See below for news about what's happening in Melling.
Please have a look at the offer from Sefton for activities over the Easter holiday.
Parents' page - Holiday activities.
Dear Parent / Guardian Re: Chicken Pox
We have been informed that a number of children who attend Melling Primary have been diagnosed with Chicken Pox.
We have sought advice from UK Health Security Agency North West Health Protection Team. They have advised that although chicken pox is usually a mild illness, it is extremely contagious. Therefore, if you suspect your child may have chicken pox, national guidance is that your child must not be in school until 5 days after spots appear. Whilst absence is usually 5 days, all lesions must be crusted over before they return to school.
There is no specific treatment for chicken pox but if you have any concerns we would advise you to discuss them with a clinician.
Chicken pox is spread by respiratory droplets or by direct contact with fluid from blisters. It has a sudden onset with fever, runny nose, cough and a generalised rash. The rash starts with blisters which then scab over. Several ‘crops’ of blisters occur so that at any one time there will be scabs in various stages of development.
The rash tends to be more noticeable on the trunk than on exposed parts of the body and may also appear inside the mouth and on the scalp. Some infections can be mild or without symptoms.
If you/your child has an underlying condition which affects the immune system, you should contact your GP or hospital doctor to discuss whether any additional measures are needed.
Please refer to Chickenpox - NHS (www.nhs.uk) for further information.
Potential complications:
Children who have had chickenpox recently are more likely to develop more serious infection during an outbreak of scarlet fever and so parents/guardians should remain vigilant for symptoms such as a persistent high fever, cellulitis (skin infection) and arthritis (joint pain and swelling). If you are concerned for any reason please seek medical assistance immediately. All children with chickenpox should remain off school / nursery until at least 5 days after the start of their rash AND until all their spots have crusted over.
Symptoms of scarlet fever:
The symptoms of scarlet fever include a sore throat, headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. This is followed by a fine red rash which typically first appears on the chest and stomach, rapidly spreading to other parts of the body. On more darkly-pigmented skin, the scarlet rash may be harder to spot, but it should feel like 'sandpaper'. The face can be flushed red but pale around the mouth.
If you think you or your child have scarlet fever:
• See your GP or contact NHS 111 as soon as possible.
• Ask your GP to take a throat swab to confirm if this is scarlet fever.
• Make sure that you/your child takes the full course of any antibiotics prescribed by the doctor.
• Stay at home and away from nursery, school or work for at least 24 hours after starting the antibiotic treatment, to avoid spreading the infection.
Infection control advice:
The Health Protection Team have advised us on hygiene measures to help prevent spread within our school. Parents/Guardians can help by reminding children the importance of coughing/sneezing into a tissue and putting it in the bin and regular handwashing with soap and water.
Many thanks for your support in this matter.
Active Sefton leaflet can be found in Newsletters showing a range of activities that are available during the February half term.
25th November 2024
ATTENDANCE INFORMATION - UNAUTHORISED ABSENCES
Dear Parents/Carers
As you know, new DfE guidelines for managing attendance in schools were implemented in August 2024. Part of the revised legislation requires schools to monitor absences, especially those that are unauthorised. An unauthorised absence might be (not an exhaustive list):
- holiday
- absence when the reason for absence has not been given
- a day out
- a late arrival after the register has closed
Governors delegate duties to Headteachers to monitor absences and to identify when a referral for a penalty notice needs to be implemented.
Parents/carers must be aware of the criteria for this as stated in the guidelines:
11.4 National Framework for Penalty Notice - There is now a single consistent national threshold for when a penalty notice must be considered by all schools in England, of 10 sessions (usually equivalent to 5 school days) of unauthorised absence within a rolling 10 school week period. The 10 sessions of absence do not have to be consecutive and can be made up of a combination of any type of unauthorised absence (G, O and/or U coded within the school’s registers). The 10-school week period can span different terms, school years or education settings.
In other words – if 5 unauthorised absences have been noted within a ten week period, then a penalty notice referral will be made. This is cumulative, so this could include 5 days taken in a row, or it could include, for example 3 days at the start of the 10 weeks then 2 days at the end.
Please be aware of this, as unauthorised absences are being monitored by school and Sefton’s Attendance Officer.
I am sure we all share the same shock, devastation and abhorrence of the horrendous and distressing event that happened in Southport at the end of July. On behalf of Melling Primary community I have sent our thoughts, prayers and condolences to the Headteachers of the schools involved. In case you need some support in talking to your children about the events or if they are asking challenging questions I have posted some helpful information leaflets on the 'Parents' page (Talking to your children)
Please see KEY INFORMATION - KEEPING YOUR CHILD SAFE ONLINE for the most up to date information on parental controls for your children's devices.
Please see page in 'Parents' for the latest Parent/Carer Questionnaire analysis.
TEAM MELLING Y6 RELAY RUNNERS
RUN A RACE TO BE PROUD OF
Today, 16 of our Y6 children and 3 staff (Mr Millington, Mr Cleaver and Miss Stewart) took part in the #knowknifecrime charity relay race. The Sefton-wide and MADCOS (Maghull & District Cluster of Schools) relay was to raise money and awareness of the need for ‘bleed-kits’ to be available nearby to all schools. In the same way defibrillators can save lives, so too can a bleed-kit. The bleed-kit was passed on (as the relay baton) from school to school and child to child. We were delighted, as a whole school, to welcome the children of Holy Rosary (with a parade of music and cheering) who passed the bleed-kit baton to our children, who in turn ran to Summerhill and passed the baton onto their team. We were so thoroughly proud of the children (and staff) from Y6 who all volunteered to take part – well done to: Tilly, Harriet, Harleigh, Teddie, Thomas, Rowan, Mason, Jude, Evan, Seb, Esme, Iyla, Lexie, Mila, Robyn and Lola…you were amazing!
If you would like to join in our congratulations by donating to the charity this is the Just-Giving link: https://www.cashforkidsgive.co.uk/campaign/charity-champions-liverpool-the-north-west/fundraisers/maghull-and-district-community-of-schools/
GREAT NEWS – MAKE SURE YOU VOTE
Melling Primary School is bidding for a cash boost from the Tesco Stronger Starts scheme. Stronger Starts provides grant awards of up to £1,500 to local community projects, with a particular focus on children and young people.
Three groups in every community have been shortlisted to receive grant awards and Tesco customers can vote for the group they think should take away the top award in their local Tesco store.
Melling is one of the groups on the shortlist in the Sefton area
OUTDOOR SENSORY AND ACTIVITY CIRCUIT
‘Our outdoor sensory circuit will enhance the outdoor learning space for children, especially those with additional needs, and its therapeutic benefits and sense of fun and adventure will support wellbeing of all.’
Voting is open in all Tesco stores from early January until the end of March. Customers will cast their vote using a blue token given to them at the check-out each time they shop. These are the stores at which you, your friends and family can vote for our project:
5700 Lpool Old Roan Exp Small unit L10 2JA
5301 Litherland Large unit L21 8NZ
4786 Sefton Road Exp Small unit L21 9HQ
5448 Crosby Rd Lpool Exp Small unit L22 4QH
6874 Thornton Exp Small unit L23 4TE
6368 Crsby Crnation Rd Exp Small unit L23 5SR
PLEASE VOTE AND GET AS MANY OTHER PEOPLE TO VOTE TOO
1st APRIL TO 30th JUNE
This £5m Stronger Starts grant programme, delivered in partnership with Groundwork UK, helps schools and children’s groups provide healthy activities that support young people’s physical health and mental wellbeing.
TUESDAY 5TH MARCH 9 - 11am
SUMMERHILL PRIMARY ARE HOSTING A MARKET PLACE OF SUPPORT SERVICE FOR SUPPORTING FAMILES - ALL ARE WELCOME TO GO ALONG AND SEE WHAT SERVICES ARE OUT THERE.