Reedley Primary SchoolRamadan, Children's University, Leave of absence, school closures 07/05/19
Tuesday, 07 May 2019
Dear Parents/Carers,
Ramadan
As the holy month of Ramadan has now begun for our Muslim Families, there have been a number of children indicating a desire to fast. Whilst I understand that this is a special time and the children will be excited about fasting, advice from the Burnley & Pendle Faith Centre states that there is no requirement for primary-aged children to fast. They also stated that children may struggle to cope with fasting during the summer months and that pupils of primary age may not yet be physically able to cope with the demands that fasting places on them. Children may be restless, tired and may lack energy, which may prevent them from learning in their normal way. I would also be concerned that children may be lacking vital sleep from staying up to eat and drink.
As a school, we recommend that our children do not fast on school days and would encourage parents to tell their child that they should eat or have one “break” in the day so they can have lunch and keep themselves hydrated.
If you do make the decision for your child to fast, you will need to collect them to take them home during their lunchtime from 12.15 – 1pm, as we do not have the facility to supervise the children unless they are in the dinner hall.
In addition to this, we do expect all children to take a full part in the curriculum during the holy month of Ramadan. Some children feel that they are not allowed to sing or listen to music during this time however any singing, dancing or listening to music will be part of the school curriculum and all children will be expected to take part in any such activities.
Our Y6 children will be taking their statutory assessment tests (SATS) from Monday 13th May to Thursday 16th May. I cannot emphasise enough, the importance of children eating well and keeping hydrated during times such as this and would not expect any of the children to be fasting on the test days.
Year 6 SATS week
The Year 6 tests will be starting at 9am Monday to Thursday next week. The children will need to be in school on time by 8.50am.
Whilst it might be tempting for your child to study all weekend, it is also important that they get some good sleep, eat healthy food and have some fun, relaxing time. Some short revision sessions may be useful including a reminder of some of their multiplication tables, but if they spend all weekend studying, they may not perform to the best of their abilities next week.
The majority of Y6 children will be taking their tests in the hall from 9am and no-one will be permitted to go through the hall during this time. All children in the school must ensure that their children are in school on time to avoid disturbing the Y6 children.
Leave of absence
I would also like to remind you that you are not permitted to take your child out of school during term-time. There are 13 weeks holiday a year, which can be used for the purpose of family holidays. Children’s education suffers when they miss any school days. In addition to this, parents may receive a fine for leave during term-time, which is currently £120 per child for each parent. The law states that children should be in school during term time.
If you need to request leave, you will need to complete a form and attend a meeting with myself and Mrs Walton, who will inform you of the consequences, both financially and for your child’s education. Regardless of the family circumstances, no leave longer than six days will be approved by school and only then if the circumstance is deemed to be exceptional.
Children’s University
I will be calculating the credits for the Children’s University over the next two weeks. Although after school clubs will continue throughout June, the credits for the University will only be gathered up to Friday 17th May. Credits that you gather after this time, both in school and out of school, will count on next year’s total.
I will need all passports in school for Monday 20th May. If they are not brought in on this day, then any new credits will not count towards your final total and your annual total of credits will be calculated for only the Spring and Summer terms,
Once I have updated the information with the University, I will send out information about whether your child will be invited to graduate.
School Closures
- As school is used as a polling station, the decision has been taken to close the school to pupils if the European elections go ahead on Thursday 23rd May. Children will need to stay at home on this day. If the elections are cancelled at the last minute, you will be informed that school will be open.
- School will be closed for halfterm week from Monday 27th May and will reopen on Monday 3rd June.
- School will also be closed all day on Wednesday 5th June.
Thank you for your support
Mrs Sarah Bell
Headteacher