A New School Year - Important Information

Dear Parents,

I hope you all have had a lovely summer. As we prepare to start the new school year, I thought I would share with you our plans for the children’s safe return to school on Thursday 3rd September. The government has produced a leaflet for parents explaining the rationale behind the re-opening schools; the leaflet can be found here.

The school’s planning has been extensive, following the most recent government guidance; a detailed Risk Assessment and Plan for September Opening can be found here, but I have summarised the main headlines below, for your quick reference. If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact me via the “Contact” button on the website. Please note that these plans only cover the Autumn Term (up until Christmas), when we will look and review the situation and updated government guidelines.

  • All children will be able to return to school. Attendance for children in Reception to Year 6 will once again be mandatory, and normal attendance policies and procedures will be reinstated. Please note that children will be marked as late if they arrive after 9am.

  • Bubbles. We will have five bubbles in school made up of each phase.

    • Nursery (both Little Winners and Little Stars)

    • Reception

    • Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2)

    • Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4)

    • Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5 and 6)

  • Social Distancing. Bubbles will not mix with other bubbles in school, reducing the amount of contact between children in school. All adults will be encouraged to continue socially distancing when on school grounds, particularly at drop off and collection times. Staff will socially distance from each other.

  • Handwashing. Everybody in school will be washing their hands frequently and all resources/equipment will be sanitised at the end of each day. Thorough cleaning will take place each evening.

  • School Uniform. All children will be asked to return to school in uniform in line with our guidance as set out on the school website, this includes the requirement to wear black shoes. If your child has long hair, it is advisable that this is tied back.

  • PE Days. On the days that the children have PE we will allow them to come to school wearing their school PE Kit. It is recommended that the children wear jogging bottoms instead of shorts as the majority of PE lessons will take place outside. A school jumper should be worn over the PE Kit on these days. Your child’s class teacher will inform you what days the children will have PE.

  • Masks. Children will not wear masks in school, this is in line with government guidance that children under 11 do not need to wear masks on transport or in enclosed spaces, including shops and schools. (If your child has a medical condition and a doctor has recommended that they should wear a mask in school, please contact me via the “Contact Miss Goodson” button.) Staff may wear masks, particularly when administering first aid or changing nappies. Some staff might wear masks more frequently, if they have an underlying medical condition and/or they are in a situation where 2m social distancing cannot be maintained. Parents are encouraged to wear masks at the end of the day when they collect their children.

  • Personal Items. Children will be encouraged to bring minimal items into school. They should bring in a labelled water bottle and a snack if required (there will be no tuck shop available). Children can bring in their own hand sanitiser if they wish, but please make sure that this is clearly labelled.

  • Books and Bags. If your child needs to bring a bag to school, we would appreciate it, if it was as small as possible and was able to be cleaned. A carrier bag would be ideal! Bags will be kept in the cloakrooms at school and will be wiped down regularly. Your child WILL be sent home with a reading book, however when the book is returned to school, it will be cleaned and put into quarantine, before being sent out again.

  • Lunchtime Arrangements. Children in Nursery, who are staying all day, should bring their own packed lunches, clearly labelled with their name. In the rest of the school, Reception to Year 6, children will have 3 options at lunchtime: a packed lunch from home, a school sandwich bag or a hot meal. Prices for school meals have increased to £2.35 and should be paid via Parent Pay (unless your child is Free School Meals). Lunchtimes will be staggered, to keep bubbles separate. A menu of the hot meals on offer can be found on the website.

  • Access into School. Sadly, we will not be able to welcome parents into the school buildings initially. We have put safety precautions in place by the office for any parents needing to speak to Mrs Shakles or Mrs Mellor. However, we ask that parents remain respectful of social distancing and only come to the office if it is absolutely necessary. The school telephone number is 01283 247570.

  • Whole School Events. There will be no swimming or visits during the Autumn Term. Parent events like the reading sessions, assemblies, parents evenings will not be able to happen in the usual way. We are in the early stages of exploring ways we can celebrate these events AND include parents by using the virtual world e.g. ZOOM, YouTube, Website etc. Watch this space!

  • Start of the day procedures

    • Breakfast Club will be open from 7:30am (accessed via the office). Children will be kept in their bubbles during Breakfast Club. Please note the increase in cost (£1. 50 from 7:30am and £1 from 8am via Parent Pay).

    • At the start of the day the doors will be open from 8:40am. We suggest that Nursery and Year 1 to Year 6 arrive between 8:40 - 8:50am. With new Reception children arriving at 8:50am.

    • If your child is in Year 1 to Year 6, please allow your child to walk up the ramp by themselves, parents should stay at the bottom of the ramp where possible. This will avoid congestion by the door.

    • Please use the yellow lines to help adhere social distancing - please encourage your child to do the same.

    • Your child’s temperature will be taken on arrival.

  • End of day procedures

    • We will be opening all gates (including those onto the two car parks) at 3:05pm. We are confident that, by opening all gates, we will reduce any congestion and we know that all adults will be respectful of people’s space. Please exit via the nearest gate to you to avoid congestion.

    • Please do not park on the school car park.

    • Please do not arrive early (the gates won’t be open!) but please be prompt at the following times.

    • At 3:10pm - Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will be dismissed from their usual exit doors.

    • At 3:15pm - Nursery will start dismissing. Little Winners from the front Nursery door and Little Stars from the playground door. The gates will not be opened until 3:10pm, please do not arrive too early and do not open any gates that are closed.

    • At 3:15pm - KS2 siblings of KS1 children will be dismissed via their usual exit doors. Please be aware of other adults/children and maintain a social distance.

    • At 3:20pm - the remainder of KS2 will be dismissed. We would encourage that parents of older children (Years 5 and 6) arrange to meet their child at a specific gate rather than waiting on school ground. Please let school know if you wish to adopt this arrangement.

    • By 3:40pm gates will be locked. Please do not stay on the playground for longer than is necessary.

I know some of you are concerned of what will happen if your child (or a member of the household) shows Covid symptoms. Detailed information can be found here, but I have summarised below.

  • What if my child displays Covid Symptoms? They should stay at home and take a test (these can be booked on line). Share the test results with the school and more information about next steps will be discussed with you.

  • What if someone in the household displays Covid Symptoms? Your child should stay at home and take a test (these can be booked online). Share the test results with the school and more information about next steps will be discussed with you.

  • If someone tests positive, those who have been in close proximity to that person will be informed, although their identity will not be revealed.

  • You will not be informed if someone goes home with symptoms, but you will be informed if their result is positive.

  • School will be taking part in the governments “Track and Trace” scheme.

  • School will continue to remain open full time to all pupils, unless Public Health England deems it unsafe to do so.

  • To reassure you, school has been functioning all the way through lockdown until the end of July, we had no Covid 19 outbreaks in school and all precautions have been effective.

I hope this reassures you that we have taken a lot of time and energy to ensure that school is as safe as possible, if you want any more information, you can visit the government’s information for parents, regarding the opening of schools, which can be found here.

I know some children may be nervous about returning to school (particularly those children who haven’t been in since March) but I want to reassure them that school will feel normal and that the day to day routines at school are similar to what they already know. The children, who were in school, adapted very easily, and once everyone is back into their routine, I am sure they will be fine. If your child is particularly anxious about returning to school, please let us know and we will support them where possible.

I look forward to seeing you all on Thursday 3rd September

Kind regards,

Happy New School Year!
Miss Goodson

Send Miss Goodson a message

If you’re the parent or carer of a child at Winshill Village, and have any questions or concerns to share with her, please click the button below:

Covid-19Andrea Goodson