- Mr E
Wave Goodbye Say Hello
Wave goodbye to Year 6...
It was a fond and tearful farewell to our Year 6 bubbles last Tuesday and Friday. Even with the necessary restrictions, we managed to say goodbye in the Morda way with arches and a blast of “We are Morda”. We will definitely be welcoming them back for their VIP Disco at some point in the coming academic year. Until then we wish you all the best of luck in your new schools. A special goodbye to those families whose youngest children are leaving this year. It has been a privelege to get to know you over the years, we're going to miss you. But don't worry we'll be thinking of you, we always look out the news of the children's achievements, and (cheekily) we like to share a little bit of the credit with you.
Say hello to the new year ...
Many parents will be wondering how it’s all going to work in September. At our last staff meeting we discussed the main issues. It is a little early to finalise the detail of our procedures, but we can give you a heads up about the main points.
The government’s advice is to expand the bubble system we have been using in the Keyworker Provision. We will therefore be operating class bubbles. The practicalities of educating and caring for a large number of children mean that bubbles will be broken in some ways (with Maths and phonics groups for example) . The DfE guidance clearly accepts that this is the case but that the efforts we make to keep the groups as tight as possible will help limit the spread of the virus.
Here’s a summary of the important changes: we will let you have the detailed risk assessment towards the end of the holidays.
Arriving at school
No staggered start
Classroom doors will open at 8.40 - no one should be on the school site before then
Entry through the playground gates for all classes except Snowdonia
Snowdonia entry through carpark gate (if you have older children, take them in via Snowdonia and send them off to their classes from there)
One-way system with parents leaving via front gate
Gates open early to avoid queues
Children to wait outside classrooms: Himalayas to wait in Hall
Temperature and symptoms checks on entry
Parents to avoid coming into school where possible
Where possible parents should allow children to walk into school on their own especially those in KS2
·Contact with office
Use phone or email where possible
One in one out policy for essential contact with office staff
·Toilets
Class bubbles will have allocated toilets
Assemblies
Assemblies will be held outside weather permitting
No indoor assemblies
Lunchtime
Children will eat lunch in their bubbles
Lunches will be eaten in the Hall and Himalayas class allowing staff to clean between each bubble sitting
Playtimes
School house garden and field to be used at playtimes on a rota to allow bubbles to be separated
Children will need wellies in wet weather
Ventilation – preventing airborne transmission via aerosol droplets
All windows and doors will be open most of the time
Temperature indoors may be as low as 16C (legal minimum) as a result
Staff and children will need to wear additional clothing
Cleaning
Frequent cleaning of frequently touched surfaces by all staff
Additional cleaning in toilets
Resources
Children to have personal pack of pencils, rubbers etc
Home reading books to be quarantined for 72 hours
Bubbles have allocated stock of playground resources
Any shared resources to be cleaned frequently
Handwashing
Children encouraged to wash hands as often as possible
Illness
Parents to check children are completely well before coming school
If they need medication such as Calpol they must stay at home
Children showing symptoms of any kind of illness will be sent home
Parents should check with NHS Track and Trace to see if a test is required
The school will follow NHS Track and Trace guidance following a positive test
If there is no test or the result is negative, the child must be completely free of symptoms before they return.
Leaving School
Gates open early to avoid queues
As many KS2 children as possible to walk home or to a meeting point (school will keep a register)
Snowdonia adults to enter via carpark gate and use one-way system to collect older children and/or to leave
Alps and Andes parents to wait on yard
Rockies adults to wait on ramp
Himalayas adults to wait in Hall
So, there will be a few strange elements, but as a staff, we are feeling confident about the system and we are really looking forward to being back in school with your wonderful children. We’ve underlined a couple of things for you to think about. Wellies are great as long as you have nice thick socks and the best way to keep warm is a good base layer. The children will need a bag big enough for wellies too. If this causes a problem for anyone, let us know and we be able to help.
In the meantime, we hope you’ll be able to relax and enjoy some downtime together after what has been a hectic few months for many of you.