Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Rossendale Valley Catholic Cluster Advent Service 2020

  Tue 08 Dec 2020
  https://st-josephs-roman-catholic-primary-school.primarysite.media/media/valley-schools-advent-service-2020

• Virtual Tour of the School

  Tue 10 Nov 2020
  https://st-josephs-roman-catholic-primary-school.primarysite.media/playlist/virtual-tour-of-the-school

• Online Safety related activities for learners to do at home

  Fri 23 Oct 2020

  Home activity packs which contain 15 minute activities you can do with your family to support online safety at home.

   

  https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/support-tools/home-activity-worksheets

• Letter from Councillor Williamson

  Wed 02 Sep 2020

  https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/coronavirus-updates/schools/letter-from-councillor-williamson/

• What have the teachers been doing?

  Mon 06 Apr 2020
  Wonder what the teachers have been doing? Check out your child's class page and watch the video!

• TT Rock Stars Launch

  Fri 03 Apr 2020

  At St Joseph’s we are very pleased to launch Time Tables Rock Stars. Have a go at least four times a week and see your knowledge of times tables improve rapidly. I have been having great fun challenging myself over the past week and I am really excited to see how you all like Times Tables Rock Stars and become Times Tables Superstars.

   

  Please see the information below for how to login and play. Logins will be sent via text message to parents/carers. Most of all enjoy it!

   

  Take Care

  Mrs Sanderson

   

  Goal

  When it comes to times tables, speed AND accuracy are important – the more facts your child remembers, the easier it is for them to do harder calculations. Times Table Rock Stars is a fun and challenging programme designed to help students master the times tables! To be a Times Table Rock Star you need to answer any multiplication fact up to 12×12 in less than 3 seconds!

   

  How to log in to Times Tables Rock Stars

   

  1. Type play.ttrockstars.com into your browser’s address bar
  2. Click Login! > School > Student
  3. Enter the School Name: St Joseph’s RC Primary School, Stacksteads
  4. Enter your child’s username and password

   

  Game Modes

   

  Single Player

  Garage - the questions will only come from the times tables the teacher has set for the week. It will include multiplication and division questions.

  As pupils start to answer questions, TT Rock Stars works out which facts they take longer on and will give them more of these questions to answer. The Garage is best for getting quicker at a few facts. Players get 10 coins per question.

  
  Studio - the questions in the Studio can be anything from 1×1 up to 12×12.
  TT Rock Stars calculates the mean response time from their last 10 games in the Studio and translates that time into a Rock Status.

   

  ≤ 1 sec/qu = Rock Hero ≤ 2 secs/qu = Rock Legend ≤ 3 secs/qu = Rock Star ≤ 4 secs = Headliner ≤ 5 secs/qu = Support Act ≤ 6 secs/qu = Breakthrough Artist

  ≤ 7 secs/qu = Unsigned Act ≤ 8 secs/qu = Gigger ≤ 9 secs/qu = Busker ≤ 10 secs/qu = Garage Rocker > 10 secs/qu = Wannabe

  If you don’t play in the Studio you don’t get a Rock Status.

  Players earn 1 coin per question and the Studio is the place for them to set their best time across all the tables.

  Soundcheck – When you play Soundcheck, you get 20 questions each with a 5-second time limit. The questions are multiplication only and evenly weighted in terms of difficulty each time you play. Players earn 5 coins per correct answer.

  Multiplayer

  
  Rock Arena - The Arena allows players to compete against all other members of their Band (their Bandmates would need to join the same game in order to compete together). A new Arena game starts every 15 seconds and once the clock starts they race to answer more questions than the others. In the Arena, questions will only come from the times tables the teacher has set for the week, similar to the Garage.  They earn 1 coin per correct answer.

  
  Rock Festival - The Rock Festival games are open to players from around the world. Like the Arena, there is no limit to the number of players who can join a game; however, unlike the Arena, questions are selected at random from 1×1 to 12×12.
  Pupils might choose the Rock Festival if they were playing at home (and therefore couldn't easily synchronise playing against a classmate) or wanted to compete against others not in their Band. They earn 1 coin per correct answer.

   

  Stats

  If you click on your avatar icon in the top right of the screen and then click My Stats, a heatmap will load. It shows how successful your child is at each of the facts.

   

  Contact your child’s teacher if…

  • You have username or password issues
  • Something isn’t working or you’re not sure how it works
  • You have something nice to say about ttrockstars.com!

  Frequently Asked Questions

   

  Why can’t we log in?

  The most likely cause is that one of the three bits of information (school, username or password) hasn’t been entered properly.

   

  My child has chosen a rock name they’re unhappy with, how do we change it?

  Ask your child’s teacher to reset their rock name so they can change it again when they log in.

   

  My child is unhappy with the look of their avatar, what can be done?

  Everyone starts with the same avatar, whatever name they have chosen. You can change the hair, eyes and mouth to suit individual preferences.

   

  My child seems to be getting questions up to 12x12, why is that?

  Assuming that’s not intentional, make sure they’re playing in the Garage or Arena to get the questions we’ve set for them.

   

  Someone has logged in as my child and spent a load of their coins, what can we do?

  Let you child’s teacher know so they can refund your child and they can speak to the class about trust and online safety.

  

• Safeguarding during Covid 19

  Wed 01 Apr 2020

  COVID 19 Arrangements for Safeguarding and Child Protection

  From 20th March 2020 parents were asked to keep their children at home, wherever possible, and for schools to remain open only for those children of workers critical to the COVID-19 response - who absolutely need to attend. Schools and all childcare providers were asked to provide care for a limited number of children - children who are vulnerable, and children whose parents are critical to the COVID-19 response and cannot be safely cared for at home.

  This addendum of the St Joseph’s RC Primary School Safeguarding and Child Protection policy contains details of our individual safeguarding arrangements.

  Designated Safeguarding Lead

  A DSL will be available to be contacted all times - via telephone when working from home. All staff have the contact details of the DSLs. All staff on site will be responsible for safeguarding all children and reporting any concerns in the usual way as outlined above. The DSLs will continue to engage with social workers.

  Reporting a concern

  Where staff have a concern about a child, they should continue to follow the process outlined in the school Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy, this includes making a report via CPOMS, which can also be done remotely. In the unlikely event that a member of staff cannot access their CPOMS from home, they should email/telephone the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

  Staff are reminded of the need to report any concern immediately and without delay. Where staff are concerned about an adult working with children in the school, they should follow the same procedure outlined in the Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy above.

  Concerns around the Headteacher should be directed to the Chair of Governors: Jacqui Potts.

  Safeguarding Training and induction

  All existing school staff have had safeguarding training and have read and understood Part 1 of Keeping Children Safe in Education (2019). The DSL should communicate with staff any new local arrangements, so they know what to do if they are worried about a child.

  Online safety in school

  St Joseph’s RC Primary School will continue to provide a safe environment, including online. This includes the use of an online filtering system. Where students are using computers in school, appropriate supervision will be in place.

   

  Children and online safety away from school

  It is important that all staff who interact with children, including online, continue to look out for signs a child may be at risk. Any such concerns should be dealt with as per the Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and where appropriate referrals should still be made to children’s social care and as required, the police.

  Where the DSL has identified a child to be on the edge of social care support, or who would normally receive pastoral-type support in school, they should ensure that a robust communication plan is in place for that child or young person.

  Details of this plan must be recorded on CPOMS, as should a record of contact have made. The communication plans can include; remote contact, phone contact, door-step visits. Other individualised contact methods should be considered and recorded.

  St Joseph’s RC Primary School and its DSLs will work closely with all stakeholders to maximise the effectiveness of any communication plan. This plan must be reviewed regularly (at least once a fortnight) and where concerns arise, the DSL will consider any referrals as appropriate.

  St Joseph’s RC Primary School recognises that school is a protective factor for children and young people, and the current circumstances, can affect the mental health of pupils and their parents/carers. Teachers at St Joseph’s RC Primary School Primary School need to be aware of this in setting expectations of pupils’ work at home. Parents and carers have been informed that there is no expectation for the completion of work, this is not compulsory.

  St Joseph’s RC Primary School will ensure that where we care for children of critical workers and vulnerable children on site, we ensure appropriate support is in place for them.

  Supporting children in school

  St Joseph’s RC Primary School is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all its pupils. St Joseph’s RC Primary School will continue to be a safe space for all children to attend.

  The Headteacher (or in their absence the most senior SLT member) will ensure that appropriate staff are on site and staff to pupil ratio numbers are appropriate, to maximise safety. St Joseph’s RC Primary School will refer to the Government guidance for education and childcare settings on how to implement social distancing and continue to follow the advice from Public Health England on handwashing and other measures to limit the risk of spread of COVID19.

  St Joseph’s RC Primary School will ensure that where we care for children of critical workers and vulnerable children on site, we ensure appropriate support is in place for them.

  If operating at an alternative site, we will still follow the same policy and procedures

   

  Children with an EHCP

  Many children and young people with EHC plans can safely remain at home. St Joseph’s RC Primary School will consider the needs of all children and young people with an EHC plan, alongside the views of their parents, and make a risk assessment for each child. Working with the local authority, school will decide who is best placed to undertake the risk assessment, noting that the duty to ensure provision remains with the local authority.

  St Joseph’s RC Primary School will consider a number of different risks to each child, including:

  • the potential health risks to the child from COVID-19, bearing in mind any underlying health conditions. This will be on an individual basis with advice sought from an appropriate health professional where required
  • the risk to the child if some or all elements of their EHC plan cannot be delivered at all, and the risk if they cannot be delivered in the normal manner or in the usual setting
  • the ability of the child’s parents or home to ensure their health and care needs can be met safely
  • the potential impact to the child’s wellbeing of changes to routine or the way in which provision is delivered

  We expect most children with EHC plans will fall into the following categories:

  • children who would be at significant risk if their education, health and care provision and placement did not continue, namely those who could not safely be supported at home. This may include those with profound and multiple learning difficulties, and those receiving significant levels of personal care support.

   

  • children whose needs can be met at home, namely those who are not receiving personal care from their educational setting, or whose limited need for personal care can be met in their family home.

  The Coronavirus Act 2020 allows the Secretary of State, where appropriate, to temporarily lift the statutory duty on local authorities to maintain the precise provision in EHC plans; with local authorities needing instead to apply ‘reasonable endeavors’ to support these children and their families. As such, where the Secretary of State has issued a temporary notice and a local authority is unable to secure the full range of provision stated in a plan, as long as they use their ‘reasonable endeavors’ to do this, they won’t be penalised for failing to meet the existing duty in section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014.

   

   

• Covid-19 update: school actions

  Tue 17 Mar 2020

  The latest advice from the Government is that pupils should stay home from school if they display the following symptoms:

  • a high temperature (37.8 degrees and above) and/or

  • a new, continuous cough

  Also, if one person in any household has a persistent cough or fever, everyone living there must stay at home for 14 days.

   

  School continues to remain open, but we would ask parents to be vigilant and not to send children to school if they display either of the symptoms above. Such absences will be authorised. School cannot give medical advice to individual families.

   

  If children have to self-isolate, they will be able to access work through their class page on the school website, but while school remains open, teachers’ priority must be teaching the children who are in school. If you need a paper copy of the work, please telephone school and this will be prepared for you to collect from the school office.

   

  We are continuing with enhanced hygiene methods in school, which includes teaching children the importance of thorough handwashing for 20 seconds and increased cleaning of keyboards, door handles etc.

   

  Celebration assembly will be cancelled until further notice. Breakfast and After School Clubs are running as normal. Year 5 children will still go swimming.

   

  As I am sure you can appreciate, this is an ever-changing situation, which we are managing by following advice from Public Health England and the Department For Education. As parents you must also do the same and we will respect any decisions to self-isolate based on the above information. NHS111 online is also useful if you require further advice.

   

  If the situation changes we will let you know as soon as possible. Please ensure we have your latest mobile phone number as we will use the text system to communicate.

   

• Accrington Stanley Visit

  Tue 04 Feb 2020
  Last week we were delighted to welcome Accrington Stanley stars Seamus Conneely and Jordan Clark to St Joseph's. They spent time in each classroom, and happily answered all the children's many and varied questions.

• KS1 Sportshall Athletics Festival

  Tue 04 Feb 2020
  Congratulations to our Key Stage 1 sportshall athletics team who took part in the Rossendale Festival last week. They were amazing and did really well in the team relays, bean bag throwing and balance beam.