Click this link for information regarding the safe return to school.
Information for families in response to the Covid pandemic
Returning on Monday 8th March 2021
I am pleased that we will all be returning to school on Monday 8th March 2021. It will be lovely for the children to see their friends and start face-to-face learning.
We will be following updated guidance from local and national authority, but on the whole, our school will operate as it did in the Autumn Term.
- Children taught in Class bubbles
- Staggered times for the beginning and end of the day
- Separated lunches and breaks times
- Additional Cleaning
- Ventilation throughout school
We also have all staff taking Covid tests twice weekly.
We continue to need your support in this too, to ensure the safety of our pupils and staff.
- DO NOT bring your children to school if anyone in your household has any Covid symptoms
- Get a test when anyone in your household has any symptoms
- Please keep to the times for drop-off and collection
- Please maintain social distancing outside of the school
- All children must have a water bottle
- Children do not need additional items brought into school- please DO NOT return worksheets/workpacks
Laptops
If you have a school laptop, they must be returned to the school office and sign the return form on Monday 8th March 2021. Please do not give them to children to return.
Clubs
We are going to be able to run our Breakfast Club for a small number of pupils, only when parents are working and have no alternative arrangements. It is ESSENTIAL that you let us know if your child is coming to Breakfast Club by emailing the school office. Children who we know are arriving, should be at the Pupil Entrance for 8am.
Tea Club will run as it did during the Autumn Term. Please book with the School Office.
We will be looking at how we can reintroduce some curriculum clubs after Easter.
PE Days
Your child can come to school in their PE Kits on their PE days. Tracksuit bottoms/leggings/shorts and a school jumper/cardigan. Children will need suitable footwear e.g. trainers.
The days are as follows:
Class 1 Miss Wallace Tuesday (Year 1 only) and Thursday
Class 2 Mrs Jones Wednesday and Friday
Class 3 Miss Hutton Monday and Wednesday
Class 4 Miss Jobson Tuesday and Friday
Class 5 Mr Donkin Monday and Thursday
Drop off and Collection times are:
| Class | Where to drop and collect | Time to drop | Time to collect |
| Nursery | Nursery Gate | 8.50am | 3.15pm |
| Reception/Year 1 | Year 1 exit door | 9.10am | 3.10pm |
| Year 2 | Class 2 door | 9.05am | 3pm |
| Year 3 | Normal Pupil Entrance | 9.05am | 3pm ( changed time) |
| Years 4/5 | Miss Wallace’s exit door | 9am | 3.05pm |
| Years 5/6 | Class 5 door | 9am | 3.05pm |
Your child’s wellbeing and mental health
It can be difficult talking to children and young people about things that are
bothering them, sometimes it is hard to find the right words to help.
These documents have been developed by a range parents and
professionals in County Durham.
www.youngminds.org.uk – tips for creating a routine
www.familiesonline.co.uk- getting children ready for school
A newsletter giving information regarding the September 2020 return can be viewed by clicking the link below. This will also give you the drop off and collection times.
The outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) led to the closure of schools in England from 20 March 2020. As we reopen our school there are a number of new measures in place to keep the children, parents, staff and wider community as safe as possible.
What safety measures are in place to protect my child?
The DfE guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings recognises that for children of primary age they ‘cannot be expected to remain 2 metres apart from each other and staff’. We will be discouraging contact between children. However, for 1st aid or for some children with intimate care needs close contact will be necessary.
However, we will ensure that:
- Children and staff avoid contact with anyone with symptoms
- Promote frequent handwashing and good hygiene e.g. blowing nose into a tissue
- Regular cleaning of rooms and equipment
- Minimising contact and mixing between groups of children
- Children will be in a class bubble
- Children will be sitting in rows in well ventilated classrooms
Throughout the day and on entry to school, the children will be supervised with thorough handwashing.
Children with symptoms MUST NOT be brought into school. Any children displaying symptoms will be supervised in a separate room and collected by a parent urgently. The government have advised the children with symptoms will be tested and will not be able to return to school for 7/10 days.
Drop off and pick up:
• Children will arrive to school in a morning and be picked up in the afternoon at specified times. Each year group will have a set time. This is to minimise the numbers of people at the gates at any one time.
• Only one parent/carer is allowed to drop off their child, this will be at an allocated time.
• Drop your child off at the drop off point (gate) and wait until the class teacher opens the door.
• At the end of the day, collection times have been allocated.
• Parents are not allowed to enter the school site or building or have the daily contact or conversations they need or are used to having with staff, including with Mrs Thompson. Contact will continue to be by email or telephone. If there is a message that needs to be passed to your child’s key member of staff, please email or phone the school office.
This will continue to be our procedure for arriving and leaving school regardless of weather conditions.
Break times and lunch times:
• The children will eat their lunch in the classrooms and Rec/Y1/Y2 will have set tables in the hall.
• Lunch times and break times will be staggered so that groups of children do not mix with any other groups.
• Outside play equipment like the climbing frame will not be able to be used as it is recommended these are cleaned afterwards and we haven’t the facility to clean it so often at this stage.
• Children will have an allocated play space at playtime and lunchtime which will only be with the children that are in their group. They must remain in this space during any outside play and follow the social distancing guidelines.
School dinners will be cooked each day for those children that want them. Please pay for your lunch in the usual way.
In the classroom:
• The children will remain in their classroom for the whole day. They will not be allowed to mix with children from other groups at all.
• Only one boy and one girl will be allowed to use the toilet at any one time.
• The children will sit at desks, all facing the same direction. This includes the reception children.
All these precautions have been put in place to help prevent the spread of the virus and to ensure that we take as much care as possible in keeping us all safe and well within the school environment. I hope this has given you more information regarding how the school will operate during these difficult and testing times.