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St Thomas a Becket Catholic Primary School

Whole School Curriculum Intent

At St Thomas a Becket Catholic Primary School our intention is that our curriculum extends opportunity, raises aspiration, opens children’s eyes to Jesus and God’s love and the world beyond their immediate environment, enabling them to live happy, healthy and productive lives and inspire them to become lifelong learners.

For full information please follow this link: Whole School Curriculum Intent

Please take note of the following information supplied by The Catholic Church Bishops' Conference of England and Wales

Key Messages
• At the time of writing, individuals in the UK remain at low risk from coronavirus.
• The best way of protecting us from spread is for everyone to use universal good hygiene, which will effectively disrupt spread of the virus. We should be doing this all the time for ‘flu:
 Catch it - sneeze into a tissue
 Bin it - bin the tissue
 Kill it - wash your hands with soap and water
 Do not touch your face unless you’ve washed your hands
 Ensure good regular cleaning of surfaces lots of people touch regularly
• There is a government campaign on hygiene and posters can be downloaded and placed in parishes. It would be sensible to place these in churches and premises and alert people to this in newsletters and bulletins. The link can be found in the further materials section below.
• Government has issued guidance for the public and this remains the best source of advice. The link can be found in the further materials section below.
• At the time of writing there is no need to take special measures on suspending the Chalice or Sign of Peace. Should that become necessary, more detailed pastoral care guidance will be issued.
• Ensuring ministers of the Eucharist wash their hands before distributing communion or sanitise them is a good practice to encourage always.
• Catholic Schools and Care Facilities should have regard to guidance from government, and for ease of reference this guidance has been summarised in this document
• Pastoral care remains important
o Chaplains and others working in institutions where people with coronavirus are being cared for should seek and follow hygiene guidance from that institution
o Those who have been asked to self-isolate in the community as a precaution by medical staff will understandably be anxious but equally it is important not to breach this isolation. “In person care” should be kept to a minimum and advice taken from NHS 111 on any precautions needed.
Coronavirus: Advice for Catholic Parishes and Congregation

Coronavirus – understanding the outbreak
On 31 December 2019, the World Health Organisation was informed of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan City, China.
The cause is now identified as a coronavirus, one of the family of viruses which caused the SARS (Serious Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak in 2002-2003 across the world, though it is less severe than SARS. The virus is now called Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
As a family of viruses, these viruses are fairly common, and can range from mild to very severe in effect.
Typical symptoms of coronavirus include fever and a cough that may progress to a severe pneumonia causing shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. Most people who get coronavirus will have mild to moderate illness, a bit like ‘flu.
Generally, coronavirus can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease. The death rate is low, typically at present around 2%, which is a little above the death rate for ‘flu. But it has understandably caused concern because of the lack of information and because of myth. Some of the most important things Catholics can do would be to restate the facts accurately, reassure, counter prejudice against Chinese and other communities.
There has been a great deal of anxiety because of people assuming wrongly that the virus is more serious than it is. A key issue is to reassure people.
This is a rapidly evolving situation and latest updates can be found on the Gov.uk website here
• For the public https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/01/23/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-what-you-need-to-know/
• For professionals https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-background-information
The NHS has processes in place to manage cases where people may have or do have the virus.

The new coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan City, China, on 31 December 2019, and has since been detected in travellers to other countries. The government is monitoring the situation closely and will continue to work with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the international community.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses some causing less-severe disease, including the common cold, and others causing more severe disease such as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). People with Wuhan novel coronavirus (WN-CoV), are presenting with a fever, and respiratory symptoms including a cough, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, a sore throat, or a runny nose.

For further information please go to;

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/wuhan-novel-coronavirus/

Polling Station Update

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Embedded Calendar

Address: 3-7 Tutts Barn Lane, Eastbourne BN22 8XT
Tel: 01323 737221

The Child Therapy Service CIC exists to promote and facilitate opportunities that; enhance positive emotional well-being, improve academic resilience, and develop a greater understanding of specific educational needs in children under 14.

With the wonderful support of The Art House, Eastbourne. I am able to run free, exclusive and relaxed coffee mornings on the 1st Monday of each month - for those parents or carers that have young children who struggle with anxiety. This small group of parents have the chance to come together with like-minded people, and know that they are not alone.

With so many other services being cut, the demand for this will grow. There is a maximum of 20, as it is held in the private function room, downstairs. However, with small groups - comes friendships and tailored support.

Each month, I will focus on a particular area of parent well-being, this will be with the help of different volunteers specialised in a particular area. It could include a short talk on; healthy eating, or mindfulness, even a hand massage, but all very chilled and accessible ... I want them to walk away with at least 1 usable tip, to help with their emotional well-being.

Please, continue to share this service - so that parents and carers get the support they need, when they need it: