It’s been just over a week since children returned to school and I’m pleased to say for the most part this has been a very positive experience for the children and staff. The preparation that has been completed ready to make school safe for children to return has on the whole worked well. I have made a point of speaking to all the staff this week: teachers, support staff, caretakers and cleaners as well as our SAs and kitchen staff to see how things are going from their point of view. Teachers are thrilled that the children have returned safe and happy, and ready to learn ! Talking to the children this week they have all without fail said they are pleased to be back, which has been lovely.
Where procedures have needed to be tweaked slightly or changed to make them more secure we have done so. Yesterday and today I have spent time on the yards, in the cloakrooms and in the dining hall checking how things are going, ensuring that bubbles are keeping apart . I’m pleased that things are going very well and our procedures are working .
There are a few things which I must remind parents about so that everyone can continue to remain as safe as possible .
If a child or family member has symptoms of Covid19:
Do NOT send your child to school. Follow the Government guidance for booking a test, isolate and inform school. If a test comes back negative your child can return to school. Please inform school of the outcome of the test so we can take the appropriate action.
Illness:
We hope all children will be fit and well to attend school regularly. If your child is unwell e.g. with cold, they can come to school. Just as in normal times if their cold is really bad they might need a day or two off to get better. Please let us know , and ensure they have hankies with them and encourage them to practice good respiratory hygiene. If they have a new continuous cough or a high temperature or loss of small /taste, follow the Government guidance for booking a test and isolate. If they have sickness, tummy upsets and diarrhea, children should not be in school until they have been clear of symptoms for 24 hours for sickness, 48 hours for diarrhea.
Start and end of the day:
As I mentioned in my earlier letter, it is tricky to move 360 children on and off 2 sites and from 3 buildings twice a day ! In order to make it as easy and safe as possible , in order to not lose excessive learning time and to prevent parents waiting around unnecessarily , we have adopted a flexible admission and dismissal time . Each building has a timeframe for pick up and drop off to allow parents to get between year groups or sites. This will be kept under review. To remind everyone :
Nursery- afternoon sessions: Flexible pick up between 2.50-3.20 pm. Please queue socially distanced outside the nursery.
Infant building: 2.50- 3.00pm ( please don’t arrive too early, we have had some parents arriving as early as 2.30pm) The main gate can get busy so please do not loiter around it or block the gate when others are trying to leave. Y2 may enter and leave via the car park gates at the end of the day; please distance when waiting.
Junior Building: 3.00-3.15pm . Please ensure that you enter via the pedestrian entrance and leave via the vehicle gate. Markings on the path and drive have been added today to guide you. Please don’t try to go out of a gate when someone else is coming in . Staff will be at the gate and I have asked them to point out the correct gates to use .
Distancing:
At the start and end of the day and when moving around the site please try to distance from each other. This keeps everyone safe. Staff cannot supervise or enforce this, it is up to everyone to please act as sensibly as possible. Given the current situation , we are again advising parents to leave the site as quickly as possible and not to stop to chat to other parents. If you need to speak to member of staff, try not to do so when they are dismissing children. Please phone school once you get home . Parents may of course wear masks when picking up children if they find it is difficult to distance. If your child wears a mask on the way to school please ensure you remove it safely before they come in at the start of the day.
Only ONE adult should be collecting or dropping off children please, again this reduces congestion.
Thank you for your co-operation.
Immunisations for Influenza.
As in previous years we are working with the NHS to ensure as many children as possible are immunised against flu virus this winter. This year all children in school will be offered the immunisation. Letters about this are coming out tomorrow (FRIDAY), please follow the instructions carefully to ensure your child receives this immunisation, which will be delivered at school. This winter , more than ever, the NHS need people to get flu vaccines to help prevent hospitals becoming overwhelmed if there is a Covid resurgence.
Year 6 Secondary school place preference forms.
Year 6 children will be coming home with these forms tonight (THURSDAY.) Please do not return the forms to school but places need to be applied for online.
