Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
If you are a family on a low income you could get food vouchers for your children over the Christmas period.
The money to pay for these vouchers has come from the government through its COVID-19 winter grant scheme which is over and above the other support schemes already provided by Derbyshire County Council.
The family of every child who gets free school meals in Derbyshire schools because of low income can get a £30 food voucher for the Christmas holidays. You will get another voucher in February if you are still eligible, the amount will depend on the number of children who qualify at that time. Some other families are also eligible based on financial hardship.
You will receive vouchers if you meet one of the following criteria:
• Have a child aged 3 to 18 in a Derbyshire school (nursery to year 13), eligible for free school meals because of low household income.
• Have a child aged 3 or 4 not in a Derbyshire school nursery that receives free childcare and qualifies for 'pupil premium' based on low income (this is sometimes called 'economic funding').
• Have a child aged 2 that is eligible for free 2-year-old childcare because of low household income.
You do not need to do anything if your child already meets these criteria (see our website for full terms and conditions). We will contact you and you should receive a payment by email or text message that should arrive by 21 December 2020.
If you have children and you do not currently claim free school meals or meanstested free childcare you may still be eligible.
For full details of the scheme or to see what help and support is available, please visit www.derbyshire.gov.uk/winter
16 December 2020
Dear Parents and Carers,
What a busy and exciting term we have had at Ripley Nursery School and Ripley Nursery School Childcare.
Our children, staff and parents have been amazing in working together and, despite the disruption due to the enforced periods of isolation, the children have all settled well in school and childcare, developed new and exisiting friendships and have displayed high levels of engagement and persistence in their learning.
We pride ourselves on giving our young children access to learn in both indoor and outdoor rich learning environments and this gives our young children multiple opportunities to thrive, to develop resilience, to learn new skills, tackle challenges and problem-solve in practical and co-operative ways.
Next term I will be away from school for health reasons and in my absence Donna Brown will take on the role of Acting Head. We have a strong leadership team and governing board here at Ripley Nursery School and Childcare who will be supported in turn by our dedicated Derbyshire Education Advisors.
Your points of contact will continue to be your class keyworkers, Kerry Hartwell, School Business Manager, Annabel Martin and finally Donna Brown, Acting Headteacher.
Please be extra mindful and cautious at this time; we are asking you to monitor your child’s or your own health carefully and consider whether you need to take additional precautions if anyone within your bubble has any symptom from change or loss of smell through to cold type symptoms. Currently the administration staff are working remotely; if you have any concerns or queries, including those relating to symptoms please email kerry.hartwell@ripley-nur.derbyshire.sch.uk as we may be unable to answer the telephone promptly.
I wish you all a happy and safe Christmas period – it may not be a regular Christmas holiday however it is a time to enjoy and relax with our close family. If we all follow guidance and keep safe we have the wonderful promise of happier and busier times ahead.
Kind regards,
Cathy Bednal
Head of Ripley Nursery School & Ripley Nursery School Childcare
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome to Ripley Nursery School
We look forward to meeting all our new children and parents at our garden visit day on Monday 14th December 2020. To ensure the safety of our school community only new parents and pupils will be onsite with staff on this day. We understand that this is a difficult time to be starting a school placement and I would like to share with you the measures we have taken to keep staff, families and children safe.
At Ripley Nursery School we have worked throughout the pandemic balancing the stringent government guidance with the well-being and educational needs of our younger learners.
All staff and children work within ‘bubbles’ as we understood that small children cannot socially distance and may need comfort and support from their keyworker during the school day.
We understand that the best way to keep safe is for staff and families to work together with clear routines and rules and to keep clear lines of communication open and well used.
Health & Safety measures in response to covid 19
Within school we have adapted our environment to allow for more frequent cleaning and have restricted the numbers of children and staff in contact with each other by dividing the school learning spaces, including the outside areas, into two distinct bubbles. We also support children to practise good hand hygiene throughout the school day.
To ensure a safe and smooth entry and exit into school we have staggered start and finish times and increased the number of entrances. All parents must wear a mask at drop off and pick up times. We understand that all local schools have taken the same approach to support social distancing, if you are struggling with the allotted timings please speak to myself, Kerry Hartwell or your keyworker and we will do our best to accommodate changes. We ask families to arrive on time, to keep a social distance of 2 m apart from other families and to leave the school site promptly following the clearly marked out routes.
|
|
Full day /morning drop off |
Morning pick up |
Afternoon drop off |
Full day /afternoon Pick up |
Where |
|
Hedgehogs |
8.30 |
11.15 |
12.30 |
3.15 |
Pram store door |
|
Owls |
8.45 |
11.30 |
12.45 |
3.30 |
Reception |
|
Squirrels |
8.30 |
11.30 |
12.30 |
3.15 |
Garden gate |
|
Rabbits |
8.45 |
11.30 |
12.30 |
3.30 |
Garden gate |
|
|
Breakfast club starts |
Afterschool club finishes |
|
Main Reception |
7.45am |
4.30pm |
Most importantly we ask you not to bring children to school who are ill or displaying any symptoms of covid 19. If anyone in your family has any symptoms of covid 19 apply then for a test and do not bring your child to school unless you have a negative result.
If your child falls ill at school we will care for them, alert you to collect them and take their temperature. All children and adults have access to prompt testing and we will ask you to apply for and administer a test on behalf of your child if they display symptoms of covid 19.
We ask you to sign a home school agreement to signify you understand and agree with all the guidance and rules we have put in place.
If you have another child/children who is/are isolating please do not bring them to school with you when dropping off or picking up. I understand that this is may be a difficult situation however our priority is to keep our school community safe and free from covid 19.
With all these measures in place we cannot guarantee that we will not have to close if any child or staff member tests positive for cornonavirus. We will contact Public Health England/Department of Education if anyone reports a positive test, follow their guidance and notify parents swiftly.
Starting Ripley Nursery School
We operate a gradual transition into school for any new starters in order to promote the well being of all children. We appreciate that joining school is a huge step for children and their families and this year we have had to employ a different approach as we cannot invite parents into school. Therefore all new parents and children, who have not visited school, will have a garden visit with their keyworker and an opportunity to find out about Ripley Nursery School. All families should now have a start date and a garden visit. Please ensure you wear your mask during the garden visit.
School Information
School website – please go to www.ripley-nur.derbyshire.sch.uk for more information about our school including our ethos, policies and further contact information. Additionally, we ask our parents to sign up for the school app, this is linked to the website and provides regular updates about events in school and important reminders. We will send you a link to download the app once your admission form is processed.
If your child is absent from school please telephone school by 9.15am /1.15pm and speak to Annabel Martin or Kerry Hartwell as we have a duty to record all absences. We ask you to attend school promptly to ensure the safety of all children and families and to ensure children receive full access to all the learning experiences available to them at Ripley Nursery School.
If your child has any medical requirements, including dietary, please notify your keyworkers or Kerry Hartwell prior to your child starting school.
On your garden visit you will be given a letter regarding parent pay. The letter will give you a username and password for your personal log in to parent pay. Please ensure you log into the system as this will enable you to pay for your parental contribution, lunches and any additional sessions or payments. The parental contribution is applicable to every child and is charged at £1.50 per week. This covers healthy snacks and drinks, baking ingredients and other provisions.
Check out your classroom and teachers
Staff in your child’s class have made class videos to introduce themselves and show you what will be on offer for your child – you can find these on the school website under the Children’s tab, please use these videos to help support your child before they start school.
Staff from your child’s class, their keyworkers, will be on the door to encourage your child into school. Our staff are kind and caring and will work with you to support your child joining school. Your child can bring in a transitional object, for example their school mouse (we provide these on your garden visit), which will stay in their school bag. Please provide children with a spare change of clothes and a pair of slippers, labelled with their name, in a plastic bag or a fabric drawstring bag which can stay in school.
We provide wet weather gear to allow children to work outside whatever the weather however we often get wet socks from splashing in puddles - so please put extra socks and pants in their school bag too.
Our uniform suppliers are loopwear which are based in Ilkeston. They also have an online shop from which you can order uniform. Please follow the link below.
https://loopwear.co.uk/find-your-school/ripleynurseryschool-loopwear
We look forward to working with you and your child over the next academic year. We send information out through our school app to your mobile phone so please keep us informed of any changes to your personal details. You can also find a wealth of information about Ripley Nursery School on our website, including details about our sister organisation – Ripley Nursery School Childcare.
Your keyworkers from your child’s class will share your child’s progress and achievement through online learning journals and more information will be coming out to you in the near future.
Kind regards,
C.L. Bednal
Cathy Bednal and all the staff of Ripley Nursery School