Many of us are online a lot more at the moment, and while there are many benefits to this method of communication, there are also cautions too. 

Please visit our online safety resources page for tips using various games/platforms.

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you and your families remain safe and well.

This week saw the reopening of the school to some of our Y6 pupils. Everything has gone very smoothly thanks to the hard work and planning of the staff and the cooperation of both parents and children. The children have been brilliant at following all the many new rules and routines designed to keep them safe and we hope to repeat this success with Y1 next week. For the majority of you who have children remaining at home the Learning Grids have been uploaded to the class blogs on the website. We hope you are still finding them useful.

Some parents and carers have told us that they and their children are beginning to find things a little more difficult and are starting to feel a bit fed up. Below is a link to advice on the NHS website that you may find helpful:

5 Steps to Well-being : https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/improve-mental-wellbeing/

Connect – connect with the people around you: your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. Spend time developing these relationships. Learn more in Connect for mental wellbeing.

Be active – you don't have to go to the gym. Take a walk, go cycling or play a game of football. Find an activity that you enjoy and make it a part of your life. Learn more in Get active for mental wellbeing.

Keep learning – learning new skills can give you a sense of achievement and a new confidence. So why not sign up for that cooking course, start learning to play a musical instrument, or figure out how to fix your bike? Find out more in Learn for mental wellbeing.

Give to others – even the smallest act can count, whether it's a smile, a thank you or a kind word. Larger acts, such as volunteering at your local community centre, can improve your mental wellbeing and help you build new social networks. Learn more in Give for mental wellbeing.#

Be mindful – be more aware of the present moment, including your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you. Some people call this awareness "mindfulness". It can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges. Learn more in Mindfulness for mental wellbeing.

Please continue to keep in touch with your class teachers and thank you for everything that you are doing to support your child at home. It is appreciated.

Best wishes

Suzanne Cooper
Headteacher

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are sure that like us, you have lots of questions following the Prime Minister's announcement last night.

At the moment, for us in school, there is no change to the guidance, so we will be continuing to operate as we have over the last few weeks. We will continue to provide essential child care for key worker families as well as vulnerable children.

The message remains that it is safer to stay at home.

We appreciate this is a confusing time. Once we have received further information and reviewed the guidance on how to manage a safe, phased return we will of course keep you informed.

Please stay safe and take care

Suzanne Cooper
Headteacher

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you are all remaining safe and well.  The home learning grids have been uploaded to the class blogs and are updated weekly. Thank you for your feedback so far, we have taken note of your suggestions and have adapted the activities accordingly. As I've mentioned before, the work on the grids is not compulsory, so pick and choose the activities that inspire your children and suit your individual circumstances. If you require paper copies of anything they can be collected from the reception desk. Please phone ahead so that we can have packs ready for you. If you get the chance, it is always lovely to hear from the children or see photos of how they're spending their time. You can email or send messages via Facebook, Twitter or by post.

We have recently been making phone calls to everyone. This is not to check up on home learning but rather to catch up with how things are with you all and to see if you or your children need our help with anything. We are also enjoying talking with someone other than members of our small daily work teams!

We are in school every day so do not hesitate to call or email if you need  anything. You can also visit the Health and Well-being and  Community Links pages, under the Information tab on this website, for useful resources to support you if needed.

Take care and stay safe.

Mrs S Cooper

Dear Children,

I am sorry that our school is closing for most of you today. This is to keep everyone safe and well.

Most of you will be staying at home with your families but if your parents or carers do certain jobs you may be coming back in to school on some days so that they can continue going to work.

You have all been given some ideas of work or activities to complete at home and we will be happy to hear about all the other things that you do as well.

While you’re at home or in our care classes at school, please remember the Brunel rule:

“Always be in the right place at the right time doing the right thing.”

We know that you will behave and help out. It is a strange time for children and adults and we all need to look after each other, particularly at the beginning when we’re getting used to all the changes.

Hopefully, if everyone follows the rules, we will be able to welcome you all back later in the year but in the meantime please keep in touch by email or letter and take care of yourselves.

I will miss you all

Best wishes

Mrs Cooper

Dear Children,

I am sorry that our school is closing for most of you today. This is to keep everyone safe and well.

Most of you will be staying at home with your families but if your parents or carers do certain jobs you may be coming back in to school on some days so that they can continue going to work.

You have all been given some ideas of work or activities to complete at home and we will be happy to hear about all the other things that you do as well.

While you’re at home or in our care classes at school, please remember the Brunel rule:

“Always be in the right place at the right time doing the right thing.”

We know that you will behave and help out. It is a strange time for children and adults and we all need to look after each other, particularly at the beginning when we’re getting used to all the changes.

Hopefully, if everyone follows the rules, we will be able to welcome you all back later in the year but in the meantime please keep in touch by email or letter and take care of yourselves.

I will miss you all

Best wishes

Mrs Cooper .

At Brunel Primary and Nursery Academy we see the internet and other digital technologies as powerful tools which open up new opportunities and enhance learning. We work with staff, pupils, parents and carers to encourage the responsible use of ICT throughout the curriculum and follow agreed policies to minimise potential online safety risks.

We follow appropriate online safety planning for all pupils from Reception to Year 6 that promote their safety by teaching pupils:

• to use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly
• to recognise acceptable and unacceptable behaviour
• to identify a range of ways to report concerns or seek help about content

As part of this we take part in the worldwide Safer Internet Day. An annual theme is chosen that best suits the current landscape of online safety and the issues that young people may face online. This year pupils are encouraged to explore how they manage their online identity and think about how the internet shapes their view of themselves and others. Which parts of our identity should be kept safe and not shared online? How can we support each other online? Where can we go to for help?

Please visit the Online Safety page under the Keeping Safe tab for further information and advice.

Earlier this term we had a fire drill to ensure that we can safely and quickly evacuate all the children and staff in the event of a fire and today we have had a lockdown drill. 
What's the difference? Essentially fire evacuations show how to get everyone out safely; lockdown keeps everyone in.
The fire alarm indicates a threat inside the school whereas the call for  a lockdown indicates a threat in the area around the school for example a possible intruder or a plume of gas from the Dockyard.
When the fire alarm sounds the children are led out of the building, through the fire doors, to the muster points on the playgrounds. In contrast, when a lockdown is called, the children move to an identified safe place within the classroom where they remain still and quiet. All the windows and doors are closed and locked and the curtains and blinds are drawn.
I am pleased to report that the children were amazing! When myself and Drew (our site manager) patrolled the buildings we couldn't hear or see anyone nor could we gain access to the inside of the school. It should be stated that the likelihood of a lockdown in reality is very slim however it's good to know that if we should ever need one then everyone knows what to do.
 

Bagpipe Club has proven to be very popular with over one hundred and twenty children applying to take part.

Mr Parry has managed to organise it so that everyone is able to attend two taster sessions to see if they are interested in pursuing it further.
 
The children are using practice 'chanters' which even the very top pipers (like Mr Parry  himself) learned to play on when they were beginners.

We would like to say a huge thank you to the two sponsors who have contributed to the purchase of twelve new junior chanters: the Brunel Friends Association and Car and Coach Electrics Garage in Plymouth. They have contributed £200 and £100 respectively. This will allow more children to attend the Club in the Summer Term.

If the interest continues Saltash may have a Pipe band in future!