Phased Reopening of the school - Year 6

Dear Year 6 Parents / Carers
 
As a follow up to my newsletter sent last night I am providing information for the Year 6 cohort.
 
Preparations have been ongoing with regard to Year 6 children returning to school and end of year transition arrangements. The Year 6 teachers have already been in contact with the secondary schools, sharing information in order to assist in a smooth transition for September. 
 
Unfortunately, we have received confirmation from PGL that they have cancelled our residential trip to Osmington Bay next month. At this point we will be refunding any payments made in excess of the £100 deposit.  We are awaiting financial reimbursement from PGL for the balance of the monies paid, at which time the school will be able to refund parents fully.
 
The Leavers Disco has been postponed.  After speaking to the Friends of the School, we are hoping to reschedule this at a future date if circumstances allow.  Information about Leavers Hoodies will be coming out shortly, we know these are very popular.  This year the Friends of the School have generously offered to pay for every child to receive a hoodie. Our traditional end of year class and year group photographs will take a slightly different form, but will still be a memento of the children’s year in school.  We are keen to keep this tradition and are currently researching different options.
 
As you are aware, since the Prime Minister’s announcement on Sunday 10th May we are following government guidance in planning for a 1st June transition phase to welcome in children to our school, prioritising this as follows:   1. Providing childcare for parents who are key workers and vulnerable children. 2. Providing education for the Year 6 cohort.
 
Over the last week the School Leadership Team has carefully compiled an extensive risk assessment with the sole focus being both the safety of the children and the staff.  Detailed discussions have focused on how to split the children into suitable class sizes factoring in the varying capacities of our classrooms, access to toilets, staggered entry into, and exit from school, usage of corridors and walkways, lunch provision, use of equipment in the school and cleaning and maintaining hygiene. Children will be washing their hands upon entry to the school, before and after eating, after using the toilet and at regular intervals throughout the day. Staff will ensure that surfaces are cleaned throughout the day and there will be a thorough clean at the end of each day.
The government guidance stipulates that no more than 15 children can be taught in a classroom and that we should assume all eligible children will attend school for the purposes of the first stage of planning, even if we think that this is unlikely. As a result, with 33 children in each class, it has been essential to split each Year 6 class into three classes of eleven with seating arrangements adhering to social distancing guidance for schools.  Each group of children will be invited into school on a two weekly rolling programme, with three consecutive days of education followed by seven days of home learning. 

 

The office will be sending out details of the dates your child will be invited into school as a member of the Year 6 cohort via email on ParentMail.  Alternatively, those Year 6 parents who are key workers can opt for continued childcare on a daily basis, however children cannot be placed in both groups, due to the Governments guidance on minimising contact between groups of children. Once your child is allocated a group they will remain with them and this will not be able to change under any circumstance until further guidance from government on group sizing and social distance measures are updated. Parents will not be able to request for their child to be in a specific group. There will also be a form on ParentMail that we ask each parent to submit back to us by Monday 25th May, indicating if your child will be returning to school.  This will assist us in our planning.  Please look out for these communications.
 
During this time there will not be a hot lunch provision, however you will still be able to order a cold packed lunch by ParentMail, if required. Those Year 6 children eligible for Free School Meals will also be able to order using ParentMail.
 
Start and finish times for the school day will vary for each group. 6GT will have an arrival time of 8:40 to 8:45 and 6MR will be 9:10 to 9:15. There will be a one way drop off and collection route which will be clearly marked around the school, the entry point for all children being the main gate on Mudeford Lane.
 
Only one parent should accompany their child at the start and end of the day. Parents are requested not to congregate at entrances to the school and to move away from the school as soon as possible.
 
Upon arrival to the school, please wait in the designated area with your child. They must stay with you at all times until called to enter the school. Siblings must also remain with their parent and not use the playground. Parents will not be allowed to enter the school building with their child.
 
We ask you to only come to the school office if it is vitally important but would prefer you to contact us by phone or email.  If you wish to speak to a teaching member of staff we would ask you to phone the office at the end of the day and not approach teachers on the playground. 
 
Your child will need to come to school in a clean set of clothes each day and for convenience will NOT need to wear school uniform. Comfortable and appropriate clothes and footwear must be worn at all times. Trainers are allowed but please, no sandals or flip flops. 
 
In their rucksack, please do not allow your child to bring anything other than a clean and filled water bottle and packed lunch (in a plastic bag unless you are ordering lunch from school). All other equipment for the day will be provided. We will be unable to give home reading books and library books out at this time.
 
At the end of the school day, we ask you to enter the school through the main gates on Mudeford Lane and wait to collect your child in the designated area on the Upper Junior playground, respecting social distancing guidance. The class teacher will then send your child to you and then we ask you to leave the premises promptly following the one-way system out of the school, which will be clearly marked. 6GT’s collection time is 2:45 and 6MR’s is 3:15. 
 
As always, stay safe,
 
 
Kind regards
 
 
Mr. Partridge
 
Headteacher