Dear Parents/Carers,
I hope you have had a restful summer and are ready for our children to return to school, over the next couple of weeks. Although we all share concern about the wellbeing of everybody in our school and community, a safe return to school will benefit our children greatly and enable them to continue learning, playing and being part of the family here at School of Christ the King.
It's especially positive that a large number of children were able to attend school for at least one week before the holiday - with many attending much more. I very much hope that this makes the return to school easier for many families. Where there are difficulties, we will work together in supporting children in their return to school.
This newsletter gives you key information that you will need to know about the return in September, including a reminder of start dates, staggered start and finish times as well as other key information. If there is anything else you would like to know, please email the school office and someone will get back to you or the information will be added to future updates or newsletters. These are our plans for a September start and we do expect plans to change over time.
When the Term Starts - a reminder
Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd September are INSET days - so the school will be closed to all children on these days.
We are planning a phased return, so that all remaining classes return by Monday 7th September.
- On Thursday 3rd September, Years 5 and 6 will return (including Learning Hub 2).
- On Friday 4th September, Years 2 and 3 will return.
- On Monday 7th September, Years 1 and 4 will return. Small groups of Reception children will also start on this day.
To ensure parents do not gather outside the school building and can follow social distancing guidelines, each group will have a different start and finish time. Please stick to the time your child is allocated, as groups of children are not to come into contact with each other:
- 2 metre markings will be on the fences outside of school, for parents and children to wait by.
- Children will enter school via the main entrance (left or right side) or the kitchen entrance (see timetable below).
- If at all possible, just one parent/carer to drop and collect children.
- If possible, do not bring younger siblings in buggies.
- Children must not bring bags – just their packed lunch in a plastic box or disposable bag, water bottle, sunhat and suncream, if necessary. We expect to have children bringing in bags for essentials like reading books soon - we will let you know when.
- Please stay outside the school gates and please pass on any concerns or queries via the office email address or phone.
- Current guidance is that it is best not to use public transport, if at all possible. For those families for whom this is unavoidable, we will provide further guidance from Public Health England on how to travel as safely as possible.
- To help avoid extra congestion around school, we ask that as many families as possible walk, cycle or scoot to school.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT ALL CHILDREN ARRIVE ON TIME, AS WE HAVE PLANNED CAREFULLY TO ENABLE SOCIAL DISTANCING. If you are late for collection or drop-off then you will need to wait until the next drop off or pick up time.
To make the start of the day as safe as possible, when children enter and leave the school, we will be using two entrances:
- The main entrance
- The black door next to the kitchen (near the school hall)
Break time and lunch time arrangements
We have organised a strict rota for playtimes and lunch, to ensure groups can access their play zones, without contact with other groups. Children should have sun-hats, sun-cream or waterproof coats if needed.
There will be no cooked lunches available on site, for at least the first month back in school. Packed lunches will be made in school and will be available for all Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children, unless you decide you want to send your child in with a packed lunch from home. They will also be provided for any children eligible for Free School Meals. All other children should bring a packed lunch. We will inform the catering team of dietary requirements. They must all bring their own clearly labelled water bottle which needs to go home daily to be washed. This term classes will be split at lunchtime between two rooms so they can eat whilst sitting 2m apart. If weather permits, they will eat outside.
Hand-washing
This is the most important thing all children and staff can do to, minimise the risk of spreading the virus. Therefore, we have strict hand-washing procedures and expectations for each group in place. Each morning, and throughout the day when necessary, children will be shown how to wash their hands thoroughly and effectively. Please help us by spending time now practising hand washing procedures with your child, following the government guidelines of washing hands for at least 20 seconds or whilst singing the whole of the ‘Happy Birthday’ song. Here are also some good resources online to demonstrate:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9VjeIWLnEg
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEzJ_QKjT14
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEzJ_QKjT14
Children will wash their hands on arrival at school, before and after eating, and after sneezing or coughing. We will encourage them not to touch their faces, as far as possible. We will also use the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach to use of tissues.
Uniform requirements
Children should wear school uniform when they return. Following current government guidance, primary school children should not wear protective masks in school.
PE Kit
To allow us to settle into school life, whilst managing the risk of infection transition, children should not bring a PE kit into school for the first two weeks of school unless directed otherwise. This gives us time to plan safe changing, especially for those children who need adult help and older children who change in separate spaces. We will update you when children can start bringing PE kits into school. Physical education will be more important than ever, when we return in September and children will be having daily PE lessons, that they will initially do in their uniform.
Additional Support
If you feel that your child will need extra support transitioning back and starting in their new year group, please get in touch. Mrs Jordan is available to talk this through with you, so that we can find the best way to meet the needs of your child.
Important Health Reminder
Symptoms of COVID-19 are: a high temperature or a new persistent cough, a loss of or change to sense of smell or taste. Children must not attend school if they have symptoms or are self-isolating due to symptoms in their household. If your child, or anybody else in your household are displaying these symptoms, please contact the school immediately. We would then advise on the current guidance of self isolation and how to get tested as soon as possible. (Contact NHS online 111 or call 119).
In the case of a confirmed case, we will contact the local health protection team. The health protection team will carry out a rapid risk assessment to confirm who has been in close contact with the person during the period that they were infectious, and ensure they are asked to self-isolate.
Thank You
Can I take this opportunity to thank you all again for working so closely with us to keep the school active and alive and ready for the challenge of a new school year. We look forward to seeing more of parents/carers and grandparents, as time goes on.
All the following information is planned to enable us to start the term safely and calmly, and we do anticipate guidance and procedures to change over time. Please look out for regular newsletters for updates.
Dates for Diaries
- Tuesday 1st September - Staff training day (SCHOOL CLOSED)
- Wednesday 2nd September - Staff training day (SCHOOL CLOSED)
- Thursday 3rd September - Start of year for Years 5 and 6 (including Learning Hub 2).
- Friday 4th September - Start of year for Years 2 and 3.
- Monday 7th September - Start of year for Years 1 and 4.
Yours sincerely
Matt Condon
Headteacher
