March 8th – All Pupils Return To School

Dear Parents and Carers,

We hope you and your families are all well and keeping safe.

Last night the Government confirmed that schools will reopen for all pupils on Monday 8th March 2021.

So what does that mean for you?

  • School will reopen to all year groups from Nursery to Year 6 on Monday 8th March.
  • All children will be expected to attend. School will be compulsory again and families who don’t attend may face fines.
  • We will be able to offer Breakfast Club and After School Club from Monday 8th March.
  • There will be no school clubs after school.
  • Many of the current protocols will remain; hygiene and hand washing, frequent cleaning.
  • You must drop off your child between 8.45am and 9.00am. This will mean that we can continue to stagger the arrival of all our families.
  • Pick up times will be as they were in the autumn term.
  • All children will be brought to the playground at the end of the day.
  • Only 1 parent is allowed to drop off/collect their child/ren and face masks should be worn
  • Please make sure you are social distancing from other families and that you follow the instructions from school staff to ensure everyone’s safety.
  • Visitors and parents/carers cannot enter the site and/or gather at school gates.
  • Please continue to phone and email us if you need to share information or ask questions. You will not have the usual daily contact with the teaching staff. We will not be sending home letters etc. and minimising any face to face contact. We will call or email you instead (this includes if your child has an accident).
  • All children must wear school uniform.
  • All children can wear PE kits to school on their class PE days.
  • The children will be allowed to bring in a water bottle and their book bags and bring books home again.
  • Whole year group or Phase bubbles will be created as they were last term.
  • Where possible children will sit in rows facing the front.
  • Children don’t have to social distance in their bubbles
  • Staff will maintain social distancing.
  • Staff will continue to take lateral flow Covid tests twice weekly.
  • We will be following our normal school timetable and curriculum.
  • Lunchtimes will be staggered so only one bubble is in the hall at a time. Tables and benches will then be cleaned before the next bubble enters.
  • Playtimes will be staggered and classes will be allocated an area of the playground to use.
  • We will plan interventions to help children catch up on the learning they have missed this year.
  • If you have been loaned a school Chromebook or router we will expect these to be returned on Monday 8th March. Any damages or lost items must be paid for. Please refer to your loan agreement for further information.
  • Please return any other school resources on Monday 8th March.

Please call your child’s school if you have any questions. We are here to help.

Responding to a suspected case of Coronavirus

Please do not send your child to school if they are unwell. If they have a high temperature, loss of smell or taste or a new, continuous, dry cough, please let us know and book your child to be tested immediately. There are a list of other symptoms available on the NHS and Government website.

Anyone displaying Coronavirus symptoms in school will be sent home immediately and will need to follow the Government guidelines for self isolation.

  • Child with symptoms will be sent home and must arrange a test
  • Siblings will be sent home
  • Other children in that group can continue to come to school until the test results are back
  • If the test is positive, the symptomatic child must self- isolate for 10 days, siblings for 10 days and the same group children and staff for 10 days. We will also notify Public Health England in Southwark for further guidance
  • If negative, the child can return when better
  • If parents refuse to test their child, we will notify Public Health England in Southwark who will follow this up with the family, GP and complete a risk assessment. They will advise the school on our next steps.

Thank you all again for your continued support. I am sure you will also want to join me in thanking all the staff across our Federation who have continued to work throughout this pandemic and put the needs of our children and families first.

Kind regards,

Kate Wooder Executive Headteacher

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