School will look and feel different for pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 who return when we re-open. How we work with parents will also change. Parents are encouraged to read and share our 'What to expect' booklet with their children before returning to school:

• What to expect when school re-opens booklet

 

We have included as many images as we can to show the look and feel of school. The booklet is based on our risk assessment and detailed operation plan for staff. We hope this is a helpful way for parents and children to know our changes in advance of the school re-opening.

 

We will go through all of the new routines and arrangements with pupils when they return, just like we do in the first few weeks of a new school year. There is no need to know or remember them before coming back to school!

 

All of our new routines and arrangements are in place to keep children, staff and parents as safe as possible. All of our plans are taken from the latest government expectations for schools.  Key-points:

• 2m social distancing for adults, staff and parents, while on site;
• class group 'bubbles' of up to 15 pupils, who are spaced apart as much as possible inside or outside;
• class group 'bubbles' which do not join or mix with other bubbles and use as few shared resources as possible;
• practice personal hygiene, including hand-washing and what to do if you cough or sneeze;
• staggered start, breaks, lunchtimes and collection to keep class group bubbles apart as much as we can.

 

For parents, please:

• get ready for school each day with everything you need. Avoid popping into the school office with forgotten items.
• arrive on time within staggered times. If you are late in the morning, pupils only at the main entrance. There is no after-school club or anyone to look after your child if you are late for collection.
• at drop-off and collection, go straight home or to work. Avoid mixing with other parents.  Pupils in Year 5 and 6 are encouraged to walk to school alone, or at least for part of their journey. Email us if your child is allowed to walk alone.
• contact school staff by telephone or email. Avoid talking to the teacher at the classroom door or visiting the school office.
• keep to social distancing expectations as an adult and when you are on the school site with your child.
• understand that all of our usual events and trips are cancelled because class group bubbles cannot be joined or mixed.
• know that only core schooling is open. No wrap around childcare, specialist clubs, instrumental music lessons etc because we cannot mix pupils and/or staff between different class group bubbles. We will add more as soon as we can.

 

For Year 6 pupils and parents, the return to school might lead to disappointment at the end of the year. All of the usual Year 6 end of year events - art gallery, drama production, Burgandy residential trip, graduation and celebrations - are cancelled. We will change the graduation event so that certificates and awards are presented to pupils in their individual class bubble groups. These events will be filmed for parents and families. We will keep these decisions under review and adjust if government expectations change.

 

We want to re-start wrap around childcare, before and after-school as soon as we can. We want to open Nursery too. We would like to welcome pupils from other age groups back to school as soon as we can.