Dear Parents/Carers,
We are really looking forward to welcoming the Foundation Phase pupils back after half term. It will be so lovely to see them learning and having fun with their friends. This letter will give you some information about this return and about the continuation of our provision for Vulnerable Learners and Keyworker’s children.
Arrangements for the Foundation Phase (Nursery-Year 2)
Children will start to attend school from Monday 22nd February as the school is NOT having a preparation day. Attendance will be as follows:
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday
|
|
| Nursery | Planning and preparation day | Back as usual | |||
| Reception | am: half class
pm: half class |
am: half class
pm: half class |
am: whole class | am: whole class (until 1.15pm) | Back as usual |
| Year 1 MF and JE | am: half class
pm: half class |
am: whole class
(until 1.15pm) |
am: whole class
(until 1.15pm) |
Back as usual | Back as usual |
| Year 2: JB and Miss Morgan’s Year 2
|
am: half class
pm: half class |
am: whole class
(until 1.15pm) |
Back as usual | Back as usual | Back as usual |
Your child’s class teacher should have contacted you with the times your child can attend school in the first few days.
Arrangements for entry and exit from school will remain as they were prior to this lockdown. As a reminder children will enter and exit school at the following times/through the following doors:
Infant Entry and Exit
| Class | ARRIVAL | LEAVING |
| Reception | 8.45am
Reception door |
3.15PM |
| 1JE | 8.45AM
Usual door |
3.15PM |
| 1MF | 8.45AM
Main Entrance |
3.15PM |
| 2 JB | 9.00AM
Usual door |
3.30PM |
| Miss Morgan’s Year2 | 8.45AM
Year 3 door |
3.15PM |
Other important points:
- Please send your child to school with a named water bottle and a fruit snack in a plastic box;
- Ventilation is key to keeping levels of Covid19 down. Therefore windows will be open during the day. We will take account of weather and may adjust the time/amount of open windows but it is advisable for all children to wear an extra layer or two of clothing. These can be removed if they get hot. Please name all clothing that comes into school;
- We will take opportunities for outdoor learning so please provide your child with a winter coat and sensible shoes;
- The school will update our risk assessment and this will be posted on the school website by the end of half term. This will focus on the key safety points of hand washing, remaining in consistent groups/ bubbles, ventilation, use of face coverings and social distancing;
- Breakfast Club will be open for all pupils in Reception- Year 2 and the other children in school. If your child is in Miss Hawes, Miss Evans, Mr Fitchett or Mr Bridgman’s class Breakfast Club will be in the infant hall from 8.15am. Last entry is 8.30am. If your child is in Year 2 in Miss Morgan’s class OR in the Keyworkers/Vulnerable Learners provision Breakfast Club will be in the Junior building opening at 8.15am. Last entry 8.30am.
Provision for the Children of Keyworkers/Vulnerable learners
This will continue after half term in the JUNIOR building. The children will be in Year group ‘bubbles’ and will not mix across year groups.
Please drop your child at 8.15am if they want to come to Breakfast Club or 9.00am if not. They will need to be collected from the main Junior door at 3.30pm.
This provision should only be used by keyworkers who are at work on that specific day. It should not be used if there is any other alternative because numbers are limited and we need to ensure that we provide support to those who need it most. School reserves the right to request a keyworker letter or certificate from employers.
How can parents/carers help?
We have, unfortunately, seen how quickly this virus can spread within a community. We have also seen many members of the school community (staff, pupils, families) who have been very unwell as a result of Covid 19. As a school, our only concerns are to get children back into school and keep the whole school community safe. As such, we need everyone’s support with the following:
- Please do not come into school without a face covering. These are a protective factor and it is essential that all adults do wear a face mask. We reserve the right to exclude adults not wearing face coverings from the school site. We all find them irritating and uncomfortable but if they help, in any small way, it’s worth it.
- If you are exempt from wearing a face covering please contact us to let us know. We may need to ask for medical evidence from a medical professional. I would ask all parents to be sympathetic to anyone not wearing a face covering- they may have a medical reason for this which the school are aware of.
- Please do not congregate on the school playground. Use the one way systems in place and keep a 2 metre distance when dropping off/collecting your child.
- If you drop children in Miss Evans, Miss Hawes and Mr Bridgman’s classes, please leave via the back entrance unless you have mobility issues/buggies. In this case, please walk up the DRIVE not the path until you get to the zebra crossing where you can leave via the path around the bus bay. Parents dropping children at nursery and Mr Fitchett’s classes can also leave via the driveway/bus bay.
- Please keep to the timings for entry to/exit from school. The staggered entry is only useful if pupils do not arrive early or late for school.
- Please do not let your child mix outside school. This is very difficult for them- we know as many of us have young children. However, in school we have very tight controls and no mixing between ‘bubbles’. At sleepovers, parties and play dates this is not the case and we really want to avoid any further closures!
- Please do not, under any circumstances, send your child to school if they have any possible symptoms of Coronavirus or if any member of the household is symptomatic or waiting for a test result. If you do so, there is a high chance they will pass the virus on to another child or staff member. This is likely to lead to at leastone whole class of 30 children and 2-3 staff members having to self-isolate for 10 days. This will have a negative impact on working parents and family life, as well as the children’s education. In the worst case scenario it could lead to a member of the school community or an elderly/vulnerable relative becoming very ill.
- If your child is ill, please let the school know. We have to report on all absences at the moment. You can message through Schoop, use the Covid email address if the absence is Covid related or phone the school office
IMPORTANT
A reminder that all schools have been advised to provide parents with a single email address that they should use to inform head teachers of positive cases of COVID-19.
It is as follows: covid.crynalltprimary@npt.gov.uk. The email should contain your child’s name, class and a phone number. A member of the school leadership team will contact you as soon as possible after receiving the email.
I apologise for the length and formality of this letter. It is difficult to convey these messages without the danger of ‘teaching your grandmother to suck eggs’! These are strange and difficult times and part of our job is to ensure consistency across the school community. This is a difficult thing to do in writing.
I hope everyone has a lovely half term with lots of fun activities and slightly warmer weather!
Take care and stay safe,
Mrs Woodford