Children return to School
Children return to school on Monday 7th September. Below are some of the key changes which may help you understand the safety measures we are taking to enable all children to return to school safely in September.
Year Group Bubbles
Pupils will be placed in year group bubbles, meaning that their start and end times, playtimes, and lunch breaks will be the same or similar for classes within a year group e.g. Year 3. Classes will be taught in their own classrooms, with their class teacher; pupils will not mix with other year groups. Each year group will have their own timetable for the school day, sharing start and end times, break and lunch times. Staff will also be designated to year group bubbles. This will minimise the risk of transmission of any potential virus symptoms across to other year groups within the school.
Staggered start and end times
Each year group will have their own start and end time to the school day; however, all year groups will have the same amount of time in school for learning. This will mean that siblings in different year groups will have a different start time but we have limited the staggering to 10 minutes between each year group to allow for the safe arrival of all pupils. Please see below:
Year Group Start Time Break time Lunch time Finish time
Year 3 9:00 11:10 12:45 3:20
Year 4 8:50 10:30 12:30 3:10
Year 5 8:40 10:15 12:00 3:00
Year 6 8:30 10:00 11:30 2:50
Attendance
The government expects all children to return to school in September. Parents risk a fine if pupils do not return to school or are absent from school without a valid reason. Parents are urged to contact the school if they have any concerns about their child returning to school.
Pupils who are shielding or self-isolating
Far fewer people, who have medical needs, are now being advised to shield. Therefore, the majority of pupils will be able to return to school. Parents should note however that:
• a small number of pupils will still be unable to attend in line with public health advice because they are self-isolating and have had symptoms or a positive test result themselves; or because they are a close contact of someone who has coronavirus (COVID-19)
• shielding advice for all adults and children will pause on 1 August, subject to a continued decline in the rates of community transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19). This means that even the small number of pupils who are currently on the shielded patient list can also return to school, as can those who have family members who are shielding
Uniform
All pupils are expected to attend school dressed in full school uniform. We ask that school uniform is washed every day and that pupils come to school in fresh clothes to limit possible transmission of the virus. On PE days, pupils should wear their PE uniform to school rather than their regular school uniform.
School Lunches
Havering Catering have decided that they will be providing a cold service only in September (sandwiches rather than hot lunches). Pupils may either have a school meal or bring a packed lunch in the normal way. These will be eaten in classrooms rather than the school hall.
School Bags
We ask that, if purchasing new school bags, that these are as small as possible. In addition to packed lunches, children will need to bring school diaries,their reading book and a water bottle every day. No other items should be brought to school.
Reading books
Pupils will only be permitted to change their reading book once per week as we need to take books out of circulation for a few days upon return to school to prevent possible virus transmission. We will provide pupils with access to online reading materials such as First News to supplement this.
The Curriculum
The curriculum will resume as normal from September, with a large focus on ‘back filling’ the learning which children have missed during the lockdown. Class teachers are preparing to teach the entire curriculum, including all of the foundation subjects, although there will inevitably be a strong focus on ‘catching up’ on English and Maths.
Classrooms and timetables
Pupils will have their own personal stationery packs. These will be provided by the school. No extra equipment or pencil cases should be brought in. The desks will be positioned in rows so the children can sit side-by-side and face the front of the classroom. Staff will maintain a safe distance at all times. The teaching timetable, in accordance with Government guidelines, will not be reduced. Lunch times will be reduced to 45 minutes to accommodate the staggered lunch hour; however children will still have enough time to eat and play. The trim trail, pergola, story teller chair and outdoor seating will be off limits as they cannot be cleaned after each use. Children will have zoned areas across the school grounds to play.
Drop off / Collection of pupils
Each Year Group will have their own timetable for the day, to enable us to stagger drop off and pick up times to keep children and parents safe. We shall be very strict about entry and exit to school. All pupils must enter school via the back entrance (on Brentwood Road) at the designated time. Parents will not be permitted on to the school site in the morning. If pupils are more than 5 minutes late, we ask that you use the front entrance on Salisbury Road.
At collection time there will be a one-way system for parents and pupils to follow with parents entering the school site via the back gate on Brentwood Road and leaving with pupils via the front gate on Salisbury Road. We kindly request that parents and pupils socially distance when on the school site and leave the site immediately. If bringing younger siblings onto the site, please ensure that you hold their hand. They should not be allowed to wander or run around the playground.
Breakfast and After School Clubs
At the time of this letter, the Infant School are still not able to confirm if Breakfast Club or After School Club will be available. We will update parents as more information becomes available.
Additional and enhanced cleaning
Additional and enhanced cleaning has been taking place since the 1st June. These additional measures will continue in September to control the risk of transmission via contaminated surfaces.
Continued disruption
We anticipate there to be continued disruption throughout the next academic year. If we have a confirmed case, year group bubbles may need to isolate for 14 days. We may also face local lockdowns. If this happens, we will ensure that all lesson plans and activities are available online on our Google Classroom platform. Staff will provide support online just as we did earlier this year.
If your child presents with symptoms in school, we will ask you to collect your child immediately and organise a Covid 19 test as soon as possible. It is very important that you ensure that we hold the correct contact information including email addresses and phone numbers so that we are able to make contact with you should we need to.
We appreciate that these new procedures will cause disruption and difficulty to families. All of the new measures listed above have been put in place to enable us to open the school for all pupils whilst reducing risk of virus transmission where possible. The safety of pupils, staff and parents is important to us. We would appreciate your support and co-operation.
