death, violence, and physical assault. It also has graphic depictions of suicide, murder, and sexual assault.

Children and young people are likely to know about the show via word of mouth and because it is so popular on social media. They may be unaware of the extent of gore, death, and violence the show contains. It also focuses on adult themes that are not appropriate for younger sensibilities. For young people who live with mental health issues, they may be triggered by some of the content.

The aesthetic of Squid Game, especially in promotional images and material, appears innocent and childlike. This is to provide a clash with the excessively violent content that is meant to be jarring and unsettling to viewers.

Parents and carers should be aware that video content from this show is found on TikTok, which could also increase their interest in watching the show. Remember: even if you restrict the young person in your care from watching Squid Game, they may be able to access content on other social media platforms.

The Risks of Rough Play

Due to the overwhelming popularity of Squid Game and its challenge-based plot, many of the themes within the show have become popular on social media platforms. Depictions of these games have started to become popular as people film themselves recreating them – without the murderous outcome. The most popular are:

Red Light, Green Light: Players attempt to reach a spot in the allotted time in a stop-start fashion. A particular image from the show being recreated from the show involves the giant doll-like robot that runs this game and monitors any movement.

Honeycomb Game: Players must cut out one of four shapes in a thin disc of honeycomb using a needle without breaking the shape. This has become popular on TikTok.

It’s unlikely that children and young people would have the means to entirely recreate the games featured in the show. A lot of them include specialised weapons, sets, and equipment. However, there is a concern that a child or young person may unintentionally put themselves in harm’s way by trying to recreate a small portion of the games.

Some reports have seen children using physical violence in the playground to ‘punish’ losers as a substitute for the player losing their life**. If a child attempts to recreate the Honeycomb Game, there is a risk of burns from caramelised sugar if they attempt to make the honeycomb themselves. Some users have also tried heating sharp objects over flames like characters in the show to make cutting an image out of honeycomb easier.

** This is not something we are currently seeing at Drapers Mills Primary Academy.

How can parents / carers protect children from seeing these 15+ images?

Our advice would be the following: -

* constantly monitor what they are watching online. Netflix have provided the following video to show how parental controls can be used effectively - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s8oGDxT824

* listen out for any reference that your child(ren) make about Squid Game and determine where they have heard it / seen it. This may enable you to control what they see/hear.

Thank you all for your understanding and if you have any concerns, please feel free to contact the school.

Thank you.

Mr J Manclark

Headteacher.