Dear Parent/Carer,

As per my previous letter, we are very excited with the news that school will be able to reopen to all pupils on the 8th March 2021. This is a lengthy letter, but we want to make sure that you are aware of all the measures that are in place at school.

We are following the guidance from the DfE and have updated the risk assessment accordingly. This will be shared with the staff and will be published on the school website. However, many of the safety measures that will be in place, will be the same as have already been implemented since September. Hopefully this letter will be able to remind and reassure you of the measures that are in place.

Attendance

From 8th March 2021, attendance at school is once again mandatory. All children will be expected to be back in school from this date. If there are any issues regarding this, please contact school where we can work with you to resolve any difficulties. In addition there are some excellent resources and advice on the Calderdale Healthy Minds website which can be accessed through the following link: www.openmindscalderdale.org.uk

Uniform

All children are expected to wear school uniform as detailed in our school uniform policy which can be found on the school website. If you have any difficulty with school uniform, please contact the school office. Again we ask that children only bring, book bags, books, lunchboxes and mobile phones (Y5/Y6).

Drop off and collection times

We will be continuing with the drop off and pick-up times that have been in place since September.

• Only one adult must accompany your child/ren on to the school site to minimise congestion.
• Adults coming onto the school site must wear a face covering (unless medically exempt)
• Visits to the building must be kept to a minimum e.g. payment.

Messages can be given to members of the Senior Leadership Team/Pastoral Team who will be present at the gates at the beginning and the end of the school day.

 Drop off

• Families with children in EYFS, KS1 and KS2 – Please try and arrive just before 8.40 so that you can drop the KS1 children off. By then the drop off period for KS2 children will have started.
• Families with children in only EYFS/KS1 – please aim to arrive at 8.30 - again this will help clear any congestion
• Families with children in KS2 only – please aim to arrive from 45.

Home time

Children in EYFS, and  KS1 should be collected from their collection points at 3pm.  Families with siblings in EYFS, or KS1 can be collected slightly later at 3.05 to allow parents to also be able to collect KS2 children,

Children in KS2 should be collected at 3.10pm. This will give the EYFS and KS1 families an opportunity to vacate the school site.

There will continue to be a 1-way system around the exterior of the school building.. Please keep to the suggested times for drop off and pick up and please try to avoid arriving too early so that we can reduce congestion at the school gate.

What safety measures will be in place?

 The Government accepts that young children may not be able to socially distance. Where possible, we will encourage children that are able, to do so. For all children, the additional measures set out below are additional measures that we will take to minimise the risk of spreading the virus, should it be brought to school.

• Children will remain throughout the day in their class bubbles.
• Regular opportunities for handwashing will be in place across the school day
• Playtimes and lunchtimes will be staggered so that bubbles do not mix.
• Each class will have their own resources for playtimes and any resources that need to be shared will be cleaned thoroughly and/or quarantined before use.
• Some children will eat their lunch in the dining room and packed lunches will be in the classroom.
• Communal spaces will be cleaned before being used by another bubble.
• Toilets will be assigned to year group bubbles
• School will be well ventilated at all times.
• Staff participating in twice weekly lateral flow testing

What might learning look like?

• Your child’s classroom will be minimally furnished with no soft toys or soft furnishings. Toys or equipment that are difficult to clean after each use, will also be removed.
• Children in Y1-Y6 will sit in rows where possible and work side by side rather than in groups facing each other.
• All children in Y1-Y6 will have their own set of ‘regular use’ equipment e.g. Pens, pencils, ruler, etc
• Your child’s timetable might be different. We are trying to cover as much of the curriculum as possible, however, the DFE has laid out specific areas of the curriculum that they would like schools to prioritise so that children catch up on any missed learning in the core areas. Some subjects, such as singing, music and PE will have to be adapted to ensure that potential spread of the virus is minimised. Some children may also be participating in additional intervention groups so that any gaps in learning can be addressed.
• Educational visits are still not able to go ahead

Breakfast Club/Tuck/Lunch

• The Magic Breakfast club will reopen from the 8^th March but will continue to be only available for children of critical workers.
• For all other children warm breakfast bagels will be brought to the classroom at the start of their school day.
• A free healthy tuck provision will be provided at morning playtime for all pupils.
• We will now be providing drinking water in individual water bottles. These are labelled for each pupil and are washed in the school dishwasher at the end of each day.
• Packed lunches will be eaten in the classroom
• Pupils having a school meal or paying for a hot meal will be escorted to the hall for lunch at their allocated time and then re-join their class to access outdoor play, again staggered and
• split between different play areas.

 Face Coverings

• School staff will wear a face covering when in communal areas and in situations where they are not able to distance from other adults.
• Staff attending to personal care issues, first aid or dealing with pupils who have become symptomatic will wear PPE where appropriate
• The Government are clear that primary aged children should not wear face coverings in school
• We ask that parents and carers coming onto school site wear a mask (unless medically exempt).
• Children in primary school do not need to wear a face covering (this is stated in the Government guidance)

Suspected and confirmed cases of Coronavirus

• Anyone displaying symptoms of COVID-19 should not come to school and seek a test.
• In the event of a confirmed case within the class, the school will seek advice from Public Health England and follow the advice that is given about which pupils and adults need to isolate. If your child’s bubble is closed, remote learning will be provided.

We hope that the plan to reduce restrictions indicate a return to a more ‘normal’ way of life in the not too distant future. Hopefully the vaccine rollout will continue to be successful and this will prevent any further necessary lockdown in the future. That being said, we know that we are not quite at that point and it is vital that we maintain safety standards in school to continue to protect our children, staff, families and community and we appreciate your support in the system of controls that we have implemented in school.

Yours faithfully,

Mrs. H. Higgs

Headteacher