October Whole School Newsletter
Dear Parent/Carer,
The last seven weeks of the autumn term has seen the children return to school following a significant time spent away from school during the lockdown period. All year groups have quickly settled back into school life and we are once again now focused on the children’s education. Their attitude towards school and the resilience shown has been amazing. It has been fantastic to see all the children back in school.
Over the last few weeks the teachers have been completing assessments of the children’s attainment which has allowed them to understand where the gaps are in the learning and plan for the second half of the term.
Covid 19 has meant a lot of changes to the school routine and this will continue to be the case during the second half of term. Parents evenings will not be held in the traditional way, there will be no face to face meetings. Each teacher will produce a video message regarding their class and then will offer time slots where a phone call can be made to discuss the educational progress being made. Communication will follow regarding the booking of time slots to talk to your child’s teacher.
The curriculum has been modified, we have been allocating time every day for physical activity as this has been proven to help well being. Reading has been a priority and more time has been allocated to the teaching of core reading skills on a daily basis. This will continue to be the case during the second half of term. Please help your child with reading at home, encouraging them to read a variety of texts on a regular basis. The school has been active in putting on some clubs during this unprecedented time, sports clubs for each year group have been arranged and bikeability sessions available for individual year groups. These will be available during the second half of the term. Looking ahead to next summer we’ve booked Osmington Bay Residential trip for Year 6 and a day visit to Carey Camp for Year 5. Year 6 have already undertaken a field trip to Hengistbury Head to study the model river system.
The children have been working, playing and eating in year group bubbles, to minimise interaction with children of other year groups. The bubbling system will continue into the foreseeable future. Entry and exit times, break times and lunch times will continue to be staggered throughout the day. This again minimises any interaction between staff and children from different year groups. Year groups will continue to have separate break and lunchtimes.
We ask that you adhere to the allocated times for arrival and collection so that year group bubbles do not mix. Upon arrival to the school, if you are accompanying your child, please wait in the designated waiting area with them (Years 3 and 4 on the Lower Junior playground and Years 5 and 6 on the Upper Junior playground), socially distanced from others. Unaccompanied children must also wait in the designated waiting area. Siblings must also remain with their parent and not use the playground - this is not a time for unsupervised play.
Parents are requested not to congregate at entrances to the school and to move away from the school as soon as possible.
We have set arrival times before 9am in order to help parents who need to go to work and have liaised with the Infant school to ensure our collection times do not clash with theirs. We kindly request that the children wash their hands at home before coming to school. There is an established one-way system around the school, which we will continue to use. Entry will only be through the main gate on Mudeford Lane. Only one parent should accompany their child at the start and end of the session.
Teachers will call children to line up at their allocated time. Parents will not be allowed to enter the school building with their child. On entry into the building, the children will be asked to sanitise their hands before entering the classroom and throughout the school day.
The present Government guidance states that children should not be wearing face coverings in school.
We ask children of 4TN to arrive no earlier than 8.30am, with the children lining up promptly at 8.35am. We ask parents to collect the children of 4TN promptly at 3.05pm. The gate will open at 3pm.
We ask children of 4MR to arrive no earlier than 8.35am, with the children lining up promptly at 8.40am. We ask parents to collect the children of 4MR promptly at 3.10pm.
We ask children of 6GT to arrive no earlier than 8.30am, with the children lining up promptly at 8.35am. We ask parents to collect the children of 6GT promptly at 3.05pm.
We ask children of 6EN to arrive no earlier than 8.35am, with the children lining up promptly at 8.40am. We ask parents to collect the children of 6EN promptly at 3.10pm.
We ask children of 3BN to arrive no earlier than 8.45am, with the children lining up promptly at 8.50am. We ask parents to collect the children of 3BN promptly at 3.20pm.
We ask children of 3MW to arrive no earlier than 8.50am, with the children lining up promptly at 8.55am. We ask parents to collect the children of 3MW promptly at 3.25pm.
We ask children of 5ST to arrive no earlier than 8.45am, with the children lining up promptly at 8.50am. We ask parents to collect the children of 5ST promptly at 3.20pm.
We ask children of 5AD to arrive no earlier than 8.50am, with the children lining up promptly at 8.55am. We ask parents to collect the children of 5AD promptly at 3.25pm.
As with local lockdowns we are in a transitional phase. If parents or pupils go on holiday at half term to most popular destinations they will need to quarantine for 2 weeks from the moment they return. BCP have informed schools that they are expecting Sweden and Italy to drop off the exemption list shortly. The Government are also making travel restrictions more and more within the areas of the UK in the coming weeks. Wales will be banning travel into the area before our half term and in addition it is likely that as well as in Liverpool, that other areas will be for essential work related travel only.
Half term: The school will be monitoring e mails during the half term period. We have been instructed by BCP to ask parents to inform us immediately if any child contracts and then are confirmed as Covid 19 positive. This will then result in the school contacting Public Health England and seeking guidance on the appropriate actions to be taken.
The government has also asked schools to consider what systems would be put into place if home based learning was required at any time in the future. A new website is almost ready to be launched, with a new learning platform is also under construction. Details will follow. Keep looking at the website as it will give you updates for the term and events for the year.
Kind regards
M. Partridge
Headteacher