Victoria School
"Working Together for Success"
Victoria School
Working Together for Success
Latest News
See here for the latest news and updates
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Home to School Transport - Allowance for Parents
Mon 08 Jun 2020HOME TO SCHOOL TRANSPORT: COVID 19
I am writing to you during very difficult times for families and their children during the Covid pandemic.
Providing the home to school transport provision during these times is also challenging especially because there is reduced capacity on the vehicles to ensure that we can maintain social distancing and that children can travel safe and keep safe. As more children start to attend school this summer term, we may encounter capacity difficulties in terms of vehicles, drivers and guides. We will of course reinstate transport as soon as possible ensuring that all risk and safety measures are in place for the children.
To help us with this problem I am writing to ask if any parents would like to volunteer to transport their child to and from school and receive a fuel allowance to cover the costs. The allowance is 0.45p per mile for two return journeys to and from school e.g. home to school is 6 miles each way, allowance is 4x 6 = 24 miles = £10.80 per day. If you take up this offer and volunteer it will not affect your statutory rights to transport provision and that the transport will be reinstated at your request, please give at least one weeks’ notice. The allowance may also be reviewed if new vehicle capacity becomes available. All the temporary arrangements will be reviewed at the end of the summer term.
I thank you in advance of any assistance you may offer. If you would like to volunteer, please complete the form below and return it to travelassist@birmingham.gov.uk
Yours sincerely
Mark Hudson
SEND Transport Manager
Mark Hudson
SEND Transport Manager
Education & Skills Directorate
Travel Assist
PO Box 16541
Birmingham
B2 2DD
Telephone: 0121 303 4955
email: travelassist@birmingham.gov.uk
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Voluntary survey for parents and carers of 11-15 year olds about home learning
Mon 08 Jun 2020The University of Warwick is launching an online survey exploring the experiences of parents and carers and teachers of young people aged 11-15 with learning and teaching from home during COVID-19 lockdown, the practicalities of doing so and the impact this may be having on their mental health and emotional wellbeing. A better understanding of the experiences and challenges arising from school closures will be extremely useful and informative and help us provide better support for families and teaching staff in these unprecedented circumstances.
If you are interested in participating, please click on this COV-ED Survey Link which will take you to the survey site:
https://warwick.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cABncZ5DbaFd1fn
Here you will be able to view a downloadable information sheet which will give you further details of the survey and what it will involve for you. Once you have read the information sheet, you will be able to give your consent to take part and start the survey.
There are two surveys, one for parents/carers and one for teachers. Participants who are both a parent/carer and a teacher are welcome to complete both surveys. The surveys are
completely online and should take no more than 15-minutes each to complete. You will not have to meet with any researchers and no identifiable data will be collected. Results from the survey will be available once the survey has been closed and data has been analysed.Many thanks for your time,
The COV-ED Study Team – University of Warwick -
National School Sport Week At Home
Wed 03 Jun 2020Youth Sport Trust and Sky Sports team up to unite the country through sport this summer with National School Sport Week At Home. It will take place between Saturday 20 June and Friday 26 June.
The Youth Sport Trust will provide everyone who registers with free videos and activity cards to help you plan a series of challenges across National School Sport Week at Home. You will receive these well in advance of the week itself so you'll have plenty of time to plan your activities.
The active challenges will all have an emphasis on togetherness, inclusivity and wellbeing. They will be things you can do within the home, and where you can engage in straightforward virtual competition with friends, neighbours and family outside your home.
Some of the activities will need adapting but there are plenty of ideas to get the whole family started.
Please sign up at:
https://www.youthsporttrust.org/national-school-sport-week-home
Have fun!
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Arrangements for safe use of untested LOLER pupil hoist slings
Mon 01 Jun 2020Pupil hoist sling testing should have been carried out during May 2020. However, as pupils are not attending school due to the COVID 19 Pandemic, their slings are unavailable to be tested.
Please be assured that Victoria School is following the Health and Safety Executive advice and have put in place rigorous safety checks of the pupils’ slings who are attending school, for the period until school is fully open and LOLER testing can be resumed.
If your child’s sling is found to have defects by Victoria School’s Manual Handling Staff, you will be informed and must send an alternative to school with your child.
Thank you for your cooperation. -
Children returning after May half term
Fri 29 May 2020Dear Parents and Carers,
We hope that you and your families have been enjoying the beautiful Spring sunshine and being able to spend some time outdoors. From next Monday 1 June, the number of children attending school will increase with the focus continuing to be on providing places for the children of key-workers and those who are safer at school than at home. Unlike mainstream schools, we are not required to prioritise certain year groups. We are required to maintain social distancing whenever possible. Staff have access to personal protective equipment when they need to work with children within the 2 metre distance eg: for personal care. Also, to maintain social distancing, classrooms that might normally accommodate up to 12 children, can now only accommodate 4 (or in some cases 5), so it is clear that we cannot welcome all children back to school. Thank you to all parents who continue to be able to keep their children at home, although we appreciate that this is not easy, having already been doing that for 2 months!
There are some other ways that you can continue to help to keep all of our children, families and staff safe. Please:
1. If you are picking up or collecting your child from school, first check the foyer through the glass doors and only enter when there is space to maintain 2m distancing once inside.
2. Wash your children's clothes at 60 degrees and always send them in fresh clothes each day. (School Uniform is entirely optional at this time.)
3. Avoid sending in any soft toys. If you do send them in, they should also be washed daily at 60 degrees.
4. Do keep your child at home at least until the end of June if they have been identified as being extremely clinically vulnerable.
5. Do not send your child in if they have any symptoms of illness, especially a new continuous cough, fever or changes to the senses of taste or smell. If symptoms develop at school, your child will be supervised in a room by themselves until you arrive to take them home. They must then self-isolate for 14 days and until symptoms have passed or until they test negative to COVID-19. Testing is now available to anyone with symptoms, including children under 5 years of age.
6. Do not send your child into school if anyone else in the household has the symptoms for COVID-19. Isolation should again be for 14 days.
All absences from school will be treated as "authorised".
I know it is difficult to continually be bombarded with instructions, but abiding by these guidelines does help to keep everyone safe by limiting the spread of Coronavirus.
Teachers will continue to phone on a weekly basis, all families of children not in attendance, to check on their safety and whether their needs have changed. They will also continue to provide resources and suggestions for learning at home.
Should you have any questions, if you need additional support or if your circumstances change, please contact the school office by phone on 0121 476 9478 or email at enquiries@victoria.bham.sch.uk
Please note that we still do not have any NHS enteral feeders, nurses or physiotherapists at school. This may change over the next few weeks, but at present we have none.
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World's Largest Children's Choir at Home
Wed 27 May 2020
We’re really excited to invite you to get involved in a special #YVatHome project over the next few weeks!
Young Voices, the current Guinness World Record holders for the world’s largest simultaneous sing are staging the World’s Largest Children’s Choir at Home for a record breaking #PowerInMe Singing Challenge and dedicate it to all our teachers.
On 2nd June 2020 2.30pm - you are invited along with families and children from across the world to pay tribute to all teachers by joining together to sing “The Power in Me” from the safety of your own homes.
You can register your involvement at youngvoices.co.uk/powerinme to access free learning resources for the song. More importantly - we are asking you to share this email with your parents and children to get them directly involved.
Between now and 2nd June, you are also encouraged to take part in the #PowerInMe singing challenge and to film yourselves singing the song’s lyrics “I've got the Power In Me" and post it online with the hashtag to see who responds completing the song’s chorus "You’ve got the Power in You!".
It is all explained here by our conductors David Lawrence and Francisco Núñez - here.
Before 2nd June we have provided a selection of free online rehearsals that you can watch in school or at home to prepare for the big day:
Rehearsals playlist on Facebook
Rehearsals playlist on YouTube
Have you got the power in you? Get involved!
#PowerInMe
#ThankYouTeachers -
A Message To You From Victoria School
Fri 22 May 2020A message from the teachers, to the pupils and students at Victoria School...
Click HERE to watch the video.
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National Teachers' Day
Wed 20 May 2020Today is National Teachers' Day so I would like to take the opportunity to thank all the teachers, teaching assistants, therapists, nurses, administrators, site staff, ICT support staff, cleaners, cooks, drivers and guides,who make it possible for our young people to receive an outstanding education. During this time of COVID-19 lockdown, many have been working harder than every to offer direct care and education to children in attendance, remote education to those who are at home and the myriad of pastoral care tasks that keep children safe and fed and cared for, wherever they are. We are still in uncertain times, but one thing that is certain is that education continues to be one of the most important gifts we can give to our young people to prepare them to take their place in society as valued citizens. On this National Teachers' Day I thank each and every one of you. -
Statement on the Re-opening of Birmingham Schools
Tue 19 May 2020Statement on re-opening of Birmingham schools
Published: Tuesday, 19th May 2020
A letter has been sent to parents and school staff about the re-opening of Birmingham's schools.
Leader of the city council Cllr Ian Ward, Cllr Jayne Francis, cabinet member for education, skills and culture and Cllr Kate Booth, cabinet member for children's welling, have written to parents and school staff about the re-opening of city schools:
Earlier this month the government set out plans for schools in England to start reopening to more pupils from the start of June. Birmingham City Council is committed to working with schools, parents and unions to ensure that any such move is done in a safe way that gives confidence and reassurance.
We are clear though that we only support Birmingham schools opening to more pupils when it is safe to do so.
It is important to recognise that schools staff have shown exceptional commitment and tireless dedication in recent months. Most Birmingham schools have remained open for vulnerable children and those of keyworkers throughout the coronavirus outbreak, including during school holidays and on bank holidays. Schools have also taken innovative approaches to support their pupils with learning at home and have made sure the most vulnerable families have been able to access food parcels, vouchers and other support.
We all know how valuable regular attendance at school is, particularly for the most vulnerable children, and we are committed to having due regard to the guidance that has been issued by the government.
However, we recognise that for some schools, opening to more pupils safely may not be possible on 1 June, while parents and guardians must also feel reassured.
The Current Situation
- The Department for Education has published support for parents and carers around the reopening of schools, providing information on key areas of concern.
- Birmingham schools are undertaking risk assessments to ensure that the relevant safety measures are in place to welcome more children back to school.
- We are supporting school leaders with this very important and complex process and are aware that some schools, particularly larger schools, may need additional time to put safety measures in place.
- Some schools are concerned about the implications on staff and pupils from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities who have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus and many schools will be assessing the risk to pupils and staff with underlying medical conditions.
We trust that headteachers will make the right decisions for their school communities. No school leader wants their school to be closed for longer than is absolutely necessary but all will put the safety of their pupils and staff first when deciding when their school can start to admit more pupils.
The Department for Education has published support for parents and carers around the reopening of schools, providing information on key areas of concern. Families should check with their child’s school for their planned reopening dates.
To reiterate, we will ensure that any reopening of schools in Birmingham is safe and protects school staff as well as children and young people.
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Family Fund - Financial Grants for Families
Tue 19 May 2020£10 million to help disabled or seriously ill children in England during Coronavirus
Family Fund has received extra funding worth £10 million from the Department for Education to provide grants for families on low incomes raising disabled or seriously ill children in England this year.
This emergency funding has been provided in response to the crisis presented by the Coronavirus pandemic and will help more parents and carers to look after their children. Families can apply for grants to make their lives easier while implementing social distancing measures, including computers and tablets, outdoor play equipment and sensory toys.
The multi-million-pound settlement was announced by Children and Families Minister Vicky Ford, who said “Our first priority remains the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. I know that these unprecedented times may put additional pressure on families, particularly those whose children have the most complex needs, and these parents deserve some extra help to look after and educate them at home.
“From computers and tablets to household items that many of us take for granted, this new funding will directly benefit tens of thousands of families, making sure parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities get the support they need at this difficult time and beyond.”
Cheryl Ward, Chief Executive of Family Fund, said “Family Fund welcomes this commitment of an additional £10 million in emergency funding. It will make an incredible difference to thousands of families in England during this crisis, providing practical and essential grant support to help improve the quality of life and ease some of the additional daily pressures faced in these difficult times by many disabled children and their families.”
For more information, go to:
