Important Information
Dear Parents,
Here we are at the end of another busy week in school. Nursery children started back on Monday, and they have had a fantastic week. It always amazes me how adaptable and resilient children are -the Nursery children have got used to their social bubbles, very quickly.
Today’s blog is based around the government’s announcement on Tuesday that they will remove the target of all primary school children returning to school by the end of the summer term. To open further to more children has now been left to the discretion of individual headteachers.
We still have strict guidelines to follow, and the procedures and precautions that we put in place on the 1st June, will still be in operation for the remainder of this school year, it is therefore impossible for me to open the school to every single child unfortunately.
Below I have outlined the plan going forward, for the rest of this term, it is in priority order. I apologise for the length of the post, but I thought it was useful for you to understand the logic behind the decisions being made.
Please note, that if your child is already in school, they will retain their full time place until 17th July, and you will not be contacted next week.
Please read the following information carefully, and then discuss the possibilities with your families. There are some important decisions that need to made by early next week, to give us time to prepare social bubbles and staffing.
If you decide to keep your child off school, there will be no fines or repercussions this side of the summer. You have to decide what is best for your child and there will be no judgement from school.
Here is our plan:
Reception, Year 1 and Year 6
These are the priority groups identified by the government. On Monday or Tuesday, if your child is not already in school, you will receive a phone call from your child’s class teacher to ask whether your child will be returning to school on Monday 22nd June. If you require a place, your child is guaranteed a place in a social bubble.
It is important to note at this point, that if your child does not return on the 22nd June, there will be no other “starting points”, and your child will not return to school this term.
The school year will end on Friday 17th July for these year groups.
Nursery
This is also a priority group identified by the government. On Monday or Tuesday, if your child has not already been attending since 8th June, you will receive a phone call from your child’s class teacher to ask whether your child will be returning to school on Monday 22nd June. If you require a place, your child is guaranteed a place, however we cannot guarantee your required hours, due to the complicated logistics of social bubbles.
It is important to note at this point, that if your child does not return on the 22nd June, there will be no other “starting points”, and your child will not return to school this term.
The school year will end on Friday 17th July for Nursery.
Full time Eligibility
Some children (regardless of year group) are entitled to be back in school from Monday 22nd June because they are children of keyworkers, have specific special educational needs or are classed as ‘vulnerable’. Please see the criteria outlined on the “Eligible for Full Time” page found in the Covid-19 section of the website.
If you believe your child fits into this category, and is not already in school as part of our key worker provision, please mention it to your child’s class teacher when they phone on Monday or Tuesday. They will inform me of your request and I will then contact you directly to confirm your child’s place.
Again, it is important to note at this point, that if your child does not return on the 22nd June, there will be no other “starting points”, and your child will not return to school this term.
The school year will end on Friday 17th July for this group. There will be no keyworker provision over the summer holidays.
Years 2, 3, 4 and 5
The Secretary of State confirmed that he would like to see schools with capacity bring back more children before summer, if they are able to. The government will devise a priority list and once agreed with Public Health England, will endeavour to send it to us next week so that, where we have capacity, we can welcome back more children this term. At the moment, I do not know when these children could start, but I am hoping by the end of June.
On Monday or Tuesday, you will receive a phone call from your child’s class teacher to ask whether you would like your child to return to school this term, if the opportunity arises. If we have the capacity, we would then invite your child back.
If we are unable to accommodate your child due to no capacity in the school term, and you want your child to attend school before September, they would take priority to attend summer school. Summer school will take place in the weeks beginning 20th and 27th July – if this is something your child would be interested in, then please mention it to the teacher, when they phone you.
Please note that summer school will not be available to those children who have already been in school this term.
Medical Conditions and Shielding
Updated information regarding school attendance and underlying medical conditions, can be found in our Covid information section. For those children who have received a shielding letter from the government, please contact school if we can help in any way to support your child in transitioning back into school.
Please also be aware that, apart from specific mental health, social and emotional or SEND needs, we will expect full attendance for children returning to school – children will come in to school every day, not based around parental work patterns.
Apologies, for bombarding you with information, but I hope it makes it clearer for you, in terms of possibilities for your child returning to school. Please contact me if you have any questions, but please chat freely to the class teachers when they ring you on Monday or Tuesday. Please do not ring the office, as it is very busy at the moment.
I am also being asked, what will September look like and I am afraid I cannot answer this question. We are aware that the Government is currently being lobbied on a daily basis urging the Department for Education to publish early plans for September so that we can a) plan and b) communicate effectively with you. We will let you know as soon as we do! At the moment, I am still planning for school to open to all pupils on Thursday 3rd September.
I would like to thank you for your ongoing support and patience in what is a very difficult time for us all but please have confidence in us that we are endeavouring trying to help as many children as we possibly can.
Take care, Stay safe
Miss Goodson