Guidance and advice for parents
Scarlet Fever
There a higher number of cases of Group A strep circulating nationally this year, than usual. The bacteria usually causes a mild infection producing sore throats or scarlet fever that can be easily treated with antibiotics. In very rare circumstances, this bacteria can get into the bloodstream (sepsis) and cause serious illness – called invasive Group A strep (iGAS). This is still uncommon; however, it is important that parents are on the lookout for symptoms and see a doctor as quickly as possible so that their child can be treated and we can stop the infection becoming serious. Make sure parents talk to a health professional if their child is showing signs of deteriorating after a bout of scarlet fever, a sore throat, or a respiratory infection.
Guidance on scarlet fever: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/scarlet-fever/
In very rare circumstances, this bacteria can get into the bloodstream and cause serious illness – called invasive Group A strep (iGAS). This is still uncommon; however, it is important that parents are on the lookout for symptoms and see a doctor as quickly as possible so that their child can be treated and we can stop the infection becoming serious. Make sure you talk to a health professional if your child is showing signs of deteriorating after a bout of scarlet fever, a sore throat, or a respiratory infection.
As a parent, if you feel that your child seems seriously unwell, you should trust your own judgement.
Contact NHS 111 or your GP if:
- your child is getting worse
- your child is feeding or eating much less than normal
- your child has had a dry nappy for 12 hours or more or shows other signs of dehydration
- your baby is under 3 months and has a temperature of 38°C, or is older than 3 months and has a temperature of 39°C or higher
- your child feels hotter than usual when you touch their back or chest, or feels sweaty
- your child is very tired or irritable
Call 999 or go to A&E if:
- your child is having difficulty breathing – you may notice grunting noises or their tummy sucking under their ribs
- there are pauses when your child breathes
- your child’s skin, tongue or lips are blue
- your child is floppy and will not wake up or stay awake
How to deal with bullying
CFGS is proud to have received Gold status for the Anti-Bullying Alliance All Together Programme. This is in recognition of all the work that is done by both staff and students throughout CFGS in order to reduce the incidence and impact of bullying both in school and online.
Bullying can take many forms, all of which are wrong and will not be accepted at CFGS. Anybody could be subject to bullying at any time in their life.
All members of our school community are required to treat others with kindness and respect. The School Code of Conduct states that students must ‘communicate respectfully and politely with members of the school community and members of the local community’. Students may see bullying that is not evident to adults or staff and so all students, whether they are being targeted themselves, are friends or onlookers, have the responsibility to be an ‘upstander’ and to report any suspected bullying incidents to an adult or through the online reporting system, SHARP.
CFGS defines bullying as the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. Bullying can be physical, verbal or psychological. It can happen face-to-face or online.[i]
CFGS builds a supportive, positive social environment and staff are alert to the signs of bullying so that the risk of bullying incidents is minimised. Please see the full Anti-Bullying Policy for details of the work that the school undertakes.
What to do if you have concerns about bullying:
It is essential that any concerns are reported to the school so that the matter can be investigated promptly and sensitively.
Students must talk to an adult. This can be any member of staff in school, including a teacher, Form Tutor, Head of Year (HOY), Academic Mentor, member of the House Team, SEND teacher, School Nurse, School Counsellor or a Teaching Assistant, or an adult outside school such as their parent/carer or a friend. If they do not feel comfortable approaching an adult, they can report their concerns through SHARP anonymously or speak to a responsible student, such as an Anti-bullying Ambassador, Peer Mentor, a member of the Sixth Form Student Leadership Team or a member of the School Council.
Parents and carers are encouraged to report any concerns that they have about bullying to the school, normally the Head of Year (HOY). They can do this by phoning the School Reception on 020 8981 1131 to request a phone call back or to arrange a meeting, or by sending a message to the Head of Year’s email address directly. If parents/carers feel that they want to report concerns anonymously, they can do this via the online recording platform, SHARP.
| Head of Year 7 | |
| Head of Year 8 | |
| Head of Year 9 | |
| Head of Year 10 | |
| Head of Year 11 | |
| Sixth Form | CFGS6 | |
| SHARP |
What happens when bullying is reported?
The person who has been told about the bullying will pass on the reported incident to the Head of Year who is then able to liaise with their Line Manager, as appropriate. The case will be investigated promptly and sensitively in order to:
- Reassure the student who has been targeted and secure the safety of those involved
- Take action to stop the behaviour
- Establish the facts. The investigation may require a number of people to be spoken to and for statements to be written so that these can be taken into consideration
- Organise appropriate interventions for the aggressor(s). The student who has been targeted will be kept informed of the process and appropriate support arranged. Attempts to restore the relationship(s) will be made wherever possible
- The situation will be continue to be monitored and the HOY, Form Tutors and other key staff will maintain an ‘open door’ policy to ensure that students report any ongoing concerns that they have
- Staff will reflect to see if any whole-school learning can take place.
A personalised response will be organised to support the student who has been targeted to help them process the incident and move forwards, normally by the Head of Year or a member of the Senior Leadership Team where appropriate. Staff will involve the student as well as the parent/carer in the solution and work together to help formulate an appropriate plan that will support the student. The student(s) involved in the bullying will receive an appropriate sanction as well as support to address any underlying issues to ensure that the bullying is not repeated.
[i] There is no legal definition of bullying and so CFGS uses the definition of bullying from the Anti-Bullying Alliance.
Free School Meals
Pupils are entitled to free school meals if their parents are in receipt of the following:
• receiving income support
• receiving income-based jobseeker’s allowance
• receiving the guarantee credit of pension credit
• receiving income-related employment and support allowance
• in receipt of support from NASS (national Asylum Support Service)
• have an income, as assessed by the Inland Revenue, of less than £16,190 a year (this is called the threshold amount) and who do not get working tax credit but do get child tax credit.
Please note you do not have to be claiming housing benefit or council tax benefit in order to make a claim for free school meals for your dependent children.
The child’s parent/guardian must make a claim either by:
• Completing a paper copy of the claim form available from the One Stop Shop or by phoning the Benefits Service on 020 7364 5001.
• Making a claim for housing and/or council tax benefit (which also counts as a claim for free school meals).
The Tower Hamlets One Stop Shops offer a walk-in service dealing with all general enquiries regarding council services.
Apply for Free School Meals
You can apply for Free School Meals via the Tower Hamlets website.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
At Central Foundation Girls School we take mental health seriously. We encourage students to discuss issues surrounding mental health and what we can do to promote positive mental health and wellbeing.
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
There are 5 strands we look at to ensure our mental health and wellbeing is in a good place:
- Connect
- Be active
- Be curious
- Keep learning
- Give
Provision
We have a range of in-house and external support in place for students.
- Mental health and wellbeing pages in student planner
- Form time and extra Pastoral Support sessions during the pandemic.
- PSHE
- Cross-curricular – approaching MHWB in curriculum subjects
- Weekly messages for students on SMHW - often including competitions and extra activities.
- Assemblies addressing different aspects of mental health and well-being
- Safe Space – A comfortable and inviting space tucked away so students do not feel anxious being seen by others. The space has displays, resources & handouts, colouring and other activities. Student Self-refer via box at student reception and are given an appointment slip. The Safe Space is also open for drop-ins during lunchtimes.
- Some students just drop in for a quiet place to sit, some students come to offload everything and then feel better. Students come for tips/advice or specific incidents.
- Sharp – self referral online
- School counsellor
- Online resources shared with students: Kooth
- Central+ - trips/clubs - Developing:
- The ability to form relationships
- Trying new things
- Creativity
- Conflict resolution
Resources for students
Resources for coping with exam stress
Online Safety
CFGS Parent/Carer E-Safety Survey 2019
Ofsted found safeguarding at CFGS to be Outstanding and we would very much like to keep it this way. We want our students to use the internet intelligently, creatively, wisely and productively but, above all, safely. To do this we need your views.
Please click on the link below and complete this survey for us. It is anonymous. There are 21 questions that should take you no longer than 10 minutes to complete. The results of this survey will give us a better understanding of any risks or knowledge gaps so that we need to address to keep your daughter safe on-line.
Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey.
E-safety & Cyber-bullying information CLICK HERE
E-safety whole school tutorial programme
Student ICT Acceptable Use Agreement
At CFGS School we believe that we all have a role to play in ensuring that children are kept safe whilst using technology. Online safety covers not only the internet but also the use of computers, tablets, games consoles, as well as mobile phones and apps.
There are several elements to e-Safety/online safety that we cover through the curriculum and tutorial/PSHEE programme at CFGS across all year groups including assemblies and workshops run by the MET police. We outline our rules for safe use of technology for pupils and staff through our E safety policy, which is given to all families and staff and our ICT acceptable use agreements signed by staff and pupils.
The social media channels below are for individuals aged 13+, Whatsapp is 16+
- Musical.ly
- Meow Chat
- Kik
- Snapchat
- Google +
- Gaming Devices
For search engine advice click here
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy for Pupils and Parents Here
PREVENT Agenda
Prevent Agenda: Advice for Parents from LB Tower Hamlets Here. For CFGS school information here
School Uniform Grant
A school clothing grant can help towards the cost of a school uniform for children aged 11 who are changing from primary to secondary school. Only one grant is payable during a child's school life.
Applications can only be made between 30 June and 30 September each year.
For further information please telephone the council's Benefits Contact Centre on 020 7364 5001.
To qualify, you (the parent or guardian) must be receiving one of the following:
- Income-based Job Seekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
- Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
- Support from NASS (National Asylum Support Service) under part IV of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
or
- Have an annual income less than £15860 (excluding child benefit and child tax credit).
SEND Guidance
Click the button below for more information about Inclusion and SEND.
Supporting your daughter in Year 7
Your daughter has completed her first half-term of Year 7 at CFGS. This is a moment to celebrate as she has worked so hard and learnt so much in the past 8 weeks. Please do ask her what her favourite moments have been, as well as the challenges.
GRIT is our Year 7 motto, what has your daughter done to demonstrate this?
Please can you and your daughter spend some time during this half-term holiday to familiarise yourself with our school website and some of the frequently asked questions for Year 7s.
CFGS students are kind, respectful and encouraging of their peers. Kind words and actions go a long way; smiling at somebody, offering to help and including new people are all ways she can be a positive influence in the Central Community. Over the half -term holiday, please can you speak to your daughter about friendships and make sure she understand how she can also be a friendly, positive influence in the playground to her peers. We are proud of our Anti-Bullying Gold Status, and please refer to our How to Deal with Bullying page for further guidance on our expectations of how we deal with unkind behaviour.
As students start to familiarise themselves with the school policies and routines, can I remind Parents/Carers that if an appointment is booked for your child it should be made for outside of school time. If this is not possible, your daughter must complete page 15 in her planner and bring a copy of the appointment letter to school on the day before the appointment so it can be logged and signed off in her planner by her Form Tutor and Head of Year. If the appointment is booked via email you can forward it to HOY7@central.towerhamlets.sch.uk but please note your daughter will still need to get this logged and signed off in her planner by her Form Tutor and Head of Year in advance of the appointment.
Finally, we are delighted that 24 Year 7 students will benefit from the loan of a Trustee Laptop whilst they are at CFGS. The application process has opened and the deadline is 31st October (last day of half-term). Full details will be shared in a letter via Parent SIMS. Successful students will receive the loan of a laptop before the end of November.
To apply for a laptop, please complete this form.
Future communication will be via SIMs Parent App. Please can you ensure your log in details work and you can navigate the app comfortably.
If you having questions please contact the school,
Thank you so much for all of your support
Miss WhitehornHead of Year 7
