Return to School – 8th March 2021
Dear parents/carers
RE: Return to school on March 8th!
Great news! Following the government announcement on Monday, we are absolutely delighted to be able to welcome all of our children back to school on Monday 8th March. We are so pleased to be warmly welcoming all of our lovely children back to school very soon. We know that some children have been with us in part or for the duration of the school closure, however the majority of children will be newly returning – we are so excited to see everybody!
As always, safety of children, families and staff remains our absolute priority so the return to school will be managed in a way that is measured, reduces risks and is guided by scientific advice. In line with the latest government guidance, we will be continuing our wide range of strategies to reduce transmission of Coronavirus. It’s natural that children and adults may have some worries about returning to school. Children who have been attending school may also have mixed feelings about class sizes returning to normal. Class teachers will be providing opportunities for children to share any queries, questions or worries over the coming days and will be addressing these in advance of children coming back to help put minds at rest! Please be reassured that we have been hard at work behind the scenes preparing for your child’s return and will do everything in our power to ensure this is a positive and fun experience. We have planned a fun-filled Science week for the first week back and children will be supported and nurtured carefully through the transition period. Rest assured that we have extensive plans in place to support children and will be doing everything possible to promote and develop each individual child’s emotional and social well-being.
At this stage, we anticipate very little change to the extensive arrangements we had in place when school was last open to all pupils in December. This letter is to remind you of those arrangements put in place to maximise safety and wellbeing of all our pupils, staff and families.
Key Reminders
- We will continue with our staggered start and finish times for each year group (see below). These are unchanged.
- Families should use their appropriate designated gate (West Street/Rutland Road) and ensure that they leave school premises as quickly as possible after dropping children off.
- Please do not socialise with other families on school premises or congregate to chat around the gate areas on the street.
- Children should be supervised at all times and are not allowed to play on site before and after school e.g. on tyres, hill or yard. This is to ensure mixing is minimised and to keep numbers as low as possible on the yard.
- Please ensure you observe social distancing at all times. Only one adult will be allowed on the grounds to drop off or collect for each family.
- Please remember not to step on the cross-hatched grids outside classroom doors as they are there to ensure a safe distance between staff and families.
- Children will be asked to wash their hands on arrival and given regular opportunities to wash them throughout the day. Our usual arrangements apply in terms of use of individual hand sanitisers/creams etc. Please speak to your child’s class teacher if you have any queries.
Groups and bubble arrangements remain unchanged
- Children will be taught in their usual classes within their phase.
- There may be some points of the day where if necessary and in accordance with our risk assessment, children mix with children across their phase bubble either outdoors or as part of intervention/small teaching groups.
- Children from years 2 – 6 will eat lunches in their classrooms in order to reduce mixing of children. Reception children will eat in the dining hall and Year 1 children will eat in the gym. Children can bring their own packed lunch or there will be a hot school dinner option.
Timings remain unchanged
- Each year group has an assigned start and finish time. Please ensure this is adhered to. The staggered approach to school is absolutely essential to limit the size of groups entering and exiting the building at any one time. Please note that for your convenience, siblings can be dropped off together at the time specified for the youngest sibling and will be collected at the later time of the older sibling. In exceptional circumstances, critical key worker children can continue to attend their year group from 8:55-3:30pm if this has been arranged with school in advance.
| Year Group | Drop Off Time | Collection Time | Location / Entrance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursery AM | 08:45 | 11:45 | Shared area door Main entrance gate (Rutland Road) |
| Nursery PM | 12:30 | 15:30 | Shared area door Main entrance gate (Rutland Road) |
| Reception | 09:00 | 15:15 | Individual classroom doors Enter via Rutland Road / Car Park gates |
| Year 1 | 08:45 | 15:00 | Individual classroom doors Enter via West Street gate |
| Year 2 | 09:00 | 15:15 | Individual classroom doors Enter via West Street gate |
| Year 3 | 09:15 | 15:30 | Individual classroom doors Enter via West Street gate |
| Year 4 | 08:45 | 15:00 | Individual classroom doors Enter via Rutland Road gate |
| Year 5 | 09:15 | 15:30 | Shared area doors Enter via Rutland Road gate |
| Year 6 | 09:00 | 15:15 | Individual classroom doors Enter via Rutland Road gate |
Uniform
- Pupils should wear their usual school uniform. Please note the ‘Preloved Uniform Scheme’ is available in the week leading up to school reopening – see letter we sent to you yesterday. We also have additional preloved school uniform in school should you require anything. If you have any worries about uniform please don’t hesitate to contact the school office to request a call from the Care, Guidance and Support team who will be very pleased to help.
- Children should come to school in PE kit on their usual PE days only – these remain unchanged.
- Children will need to bring their book bag, reading log and reading book/s to and from school every day.
Attendance
- The Government has determined that attendance is now compulsory therefore we will be returning to our normal method of recording absence.
- If you have any concerns or anxieties about your child returning to school you MUST contact the Care, Guidance and Support Team in advance of school reopening to discuss these and enable us to put a plan in place to support you and your child.
- If your child is unwell, please contact the office in the usual way.
Health and Safety
- We will continue to operate our extensive COVID-19 Risk Assessment and cleaning and hygiene protocols that are in place.
Communication
- As and when DfE guidance changes we will inform you of any key messages via the school app.
Wraparound Care
- Shining Stars private childcare will reopen. Numbers will be strictly limited. We are working closely with the team at Shining Stars to align arrangements with risk assessments. Please contact Alaine urgently at shiningstarswallsend@hotmail.com to make enquiries or bookings for wraparound or before/after school childcare.
We thank you very much in advance for your support and cooperation in working together to keep our Western Family safe.
We are so excited to have our Western Family back together under one roof and see everyone on Monday March 8th. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact school if you have any questions or worries. We’re very happy to chat and are always keen to put your mind at rest if you have any concerns.
Warmest wishes
Katherine Hill
Headteacher
