Woodland View Primary School

Dear Parents and Carers,

Please see below full details of the ambition to re-open for more children. As communicated, this phased re-opening will begin on 8th June. In the meantime, we remain open to children of key workers and vulnerable children and are committed to providing on-going home learning. Please also see our safety agreement for parents and children as an addendum to this letter- it is very important you read both of these documents carefully before you make your decision about sending children back to school. We understand that these are long documents but they are detailed so that you can make an informed choice. To keep children, your families and staff safe, please follow our safety agreement from the time you receive this letter even if your child is not returning to school yet. Please note, there will be no fines for non-attendance.

As instructed by government, our re-opening plan is careful and considered and is based on putting safety at the forefront of our thinking. We hugely appreciate the support and patience from all parents to respect our rationale for this measured and steady approach.

Parents and carers of vulnerable children and key workers should continue to contact the school to book places as they have been throughout this pandemic. Key worker and vulnerable children should still arrive at school for 8.45am and be picked up at 3pm, apart from Fridays, when they should be collected at 1.30pm.

The arrangements for booking places for children of key workers are as follows:

• Firstly, please check the criteria for ‘critical workers’ on the government website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision
• If you are a critical worker, you will be able to apply for a key worker place for your child. Please be aware that the school may require a ‘key worker letter’ or proof of employment in a critical role to ensure the criteria is met. We will also ask for your rota. We will only offer child care for when you are at work. If there is someone else in your household who is not at work, they must look after your child.
• Any eligible parent requiring a key worker place must initially complete a form. These are available (via email) from the school office. Any parents who have previously completed a form do not need to do so again.
• In order to book a key worker place, parents must contact the school (via phone or email – office@woodlandview.notts.sch.uk) to request the dates that they need.
• In order to secure a place for the following week, we are asking parents to contact us by 4pm every Thursday. We can then allocate places for the following week.

To follow government guidance and social distancing measures, our school building only has limited capacity which will not accommodate all children. We will therefore do all we can to accommodate children wishing to access school within this initial re-opening but are limited by the capacity we have available. Where capacity does become an issue, we will communicate with you as soon as possible.

High quality school work will still be set on Class Dojo or by email and the bus will still travel to its designated stops every Thursday. The work on the bus will mirror work set by Class Dojo or email.

Children in school will still be able to access Class Dojo or email and we will continue to use this platform for communication between school and home.

Welcoming children back
From June 8th, we are welcoming Reception children back into school. After that, we hope to welcome additional year groups (Nursery, Year 1 and Year 6); this will depend upon how much space we have in school and how smoothly pick-up and drop-off routines run.

Timings of day
The timings for each group are detailed below. Please note that all children (including the key worker/vulnerable group) will need to be collected at 1.30pm every Friday. This is due to the school closing down for deep cleaning procedures of all the classrooms every Friday afternoon.

8th June: children to return as follows:
o Key worker children will continue to come (please arrive at 8.45 am and collect at 3pm. Please collect at 1.30pm every Friday.)
o Reception children will start on Monday 8th June.
o Reception children need to arrive at 9am.
o Reception children need to be collected at 3.00pm (Mon-Thurs) and at 1.30pm every Friday.

Arrival and Pick Up
We will have a one-way system in use for dropping children off in the morning and for collecting children at the end of the school day. We are asking that only one adult brings a child.

Please enter school through the main entrance gate. DO NOT ENTER THROUGH THE SIDE ENTRANCE.
Please wait with your child at the next available cone. DO NOT LET YOUR CHILD RUN AROUND.
Cones start in front of the gate used to access the school field. There will be members of staff out there to direct you.

A member of staff will call your child forward and send them into school. When in school they will have their temperature taken. If they have a high temperature over a short period of time, you will be asked to collect your child as that is a main symptom of Covid-19.

Children will enter into the building with staff and will then remain in a “bubble” with the same group of children and the same staff members.

Please exit school past the science garden and through the school grounds to the side exit.

Please follow the same procedures for pick up. Your child will be sent to you when you get to the front cone. Please exit immediately past the science garden and through the school grounds to the side exit.

Lunch
Please consider ordering a school dinner for your child. This can be done through Parent Pay and is free for children if they are in Reception. A menu is available on the app and website. If you must send a packed lunch, please send it in disposable bags. Please also send your child in with a named bottle of water as we are currently unable to give cups to children. We also ask that key worker and vulnerable children have a school meal at lunch time, wherever possible. All lunches will be eaten in classrooms and the children will not mix with children in other groups.

Uniform
Pupils will be required to wear school uniform, where possible. If children have outgrown items, they will be asked to wear something as close as possible. Items need to be washable.

Uniform should be freshly laundered every day, where possible.

Children should wear appropriate footwear for outside play. Children do not need to bring a PE kit because we cannot have PE kits or bags of any kind in school at the moment, but we will be doing lots of outside lessons.

What to bring to school
Please bring a coat (depending on the weather) and a named clean water bottle. Children can refill their bottles with drinking water from the tap but cups will not be available due to the risks this presents. Please ensure your child brings a school jumper or cardigan in case it is cold - as classroom windows will be open.

Do not bring bags including reading & PE bags, no reading book, no reading diary, no mobile phones, no toys.

Sun cream: To be applied before school. Staff cannot apply sun cream during the day due to the risks this presents.

Toileting: If your child has accidents during the day please bring a change of clothes (double bagged) to keep in school for the week or until needed. Parents/Carers of children who have unexpected accidents will be contacted to come and collect their child.

Handwashing: We will be ensuring that children wash their hands regularly following the current advice from Public Health England. Please practice this at home with your children – encouraging with songs/counting as appropriate for a period of 20 seconds or more using soap.

We will ensure children wash their hands on entry to school, before leaving, prior to and after lunch time and play times and before any food preparation as well as when appropriate throughout the day. Your child’s hands may become red or sore, but they will still have to continue washing their hands. If you would like your child to use baby lotion, please email your normal class teacher to give written permission. We cannot have any other moisturiser in school.

School cleaning: We will be ensuring that our schools are as clean as possible and extra cleaning during the day will occur. Common touch points such as door handles, toilets, desks and chairs are regularly disinfected. We have extensive guidance that has been shared with all cleaning and site staff as well as to all staff to maintain a clean environment and checks in place to ensure this is monitored. Our staff will also be regularly wiping surfaces and equipment down throughout the day.

Movement around school: We will work with all staff and children on safe movement around school – utilising a one-way system (where this is possible), stop and wait and social distancing practices as suitable. On the rare occasions that children need to leave their allocated room (e.g. toilet visits, break times) this will be carefully managed. We are also staggering school start and end times, play times and lunches to minimise movement of children around school and to ensure that this movement is staggered by group.

Class sizes and groupings: We will set class sizes to reflect the numbers of staff available and keep them as small as possible. The government has recommended class sizes up to 15; however, we are aiming for a maximum of 11 due to space.
We will use the ‘bubble’ approach where the same members of staff will stay with the same group of children all week. This will also include teaching assistants and midday supervisors. It is important to emphasize that it is unlikely your child will be with their class teacher or in their usual classroom, depending on the number of children from each year group we have in school, but we will do our best to ensure there is a familiar adult with the children.
We will set up classrooms to support social distancing and will also ensure that children have their own resources where possible with regular cleaning of surfaces during the day and washing of hands. Rooms will also be well-ventilated in line with best practice.
With our younger children, the government accepts that maintaining social distancing at all times in a play-based environment is not possible. We will be minimising the risks and reducing any possible spread of the virus by ensuring children are regularly washing their hands throughout the day as well as staff regularly wiping surfaces down throughout the day. We are lucky to have outdoor space, so we will also encourage our children to be outdoor in their ‘bubble’ groups and not mixing with any other ‘bubble’ groups during the day.

If anyone in school becomes unwell with a new, continuous cough, a high temperature or a loss of, or change in, their normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia) they will be sent home and advised to follow the ‘staying at home’ guidance. All the other children in their bubble will also be sent home for 14 days or until a negative test is returned.

Coronavirus: Support and Guidance for families
We encourage all parents and carers to read the guidance below – and to support your child in understanding what this will mean for their safe return to school.
Symptoms: For the latest live guidance please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection
The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of any of the following:
• a new continuous cough
• a high temperature
• a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)
For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness. However, if you have any of the symptoms above you should self-isolate at home.

How are schools supporting safe return to school? How can families can support this?
All of the guidance below will be practised across our school. We are, and will continue to, work to the latest guidance and requirements for schools and, as a school and local authority, will review this on a daily basis in line with guidance and our school specific Risk Assessments. Parents can support children in preparing to return by talking through the measures you have been taking at home and how these can continue in school. Please practise safety measures, such as frequent handwashing for 20 seconds or more, at home.

Continuous coughs: We will monitor children throughout the school day. If a child is coughing, then we will contact the parent/carer and ask them to collect their child from school. If your child has a persistent cough please do not send them to school. This is because we want our children and staff to feel safe and reassured while coming to school. We are aware that not all coughs will be Covid-19 related but we want to be able to offer as much reassurance as possible to all coming into our school.

Safe practices for all: Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Wash hands immediately after doing so.

Catch it, Bin it, Kill it: Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, throwing tissue in the bin and washing hands.

High temperatures: We have thermometers on site and any child presenting as unwell may have their temperature checked. We encourage you to take your child’s temperature regularly. If your child presents a high temperature, please do not send them to school. Children are entitled to coronavirus tests and we urge you to take this up.

Wellbeing and mental health: We are also passionate about our children’s mental health and wellbeing and the children will be supported in school by staff and by external support where appropriate as part of the return to school approach. We appreciate that returning to school will lead to mixed emotions for children, parents and staff and we will be here to support to the absolute best of our ability. If any children have significant worries or concerns about returning to school, or if they begin to find the return to school difficult, we would encourage parents to communicate this to us. We will continue to use Class Dojo and/or email for communication with parents.

Social distancing: We will be helping and teaching children to socially distance
This will be challenging, particularly with younger children who may not fully understand how important this is. Parents and carers can help by reinforcing the social distancing message at home so that children know what to expect when they come to school.
Each child should be encouraged to keep apart from other children and staff by at least 2 metres.

Social distancing is very important in limiting the spread of the virus. Please be aware that if any child’s behaviour compromises social distancing, we may have to ask for them to be taken home.

Meetings with parents and families: Where a meeting is required, every effort will be made to complete this remotely via phone, email or video call. Please be aware that you will not be able to speak to anyone face-to-face at the school reception. You will need to contact us by phone/email to arrange a meeting (see contact details below).

How can parents and carers help?
• Please consider how your child will get to school.
• Try to reduce any unnecessary travel on public transport where you can.
• Reinforce the social distancing message at home so that children know what to expect when they come to school along with other practices around hand washing etc.
• Avoid gathering in groups at the school gates, leaving straight away once you have dropped your child off and always follow the social distancing guidelines. Please remember that we are requesting one parent only to drop off each child.
• Parents should ensure they have maintained social distancing outside of school by not mixing socially with other families.
What is the advice if my child is sent home from school?
The current advice from Public Health England is that anyone with a fever or a new continuous cough should isolate, along with their family who live at the same address, for 14 days. If any child or adult in the class ‘bubble’ has these symptoms, all members of that ‘bubble’ will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days or until a negative test is received. You will be able to access testing facilities. If you have a positive test result you MUST inform school as soon as possible.
Please note that if the bubble leader is away, then that bubble will not be able to attend school as we don’t have enough adults to provide cover. This may be at short notice and we apologise for any inconvenience.

Remember, if you have questions, please ask us as we are here to help.
Email – office@woodlandview.notts.sch.uk
Phone – 01623 487087

Yours sincerely

Mrs Grey
Headteacher