letter-to-parents-reopening-sps-logisitics-thurs-21st-may-2020

​SHERBORNE PRIMARY SCHOOL Harbour Way Sherborne Dorset DT9 4AJ Telephone 01935 812619 Fax 01935 817943 e-mail ​office@sherbornepri.dorset.sch.uk Website ​www.sherbornepri.dorset.sch.uk

Headteacher: Mr Ian Bartle BA Ed (Hons) NPQH Phased Reopening of Sherborne Primary School FROM June 2020 Years R / 1 / 6 plus the Key Workers & Vulnerable Children Only Dear Parent / Carer of Year R, 1 & 6 plus the Key Workers / Vulnerable Children.

The government has asked schools to reopen ​FROM​ the 1st June to only the groups listed above. At present they are in discussion with the relevant scientists and teaching unions and ​no definite decision ​has been made. We will keep you informed if any of this information changes. However, I am sure you will realise ALL of my team wishes for ALL the children to return to school as quickly as possible. We have been busily planning the HUGE logistical task of welcoming children again within this new way of working. This letter is also linked to a full risk assessment of the school that has performed prior to reopening & many details of this are below.

The DfE guidance is very clear that ​each school is very different a​ nd needs to plan accordingly, ensuring that all of its community is as safe as can be. If we opened our doors to all of the groups above from the 1st June it would be unsafe due to the number of children who could return (160+). We are proposing to open in a ​phased way ​so that we can trial our systems and gradually welcome more children (& families) back. This will ensure we keep all areas of our school safe.

Phased Reopening: The school will prepare for our return with a STAFF ONLY ​(no children) ​sessions on Monday 1st & Tuesday 2nd June. ​This will be my first opportunity to have all of my staff team together to go through vital health & safety and new ways of working information. This will also include ensuring our classrooms and communal areas are safe and ready.

Pupil Group

Start Date at School:

Drop-Off Point / Entry

Start of the Day Time

End of the Day Time

Key Worker / Vulnerable Children

Wednesday 3rd June

Eagles, Owls or Elm Rooms

8:45am

3:20pm

Year 6

Wednesday 3rd June

Leopards / Tigers or Jaguars Rooms

9am

3pm

Reception

Monday 8th June

Ladybirds or Grasshoppers Rooms

9:30am

2:30pm

Year 1

Monday 15th June

Elm, Ash or Oak

9:15am

2:45pm

Sherborne Area Schools’ Trust is a company limited by guarantee, Registered in England with Company number 08130468 Registered office: Bristol Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4EQ

​SHERBORNE PRIMARY SCHOOL Harbour Way Sherborne Dorset DT9 4AJ Telephone 01935 812619 Fax 01935 817943 e-mail ​office@sherbornepri.dorset.sch.uk Website ​www.sherbornepri.dorset.sch.uk

Headteacher: Mr Ian Bartle BA Ed (Hons) NPQH Rooms Comments

Unfortunately there will be no Breakfast or After-School SCAPA Club and no Extra-Curricular Clubs will take place until further notice

I apologise for the length of my letter as this will contain vital information to reassure everyone that we are doing our utmost to ensure the safety of all. Hopefully the contents of this correspondence should answer nearly all of your questions. It will also contain a ​FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) ​section attached to help.

All of the information and risk assessed points below are there for the safety of ​all children​ and staff. This is of paramount importance. We truly care about your child and wish for them to know school is a safe place.

Parents / Carers Drop-Off & Collection: - It is vital that ​NO​ parent or carer enters inside the school at all. Any communication with either our teaching staff or office needs to be via telephone or IT system e.g. Dojo or Tapestry.

- Please do not congregate outside of the school building and maintain appropriate 2m social distancing at all times.

- The times for both drop-off & collection are above and these are staggered to support smaller flow within our school grounds, limited pathways (this will include new signage to support health & safety) etc.

Staffing of the Children & Pupil ‘​Bubbles’​: - Following the principle of keeping the children as safe as possible, they will be working within a much smaller ‘​bubble’. ​We cannot guarantee that your child/ren will have their usual teacher or assistant and there cannot be any swapping of children within ​‘bubbles’​.

- As the DfE guidance clearly states, children (particularly Yr R & 1) are ​not able​ to social distance and so the idea is for each ​‘bubble’ ​of children to stay away from the other ​‘bubbles’ - Once the children have been placed within their ‘​bubble’​ we will send each parent a text to inform them which classroom to enter on the date above.

- Mr Bartle will also upload a short video (to Class Dojo / Tapestry / Facebook Page) prior to Yr R / Yr 1 & Yr 6 re-entering school to remind all of vital information - If the school does experience staff shortages, we will inform you as quickly as possible as we may have to close certain groups.

The School Day (Routines / Learning etc.)

- Each​ ‘​bubble’ will not interact with other ‘bubbles’ to keep all as safe as possible & to limit cross-infection.

Sherborne Area Schools’ Trust is a company limited by guarantee, Registered in England with Company number 08130468 Registered office: Bristol Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4EQ

​SHERBORNE PRIMARY SCHOOL Harbour Way Sherborne Dorset DT9 4AJ Telephone 01935 812619 Fax 01935 817943 e-mail ​office@sherbornepri.dorset.sch.uk Website ​www.sherbornepri.dorset.sch.uk

Headteacher: Mr Ian Bartle BA Ed (Hons) NPQH -

Start / End of the Day, breaktimes & lunchtimes will be staggered for all our ‘bubbles’, with children eating their packed lunches within their classroom; again not mixing with other ‘bubbles’.

Communal areas - the school has had to plan in every detail including our flow around the school / use of communal areas will be consistent to minimise groups interacting.

Toileting - children will still be able to use the toilet as required, but again new ways of organisation will be in place, including limiting numbers within these confined spaces.

A frequent Hand Washing routine - this will become the new norm for all at SPS Home learning for children who are not at school - our team will endeavour to continue our home learning guidance; but our usual level of messaging etc. will be lower as our staff will be in school with children.

School Uniform & Equipment (including lunches): - Usual school uniform except ​trainers​ rather than school shoes.

- NO PE Kits, school bags or pencil cases ​(school will provide the relevant equipment).

- If your child wishes to have a packed lunch within Year R & 1 as part of the Universal Free School Meal Scheme, you can order a packed lunch through Chartwells in the usual way (see FAQ below).

- ALL children in years other than (R, 1 and 6) attending school (key workers or vulnerable children) including those entitled to Free School Meals will need to bring their own packed lunch until further notice, unless a packed lunch has been pre-ordered from Chartwells (see FAQ) - Your child will just come to school with ​a lunch box (if not receiving one from school), a coat (if the weather is poor) and a water bottle ONLY. What will happen if someone experiences Coronavirus symptoms? / Additional Health & Safety: - PPE and a face mask will only be used by staff if a child / adult has Coronavirus symptoms. They will be isolated & sent home immediately. If a positive test is received then ​ALL of the members of the ‘bubble’ will need to self-isolate for 14 days (including all within that household - ​Government guidelines) - The guidance around face masks is clear and is strongly discouraged within school, aside from medical care (see above).

- The school will have multiple cleaning stations to support our increased hygiene & this will include hand gel (although regular hand washing is still proven to be the best defence against cross infection).

- Our Clean Team will be working extra hours to support our school community.

- It is of VITAL importance that no child is sent into school if they, or ANYONE, within their household has any Coronavirus symptoms (persistent cough / high temperature / loss of taste or smell) Finally, we completely understand that the most important place for education is within school. We also understand that all our team needs to reinforce the notion that school is safe and secure, as well as a great place to be. My staff will be working diligently to support our children’s needs after such a long and unexpected time away from school and normality. We are looking forward to the first steps to reunite our Sherborne Primary family.

Sherborne Area Schools’ Trust is a company limited by guarantee, Registered in England with Company number 08130468 Registered office: Bristol Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4EQ

​SHERBORNE PRIMARY SCHOOL Harbour Way Sherborne Dorset DT9 4AJ Telephone 01935 812619 Fax 01935 817943 e-mail ​office@sherbornepri.dorset.sch.uk Website ​www.sherbornepri.dorset.sch.uk

Headteacher: Mr Ian Bartle BA Ed (Hons) NPQH Can I also take this opportunity to thank you ALL for your amazing home learning & support during these challenges times.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr Ian Bartle (Headteacher)

Frequently Asked Questions - taken from our Parental Questionnaire How will my child be kept safe? ● Smaller class sizes – no more than 15 students in any room at any time. ● Students and staff will attempt social distancing throughout the day where possible, note that this may not be possible with the children (as is noted on the DfE guidance). ● All classrooms will be stocked with hand sanitizer, antiseptic wipes, hand towels, blue roll, tissues, a cloth, and cleaning spray. ● Staff, where possible, will clean their teaching area at the end of the day (ie. chair, keyboard, teacher desk, mouse). ● Lidded bins will be emptied throughout the day. ● Rooms to be well ventilated with windows and doors open at all times. ● Restricted or managed toilet breaks so that children don’t gather at the toilets. ● There will be a clear hand washing regime for all children in each class. ● No child (or adult) will attend school if any Covid-19 symptoms appear Will social distancing measures be in place? ●

We will do our best to try and social distance pupils where possible, however this is a difficult task with any child (and particularly younger children). All adults on site will continue to observe social distancing rules.

What happens if a student has symptoms? ● ●

If a student shows symptoms, the student will be sent home and they must self-isolate for 14 days. This family must then request a test. Other children in this bubble will then be informed about this by Mr Bartle.

If a Coronavirus test is positive ALL of the ‘bubble’ will need to self-isolate for 14 days (including all members of that household).

Sherborne Area Schools’ Trust is a company limited by guarantee, Registered in England with Company number 08130468 Registered office: Bristol Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4EQ

​SHERBORNE PRIMARY SCHOOL Harbour Way Sherborne Dorset DT9 4AJ Telephone 01935 812619 Fax 01935 817943 e-mail ​office@sherbornepri.dorset.sch.uk Website ​www.sherbornepri.dorset.sch.uk

Headteacher: Mr Ian Bartle BA Ed (Hons) NPQH

Can my child wear a face mask to school? ●

We are not advising children to wear face masks to school. Staff will not be wearing face masks unless administering first aid to a pupil.

Will home learning continue? ● Yes, home learning will mirror what is being taught in school for the year groups coming back in the first phase of our return. Any children in other year groups will continue with home learning as normal.

Can I change my decision of sending my child to school if I find out more information? ●

To begin with we are asking parents to keep to their decision so we can effectively plan groups of children. However, we are happy to speak to you about any concerns you may have and will take each case individually.

We will find out which group and with which teacher my child will be with before we come back? ●

Where possible we are putting children with their class teacher and/or their teaching assistant. We will let you know which group (room) your child is in but not what members of staff they will have before we welcome children back. Unfortunately, it would not be safe to swap children between groups.

Ordering of packed lunches ● If you wish for your child to have a packed lunch provided by the school, you will need to order this yourself by going to ​https://dorset.mealselector.co.uk/​. ​The deadline for ordering meals is midnight on Sunday, one full week (7 days) prior to the complete week before the meal is served. ● Year 6 the deadline for ordering is 24th May. 2020. ● Year R the deadline is 31st May 2020 ● Year 1 the deadline is 7th June 2020 ● The office will text parents to remind them of the cut off dates.

Will Free School Meal vouchers continue when my child is entitled to return to school? ●

●

Free School Meal vouchers can still be provided when a child’s year group is entitled to return to school, if your child does not wish to return. A free meal (packed lunch) will be available for all children attending school to order from Chartwells (no voucher will be available if your child returns to school).

If you do not wish to take advantage of the free packed lunch option you will need to provide a lunch box for your child.

Sherborne Area Schools’ Trust is a company limited by guarantee, Registered in England with Company number 08130468 Registered office: Bristol Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4EQ

​SHERBORNE PRIMARY SCHOOL Harbour Way Sherborne Dorset DT9 4AJ Telephone 01935 812619 Fax 01935 817943 e-mail ​office@sherbornepri.dorset.sch.uk Website ​www.sherbornepri.dorset.sch.uk

Headteacher: Mr Ian Bartle BA Ed (Hons) NPQH ●

Free School Meal vouchers will continue to be issued to all parents of other year groups until the year group is entitled to return to school, this will include key worker/vulnerable children who will be attending school. You will need to continue to provide a packed lunch until further notice.

Sherborne Area Schools’ Trust is a company limited by guarantee, Registered in England with Company number 08130468 Registered office: Bristol Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4EQ