Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
We are delighted that Ofsted have confirmed we remain a good school, with many strengths and areas for development that are already identified by the school.
Read the full report here: Ofsted Report
We are delighted that our recent Section 48 Inspection has judged Catholic Life and Mission to be Outstanding, and RE and Collective Worship to be Good. How fantastic that our strong community has been recognised - well done, everyone! Read the full report under Key Information - Inspection Reports.
St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School is due to have an inspection undertaken by the Catholic Schools Inspectorate on Wednesday 28th / Thursday 29th September. The inspection is both a diocesan and a statutory responsibility.
In the organisation of the Church, the bishop is the ‘first teacher’ in the diocese with responsibility for the formation and education of his people, with particular responsibilities in schools. The inspectors working for the Inspectorate act on his behalf to fulfil this responsibility.
The purpose of inspection is to report to and advise the bishop on the quality of the Catholic life and mission of the school, of religious education and of collective worship. Of course, it also stands to inform parents and the wider Catholic community.
Inspectors will observe learning and acts of worship, talk to staff and pupils, analyse data, and discuss emerging issues with the school’s leadership. The inspection culminates in a written report that will be sent to you.
The view of parents is very important, and we shall be sharing with the inspectors any evidence we have of parents’ views of the school. The inspectors would also like to hear directly from you. We appreciate that we have not given you very much time, but it would be helpful if you could complete the questionnaire, which can be accessed here: https://forms.office.com/r/j40AxdBncS
Questionnaire responses must be submitted by 9am on Thursday, when it will close. Responses to the questionnaire go directly to the inspectors, are anonymous and individual responses cannot be identified.
Thank you for taking the time to complete the questionnaire. We look forward to sharing the outcomes of the inspection when the report has been received.
Please remember that school starts at half eight, with gates open between 8.30 and 8.40am. Please be on time and give your child a good start to the day!
On sunny days, please make sure that your child is wearing sunscreen, and brings a hat and a water bottle.
St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary school are seeking to recruit a nurturing and dedicated Early Years Teaching Assistant to join our team who will help us to celebrate the uniqueness of every child as we guide and support them through their journey of faith and education.
More details: https://jobs.coventry.gov.uk/members/modules/job/detail.php?record=3811&jobboard=WMJobs&c=vacancyposter
Application is via the CES form only, printed packs are available from the School Office.
For more information or to visit the school please contact the Head Teacher Pauline MacDonald headteacher@stmary-stben.coventry.sch.uk
Dear parent/carer,
We are pleased to be welcoming your children back to school for the start of the new school year. We continue to ensure our schools are as safe as possible, and as a city we continue to share learning and good practice across all schools.
The infection rate in Coventry is currently 317 people with the virus for every 100,000 of the population and we are expecting this to increase throughout September as children and young people return to schools and as more people return to workplaces.
We want to ensure we can continue to keep schools open, and children and young people engaged in onsite learning. Although children and young people under 18 are no longer required to isolate if they are a close contact of a positive case, our experience in the summer term was that we had school outbreaks where a number of pupils in a school setting tested positive. In these circumstances the Local Authority and Public Health will work with the school to put additional mitigations in place to manage transmission. Closure or partial closure of a school will always be a last resort.
We are therefore taking a cautious approach to return to school and supporting schools where they have decided to continue with some mitigations/measures in the interim, as we monitor the local and national picture throughout September. This may vary from school to school but could include staggered start and finish times and not bringing parents onto site other than for drop off and pick up. This may also mean different arrangements within the school day such as consistent groupings, not returning to full school assemblies, use of face coverings etc. We are grateful for your ongoing understanding and support with this.
Attendance
School attendance is mandatory for all pupils of compulsory school age and it is a priority to ensure that your child regularly attends school. We understand that you may have some concerns about this, particularly where your child has come into contact with someone who has tested positive. We want to reassure you that we are continuing to do everything in our power to minimise transmission in schools.
Face Coverings
We are advising all schools to recommend that parents continue to wear face coverings on the school site when dropping off and picking up children. This is in line with the government position which has removed the requirement to wear face coverings in law but expects and recommends that they are worn in enclosed and crowded spaces where you may come into contact with people you don’t normally meet. Secondary age children are also expected to wear face coverings on public transport (including dedicated school buses).
Lateral Flow testing (LFT)
LFT continues to be an important tool in managing infection rates and reducing transmission on an ongoing basis. It is helpful in identifying asymptomatic cases, and therefore reducing the overall number of children and young people that may be exposed to the infection and subsequently test positive.
It is already in place for secondary age pupils, who will be invited to have two tests on their return to school. Following this, home testing kits will continue to be supplied for pupils to test twice weekly.
There is no national recommendation for primary-age pupils to have a LFT. You will be aware, however, that we locally recommend all children attending a primary school to also regularly test and this can be accessed through community sites or home testing kits: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing/regular-rapid-coronavirus-tests-if-you-do-not-have-symptoms/
General Controls
There are a number of other things that you can also continue to do to help make our education settings safe. These are:
https://www.happyhealthylives.uk/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccination/vaccination-drop-in-clinics/
https://www.happyhealthylives.uk/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccination/vaccination-sites/
Please note that for anyone aged between 16 and 17 years and 9 months they should follow instructions in the letter they have received to book, or attend a drop in clinic (in link above) which states it is for those aged 16 and over.
If you would like any more help and advice around COVID-19, please go to
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Yours sincerely,
Kirston Nelson Liz Gaulton
Director of Education & Skills Director of Public Health and Wellbeing
Dear Parents/Carers,
During the course of the pandemic we have operated a relaxed uniform policy to help families cope. As things return to normal, from September we will be having a resetting of standards, and expect all pupils to be following our uniform policy at all times. School uniforms serve many purposes: being a practical option to assist pupils getting ready for school, giving pupils a sense of identity and belonging, and preparing pupils for formal scenarios in life that we all encounter. These factors contribute to pupils’ well-being and help them develop their confidence and character, and focus on their studies.
Without a uniform, what they wear can end up defining your child rather than the content of their character. Children should be prioritising the development of their personality, having the confidence to be who they are and not be defined by material things like the clothes they wear.
Our uniform has been chosen to be widely available, and accessible to all. If you wish to buy the sweatshirt, cardigan or polo shirt with the school logo, they are available from Cat Ballou on the Burges in the city centre.
We have decided to continue with the wearing of PE kits on days when pupils have PE - we have found the additional time gained very beneficial! Again, we have clear policies around expectations for sportswear, and ask that it is all unbranded. If pupils are attending an after school sports club, they can wear their PE kit on those days too for now.
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Girls |
Boys |
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Winter Uniform |
Grey skirt, pinafore or trousers Purple (with logo) sweatshirt or cardigan, or grey jumper or cardigan Purple (with logo) or white polo shirt or white shirt White or grey socks or grey tights Black shoes |
Grey trousers Purple (with logo) sweatshirt or grey jumper Purple (with logo) or white polo shirt or white shirt Grey socks Black shoes |
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Summer Uniform Easter to October Half-term |
Purple/lilac gingham dress White socks Black shoes |
Grey trousers or shorts Purple or white polo shirt Black shoes |
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PE Kit Worn on PE days |
Black shorts, a plain white or purple t-shirt and trainers/black pumps A black tracksuit/jogging bottoms/leggings may be worn for outdoor games in colder weather. Unbranded. |
Black shorts, a plain white or purple t-shirt and trainers/black pumps A black tracksuit/jogging bottoms may be worn for outdoor games in colder weather. Unbranded. |
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are pleased to report that since your children returned to school in March, Covid-19 case numbers in schools have remained low, meaning the majority of children and young people have been able to remain in school.
You will have seen the national announcements and revisions in arrangements from the 17th May, although there has been very little change to the national schools’ guidance ahead of next week. We thought it would be helpful if we wrote to you to highlight the continued expectations in relation to Covid-19 on school sites.
We want to ensure that we continue to keep infection rates in schools and the city low. Covid-19 case rates in Coventry are at around 25 per 100k population, which is higher than the England and West Midlands average with the majority of cases in secondary school-aged children. We must, therefore, continue to remain vigilant, particularly in light of new and emerging variants. This will help us keep children and young people in schools for the remainder of the Summer Term.
Face Coverings in Secondary Schools
The most significant change to the national schools’ guidance is that from the 17th May face coverings will no longer be recommended for pupils in classrooms or communal areas. Face coverings will also no longer be recommended for staff in classrooms. In all schools the guidance continues to recommend that face coverings should be worn by staff and visitors in situations outside of classrooms where social distancing is not possible (for example, when moving around in corridors and communal areas).
Despite the national position we continue to be concerned about the ability to socially distance in classrooms, and communal areas, and the threat of Covid-19 variants with increased transmission rates. Locally therefore, we will support all schools who wish to encourage secondary age pupils and staff to continue to wear face coverings where possible, and we will review this further at the half term break based on infection levels and further information in relation to variants. The guidance also states that the reintroduction of face coverings for pupils, students or staff may be advised for a temporary period in response to particular localised outbreaks, including variants of concern. We welcome your continued support in relation to this.
There is no national or local recommendation that children in primary schools wear a face covering within the setting.
Lateral Flow testing (LFT)
It continues to be the national and local expectation that secondary age pupils will take a LFT twice a week, and we urge you to ensure your secondary-age child is tested. LFT continues to be an important tool in managing infection rates and reducing transmission on an ongoing basis. It regularly identifies asymptomatic cases, and therefore reduces transmission and the number of children and young people that may need to isolate.
There is no national recommendation for primary-age pupils to have a LFT. You will be aware, however, that we have extended our LFT Community sites to be able to test children and young people from age 2, and we highly recommend that you do this. You will also be aware that home test kits can be collected from local collection points to be used. Further information is available on LFT Community sites, and accessing home test kits at:
https://www.coventry.gov.uk/lateralflowtesting,
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rapid-lateral-flow-testing-for-households-and-bubbles-of-school-pupils-and-staff.
Other arrangements
There is little other change to the national schools’ guidance ahead of next week, and we are not expecting further changes until the 21st June. Schools will therefore be continuing with their system of controls to manage infection rates such as staggered start and finish times, one way systems and expectation that parents remain socially distanced and wear face coverings on site. Schools will also be continuing to arrange children and young people in groups / bubbles, and managing parents’ interactions and pupil transition virtually where possible.
We will continue to review the position in line with the national guidance and local infection rates including variants to prevent any spikes in infection rates prior to the Summer holidays. We are hopeful that schools will be able to resume more normal arrangements from September. We will obviously write to you again ahead of the 21st June to confirm the position.
General Controls
Finally, I would just like to remind you to continue to do the things that you have been doing to keep our education settings safe. These are:
· Not sending your child to their nursery, childminder, school or college if they are showing coronavirus symptoms or someone within the household is showing symptoms
· Arranging a test if you or your child develops symptoms – no matter how mild – and informing the nursery, childminder, school or college of the result.
· Keeping your child at home where they have been identified as having contact with a confirmed case either in school or elsewhere
· Ensuring that the whole household isolate where a household member is awaiting a result, and continued isolation if test result is positive
· Reinforcing with your children how to wash hands, make space and minimise contact
· Supporting your schools by understanding and reinforcing with your children what is expected, including where they are required to wear face covering both in school and on public transport (including dedicated school buses)
· Continuing to adhere to the national guidelines
If you would like any more help and advice around COVID-19, please go to: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus.
We would like to thank you for your continued support in helping our city reduce COVID-19 and helping schools to be as safe as possible.
Yours sincerely,
Kirston Nelson Liz Gaulton
Director of Education & Skills Director of Public Health and Wellbeing
Dear Parents and Carers,
School will be re-opening to all pupils starting from Monday 8th March - we have all control measures for COVID-19 transmission management in place and our risk assessment has been assured by Coventry City Council officers as safe to open.
The playground gates will be open from 8.30am, with pupils able to go straight into classrooms from that time. Our Earlybird Breakfast Club will be running for pupils needing to arrive earlier than that - please make sure that you are booked in. Pupils can arrive up to 8.50am when the gates will close - we are doing it like this to reduce the numbers at the gates at any one time whilst allowing for siblings to come to school at the same time. Please maintain social distancing at the school gates and leave once you have dropped your child. Pupils should be in full school uniform with adequate layers to keep warm as we need to keep the windows open. Pupils should wear PE kit to school on days that they have PE as they did before.
We ask that all pupils in Key Stage 1and 2 are dropped off and go in on their own; Nursery and Reception parents are able to walk their child to the classroom, but cannot enter the building.
On arrival at school all pupils will wash their hands. Pupils will then be in classrooms that have been set up according to government guidance, and will be in phase bubbles that will not mix with other pupils. Resources will not be shared until cleaned and are for the sole use of your child whenever possible. Playtimes and lunchtimes will be staggered so that bubbles do not mix, and lunches will be eaten in the classrooms for most pupils. The children will choose their school lunch from a special menu, with hot and cold choices.
Parents may collect pupils from classroom doors from 2.45pm onwards; pupils who walk home alone (only permissable in Year 5/6) will need a note provided and will be dismissed at 3pm via the side gate. Again we ask that parents socially distance at gates or doors, and leave the school site and surrounding area as soon as pupils are collected. All pupils should be collected by 3pm. Parents should wear masks on the school site.
There cannot be any After School Clubs to begin with, but Staylate will be running for pre-booked pupils - ask at the Office for details and to book.
If you have any queries or concerns please don't hesitate to contact me - email headteacher@stmary-stben.coventry.sch.uk or call the school.
Kind regards,
Mrs MacDonald