Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
SCHOOL IS CLOSED FOR ALL PUPILS TOMORROW - TUESDAY 5TH JANUARY.
You may have seen tonight the announcement by the government of the closing of schools from tomorrow (Tuesday 5th January) until after February half term.
Tomorrow we will be contacting all families to see if you qualify for provision during this new lock-down period - this is if you are a listed key worker or if your child is receiving additional support by external services.
Please send a response back to this request which will be sent from your class teacher tomorrow morning via the dojo so that we can plan the new 'pods' and ensure safety.
We will send further details tomorrow.
Pupils who are not eligible will have work set via the website under the Children tab, scroll to the class page to find the work.
You may have seen tonight the announcement by the government of the closing of schools from tomorrow until February half term.
Due to the speed of the commencement of the government announcement and new guidance re lock-down, school will have to be closed tomorrow to allow staff to plan and organise safe provision for this lock-down period.
Work will be posted online from tomorrow for all pupils who are remaining at home.
Key worker children and vulnerable children will be identified and the families of these children contacted. For these eligible pupils, provision at school will commence again from Wednesday 6th January. This will, however, not include wrap around care.
These arrangements have been made in consultation and agreement with Parklands School.
We would ask for your patience tomorrow and ask you to refer to the website and dojo for updates. Your co-operation and support is appreciated.
As we currently stand - we will be open to pupils tomorrow, in line with the government requirements. This is, however, subject to change with very little notice.
Please remember that we will need to be introducing a new, tighter control of access into school. All pupils must be left at the wooden gates to enter the playground on their own. If you need to attend other schools, you will need to allow time to walk round - there will be no access through our playground. I will be at the Briar Gate entrance from 8:40 to allow pupils access and to therefore allow parents more time to walk to other schools. Staff may be wearing masks and we would ask all adults to wear face coverings too.
Pupils will be met and greeted by staff in the playground where they will be shown where to wait - an area identified for each class. Mixing of classes will not be permitted.
The playground will need be open for collection at the end of the day as we have to ensure pupils get safely to their families. Please wear a face covering when collecting your child and keep 2m away from others.
Please try to use the dojo to communicate with the class teacher as much as is possible to prevent unnecessary contact with staff.
I will be following the situation carefully and will inform you of any changes or updates. At present there is no news on provision for key worker children as primary schools are required to be open.
I appreciate this is a very frustrating time for us all and everyone will have their own opinion. All we can do is to try to keep our children, families and staff as safe as possible and would ask you to support us in this difficult time.
You may be aware that the return of pupils to school in January is proving to be a controversial matter. Over the last few days, there have been many meetings with between the Department for Education, the government and unions regarding the safe opening of schools in January. There have been many changes to the recommendations/guidance too.
As it stands at the current time of writing (Saturday 7:00 p.m) we will be open for all pupils on Monday 4th January. But this could change with very little notice.
I must, however, make you aware that this is being challenged regarding whether or not it is safe for primary pupils and their teachers to attend and is therefore subject to change, with very little notice. The current R rate does not take into account the mixing over Christmas and there is still a lack of clarity over the severity and level of infection with the new strains of the virus we are hearing about.
Of course, we want all pupils to be in school but we desperately want all of the children, their families and the teachers to be safe and this may mean new procedures. If we end up closing temporarily, all lessons will be put online.
I appreciate this lack of confirmation does not help with childcare arrangements but the health and safety of all our pupils, families and teachers is paramount.
I will be keeping track of this situation and will send another update tomorrow.
New procedures:
As a result, I have had to update and increase the procedures to keep us all safe.
As a reminder, pupils will need to attend school to enter classes and learning at the following times:
Y6 8:45
Y5 8:55
Y4 8:50
Y3 8:55
Please stick to these times - do not be late as pupils will miss the start of lessons.
1. Only pupils will be allowed entry to the playground at the start of the day - parents will need to leave children at the wooden gates where staff will be on duty. Pupils will then be chaperoned into areas/lines to wait for entry into their classrooms. This is to prevent mixing and cross contamination.
2. Parents/adults will be asked to wear a face covering when delivering and collecting their child - access will be allowed onto the playground for safe collection. Please keep your distance from others - 2m - and leave as soon as you have your child. Do not wait with others.
3. Pupils are able to wear face masks to enter and leave school, at break times and in communal areas.
Your co-operation is vital and appreciated in these difficult times.