Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
The Met Office has extended an amber extreme heat warning for Sunday 17 July, Monday 18 July and Tuesday 19 July, as temperatures will build this weekend and early next week for much of England and Wales.
The amber warning highlights likely adverse health effects for the public, not just limited to those most vulnerable to extreme heat.
Temperatures could be in excess of 35°C in the southeast, and more widely around 32°C within the warning area, with Monday and Tuesday most likely to see temperatures around this level.
There is clear government guidance on looking after children and those in early years settings during heatwaves, including the use of ventilation, keeping children hydrated, and avoiding vigorous physical activity, encouraging children to wear loose, light coloured clothing and sunhats with wide brims, to use sunscreen, and providing them with plenty of water.
Please see below detail of how Holy Family is tackling next week to ensure children and staff are safe in extreme heat.
Symptoms of heat exposure are detail at the bottom of this email as well as detail of how to treat symptoms when seen.
Heat stress
Children suffering from heat stress may seem out of character or show signs of discomfort and irritability (including those listed below for heat exhaustion). These signs will worsen with physical activity and if left untreated can lead to heat exhaustion or heatstroke.
Heat exhaustion
Symptoms of heat exhaustion vary but include one or more of the following:
When the body is exposed to very high temperatures, the mechanism that controls body temperature may stop working. Heatstroke can develop if heat stress or heat exhaustion is left untreated, but it can also occur suddenly and without warning.
Symptoms of heatstroke may include:
The following steps to reduce body temperature should be taken immediately:
If a child loses consciousness, or has a fit, place the child in the recovery position, call 999 immediately and follow the steps above until medical assistance arrives.
With these plans in place we hope parents are reassured that your children's safety in such extreme circumstances is always our top priority.
Press Release
Mrs Underhill, Academy Principal at Holy Family Catholic Primary School in Parkwood, Maidstone was delighted to be able to confirm the school’s highest ever Year six SAT results.
Holy Family has over 55% Pupil Premium children and is located in one of the most deprived areas of Maidstone. With the support and encouragement of parents as well as the amazing commitment and determination from the year 6 teacher Mrs Harris and her team, the pupils continue to flourish, even after the significant disruption caused during the COVID pandemic of the past two years. This year’s result of 77% combined was well above the national average of 59% with 3 pupils achieving greater depth in all subjects tested.
As a ‘Requires Improvement’ school and following a change of Senior Leadership in September 2019 the school underwent a complete overhaul to ensure that all pupils were given every opportunity to achieve their full potential. This was also reflected in the amazing quality of remote learning offered during the lockdown of 2020 and 2021. Mrs Underhill has led the school from September 2021, and with all pupils finally back in school, the new curriculum was fully implemented.
As a school community we are delighted with these results and we all look forward to continuing this momentum for every pupil at Holy Family.
A very excited class of reception children experienced their first school trip on Thursday this week, when they visited Tyland Barn part of the Kent Wildlife Trust. The Nature reserve allowed the children to the opportunity to experience the Kent Countryside and discover some amazing insects and birds as part of the trip.