Hello everyone,
I hope you are keeping well and safe and managing to build some normality into your daily routines as well as getting up to some new things which you may not have had the time for before. We have loved hearing and seeing what you are up to - it really makes us smile!
Next week there will be staff on site every day so if you have any questions or concerns please contact the school office. If you have any issues which you would like to discuss with me confidentially then either call the office saying that you need to speak with me or would like me to call you back if I am not available. We are here to support you in whatever way we can so please remember to get in touch if you need us.
Some parents have been contacting school with questions about the free school meal vouchers. The vouchers that are being issued are only for children who have an existing Pupil Premium claim. This is a claim that is made through Derbyshire County Council ( DCC) which parents are directed to once their child starts school or if their financial circumstances changed. All children under 7 receive a meal through the Universal meals system-this is not the same as the pupil premium system- not all under 7s are entitled to the vouchers. We know that this is a little confusing but the vouchers are allocated on the information provided to us by DCC after a succesful claim has been made.
Obviously we recognise that many families may be experiencing financial difficulties at this time. If you think you may be entitled to free school meals under the pupil premium scheme please apply through the process on the Derbyshire county council website. The criteria for applying/eligibility can be found through this link
I cannot guarantee how quickly these claims will be processed at the current time or if they are looking at new claims at all.
I know that lots of you have been communicating with the teachers directly and I would personally like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff at Dovedale who have worked so hard to keep our families connected at this time and have continued to prove- if any proof were needed -what an amazing team they are.
As a school we have no further information as to when schools will fully reopen but will keep you informed with any information we receive.
Keep safe and we hope to see you all soon!
Sarah Houseman