September Return to School Letter
Dear Parents & Carers,
As we look ahead to the start of the autumn term, I hope you find this letter useful in understanding how the school is currently planning to operate in September. In it, you will find details of our response to the Covid-19 epidemic and how this impacts on schools in general. We have made a thorough risk assessment based on the current situation, but the information in this letter will remain under review each week during the summer holidays if, and when guidance changes. We will provide further updates each time any changes are made.
Key Dates:
1st September - INSET Day
2nd September - INSET Day
3rd September - Back to school for all children
25th September – Extra INSET Day
This is what we expect to happen at Haggonfields Primary School in September:
Any plans are in line with current government guidance and may be subject to change at short notice.
- Timings: All children must return to school on Thursday 3rd September 2020. For your convenience, we do not intend to stagger start and end times for individual classes. The current plans are subject to alteration at short notice, but we will try our best to avoid doing so. Gates and doors to classrooms will be open from 8:45am to allow a steady flow of children to enter. The school day starts in class at 9.00am promptly. School will finish at 3:30pm.
- One Way System: We will operate a one-way system for arrivals and collections and this will be strictly enforced. Staff will be around to ensure you know exactly where to go and what to do. Parents & carers should drop their children off at the barrier and leave the site as soon as possible. The same applies in reverse for collections. Cygnus Class will have a separate entry point on the barrier to the right hand side of the building. Years 1- 6 will enter through a separate entry point on the barrier to the left hand side of the building.
- Access to the school site: Entry and exit to the playground and school site will be restricted to children only. Parents & carers cannot enter the school building and will need to drop their children off at the gates. We ask parents to be mindful of social distancing when waiting at the gates. Please observe social distancing when dropping off and collecting children; this includes leaving site immediately. Please avoid standing and chatting to other parents if at all possible.
- Bubbles: The children will be taught in their usual classrooms. Due to site restrictions, two larger bubbles will be made up by combining year groups:
Bubble 1 – Cygnus Class-Reception and Nursery
Bubble 2 – Columba Class, Delphinus Class and Aquila Class
Each bubble will have separate play areas, break and lunch arrangements. Staff will be assigned to one Bubble, wherever possible.
- Lunch arrangements: Our school kitchen will initially be unable to serve hot lunches at the start of term. This will continue to be reviewed. However, we will be providing packed lunches:
- As part of the Universal Free School Meals provision, Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 children will be provided with a packed lunch.
- If you are entitled to means-tested/benefit-related Free School Meals provision, your child will be provided with a packed lunch.
- Please contact the office if you wish to pay for a school packed lunch.
- If you wish to provide your own lunch, it will need to be packed in a disposable bag rather than a lunch box.
- Enrichment activities: We will try to re-instate a small number of clubs, but it is likely they will be specific to each class and not open to all children. The number of children will be limited. Any activities will be socially distanced. Off-site visits are unlikely to happen until January 2021. School swimming for Year 4, 5 and 6 is expected to start in September in line with current guidance. Sports Coach tuition is expected to recommence in September and sports sessions will be socially distanced
- Assemblies: There will be no whole school assemblies until January. This will take place in bubbles instead. Our Friday celebration assembly will take place virtually via Teams. Larger gatherings such as class assemblies, Christmas and other productions are unlikely to go ahead under the current guidance
- School uniform: uniform will return and be in line with our school policy
- Classroom provision: We anticipate all staff being able to return to work in September, therefore children will access provision with their class teacher in their own classrooms. Where possible, each bubble will access their own toilets. Where this is not possible, toilets will be cleaned at lunchtime as well as at the end of each day. Classrooms will be ventilated with use of windows and doors. Children will be seated facing forwards wherever possible The government advice is to limit the amount of equipment brought into school by children to just essentials e.g. disposable lunch bag, coats and PE kits. Please can we refrain from bringing book bags, pencil cases or large bags.
- Hygiene: Children and any essential visitors will be asked to wash their hands or use hand sanitiser on entry to the school building and at several key times throughout the day. All children will have lessons on basic hygiene to remind them of the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ / cover cough/sneeze messages. New, foot pedal, covered bins have been purchased and will be emptied regularly throughout the day; hard surfaces will be wiped down regularly with additional cleaning in place at lunchtime.
- Enquiries: Any enquiries should be via the school office by phone or email
Our plans are made with the prime concern of ensuring the health and safety of all people on the school site. They are also reflective of the need to keep disruption to parents & carers down to a minimum, but this has been a difficult task. I trust you will be supportive of the measures we have put in place in both of these regards and ask you to ensure that you comply with these at all times please.
Best wishes…and stay safe,
Mrs H-S