Woodland View Primary School

Dear Parents and Carers,

Although this letter seems long, please read it all the way through a number of times so that you have all the information you need to make an informed decision about sending your child back to school.

Firstly, can I thank you very much indeed for your responses to our questions last week.  Your thoughts and comments have been extremely helpful to our planning.  Not surprisingly, there are mixed views about the re-opening of school, all of which we respect.  I would, however, like to say a special thank-you for your concern for the safety and well-being of staff at this time.  We particularly appreciate this, and the partnership we have with you, as we move forward.

The Government has asked schools to start the partial re-opening with the youngest children.  Currently, we are planning to admit Reception children first from 1 June 2020. This is however, all dependent on the Government’s announcement due on 28^th May. We have closed to children during Whit week half term in order to enable us to invite groups of children back to school as safely as possible from the following week, if that is what is advised.

Please be reassured that the decision as to whether or not to send your child to school is entirely yours.  There will be no penalty for non-attendance and any pupil absence will be authorised until the end of the summer term.  If you decide not to send your child in the first instance, you can change your mind at a later date.  If you would like to discuss this with a member of staff, do contact school and we will be happy to talk with you about your individual circumstances. 

We have thought very hard about how we can achieve the safe re-integration of Reception children in the first instance.  The most important thing we need you to understand is this:

If you do choose to send your child into school, please be aware that we will be making significant attempts to ensure some form of social distancing throughout our re-opening phase.  However, in a school setting, it will not be possible for us to guarantee that your child will always maintain a distance from others.  The Government has said that primary pupils ‘cannot be expected to remain two metres apart from each other and staff.’

How it will work:

• The children will be divided into smaller groups of no more than 10. (Government guidelines is 15, but we feel that our classrooms are not large enough for this.) Your child will know the staff members with them, but it may not be their class teacher. They will not be in their usual classroom.

• Arrangements for keyworker children will continue in the normal way. Please still send your rotas by Thursday of each week. Any key worker children in Reception, will be put into a reception group and will no longer be with other keyworker children.

• Each group will each be based in a different classroom and we will endeavour to form a protective ‘bubble’ around them. They will remain in their group all day and there will be no mixing with children in other groups. Children will not be with all their friends.

• Reception children will be able to attend school from Monday to Friday. Times are likely to be 9am – 3pm Monday to Thursday and 9am – 1.30pm Friday so as to enable us to deep clean and give staff who have been teaching all week time to produce home learning resources. Classrooms will be cleaned twice daily, at lunchtime and at the end of the day.

• Children will wash their hands regularly throughout the day. Lightly scented soap will be used. Their hands may become red or sore, they will still have to wash their hands. We will have baby lotion at school to put on after handwashing. Please message your child’s class teacher to give written permission for them to use baby lotion – without written permission, they will not be able to use it. We cannot have other moisturisers in school.

• Staff will use personal protective equipment as appropriate (PPE). Aprons, gloves, face masks and visors will be available to them.     

• Break times and access to outdoor space through the day will be staggered to create distancing between groups when they are outside.

• Children will eat lunches in their classroom with their group, maintaining social distancing rules. Do not send snacks, we will supply bagels. Please send a water bottle.

• There will be no whole-school assemblies or gatherings.

• Cleaning arrangements have been enhanced. The staff team will have access to cleaning materials throughout the day.

• Classroom doors will be propped open (where safe to do so) and windows will be opened to limit the use of door handles and aid ventilation. Please ensure your child has a jumper with them in case they are cold. Send children in uniform.

• Where possible, stationery and other equipment in classrooms will not be shared. Shared materials and surfaces will be cleaned and disinfected frequently.

• Breakfast Club and After-School Clubs will not be running.

• We will not be using supply agency staff to cover any staff absence. Our existing staff members will be re-allocated if possible. This means that there may be the occasion where we cannot accommodate a child’s group in school and we will have to cancel their group’s provision.

• A ‘recovery curriculum’ will be delivered which will focus on Personal, Social and Health Education. We know that the last few weeks have been very unsettling for many children and they will need time to adapt to school life once again.  We have planned a wide range of well-being activities, such as singing and making music, painting and drawing, playing games and taking part in relaxation activities as well as reading, writing and maths.

• Reading folders will not be sent home to prevent any cross-contamination. We strongly recommend that your child has a school lunch to avoid the need to bring lunch boxes to school. Your child is entitled to universal free school meals, just order them through your parent money app.

Health/Medical Guidance

• Temperature checks will be carried out at the start of the day for all staff and children entering the building.

• If your child begins to display symptoms of the virus, you will be contacted to collect her/him from school immediately. Testing will be available for children displaying symptoms (and their families) when schools re-open.  We are told that ‘track and trace’ methods will also be used.

• If the test has a positive result, your child must self-isolate for 7 days and the rest of your household must self-isolate for 14 days. The rest of your child’s class group will also be sent home to self-isolate for 14 days.

• If the test has a negative result, your child can return to school and the rest of your household can end self-isolation.

• Children and families classed as being ‘clinically vulnerable’ due to pre-existing medical conditions have been advised to shield. This includes any parent who is pregnant.  This means we will not be permitting these children, or any of their siblings, into school until the guidance states otherwise.

• If anyone in your household develops a fever or new continuous cough, you are advised to follow the Covid-19 guidance for households: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance

• Any child who is unwell for any reason, however minor, must stay at home until they are completely well. Any child requiring Calpol, Ibuprofen or antibiotics must stay at home until they no longer need the medication.  Children will be able to use inhalers in school.

Parent/Carer Information

• We ask that only one parent/carer accompanies each child to school and that parents/carers do not gather at the entrance gates. We would like a queueing system to be used starting at the main school gate, there will be a one-way system through school grounds allowing contactless drop off and pick up.

• Parents/carers will not be able to enter the school building, so we ask that any communication with school continues to be via e-mail to the school office (office@woodlandview.notts.sch.uk) or by telephone. We will continue to make safe and well calls to all families each week.

• Further guidance about drop-off and collection times will be issued to Reception parents/carers before 1 June 2020.

• We have recently heard that any child offered a place in school who is eligible for the free school meal vouchers will not be eligible for the vouchers from the date of return. This is regardless of whether or not the place is taken up and is because meals will be cooked in school.

Home Learning

• This will continue in the usual way for other year groups. Work emailed/dojoed will be the same as work available on the bus.

• The bus will still run on a Thursday.

• Reception staff will be planning and delivering work in school, but school staff will do their best to ensure that some work is put online each week for children not attending school.

I appreciate that there is a great deal of information to digest and you may well have questions that have not been answered.  I want to reassure you that we will continue to take all the advice that is available to us to ensure that the school is as safe as it can be. 

Once we have more information, I will update you with plans for other year groups. We need to see how long drop off and pick up takes for one year group before we decide on a staggered start time for other children.

As always, do feel free to contact the staff, or me via the school office, if you have any questions.

Thank you again for all your support.  Take care and stay safe.  

Ruby Grey

Joanna Redfern