Dear families,

As many of you know, before the summer break we were one of the few schools in the country who were able to open to all of our pupils. This gave us a huge amount of confidence in our systems and procedures to ensure that school is as safe as possible. With that experience behind us, I just wanted to outline again the way that we will be managing the return of our children to school for the academic year 2020-2021.  

From Monday 7th September

• We will be running two bubbles – one for Class 1 and one for Class 2
• When children arrive at school from 8.35am they are to go straight into the classroom. We have made some timetable changes this year and we are looking to start lessons as close to 8.45am as possible, so please could you ensure that your child arrives at school promptly. The end of the school day is still 3.15pm
• At all main movement points eg start and end of the day, breaktimes, lunchtimes etc all children will be required to wash their hands. They will also be required to do this at other times during the day
• There are rigorous cleaning systems in place, both during the school day and also after school. High contact points, such as door handles and regular-use surfaces are cleaned using high quality anti-bacterial sprays or wipes
• The two bubbles will be segregated during the school day. Playtimes will happen at the same time but there will be clearly designated areas for the children to play in. Contact games such as football are suspended for the time being. At lunchtime, both classes will eat in the hall but they will be distanced from each other. They will enter and exit the hall from different points
• Parents are not allowed in the school building, unless they have an appointment with a member of staff.. If you need to speak to Mrs Lye, the school secretary, you can speak to her in the office reception area (only person at a time in this area please)
• All parents need to have signed the home school agreement (which will be sent out separately), which includes key information concerning school opening and protocols should a member of the bubble feel ill. Please could this be returned to school by Friday 11th September.
• Classrooms have been set up to ensure that there is distance between groups of children where possible. It is recognised however that for younger children it is not possible to maintain distances
• In class, children will have their own personal items of stationery, such as pens, pencils etc, which will not be shared with other children
• We have thought carefully about the teaching and learning resources that we have in the classes. Wherever possible these will be cleaned regularly, or rotated to allow for a period of time when they won’t be used
• Norse, our catering provider are providing hot meals as well as packed lunches. These meals will be given to the children in individual containers
• On days when the children have PE, they need to come to school in their PE kits. Your child’s class teacher will let you know what days your child has PE
• Children are allowed to bring in school bags. However, it is a sensible precaution to minimise the amount of things they bring into school, so please think carefully about what they need to have with them
• Spaces in and around the school will be well-ventilated, with doors and windows open where possible. Please could children have jumpers and cardigans, as it will feel colder in the classrooms as a result.
• For the time being there won’t be whole school activities, such as assemblies. Instead these will be conducted within each classroom
• Until further notice we will not be able to host cafes or events that parents can come along to. We will be using our school website and other media platforms (Twitter and Facebook) to let you know what the children are doing in school, so please access these
• Our risk assessments and protocols are scrutinised by the Trust on a regular basis. They also support us in terms of the health and safety equipment that we have in school, such as hand sanitising equipment, PPE etc. Being part of a wider school community means that we can learn from our colleagues in terms of best practice going on in other schools

All of these measures are designed to make the school as safe as possible for the children and staff. It is worth saying however that sitting alongside this is a commitment to ensuring the best possible educational experience for the children. I will be writing to you all soon with an overview of the main school improvement priorities this year, together with an update on some of the changes we have made to the way we deliver the curriculum, especially in key stage 1 and 2 (years 1-6).

If you have any questions regarding our systems and processes then do please let me know. In the meantime, we look forward to welcoming back the children on Monday 7th September.

Best wishes,

Mark Carlyle