17th July 2020
Dear Parent/Carer,
Safety Information for Full Reopening of School in September 2020
I write with information regarding September 2020. We are planning for and working on the assumption that schools will reopen to all pupils at the beginning of next term, on Wednesday 2nd September. This means that we are expecting to welcome back all pupils except Reception to school on this date. We are contacting our new Reception and Nursery classes separately with dates and information.
Firstly, may I take the opportunity to thank all our parents and families for your patience and understanding over what has been a very difficult period since the end of March. We have had so many kind words and sentiments passed to us, and we are very grateful for this.
For the past few weeks we have been welcoming around 70 children into school. They have been accessing keyworker and priority places. Our teachers have been providing support and contact with our home learners, and although we feel this has been valuable, of course nothing can replicate the benefits of being in school. Thank you as parents and carers for supporting your children during the crisis – we have truly missed them!
We are now updating our risk assessments and reopening plan for September. Once these have been approved by Governors and the Local Authority, they will be placed on our website for your information.
In order to keep our children, staff and parents as safe as possible, there are a number of changes which will be in place from September. Most of these have already been implemented successfully during the summer term. They are about on social distancing wherever possible, limiting the mixing of different groups (classes) of children and reducing the number of parents on site at any one time. Our staff have already been working with most of these new arrangements for some time now, and so are very familiar with these routines.
Likewise, the children who have continued to attend school have shown incredible resilience and flexibility. They have quickly adapted to new routines and we have no doubt all children coming back will also do the same.
As a welcoming school, the most difficult thing I feel that we are asking of our families is to limit the face-to-face contact between parents and staff at school. In essence, this means we are asking you direct messages and enquiries via email or telephone call to the office rather than calling into school. This also applies to any discussions with class teachers as from September we will need to keep face to face interactions to an absolute minimum. Instead again please make use of telephone and email to contact your child’s class teacher if you need to speak to them. Office staff and teachers will be only too happy to help and deal with any issues in this manner.
From September, bringing your child will look slightly different:
Your child will arrive at the main entrance of school, as the Nursery gate will no longer be an entrance. This area has now become an exit route so that we have a one-way system in place. Parents are asked to bring their children to the main entrance where you will leave them with a member of staff who will either direct them to their classroom or take them there if needed.
Once your child arrives, parents will then continue to walk to the exit gate around the school perimeter. You no longer be able to wait outside classrooms. The same process will be in place at the end of the day.
We will send you pick up times and drop off times before we return in September. It is important that you keep to the time given for your child’s class to avoid too many people being on the school site at once. I’m sure you understand and support this new system.
Attendance at school in September will be mandatory. We will resume our usual systems of promoting and encouraging good attendance. We do understand that you may still feel some anxiety about all children returning in September. If you would like to discuss any safety aspect of your child returning, please either ring or email the school office to make a telephone appointment to speak to either myself, Mrs Melling Deputy Headteacher or Mr Hassan Assistant Headteacher. We will do our best to explain our procedures.
Finally, I would like to thank you once again for your continued support. The entire staff and I are really looking forward to welcoming you all back in September. I hope that you have a wonderful summer - let’s hope the sun shines for us all.
Yours sincerely
Mrs O'Brien
