Latest News
Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment via our X page @st_swinton
All staff post weekly to our X page. Please follow us!
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St Mary's Virtual Arts Week Monday 29th June-Friday 3rd July
Thu 25 Jun 2020St Mary’s Arts Week is a highlight of the school year and we’re not going to let a little pandemic stop this years! Mark the date in your diary... Monday 29th June - Friday 3rd July. We can reveal the theme for next week's Arts Week is THE NATURAL WORLD.
Each day we will send out our arts week list of activities for you to choose from on your Purple Mash emails, so keep your eyes peeled.
Get your arts resources ready, get those dancing shoes out and warm up your singing voice. We can't wait for a week of creativity!
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Friday Celebration Assembly
Thu 18 Jun 2020Good morning everyone!
We hope you are all well and keeping safe! It has been another busy week of bubbles starting in school and lots of super home learning going on! Not to mention all the members of staff who have shrunk....have you checked out our Flat Teachers yet?
We must say bubble 3 and 4 have come back to school with big smiles this week and have been social distancing super stars! With 4 bubbles back we are now full and it's really nice to hear the sound of more children again, we can not wait to have you all back.
Lots of you will have had a teacher phone call this week, it's so nice to hear how well everyone is doing and so many positive comments from your parents. We're really glad you are enjoying the new Oak Lessons we have added this half term and that you've started to take your (flat) teachers on adventures already! Well done everyone, keep up the hard work!
This week's Purple Mash Stars of the Week are:
Nursery = Olivia
Reception = Jacob F
Year 1 = Olivia M
Year 2 = Mollie J-G
Year 3 = Jake B
Year 4 = Isaac B
Year 5 = Sophie F
Year 6 = Derron D
Bravo Bravo Bravo Bravissimo Very Well Done!
Class winners this week are:
Spelling Shed = Year 4
Maths Shed = Year 4
Well Done Year 4 back on top for both!! Congratulations!
Thank you everyone for all your hard work you are all superstars! Can we thank parents again for continuing to juggle their own jobs as well as home schooling, we know ourselves it is not easy! During this pandemic we just need to remember we are all here as St Mary's community to support one another, no one is in this alone. Please make use of all our Well-being resources we add to the website! It is important we address our own and the children's well-being.
For our staff we have made a Well-being pack which includes:
Meditation Monday
Tell Me Something Tuesday
Well-Being Wednesday
Thoughtful Thursday
Fitness Friday
Parents, if you would like us to share this with you please email Mrs Brown.
Have a lovely weekend everyone!
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St Mary's Flat Teacher Adventure
Wed 17 Jun 2020Check out our new and exciting 'St Mary's Flat Teacher Adventure' in the home learning section of the website.
Where will you take your teacher?
What learning will you do together?
What will be your first adventure?
Remember to share your work via Purple Mash emails.
HAVE FUN!
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Friday Celebration Assembly
Fri 12 Jun 2020Good morning everyone,
We hope you all had a good rest over the half term holiday and have enjoyed this week being back to home learning!
The staff have been very busy over the last couple of weeks preparing school for a safe return for more pupils.
We welcomed bubble 1 on Monday and bubble 2 on Wednesday and they have all been fantastic social distancing super stars, it was lovely to see so many new faces! Although school looks very different and the school routine has changed, all pupils have taken it in their stride and shown how resilient they are! We are very proud of them. Next week we welcome bubble 3 and bubble 4. The pupils in school have the same access to all the learning activities as the pupils at home.
This week's Purple Mash Stars of the week are:
Nursery = Noah F
Reception = Harry C
Year 1 =Ava B
Year 2 = Alexander O
Year 3 = George C
Year 4 = Lucy D
Year 5 = Emma C
Year 6 = Niamh P
Bravo Bravo Bravo Bravissimo Very Well Done!
Mr Loynd and Mr Chadwick would like to mention Stan and Frankie as they have worked together on a local history project and it is fantastic! Very well done boys or should we say historians!
This week's class winners are:
Spelling Shed = Year 6
Maths Shed = Year 6
Huge congratulations you have taken the lead in both!
This week 'Pack 3' of home learning has been added to the school website plus many more resources under the 'whole school' section for you to explore!
Parents have all now received an email from Mrs Kinman and pupils will have received a purple mash email from their teacher explaining the Oak Academy Lessons. We have had some photos already of you enjoying these lessons, thank you all for those, it is wonderful to see. Please keep sharing your home learning with us on our twitter page @st_swinton
New Tabs have been added to the 'Parent' section of the website 'COVID19' we have saved all the letters and information we have emailed to you throughout this pandemic. Also 'EYFS New Starters September 2020' here we will be adding information all about transition for our new nursery and reception pupils. We do not know what September will look like yet but we will keep you updated the best we can. Mrs Taylor, our Early Years Coordinator will also be in touch soon.
Year 6 pupils please see the 'Transition' Pack in your home learning section. We are also busy communicating with all your different high schools at the moment, you should hear from them all soon.
Have a fantastic Friday and an even better weekend! Keep up the hard work everyone, look after each other and stay safe!
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Summer Reading Challenge
Tue 09 Jun 2020Don't forget to join the Summer Reading Challenge. Visit https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/ to register and start reading.
Here's what's in store:
1. JOIN THE SILLY SQUAD AND PICK YOUR AVATAR
2. DISCOVER AWESOME BOOKS TO READ
3. PLAY GAMES EARN POINTS AND MORE
4. UNLOCK BADGES THROUGHOUT THE CHALLENGE
JOIN THE CHALLENGE NOW
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Free Bedtime Stories
Mon 08 Jun 2020Sooper Books, the world's No.1 ranked bedtime stories website, is offering all Primary Schools unlimited free access to their complete story collection.
Follow the link below.
https://sooperbooks.com/bedtime-stories/
Enjoy your free stories!
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Time to Talk
Tue 26 May 2020💬♥️ It is so important that we all remember to talk and communicate with each other during these difficult and strange times. Time to Talk is still available with Mrs Sabatino. 💬♥️ If you would like a Time to Talk session, please contact school and we will be happy to help. 
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Friday Celebration Assembly
Fri 22 May 2020Good morning everyone!
It has been another busy week in school and at home! Thank you for all your hard work this half term you are all amazing! I bet you are all ready for your half term break...your teachers (parents!) are! Thank you to all our parents; teachers have really enjoyed speaking to you and hearing so many wonderful comments about the home learning, we really do appreciate your support.
We received a fantastic video of thanks from Year 6 yesterday, we have shared this on our Twitter page for you. Thank you Year 6 you have really made us smile.
This week's Purple Mash Stars of the Week are:
Nursery = Bobbie
Reception = Maksy
Year 1 = Teddy
Year 2 = Elvis
Year 3 = Oliver
Year 4 = Finn
Year 5 = Tyler and Finlay
Year 6 = Niamh
Bravo Bravo Bravissimo Very Well Done!
Class winners this week are:
Spelling Shed = Year 6
Maths Shed = Year 2
Congratulations to everyone in Y6 and Y2! Keep up the hard work!
You now have 2 WEEKS off for half term! Feel free to still do online learning if you wish but your teachers will not be setting new tasks to allow you to enjoy time with your family and have a well earned break. School will continue to be open over the half term holidays to care for the key worker children.
Staff are working hard to prepare school for the 8th June as we extend our pupil numbers. Can we thank everyone for completing the online questionnaire and ask parents to check their emails for updates as our plans develop.
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Local Authority Letter
Thu 21 May 2020The following letter is for all parents from the Local Authority. This has also been emailed to all parents.
Dear Parent/Carer/Guardian
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on Sunday we now understand that, from week of 1st June at the earliest, the Government is aiming to increase the numbers of children attending primary schools.
The Prime Minister announced the planned return of children from Nursery, Reception and years 1 and 6 and asked that secondary schools and colleges start to provide some face-to-face contact with staff for students in year 10 and year 12.
Special Schools will also work towards a phased return of more children but without a focus on specific year groups.
This of course is all dependent on the rate of infection for COVID-19 from now until then. This announcement and subsequent guidance from the Government has answered some questions but it is clear that there are many things which still need clarification before schools and colleges could substantially increase the numbers attending.
There are many practical questions which we currently do not have answers to and which we are working together with schools, settings and colleges and the DFE to resolve. The vast majority of Salford schools are open currently for vulnerable children and children of key workers and we are incredibly grateful for the service they have continued to provide in these challenging times.
The offer of places for vulnerable children and children of key workers will continue in this next phase. Salford City Council is committed to supporting all schools to safely open for more children. However, this will be a gradual approach towards the government’s ambition, and we are supporting schools in seeking answers to their questions to make appropriate plans.
Headteachers, with the full support of the Local Authority, will only be welcoming the number of children back into their schools, that they deem to be safe and therefore the timescales set nationally may not be followed. This number of children attending may increase as the summer term progresses, but this will be driven by a robust risk assessment process.
The safety and wellbeing of our children and staff is of paramount importance. There are many specific considerations unique to individual schools, settings and colleges which they are best placed to understand and plan for. This includes the different needs of their cohorts of children or young people and local communities, the size and shape of buildings and the numbers of staff that are available to work.
This means that there cannot be a uniform approach across the City in response to this announcement. Settings, schools and colleges will have to develop their own flexible plans and work at their own pace from 1st June in order to start to safely and gradually increase the number of children attending at any one time.
For this reason, in our primary schools it is highly unlikely that children in the identified priority year groups will be able to attend school full time. Schools are likely to have to prioritise certain year groups and not make an offer to them all. Your school will, of course, be in touch with you to provide more information about their plans for a phased return of additional children in due course.
We would ask you to support your school leaders at this time and be patient, they are working as quickly as they can to put plans in place during this difficult time. It is clear that any return for children and young people will not look the same as before COVID19.
Schools are considering of how best to support our children and young people at this time, with a focus on their mental health and emotional wellbeing as well as their learning. This pandemic has brought with it stress, uncertainty and anxiety for all of us including our children and young people.
We all want to get our children and young people back into education as soon as possible and we want to reassure you that everyone in Salford’s education community is working together as hard as they can during this time to ensure the wellbeing and safety of our children and plan for this first phase of wider opening.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
Yours sincerely
Charlotte Ramsden – Strategic Director
Cathy Starbuck - Assistant Director, Education,
Councillor John Merry Deputy City Mayor and Lead Member for Children’s and Young People’s Services
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Reopening of Schools Letter
Thu 21 May 2020We would like to share a letter that has been sent to all Head Teachers and Governors today. It is from Simon A Smith, Director and Episcopal Delegate for Education, Diocese of Salford.
Dear Colleagues,
As you and I have written many times now, these are unprecedented and challenging times for the schools system and those who work with us and not forgetting our families too.
Over the last week, there has been a plethora of guidance from a range of sources but most notably from the department for education (DFE) who have released a number of key documents. All of them in the form of ‘non-statutory guidance’. Additionally, a number of professional associations have released their own findings and advice; all are being given deep and serious consideration, but only for that guidance to be regularly superseded or updated. This also adds significant stress.
I wrote to you some weeks ago (as part of the weekly mailing) that we did not intend to replicate information that is already in the public domain. Local authorities have worked very hard with their schools, and diocesan education departments, to produce materials, guidance and practical help to better navigate this period of partial opening. The focus now is on what comes next and how we safely bring more of our children and families back into the school environment.
Some colleagues have asked for a diocesan view of what they should do next. This is set against a national debate between the government, scientific and health advisors, professional associations, the wider public and others. I think it would be helpful to set out the legal position of our schools in relation to opening schools for more pupil groups from 1st June.
From 22 March, statutory education for pupils 5-16 is currently suspended. This means these age groups do not legally have to attend school, although schools have remained open for certain vulnerable groups and the children of ‘key workers’. I draw your attention to the guidance published by the DFE, most recently between 15th - 18th May. It is non-statutory guidance and does not have the effect in law of compelling the reopening of the school to pupils. Furthermore, this non-statutory guidance clearly states it is aspirational for schools to open for the listed year groups from 1st June.
The process the diocese education department expects schools to follow is that headteachers (and nominated governors where appropriate) carry out a thorough and comprehensive risk assessment which includes a dialogue with their local authority and insurers. The risk assessment should document any actions that have been or could be taken to mitigate any identified risk(s). This should be legitimately undertaken in a reasonable way which then allows the headteacher to recommend evidentially based conclusions. This must then be considered by the governing board/directors and a decision reached on the next steps to be taken (if any).
The expectation from the non-statutory guidance is that schools will do what is best for them with due consideration to their context and setting. There have been a full range of responses to recent guidance from local authorities and headteachers and chairs will need to be aware of local decisions that have been taken. At the time of writing, these range from local authorities taking a very firm stance to supporting very localised decisions around compliance with the non-statutory guidance. Typically, there is also significant regional variation between these two parameters.
Any school offer may be driven by questions around which groups of children (and in what order/combination), resources required (the staff/people you have available and those not available or at greater risk and financial resources), timeframes (not on 1st June, but from that date) and any additional support needed.
Diocesan advice therefore is that a legitimate and considered risk assessment must be undertaken and it is then for the governing board/directors to agree how the school will proceed with any broader parental offer.
The education team will continue to be strong advocates to the DFE and RSC Office from the Catholic community for the right, timely information in order to help us do the right thing. For you, it is vital that key decisions taken are evidenced, considered and reasonable but governing boards/directors must not shy away from their legal responsibilities of a duty of care to their pupils and employees. This means the courage to do what they believe to be morally and socially just within the legal frameworks that govern us.
I wish to finish by thanking you for everything you have done for your communities in the last few weeks; we have all come to learn just how difficult and emotionally draining this has been but it is also a chance to live out the gospel and be visible missionary disciples of Christ in all that we do.
Yours sincerely,
S A Smith
Director and Episcopal Delegate for Education
@RCSalfordEd
