Mayfield Primary School

Steps for Accessing Seesaw for all

COVID-19 – Parent-Carer Update from Fiona Robertson – 30October2020

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MPS – Head Teacher Appointment – 15October2020

Free School Meals and Clothing Grants update (9 October – 22 December 2020)

Currently, BACS payments are set up for those families who qualified for free school meals based on the criteria applied during the lockdown and summer period. However, a number of changes are due to take place, please see below;

·       A payment covering the four week period from Monday 20th of September to Friday 16th of October was made on the 17th of September. The next payment to be made will cover the period from Tuesday 27th of October to Friday 20th of November.  This payment will be £39.90 per primary pupil and £43.70 per secondary pupil.

·       As of Monday 19 October any BACS payments made will not cover school holiday periods.

·      All P1-3 children will continue to be provided with a free packed lunch from our school meals service. In addition, from Monday 2 November children will be offered a hot option choice as part of their packed lunch menu. Your child’s school will provide you with details of the ordering system prior to this date.

·       For all other children and young people from P4-S6 who are entitled to free school meals, BACS payments will continue until further notice (with exception of school holiday periods).

·      Whilst there won’t be a traditional Christmas school lunch, the schools meals service are committed to providing a festive packed lunch theme.  This will take place from week beginning Monday 14 December and further details will follow.

·      Please consider applying for free school meals and school clothing grant, details below.  Alternatively, contact your child’s school if you have any further questions or concerns about the provision of school lunches/school clothing grant or if your financial circumstances have changed and you need additional advice and support.

·         If you are in extreme financial hardship you may want to apply to the Scottish Welfare Fund using link below;

https://www.midlothian.gov.uk/downloads/download/18/the_scottish_welfare_fund_application_forms   

New applications

If your financial circumstances have changed, you can apply for free school meals and a clothing grant if you receive:

• Universal Credit (where your monthly earned income is not more than £610)
• Income Support
• Income based Job Seeker’s Allowance
• Income based Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

Your child is also entitled to free school lunches and a clothing grant if you receive:

• Child Tax Credit, but not Working Tax Credit, and your annual income is less than £16,105
• Both maximum Child Tax Credit and maximum Working Tax Credit, and your annual income is less than £6,900

How to apply

To apply, download and complete the application form below then email it with any supporting documents to fsmawards@midlothian.gov.uk. There is a single application form for both benefits. You need only apply once per year. Supporting evidence will be needed at the time of applying. We cannot process applications until we receive this.

Please follow this advice to reduce the risks of sending personal information by email:

• Do not use a shared device to send your email.
• Do not use an unsecured or public WiFi network to send your email.
• Before sending, double check the email address you are sending to is fsmawards@midlothian.gov.uk 
• After sending, delete your personal documents from your sent email.

• Free school meals and clothing application form (Word version)
• Free school meals and clothing application form (PDF version)

Advice for mobile/tablet device users

Please use either Microsoft Wordor Adobe Acrobat Reader(both free to download from your app store) to open up the form which should allow you to complete and save the application ready to email. Email the completed form and any supporting documents to fsmawards@midlothian.gov.uk 

What happens next?

We aim to process all applications within 28 days, although this may vary in busy periods.  Free school meals will be awarded immediately, and clothing grants will normally be awarded within 28 days from receipt of application. Regular payments will be made up to 31 March 2021.

MPS – Newsletter – October 2020

MPS – Contingency Planning Information – 09October2020

Good Morning,

I’m writing to thank parents, carers and pupils who are helping keep local people safe and ultimately saving lives by complying with national coronavirus restrictions. I am sure you will appreciate the significant effort of all of our staff working in schools to do the same. However, I also need to stress we must remain vigilant as local cases of coronavirus are rising. As is the case across other areas in Scotland, this is, in part, because of transmission within local gatherings.

We continue to work alongside NHS Public Health and Police Scotland to protect local people.  Please remember the restrictions in place on indoor gatherings in private homes. You should not meet anyone from outside your household inside your home or their home. This ban includes extended family members although you are permitted to provide care or support to a vulnerable person in their home and there are exemptions for childcare and tradespeople doing essential work. The rules on indoor gatherings apply to you and your family, including your young people over the age of 12, so we ask you to help them understand the rules and set an example for them too.

Where there are breaches of the legislation, Police Scotland will engage, explain the legislation and encourage compliance and will use enforcement action as a last resort.

We know that the overwhelming majority of people of all ages are following the rules and realise not meeting friends and family is hard, particularly on young people. However, to reduce the number of transmissions of the virus  and keep schools open, all of us, young and old, need to do our bit by complying with the rules.

Thank you again for you and your family’s continued support.

Fiona Robertson

Executive Director Children, Young People and Partnerships

2020 08 29 – Letter to parents and carers from NHS Lothian Public Health