Don't forget to keep checking back to see what we've been up to!

• School WILL BE OPEN on Monday January 4th

  Thu 31 Dec 2020

  Dear all,

   

  Firstly - Happy New Year's Eve! What a year 2020 has been! Let's hope that 2021 will be kinder to us all!

   

  Secondly, you will have seen on the news and via our Parent Mail over the past few days, that the picture around schools re-opening has been announced and what that means for us at the Imperium Federation.

   

  Just so we all understand what it means:

  • Waterside and King's Oak schools will be OPEN as NORMAL on Monday January 4th. This is line with the guidance for Tier 4 and Tier 4+ (Contingency Framework - which covers schools in areas where the R number is extremely high). In both sets of guidance - specialist schools MUST open.
  • Transport and catering have been informed that we are open as normal.
  • We will continue to enforce FACE SPACE HANDS and VENTILATION across both schools - as we did in the Autumn term.

   

  At King's Oak - like all secondary schools, we will be offering LFT (Lateral Flow Testing - rapid result in 30 minutes). This will involve your child taking a swab of their throat and nose and gives a result in 30 minutes. We know that this may feel uncomfortable but it is vital that we do all we can to ensure that our communities are safe.

   

  So that the testing can be done on school property, you need to complete the online form (which has been sent to you via Parent Mail) giving permission for this to happen.

   

  It is important to understand that even if you give permission to undergo testing, you/your child can decide not to test.

  If you/your child chose not to test, that is your choice and we respect that. We will however, have to continue to follow the Government guidance with regards to infection control.

   

  We will be taking part with the rest of our secondary colleagues in having medical staff coming in to support with this testing at King's Oak and further details will be sent to you when they have been received.

   

  If your child tests positive with an LFT at King's Oak, they MUST go to a testing centre for the full PCR (Covid-19) test. Only the close contacts of that child / adult will need to undergo LFT for 7 days or self isolate for 10 days. By choosing the 7 day LFT option, means that your child is able to continue to come to school unless they test positive.

   

  At Waterside, the LFT is not due to be released to primary schools until February. Until then, we will be encouraging staff - including peripatetic staff to undergo testing at one of the 3 community testing hubs. In fact, most staff across our schools have taken up the offer of testing over the weekend - which was also sent to you as parents via Parent Mail.

   

  It is important to stress two points:

  • NOTHING has changed at either school with regards to the requirement of FACE SPACE HANDS and VENTILATION and we will continue to follow our hygiene protocols as strictly as we did before Christmas
  • Even if you have had COVID-19 before (tested positive etc), you are STILL ABLE to be re-infected with COVID-19. This will be the case even when we are vaccinated against the disease. You DO NOT become immune to it.

   

  With all that said, we know that some of you will be anxious and concerned, especially as there is a lot of discussion as to why some areas are not sending in all their primary school children and will have heard about the high numbers of infection around us. 

   

  We feel as anxious as you and so completely understand.

   

  However, we also know we have been brilliant and keeping this infection at bay, with as little disruption as possible to our children's learning and nothing has changed with how we will deal with it. 

   

  School is as safe as we can make it.

   

  But, if you are feeling anxious and want to keep your child home, then we understand. If you can let us know (you have Jill's, Neal's and my email addresses), we can suspend transport (where needed) and start remote learning immediately. We can then work with you on returning your child and ensure you feel comfortable in doing so.

   

  Lastly - on behalf of us all - can I take this opportunity to wish you a Happy New Year - let's hope that 2021 is kinder to us all, allows us to visit our friends and families and is safe for all concerned.

  As ever,

  Meic and the Imperium Federation Team

• Schools Testing at Charlton Athletic FC

  Wed 30 Dec 2020

  As per my email this morning, I have just completed the meeting with the Borough and Public Health England regarding testing.

   

  The Borough have set up at Charlton Athletic Football Club a 30 minute testing (LFT) centre, with slots available ONLY to secondary pupils and staff for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th of January.

   

  The link is here.

   

  You are encouraged to book a test to ensure that the community is safe for the return to schools (whether that is on the 4th or later - as we are still awaiting confirmation from the Government at the time of writing this email).

   

  We have been given details of the in-school testing process and I will be sending out a permission form (online) for you to complete if you are happy for you (if you are a member of staff) or your child (if you are a parent) to undergo the testing on school property from either the 11th or 18th of January. I will also be sending out full details of how that process will work - so please look for another email shortly.

   

  This is email also appears on the school website so if you know that someone hasn't looked at Parent Mail, can you direct them there (the link is here)

  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me.

   

  As ever,

  Meic and the Imperium Team

• School Updates

  Wed 30 Dec 2020

  I do hope that you and your family have had a lovely Christmas break and have managed to keep well and safe. From our emails and calls, it appears that so far - so good. However, this is not the time to be complacent, so we urge you to continue following the Government guidance of Space - Face - Hands and Ventilation.

   

  Today has been a big news day with the approval of the new COVID-19 vaccine and that at some point today, the Government will be announcing what they want schools to do next week.

   

  To reassure you (as I am sure you would expect), we have been planning for various scenarios - so hopefully we will be able to guide you and your family before the end of the day.

   

  This afternoon, I have a meeting with the Borough to look at the practicalities of testing (the Borough have been working hard with secondary school leaders on this) and will hopefully be in a position to send out to you what the plan will be by the end of today.

   

  To be clear - some of the press and media coverage is slightly misleading with regards to the Armed Forces - they will NOT be attending schools to help with testing, but will be available via video conferencing to assist if schools need support with testing procedures. As you can appreciate, this leaves a huge question as to how all schools will manage to routinely test and teach when staffing may be at its limit...but hopefully, by the end of today - we will have some clear answers for you all.

   

  In the meantime, can I just reinforce the current messaging from both the Government and the Borough :

  • Only leave your house if you really have to
  • Do not mix households
  • Do not travel (even for exercise) unless its for essential work or caring duties
  • Do get tested from one of the local community sites (booking link here)

  Keep safe and well,

  Meic and the Imperium Team

• Prime Ministers Update - Tier 4 Regulations

  Sat 19 Dec 2020

  Dear Parent,

  I have no doubt you have watched or listened to the Prime Minister's announcement regarding the new restrictions. We were going to keep you in the loop about the proposed Lateral Flow Testing (LFT - the rapid COVID-19 testing that secondary schools are being asked to do in January), but this announcement has trumped that.

   

  The Prime Minister has announced that we must ALL ACT NOW.

   

  • We are entering Tier 4 (London and the South East)from Midnight tonight
  • You must stay at home unless you are a critical worker
  • Gyms, hair dressers and non - essential shops to close 
  • Communal worship can continue
  • We are not allowed to travel between tiers, if you are in tier 4 (unless exempt due to your jobs i.e. school staff can travel between tiers ; separated parents to manage children or caring for the elderly or ill)
  • People in lower tiers (1-3) should not travel into a tier 4 area (unless exempt due to their jobs)
  • Social mixing is limited to 1 person in an open space
  • No international travel for those living within Tier 4 (unless in an emergency)
  • Christmas now means that we cannot mix with others outside of our households or support bubble

   

  The above come into effect from tomorrow morning until December 30th when it will then be reviewed.

   

  We know - this isn't what any of us wanted to hear or have to deal with ... but this is the situation we are in. We know how disappointed you will all be. 2020 has been a year that we will all want to forget as in one way or another, we have all suffered the hardship of what this pandemic has brought.

   

  But ... let's keep positive. There are more vaccines coming online, which means more and more of us will be protected and be able to get on with our lives as we did in 2019, we just need to keep working together, looking out for one another and we WILL get through this.

   

  We hope that our food parcels go someway to take some pressure off you in the short term but if we can be of any help, then please do not hesitate to get in touch via Meic's Email

   

  Keep safe, keep well and if we all follow the rules of Hands Face Space and the new requirements of Tier 4, we should get out of this nightmare soon.

  As ever,

  Meic and the Imperium Federation family

• A Huge Thank You

  Wed 16 Dec 2020

  Dear Parent,

  Gosh who would have thought we would get to the end of this term...but we have and we have done so safely. That is in no small part to both you and your family working closely with us - ensuring that we keep everyone safe and educated. I cannot underestimate how much that means to everyone, as in some schools the picture has been very different. You have continued to prove what an amazing support you are and for that, on behalf of the team and myself, thank you.

   

  I know that some of you have had to make some real difficult decisions over the past few days - about whether or not to send your son to school. Whatever you've decided, I hope you have felt supported in your decision and know that we believe that you are doing what you think is best for you and your family. 

   

  You will see a lot on the news and social media over the coming days about whether or not the Government should alter the 'Christmas break' on the 23rd to the 27th. Regardless of what they eventually decide, I am certain you will do what is right for your family.

   

  From tomorrow (17th) until the 23rd of December, we are available to help if you or your family develop COVID-19 symptoms. It is important that if you or a member of your family develop symptoms in the first 48 hours after school closes tomorrow, that you contact us immediately using exechead@imperium.greenwich.sch.uk so that we can inform other families and staff that they may need to self-isolate.

   

  Just in case you missed it - the self-isolation period has now been reduced from 14 days to 10 days.

   

  You will also have seen on the news and social media that schools are going to be able to test everyone using the 'rapid' COVID-19 test. We had already signed up to this and hope that our tests arrive at the beginning of January. Following the Governments direction, we will begin weekly testing at King's Oak (as it's being rolled out to secondary schools first) then Waterside from February. As soon as we have more details, I will send them out to you and I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

   

  Finally, on behalf of the entire Imperium team across both schools including the Governing Board, I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and let's keep our fingers crossed for a fantastic New Year...2021 really needs to sparkle to make up for 2020!

   

  Keep safe and well,

  Meic and the Imperium Federation team

• Greenwich School Closures

  Sun 13 Dec 2020

  Dear parent,

  You may have seen on Twitter this evening and we, as schools only received the email at 5pm tonight, that the Leader of the Council has requested that all schools in Greenwich CLOSE from tomorrow (Monday) afternoon to all pupils except those classed as vulnerable or are the children of key workers.

   

  As both Waterside and King's Oak work with SEMH pupils, we are expected to remain open until Thursday as already planned.

   

  Transport, catering etc will continue as normal.

   

  We have returned to the plan we used during the first lock down : 

   

  • staff will not travel between the two schools for the next week - unless there is an emergency
  • all visiting staff (speech and language therapists for example) will now be held virtually

   

  It is vital that you continue to work with us, so that we can support each other during this time. 

   

  If you or your family have symptoms, then please remain home, get a test and inform us as soon as possible.

   

  We know that this will raise anxiety and we completely understand. If you feel more comfortable keeping your son at home, then please let us know and we will immediately move to online learning for them.

   

  Staff at both schools are on hand from tomorrow onwards to help and support - but please bare with us as we expect to deal with a lot of queries.

   

  We are an amazing community.

  We have proven this throughout 2020.

  We can do this together and ensure that we are all safe.

   

  As ever,

  Meic and the Imperium Team

• DfE School Closure (All of England)

  Wed 09 Dec 2020

  We received notice late last night from the DfE and then confirmation from the Royal Borough of Greenwich, that ALL schools in England are to close from Thursday December 17th - so there will be NO school on Friday December 18th.

   

  This is not how we wanted to end the Autumn Term.

   

  However, we will try and make the rest of this week and next as festive as possible, moving events and the excitement of Christmas to ensure we give our pupils the very best version possible.

   

  Please bear with us whilst we re-organise diaries and events and we will let you know what is happening as soon as possible.

   

  Friday this week is Christmas Jumper/Outfit Day and if there was ever a day to be festive after today's news, that is it!

   

  Roll on 2021!

  As ever,

  Meic and the Imperium Family

• Winter Travel and Christmas Jumper Day

  Tue 08 Dec 2020

  Morning ,

  Christmas seems to be approaching ever so fast and combine that with the hope of the COVID-19 vaccine, perhaps we will be able to enjoy some sort of normality as we end 2020 and hopefully begin a fresh, sparkling 2021.

  Just two reminders:

  • Friday is Christmas Jumper/Outfit Day - so please ensure that your young man comes as festively dressed as possible. Please remember he  will be outside for playtimes and lunchtimes so their festive outfit needs to be warm!

  We know that the Government has allowed everyone to have 5 days of mixing 3 households over the Christmas period (23rd - 27th) but if you are thinking of travelling, you may need to really plan in advance.

  We have already been alerted that the roads are expected to be busier than usual and there are fears that the the motorway network may grind to a standstill as people travel across all four nations. If you are travelling by car, please ensure that you are prepared for a long journey - take warm drinks, blankets and food in case you get stuck for some time ... oh and go to the loo before you start your journey!

  If you are considering going by train, the southern rail services have published the following:

   Safe travel within the new restrictions in England, Scotland and Wales

  Our core message is – if you need to travel, you can travel with confidence. Passengers are following guidance to wear face coverings where they can, to wash and sanitise their hands regularly and to check and plan their travel.

  We continue to work closely with operators and the rest of the industry to provide a resilient timetable and plenty of capacity across the network. Passenger numbers remain at around 25-30% of pre-Covid levels, and with around 90% of pre-Covid services running, the railway remains open for safe travel for those that need to with space for effective social distancing. We are also supporting the specific guidance for students undertaking travel between university and home over the coming months.

  The railway is undertaking extensive cleaning on trains, at stations and across all parts of the network, with clear guidance to support and protect passengers and our staff. Building that reassurance now is key to ensuring passengers have the confidence to return in greater numbers to the railway when restrictions ease.

  • We are directing all passengers to follow the Safer Travel Guidance issued by the DfT, and the respective advice in Scotland and Wales.

  The five-day Christmas bubble – 23 to 27 December

  Passengers can travel with confidence in December and over the holiday period in the knowledge that there are more staff around to help and the enhanced and rigorous cleaning regime continuing throughout.

  The railway is working hard to ensure everyone can get safely to where they need to be for the five-day bubble in England, Scotland and Wales. This includes maximising space by running more and longer services where possible and providing improved travel information and travel alerts. In turn we are asking passengers to plan ahead, wear a face covering, follow social distancing guidance and make use of the hand washing and sanitising facilities available.

  With all long-distance train companies now selling tickets for the Christmas travel window, passengers are being asked to plan ahead, avoid busier times and make reservations for both their outward and return journeys where these are offered. The impact of the pandemic means services on some routes are currently being finalised and people are being asked to check their train operator's website for the latest information.

  Our Chairman Sir Peter Hendy has been appointed by the Government to scrutinise the Christmas travel plans of all transport operators to ensure journeys are as smooth and safe as they can be.

  • Full guidance on travel arrangements during the Christmas bubble is available here.

  Improvement works over the festive period

  While the vast majority of the network will be open for business on the 23, 24 and 27 December, there are improvement works taking place around the country and planning ahead is particularly important for those travelling on affected services. Passengers can find out how their Christmas journeys will be affected with their train operator, via National Rail Enquiries, or by following #ChristmasRailWorks on Twitter.

  Daily work is underway to assess demand and ensure there are sufficient services and carriages in place, that extra support staff are deployed where needed, and clear advice to passengers is available in advance and during travel. While many Christmas works have been postponed, some are necessary and will need to go ahead. All efforts have been made to organise replacement transport in the form of buses and coaches so people can still reach their final destination safely.

  We've made two major amendments to our original plan to support passengers travelling to and from their Christmas bubbles:

  • Significant works are taking place on the East Coast Main Line as part of the East Coast Upgrade, which will improve reliability for passengers and boost connectivity between London, the North of England and Scotland. London King's Cross station will be closed between Christmas Day and 30 December and passengers are being told not to travel to and from the station. Passengers on the East Coast Main Line will be able to complete their journeys into and out of London by changing trains at Peterborough and Finsbury Park, with LNER and GTR working together to ensure this is as smooth as possible. The work is now scheduled to start later than originally planned to ensure extra Christmas Eve services can run out of King's Cross.
  • Upgrades on the West Coast Main Line will now be completed earlier than planned – on 27 December – to enable a full Sunday service to operate from 10am rather than midday, making it easier for passengers to travel home from their Christmas bubbles.

  A lot of us have chosen not to travel and 'bubble' with our families this year, so that we can ensure each others safety. This is a hard decision when some of us won't have seen our families for over 9 months, but if you have chosen to do so, then look on line, as there are lots of amazing things to do to make it feel like you and yours are together...from quizzes (remember when we were all excited for those in lockdown 1?), Christmas shows including A Christmas Carol from the Old Vic (which King's Oak pupils will be watching on the last day of term), to just using the technology we are lucky to have to communicated either via FaceTime, Zoom, Hangout, House Party etc.

  If you need advice on anything COVID related, then get in touch and we will try our best to steer you in the right direction.

  Keep safe,

  Meic and the Imperium Federation Family.

• Support

  Thu 03 Dec 2020

  We know that Christmas can be a really tricky time ... even more so at present.

   

  We have some postcards for you to take to help but also, here is a brilliant website that can give you some support:

   

  https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/home-families/seasonal-events/christmas/

   

  Remember - you are not alone and we are always here for you.

• Closure

  Tue 01 Dec 2020

  Just a reminder, we are having to close the building from Wednesday 2nd and re-open on Monday 7th due to COVID-19.

   

  Home/Remote/Hybrid learning is already in place and you've all engaged brilliantly so far (both in and outside of school).

   

  If you have ANY issues, please contact, Jill, John or Meic.