reopening-letter-to-parents-sherborne-primary-18th-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 Monday May 18th 2020 POTENTIAL Re-entry to school for children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 (& continuing with Key Workers / Vulnerable Children) Dear Parents / Carers, Staff and governors are really looking forward to welcoming our children and parents back into our lovely Sherborne Primary community and know that we can rely on your cooperation and support to make this transition successful. Schools are meant for children and we miss you all! This letter outlines how we will manage this process effectively and hopefully give you confidence. It is long but please take the time to read it carefully.

The Government has now published some further guidance and I have spent a good deal of time considering their advice and discussing with other Headteachers across SAST and Dorset.

I must stress that it is not a certainty that the school will re-open for specific year groups on June 1st.

The Government is going to review this to check that they feel it is a safe thing to do, nearer the time.

However, it is important that we start to plan for partial re-opening so that whenever the time arrives, we are all ready and feeling as confident as we can.

When school reopens Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, it will not be anything like a typical day before CoronaVirus. Therefore, I want to make some things very clear to you, so you can make your own decisions based on facts: Possible School Organisation (further details to follow): ● Whilst the government has recommended the 1st of June as our re-opening date; initially this will be staff first to organise our school and some children will then re-enter later during that week ● SPS might choose to start with a ‘phased entry’ of Year R / 1 & 6 to reduce our numbers to start with. This might include limiting the Year groups or have designated days to attend school. As a school we need to ascertain exact numbers of pupils who will attend so we can plan ahead ● Not necessarily be with the teacher / teaching assistant from their usual own class ● Be outside wherever possible but not in close proximity (if practical) ● Have their own desk and resources ● Have a packed lunch provided by yourselves, a water bottle, sunhat & suncream (staff cannot apply sun cream) ● Wear school uniform and trainers (no PE kits / regular clothes washing needed) ● Your child will spend the whole day with this small group, including their ‘free time’.

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 ●

The activities on offer every day will feel different to normal ‘lessons’ as we have to limit the amount of shared resources, so children are not continually touching things that other children have touched.

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Different aged children will be collected and dropped off at different times, as we have to minimise the number of people gathering at the same time.

There will be no assemblies or gatherings of classes, year groups or the whole school.

Many of you will have other children in year groups not included in the first phase of opening.

They will not be able to come to school, even though their brother or sister is attending.

We are not able to provide childcare before and after school in SCAPA

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Health & Safety for you to consider: ●

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The government (& school) completely recognises that primary school children cannot social distance and the staff have been advised to remain 2 metres away from children if possible, but we recognise in practice particularly with small children, this is not practical or appropriate at times. Parents / carers must understand this when making the decision whether to send their children back to school It is VITAL that if any child (or person within your household) has any symptoms of the Coronavirus (high temperature / persistent cough) then the child / siblings are not sent into school and must self-isolate according to the government guidelines If a child shows any symptoms in school, parents will be contacted and will be expected to collect immediately (please ensure all contact details are up to date). Children will be isolated from other children until parents arrive. They will then need to stay at home for the appropriate time.

According to the government all Year R ,1 and 6 children (& their families) in school will be eligible for a COVID 19 test if they show symptoms. This is for parents to organise. If a child is found to be positive, the whole class group and staff (& families) must stay home and quarantine for 14 days. Please don’t let this put you off getting a test – it is important for your child, your family and the school community.

If a child lives with a parent on the extremely clinically vulnerable list, it is advised that the pupil does not come to school as we are unable to guarantee strict social distancing. Please refer to the Department for Education Guidance for Parents and Carers online for more information.

If a child lives with someone who is clinically vulnerable (but not clinically extremely vulnerable), including those who are pregnant, they can attend their education or childcare setting- as per government advice.

The government advises that it is not appropriate for staff or pupils to wear face masks in school, nor would we want them to, however if a child is displaying symptoms then the supervising staff member is advised to wear PPE whilst waiting for parents to collect.

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 ● ● ● ●

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The children will be asked to wash hands and considering hygiene at every opportunity Parents and carers will not be able to enter the building, for any reason (unless requested by the Headteacher).

Depending on the numbers of children attending and the number of staff I have available, we may not be able to allow all children to attend every day.

You should be aware that although the Government is ‘encouraging’ you to send your child to school, you are not legally obliged to do so. There will be no attendance penalties, such as a fine or letters from me, as you would normally expect.

The decision to send your child back to school is yours and I totally respect any decision you take at this challenging time we are all faced with.

Key Worker & Vulnerable Children ● Key Worker children need to kindly inform the school via our office email (office@sherbornepri.dorset.sch.uk) at least a week in advance to book this ongoing provision, limiting to ONLY the time when there is no other choice to send your child to school (Years 2, 3, 4 & 5 as the others will be at school) ● Key Workers, please inform the school by WEDNESDAY 20th MAY (8pm) to book a place from Wednesday 3rd June onwards (this will then be bookable a week in advance; once again so that we can staff appropriate) ● Vulnerable children will be invited to attend as before, with most only attending part-time / some days of the week to reduce numbers (& so the risk of cross infection on site). A member of staff will discuss this with individual families In order for us to move forward, we need an idea of how many children we are preparing for. If all the eligible children attend, we would be expecting 170+ each day. This requires management of large-scale risk and extremely careful planning. I hope you all know by now that my utmost priority is the safety of the children and staff and I will be making every decision in the best interests of our school community.

The next step to aid me in my planning and preparation is to find out if you wish for your child to return to school from the 1st of June.

I need to know a definitive answer by Wednesday 20th May (8pm) if you wish your child to return to school (and are within Year R / Year 1 / Year 6 or meet the criteria for a Key Worker or Vulnerable Child).

Please communicate this via this link:

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 https://forms.gle/S7yD2Bnt1Kv8CEnQA I will then send further communication to parents / carers for our reopening plans linked to the government recommendations. Please be aware that these are ever changing times and we all need to be flexible. Thank you for being so supportive and we all sincerely hope you are all safe and well Yours sincerely,

Ian Bartle (Headteacher)

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