Dear Parent/Pupil,
The information on this page is to let you know how we will be organising our school so that we can welcome you back safely. We are really looking forward to seeing you all again and want you to know how we will be caring for you when you are with us. We hope you find the information in these pages useful, and if you have any other questions, please just ask us.
Parents – What you need to know
We are very much looking forward to welcoming the children back to school in September and returning to as close to normality as possible. Although CV-19 has not disappeared, we are advised that the level of risk has been reduced and therefore are asked to proceed with the plan to reopen. After a long period out of formal schooling, it is important to get our children back into school routines and back on track with their learning.
We appreciate that parents may have reservations about sending their children back into school. We will be putting in place a number of protective measures, based on all the available guidance, to manage the risks and protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our children, staff and families. I hope that the details outlined in this letter will answer your questions about reopening and provide reassurance.
Our plan to manage the risks associated with Covid-19 focuses on two main elements:
- Limiting contact – bubble groups and social distancing
- Hygiene measures – personal hygiene and cleaning
Limiting contact
Contact will be limited by allocating children to phase bubbles:
- EYFS – Nursery and Reception
- Phase 1 – Years 1, 2 and 3
- Phase 2 – Years 4, 5 and 6
We have amended our school day to reduce the numbers entering or leaving school at any one time. Please stick to the times shown and do not come too early or be late as this will impact on everyone else.
| Year group | Drop off time | Location | Collection time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursery | 8.35 - 8.45 | nursery gate | 2.45 or 3.15* | nursery gate |
| Reception | 8.35 - 8.45 | main entrance gate | 3.15 | main entrance gate |
| Year 1 | 8.40 - 8.50 | driveway - classroom doors | 3.15 | driveway - markings |
| Year 2 | 8.40 - 8.50 | driveway - classroom doors | 3.15 | classroom doors |
| Year 3 | 8.40 - 8.50 | KS2 yard - left door | 3.15 | KS2 yard |
| Year 4 | 8.45 - 8.55 | KS2 yard - right door | 3.20 | KS2 yard |
| Year 5 | 8.45 - 8.55 | KS2 yard - left door | 3.25 | KS2 yard |
| Year 6 | 8.45 - 8.55 | KS2 yard - right door | 3.30 | KS2 yard |
*3.15 for nursery children eligible for 30 hours.
Adults will not be permitted onto the school site at drop off times but, to ensure safety of children, will be allowed on site for collection – there will be allocated queueing areas where adults will need to wait. These will be clearly marked. Class teachers will bring out the children and direct them to whoever is collecting them. To reduce congestion and the risks associated with this, only one adult per family will be allowed on site. If you have more than one child you must collect the youngest first, and then older siblings.
In order to effectively reduce risks associated with large groups of people mixing, it is vital that parents maintain social distancing during drop off and collection times and adhere to the times set out above. Additionally, they must keep any younger children next to them while they are waiting to collect.
Gathering at the school gates and coming into school without an appointment will not be allowed. Any queries or questions will need to be raised by email or telephone.
Any visitors to school will be asked to adhere to our hygiene and social distancing procedures to protect themselves and others.
Within school, we will also promote social distancing and a ‘no touch policy’, both in class and during playtimes and PE. We know that for our younger children, social distancing will be incredibly difficult and so, although we will still promote ‘no touch’, our focus for the younger ones will be on good hygiene and maintaining cleanliness within the learning environments.
We appreciate that some children are brought to school by childminders and that this has caused an additional concern for parents. The latest Government guidance states that schools should advise parents to limit, as far as possible, the numbers of providers that they access and to seek assurances from those providers that sufficient protective measures are put in place in their setting. With that in mind, I am happy that our children continue to be dropped off by their current childminder, as long as they adhere to our revised procedures and ask parents to keep us informed of any information that could impact on our school.
Hygiene measures
The first of these is the implementation of regular hand washing/sanitising; we will ensure that children wash or sanitise their hands regularly throughout the day. This will take place as soon as they arrive at school in the morning, at the end of each break, after going to the toilet and before eating.
Children will also be encouraged to adopt the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach if they have a cough or sneeze and not to touch their face.
Each classroom will have a ‘sanitation station’ where all necessary resources will be available – hand wash, sanitiser, tissues, wipes and a covered bin.
We will also have an enhanced cleaning schedule during the day. Classrooms will be wiped down at the end of the morning session and after lunch, if children have been eating there. Doors and regularly touched surfaces will be wiped down and shared spaces (e.g. intervention group work rooms, library) will also be cleaned after use.
Toilet areas will be cleaned more frequently through the day, including doors and taps.
Use of shared resources will be limited and if used, for example in PE, will be cleaned regularly. Where appropriate, desks will be arranged to reduce face to face working and close contact (i.e. group work) but this will mainly apply in KS2 classes.
Only essential items may be brought to school, as follows:
- a reading bag – reading book, journal, spelling book
- EYFS and KS1 children – a pair of wellies (these will stay in school)
- Reception and Nursery children – a change of clothing in a plastic carrier bag
- for packed lunch children – a small lunch bag or box – no loose items or plastic bags
- clean water bottle to be taken home each day
With the exception of PE days, we will expect the children to be in full school uniform, including black shoes – no trainers.
On PE days, children will come to school in their PE kit and may wear navy or black joggers/leggings/tracksuit pants along with their school sweatshirt and trainers. We will have no spare kit in school so it is essential that your child comes appropriately dressed for PE.
No rucksacks, large bags, pencil cases or toys will be allowed in school. All items of clothing and belongings must be clearly labelled.
Covid-19
We will also continue to have in place, procedures in the event of an outbreak of CV19 within the school community. The most important message remains – if your child is ill with symptoms of Covid-19, you must keep them at home, inform school and book a test. If a child becomes ill whilst in school, we will isolate them, contact you immediately to collect them and advise you to arrange testing.
In the event of a confirmed case of CV19, we will engage with track and trace, and seek further guidance from our local health protection team.
Pupils – What you need to know
There are a couple of ways that you will be able to keep yourself and others safe:
- Washing your hands regularly – you will wash your hands when you come into school, after breaks and before eating.
2. Using a tissue if you cough or sneeze – ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’
3. Don’t touch your face!
4. We will always remember to not touch others.
