NOTICE DATE: 18.09.20
Physical Saturday School
Dear Parents
It has been challenging to complete on the hiring of new school premises as schools began to put a hold on lettings due to the rise in daily COVID-19 infections. Our team has been fortunate, however, to secure the hire of two new school sites.
I am happy to tell you the following:
Essex Centre, incorporating the Dartford Centre
Our new Leaders are Readers Essex site address is:
St Edward's C of E Primary School
Havering Drive
Romford RM1 4BT
The new Essex site at St Edward’s is less than 10 minutes’ drive from our old Essex site at Raphael’s. Also, St Edward’s is around 30 minutes away from our old Dartford site at Haberdashers’. May I suggest that, if possible, parents interested in a Leaders are Readers Dartford site now attend St Edward’s, alongside our Essex/Havering parents.
Enfield Centre, incorporating the Southgate Centre
We have a new Leaders are Readers Enfield site at:
Raglan Junior Primary School
Bush Hill Park
Wellington Rd
Enfield EN1 2NS
The new Enfield site at Raglan Juniors is about 12 minutes’ drive from our previous Southgate site at St Andrew’s. May I suggest that all parents who were interested in attending Leaders are Readers Southgate centre, now attend our new Enfield centre.
But what about separate Southgate and Dartford Centres?
We are still actively seeking alternative Southgate and Dartford sites as we hope that schools will be more willing to hire out their premises in the future after they have spent more time seeing to the success of their autumn term reopening. We will keep you updated when the situation changes in the future.
Online Saturday School
Our Leaders are Readers Northwood and Leaders are Readers Stanmore sites are both online this term, September to December, again because our usual schools were unable to hire out their premises.
Next steps
If you are interested in joining or continuing with us, may I ask that you please let us know by either completing our online booking form or emailing info@leadersarereaders.co.uk
You can also call us on 01992 651 300
Wishing you and your family well.
Janet Sherlock
Founder and CEO
Leaders are Readers
NOTICE DATE: 28.07.20
Physical Summer School
We are offering physical summer school at St Helen’s this year. It is the only address so far. Additional centres are still being arranged. Some of our usual schools are not reopening until September and so we are looking for alternative school premises. The demand for physical summer school places is high and we really want to help children and parents in this particular year!
Date: 3rd to 21st August
- St Helen’s School, Eastbury Road, Northwood HA6 3AS (places are all ‘sold out’– no places remaining!)
New date added: 10th to 28th August
- Addresses to be confirmed
We will update our website with addresses as soon as we have secured additional physical sites.
To register your interest, please complete the online booking form as soon as possible: https://www.leadersarereaders.co.uk/book-a-lesson. We will be notifying existing pupils on the waiting list by email a day before the new address information is published on our website.
Please note that so far, St Helen’s is the only site we are offering for the 3rd to 21st August summer school. Anyone purporting to offer summer school at other addresses in the name of Leaders are Readers, LaR or in some other name, is not in any way connected with the Leaders are Readers brand which has been around for over 20 years and has been running summer schools in and around London for 12 years.
Online Summer School - 3rd August to 21st August
Following on from our successful online Saturday school, the Leaders are Readers online summer school commences next week, Monday to Friday, 3rd - 21st August. Enrolment is ongoing now. To book a place, please complete a booking form online: https://www.leadersarereaders.co.uk/book-a-lesson
For any queries concerning Southgate, Essex, and Dartford areas, please contact Frances Woghiren, the franchisee who ran our Streatham centre, at frances@leadersarereaders.co.uk.
For the Northwood and Stanmore areas, and with regard to St Helen’s, please continue to contact our franchisee, Alero Fagbulu at alero@leadersarereaders.co.uk.
Physical Saturday School
We are also excited that all schools will fully reopen in September and so we will be returning to our regular physical centres come September. : We can’t wait to see you all again back at our regular Leaders are Readers centres this autumn term!
Leaders are Readers Southgate, Leaders are Readers Dartford, Leaders are Readers Essex
Lara Okpor is no longer associated in any way with the brand ‘Leaders are Readers’ or ‘LaR Dartford’, ‘LaR Southgate’, ‘LaR Essex’, whether in those three areas, online or elsewhere.
Summer School (3rd August to 21st August) continues online directly administered by Leaders are Readers and not through Lara Okpor. Physical summer school is also being arranged, directly administered by Leaders and Readers, and not through Lara Okpor. All our Saturday schools in Dartford, Southgate, and Essex will resume in physical locations from September 2020 directly administered by Leaders are Readers and not through Lara Okpor.
More details follow below.
Physical Saturday School from September: If you live in the Dartford, Southgate, or Essex areas and wish to continue in our physical centres come September, please communicate directly with Phoebe Onibokun of Leaders are Readers at: phoebe@leadersarereaders.co.uk or ring 01992 651 300. Many of you know Phoebe well. Phoebe will get back to you.
Physical Summer school if you live outside of the Stanmore and Northwood areas, and wish to enquire about physical Summer School, please communicate directly with Phoebe Onibokun of Leaders are Readers at: phoebe@leadersarereaders.co.uk or ring 01992 651 300. Phoebe will get back to you.
Online Saturday School from September: please communicate directly with Frances Woghiren of Leaders are Readers at: frances@leadersarereaders.co.uk or ring 01992 651 300 and Frances will get back to you. Frances already ran our Streatham centre and is one of the franchisees who has been successfully running our online school provision.
Online Summer school continues online through Leaders are Readers. If you live in the Dartford, Southgate or Essex area and wish to enrol in online Summer School, please communicate directly with Frances Woghiren of Leaders are Readers at: frances@leadersarereaders.co.uk or ring 01992 651 300 and Frances will get back to you.
More about physical Summer School follows below.
Physical Summer School (3rd August to 21st August)
Summer school at physical centres are also being arranged. Some of our usual schools are not reopening until September and so we are looking for alternative school premises. The demand for places is high and we really want to help children and parents in this particular year! We will update our website with addresses as soon as we have secured the physical sites.
Warm regards
Janet Sherlock
Founder and CEO
Leaders are Readers Schools International Ltd
Black Lives Matter
In the wake of the horrendous act that took place on May 25th, 2020, where an American citizen, George Floyd, died in the hands of some police officers whose job it was to protect and serve but chose to do the opposite, we at Leaders are Readers want to make it abundantly clear that we stand with the Black community and other BAME communities against all forms of racism, whether explicit, subtle or structural, and we encourage our parents and colleagues to do the same.
We also know that this recent event that has sparked a wave of protests not just within the US but also around the world, is just the latest in a spate of similar brutal attacks against Blacks: Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Steven Taylor, and too many more.
Closer to home, the most recently reported event was that of Belly Mujinga who died from coronavirus having been spat at by a man claiming to have the virus. British Transport Police said there was no evidence to substantiate a criminal offence.
We will not be silent and complicit with the systemic racism and oppression terrorizing the Black community.
Racism and discrimination are faced by BAME community members every day. It is therefore no longer enough for any of us to simply stand up and condemn racism: we must be actively anti-racist.
What are we doing?
We encourage members of our staff as well as our parents to learn and engage more through conversations and literature. We ask all to support greater understanding, awareness, and active change of racist and/or discriminatory practices. We ask all to create a culture of challenging those behaviours. We encourage you to include your children in these acts as well: https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/books/books-and-resources-to-help-kids-understand-racism-a4458241.html
Leaders are Readers pledges to actively work to stand with our BAME communities against all forms of racism and to do everything we can to bring about a positive change.
Leaders are Readers will seek to incorporate more material from BAME communities into our programmes wherever possible. This is with a view to creating a better understanding of other cultures amongst our children.
We will continue to work with our staff to foster and promote an environment that is inclusive for all ethnic groups.
We will be (with your help) nominating an ethnic minority charity to support every term in order to help facilitate their cause.
What can you do?
We appreciate that this might be unchartered territory for some. As a result, we have collated a few links below to help you navigate your way through this. The links below provide some resources on what to do, what to know, and how to help:
https://www.soas.ac.uk/blogs/study/what-steps-can-we-take-to-support-black-lives-matter/
Write to your MP, with your concerns. Below is a sample template for you to edit accordingly.
Other links with initiatives:
https://www.nme.com/blogs/support-black-lives-matter-anti-racist-organisations-cant-protest-2681727
https://crackmagazine.net/article/long-reads/help-black-lives-matter-protests-donate-organisations/
https://www.newbeaconbooks.com/
https://www.thestrategist.co.uk/article/black-owned-uk-businesses.html
We also encourage parents to get in touch with further suggestions and feedback.
Update from our CEO
Leaders are readers live, face-to-face online classes
Dear Parent,
As a result of the current situation in our nation, we have been working hard behind the scenes, preparing to move our classes online. We will be conducting our live, face-to-face interactive classes online until further notice.
Sessions will resume on Saturday, 25th April 2020, and will be every Saturday and at the same start time of 09:00 am, as usual, or at 10.55 am. The standard of the content will be the same but there will be a slight change in the duration. This is because we are conscious of the fact that in as much as we’d like for your child to get as many hours in as possible, we are also aware of how so much screen time in one sitting/session, could turn out to be more hazardous than helpful to your child.
Please click on the link below for more information on our revised hours for the online classes.
https://www.leadersarereaders.co.uk/saturday-school-dates-and-times
These classes will also be backed up by a range of other support systems we have in place, to make sure your child gets the best out of the experience.
Your child will have access to the Leaders are Readers Online Homework Assistance Service during the week. Click on the link below for more information about it.
https://www.leadersarereaders.co.uk/online-homework-assistance-service
In addition to our Online Homework Assistance Service, your child will also have 24/7 access to other external maths, spelling and vocabulary platforms where they can get as much fun practice as they want, obtain certificates and earn rewards.
11+ Pupils
We know that the 11+ exams may still be around the corner and, as such, we have made sure that in addition to their classes, your Year 4 and Year 5 children will also have access to their own 11+ platform with over 50,000 questions in Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning organised and personalised for them every week - needless to say, access would also be 24/7.
https://online.leadersarereaders.co.uk/
Please reach out to our amazing Franchisees and Centre Managers for more information on the REDUCED FEES for the Summer Term, or call 01992 651 300.
We will be reverting back to our usual physical locations and classroom setting that you are used to, once the situation changes and we are all free to move around again. But, in line with the government ‘s mandate and (of course) doing our bit to make sure your child stays safe, we will continue to run our online classes until then.
We look forward to seeing your child in our virtual classrooms, either to carry on from where we left off last term or welcoming your child to come and take part in their first LaR Experience. In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding the online classes, please ring us on 01992 651 300 or contact your Franchisee and Centre Manager and they will be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Keep safe and see you then!
JANET SHERLOCK
Chief Executive Officer
Leaders are Readers
a message from our CEO and Founder, Janet Sherlock, on Thursday 19/03/20
Dear Parents,
My name is Janet Sherlock, the CEO and founder of Leaders are Readers.
School Closures in England
Earlier this week, the Prime Minister announced that, to slow the spread of the coronavirus, all schools in England are to close after this Friday, until further notice.
This means that Leaders are Readers will not offer the last two lessons of this term on 21st and 28th March and our physical centres on school premises will remain closed until the government lifts the closure of schools.
Please know that Leaders are Readers remains open throughout this period. We are available for telephone calls and emails.
It is important to note that, whilst children are without symptoms of the virus, they should be working at home. The government expects all schools to produce a package of work for their students. We will post, or email to you where possible, the work for the remaining two lessons of this spring term. Please get your children to complete them, one week at a time. Then please post the completed booklets back to your centre manager, a week at a time, and we will get our teachers to mark and correct them. We will send the corrected booklets back to you. If you have not already done so, please complete our registration form online, so that we have your current correspondence address. You may do this at: https://www.leadersarereaders.co.uk/enrol-now
Leaders are Readers Online School
In April, we resume teaching - online. The government announcement was not wholly unexpected, and we have been planning to transfer our teaching online. We had also been receiving requests from parents who were uncertain of being able to continue to attend lessons at a centre in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, and were reluctant to stop their children’s tuition with Leaders are Readers.
Our Saturday online school will commence on 25th April, a week later than publicised for the start of our summer term. We will run Summer School online too, should the government advise us all to continue to keep social distance.
The lessons in our virtual Saturday School classrooms will be held at the same times on Saturdays as our traditional classes. The Summer School lessons will run from Monday through to Friday, same as our traditional summer school lessons. We, however, intend for the length of the Saturday and Summer School lessons to be slightly shorter than our traditional classes.
In addition to online teaching, we will, of course, continue to supplement with our online maths resources platforms for further practice, available 24/7 to all our maths students. To help all of our children during this challenging period, we are extending membership of the online maths platforms to all of our Reading Programme and Language Sense students, free of charge. We will also add a subscription to an English website which will accelerate learning of spelling, grammar and vocabulary for our Language Sense students.
To participate in the online school, children will need access to wifi and a computer device at home – laptop, desktop or tablet.
We will be in touch with the details of the Online LaR School in the next few weeks.
Our 11+ and 7+ Exam Children
We know how worried you may be that the announcement may interrupt your children’s exam preparations, but please be assured that everyone at Leaders are Readers will do their very best for your children in the next few months.
We are looking forward to teaching your children online in these unprecedented times. Please continue to support your children through what will be a challenging period in their education. Our teachers will, as far as possible, enable excellent remote learning. I would, however, ask for some patience as we roll out a new set of procedures for the team and the children – we are all learning new skills. We would welcome any feedback as we go along so that we can adapt our approach to best fit the needs of our pupils and you, as the parents.
Precautions
Please continue to emphasise the importance of personal hygiene and handwashing in particular. Not all children are keen on doing this regularly and need your encouragement to do so.
Self-Isolation
The situation is evolving rapidly; this is a link to the government advice: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance
These are complicated and unsettling times for all of us. Things are changing constantly and I am committed to keeping you informed. I invite you to visit our website at www.leadersarereaders.co.uk from time to time, for any news and updates . In the meantime, you will be receiving further updates from your Centre Manager regarding the online school process, moving forward.
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued loyalty and support, we’re incredibly grateful. I also want to thank our wonderfully enthusiastic tutors, centre administrators and our resilient franchisees who are all working hard to ensure we can continue to serve the children well. All of us at Leaders are Readers look forward to seeing you and your children again, when we reopen our physical centres at the appropriate time. Until then, we shall be meeting online.
We wish you and your families well. |
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JANET SHERLOCK Chief Executive Officer |