Dear Parents/Carers,

I want to take this opportunity to welcome all our families, old and new. I hope you had an amazing summer and you managed to recharge your batteries and you are ready for the new school year. We have so much to celebrate from last year and we hope to continue to build on our successes. 

I would like to share with you our updated COVID plans and other key information about the school day.

COVID-19 update

We will not have year group ‘bubbles’ and children and staff will be able to mix with each other throughout the school day. Again, this may have to be reintroduced when necessary. 

Classes will be set up differently to last year and children will go to Key stage assemblies. We will continue to have whole school assemblies virtually for the time being.

We will have staggered break- and lunchtimes. This is to ensure that lunchtimes runs smoothly and children have more space on the playground.

Self isolation

If your child has symptoms of C-19, we will still ask you to collect them and take them for a PCR test. If your child tests positive, they will need to self isolate for a period of 10 days. Siblings of the child that have tested positive do not need to self isolate and can still come to school. You yourself may need to isolate,please click on the link to find further information. If your child has tested positive, you do need to notify school. We expect that all children over the age of 5 go for a PCR test if they have symptoms.

Attendance

All children are expected back in school and we will manage good attendance using the school’s Attendance Policy.

DFE guidance states: 

• School attendance will be mandatory again from the beginning of the autumn term. This means from that point, the usual rules on school attendance will apply: 
• parents’ duty to secure that their child attends regularly at school where the child is a registered pupil at school and they are of compulsory school age; 
• schools’ responsibilities to record attendance and follow up absence 
• the availability to issue sanctions, including fixed penalty notices in line with local authorities’ codes of conduct 
• Where a pupil is unable to attend school because they are complying with clinical and/or public health advice, schools are expected to immediately offer them access to remote education. Schools should monitor engagement with this activity. 
• Where a pupil is unable to attend school because parents are following clinical and/or public health advice, absence will not be penalised. 
• All other pupils must attend school.

Masks

Masks are optional, but please be mindful of social distancing if you choose not to wear one. Some of our staff will be wearing face covering and that is their right to do so. Thank you for your understanding.

Start and end of day times

School will open for all children from year 1 to year 6 on Tuesday 7th September 2021. Nursery and Reception children will start on different days and this information was shared with parents/carers of these children.

You will be pleased to know that we will not continue with staggered start and finish times. We also will not have a one-way system around school. We may have to revert back to these in the event of a change in DFE guidance or if we have a local outbreak of COVID-19.

Doors will open at 8.50am and you can drop your child off until 9am. If you are later than 9am, then you will need to walk to the back of school near year 2 where staff will receive late arrivals. As this is a change to last year we will be flexible with starting times for this week.

School finishes for all children at 3.15pm. Again if you are late to pick up your child/children then you will need to go to the community room to collect them.

Year 5 and 6 children are permitted to walk on their own, but you as the parent/carer must consent to this in writing. We will share with you a form to complete on the first day back.

Uniform

• The correct uniform must be worn at all times.
• No dangling earrings are permitted
• One pair of single stud earrings are allowed. This must be removed or covered with a plaster during PE and games
• No extreme hairstyles such as tramlines and unnatural colours
• Uniform (see policy on website):

Our Uniform is:

Blue sweatshirt/cardigan with embroidered school logo
Grey skirt or pinafore
Grey or black trousers
Plain white polo shirt
Black sensible shoes/ plain trainers

• PE kit must be worn when it is PE and sensible shoes for sports.

Lunches

We have a new catering company, Taylor Shaw. We are excited to work with them to ensure children have access to healthy food with lots of options. We included the new menus at the end of the previous academic year.

If you think you could be eligible for your child to have a free school meal, please ask the office to support you in making the application.

If your child is on packed lunches, please ensure that it consists of a sandwich and other healthy choices like a piece of fruit, a cereal bar, yogurts. A packed lunch cannot just consist of sweets, chocolates, biscuits and crisps. Please be aware that we do have children who are allergic to nuts, so please do not include food that contains nuts.

This year, we will provide fruit, free of charge,  for all children in Key Stage 2. Previously this was only provided for Early Years and Key stage 1 children, but we feel it is important that all children continue to have access to a healthy snack as part of a healthy lifestyle.

All children will also be able to have a piece of toast as when they arrive in school.

Information about you

If you have moved house, have a new phone number or have just moved into the area, please ensure we hold the right information. This is to ensure we can get in contact with you in case of emergencies or if we need to talk to you and also so we can send letters to the right address.

It is also necessary that you update school if there is a change in circumstances and we need to change your other contact information and/or there needs to be a different person who can collect your child.

Kind Regards,

Adele Clark
Headteacher