Dear Parents
We are really looking forward to inviting the children back in September. This year things will be a little different to usual due to the measures put in place for coronavirus.
The children are due to start back at school on Thursday 3rd September if they are in Reception to Year 6. Nursery will start back on Monday 7th September.
All classes will start at the usual time of 8.45, however they will all have their own entry and exit points.
Please see our ‘Statement of Intent’ for more details
Please ensure children come in school uniform. Please can PE kits be sent into school on Mondays and taken home on Friday’s.
Drop off and pick up:
Early Years: Please bring your child to the gate at the rear of school and wait socially distanced in a line. The children will then be collected by a member of staff. They will be returned to you via the same gate at the end of the day.
KS1 and KS2: Please bring your child in through the main gate entrance and wait socially distanced in a line outside the front gate. The children will be taken in through their classroom doors or via the front door if in Year 3/4. The children can be collected at their finish time from the same door.
A one way system will be in operation for the use of gates- the entrance gate is the ramp and the exit gate is down the steps.
Parents, please socially distance outside school while you wait at collection time.
Please note: No parents will be allowed in the classrooms or in school without an appointment.
Please try to only send children to school with one adult to drop off and pick up at the allocated time. You should only bring siblings if you absolutely have no alternative option. If you do need to bring siblings, they will need to be by your side and adhere to the social distancing measures we have put in place.
This will continue to be our procedure for arriving and leaving school regardless of weather conditions.
See below for further information on the new routines.
Children’s Routines
General operation:
Children will be in a group of up to 30 in a bubble.
Initially there will be no After School Clubs.
Breakfast club will be available each morning from early in September. The children will be in zoned areas of the main hall and will be served at their table.
Breakfast club places must now be booked in advance as we have limited availability.
Toilets will be allocated to each bubble.
The children should bring the minimum amount from home e.g. a water bottle/coat/books etc.
Children will be expected to follow social distancing rules where possible.
If children fall over etc the children will be encouraged to change themselves and clean their scrape or cut but PPE (following the Covid 19 guidance for educational setting) is available for use by staff for their protection when supporting with this.
If a child displays symptoms they will be isolated until they can be collected.
Children will be in classrooms where small toys and soft furnishings may have been removed.
Behaviour
If any child does not follow the Covid19 behaviour and hygiene rules they will not be allowed to remain in school. The safety of staff and other children is paramount.
Hygiene
Children must wash their hands on entry to school and continue to wash them at very regular intervals during the day.
Children will be taught to clean their work stations at regular intervals
Break times and lunch times.
Lunch times and break times will not be staggered, however entry and exit times will be and the dining hall will be zoned so that groups of children do not mix with any other groups
Outside play equipment like the adventure climbing frame will only be used by one bubble of children.
Children will have an allocated playground and will not mix with other bubbles. The playgrounds will be zoned as necessary.
In the classroom:
The children will remain in their allotted classrooms for the duration of the day except for break and lunch times.
Doors will be kept open where possible to avoid touching handles
Windows will be open as much as possible
Wevhave 2 bubbles to minimize risks of contamination. These will be a) Early Years and KS1 and b) KS2.
Children will not be allowed to leave the classroom for any other reason except toileting. The toilets will be cleaned regularly.
Cleaning
The classrooms will be cleaned at the end of each day in line with Government guidance and an additional clean will be done of key areas in the middle of the day.
Symptoms of Coronavirus.
If you child is displaying any of the 3 symptoms (cough, temperature, loss of sense of smell or taste, they MUST NOT come to school for 7days.
If a child displays symptoms (temperature, cough or loss of sense of smell / taste) at school they will be immediately taken to an isolation room and you will be expected to collect them immediately. They should then be taken for testing. If the test is positive you must inform the school, and the child’s bubble will be shut down immediately.
The same process will be followed by the adults at school
All these precautions have been put in place to stop the spread of the virus and to ensure that we all take as much care as possible in ensuring that groups of children do not come into contact. We want to protect your children, you and of course our staff. I hope this has given you more information regarding how the school will operate during these difficult and testing times.
Yours sincerely,
G O’Townson
Acting Head of School
