Kooth, from XenZone, is an online counselling and emotional well-being platform for children and young people.
I hope you are all well and managing as best as possible during these unprecedented times.
All DECS staff are carrying out their safeguarding duties daily and with this in mind I wanted to bring your attention again to Online Safety and the checking of your son/daughters phone, IT equipment and social media accounts. This is now more important than ever as so many young people may be spending additional time within the online world. As you are aware this itself can lead to additional risk. Sadly we are aware of at least one DECs pupil who has been targeted online by a person who is dangerous to young people.
Here at DECS our pupils and staff have worked alongside a charity called the Breck Foundation. They have created in my opinion, a fantastic resource that was made in conjunction with the police. The video link below is something you as parents can watch and then maybe spark conversation with your children if you feel that’s appropriate. It’s a true story, hard hitting and if shown in a cinema would carry a 15 certificate and a great resource to help initiate conversation around online safety, gaming concerns, screen time concerns and social media activity.
I have also attached some information and resources HERE regarding parent and family wellbeing which I feel are of use currently. If you wish to discuss any concerns regarding online safety please contact me on c.walton@decschool.co.uk
Stay safe and kind regards,
Mr C Walton
Assistant Head Teacher & Designated Safeguarding Lead
We hope everyone is safe and well, coping with the lockdown measures during what are unchartered waters for us all.
As we start the Summer Term, albeit very different to usual, we would like to recognise the efforts and achievements of our pupils. We hope the below information in our Home Learning Newsletter is of use.
We may not be able to celebrate how we had planned but Dame Elizabeth Cadbury will be celebrating 75 years of VE day.
Please join us and send in pictures to enquiry@decschool.co.uk on how you celebrated VE day.
You can view our informative powerpoint for VE Day HERE.
 | What is VE Day? - CBBC Newsround By the beginning of 1945, the German army had been weakened and defeat looked likely. Tuesday 8 May, 1945, was an emotional day that millions of people had been waiting for. |
The BBC and the government have put together daily lessons for children across the UK. If you have finished the work we have set or you fancy something different, take a look.
BBC Bitesize
This week the BBC is launching its own education package as part of their Charter across TV and online – helping to keep children learning and supporting parents. You can find more information about this here.
The key difference between the BBC offer and the Oak National Academy is that the Academy is a planned and sequenced series of lessons for schools and trusts to use as part of their planned curriculum offer. Whereas the BBC offer is aimed more at parents and pupils.
Oak National Academy
I’m very pleased to welcome Oak National Academy, a new online classroom and resource hub, which has launched to support teachers until schools re-open. The online classroom will provide free lessons and resources for pupils from reception through to year 10. All resources, lessons and more information can be accessed here.
As part of a collective response to the crisis, 40 teachers will be producing over 180 free online lessons each week, which will cover a range of subjects from English and maths to arts and languages.
Please note that we are not responsible for any of this content. If there are any technical issues, please contact the BBC or Oak Academy directly. We have found that the Oak Academy videos work best on Internet Explorer (the sound doesn't always work on Chrome, but we are sure they will be ironing out these teething issues moving forward).
At Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School, we are lucky to work with a wealth of professionals who have sent through lots of useful links to share with you during your time away from school.
In addition, I have scoured the internet and found a variety of websites, which should supplement what the individual faculties are directly supplying.
The list can be found HERE and is a collection that I hope will offer free resources for our pupils to use. Many will be time-limited so please take advantage of their generosity now.
Also, please continue to look on the school website for other support and advice.
I hope that you find something here that you can use during these unprecedented times.
Keep safe and well.
Starting Monday 23rd March Joe Wicks The Body Coach is going to be hosting a free workout aimed at kids LIVE on his YouTube channel.
With the schools closed and with us all spending more time at home, it's more important than ever that we keep moving and stay healthy and positive. Exercise is an amazing tool to help us feel happier, more energised, and more optimistic.
The workouts will be fun and suitable for all ages and even adults can get involved. You don't need any equipment, just tune in on YouTube at 9am each morning for a 30-minute, fun workout.
As a result of the decision made by HM Government to close schools, I write here to outline important information which you need to read and respond to if appropriate. Click the link below to read a letter regarding your child's year group.
School will be closed to almost all pupils from Monday 23rd March 2020.
You will be very much aware of the current escalating situation nationally and internationally in relation to Coronavirus.
Some pupils and parents have asked questions around how DEC may or may not be affected by the current situation – I write here to provide a brief overview and some reassurance.
We receive daily updates from The Department for Education advising us of new information and any action we may need to take. So far, the direction given to all schools matches everything that we have all seen on the news. Regular washing of hands for more than 20 seconds with soap and water remains the most effective action we can all take to prevent the spread of the virus.
Pupils have been reminded of this advice - multiple notices are placed around school and on big screens to continually prompt everyone to wash their hands. In addition, we are ensuring that cleaning remains thorough in school every day.
So far, there have been no cases of Coronavirus within or connected to school.
In the event of a change to our situation, we will notify parents straight away and act according to the advice given to us by Public Health England and The Department for Education.
As things currently stand, it is business as usual for all pupils.
Thank you for your continued support.
Congratulations to our Year 7 Girls Football team! We are proud to announce that they became Birmingham School Games champions yesterday. Competing against 11 other teams, they showed incredible team spirit and character to be crowned the champions.
Well done girls, we are extremely proud!
Woodbrooke Road, Birmingham,
West Midlands B30 1UL
Contact Number: 0121 464 4040
enquiry@decschool.co.uk
Monday - Friday: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
