Opening to Government identified year groups 

(Draft plan until the end of the summer term and based on the new DfE guidance)

 

Remote learning

School remains open to all children for remote learning.  It is essential to all of our children.    

 

Uniform- Children attending on-site will wear school uniform.  This is to help our children to return to being on-site and help them to return to our expectations of behaviour.  But if school shoes do not fit, then they can wear alternative footwear until the end of term as shopping is difficult.

 

Nursery/KEEP

It is not possible to socially distance Nursery age children, even in small groups.  Therefore for health and safety reasons, the Nursery and KEEP will not offer provision on site before the summer holidays.

 

Reception

It is incredibly difficult to socially distance small children.  The DfE health and safety guidance is detailed.  Therefore no more than 6 children will access each class setting at a time, on a rota.  Further information about what the on-site provision for Reception will look like is in Appendix A here. 

 

Year 1  

It is incredibly difficult to socially distance small children.  The DfE health and safety guidance is detailed.  Therefore no more than 6 children will access each class setting at a time, on a rota.  Further information about what onsite provision for Year 1 will look like is in Appendix B here. 

 

Year 6

It is easier to socially distance older children, as long as they are in socially distanced groups.  We can socially distance 12 children in a classroom.  Therefore 12 children in each class at a time, will be able to attend on a rota.  Further information about onsite provision for Year 6 will look like, is in appendix C here.

 

Staff returning to on-site

All staff without health risks will come into school in small groups on Monday 1st June and Tuesday 2nd June.  This will be for training, support, guidance, discussion and advice.  It is essential that we do this before groups of children join us.  

 

Start dates, location and staffing for each year group

These cannot be confirmed until the Government confirms that the science says schools should definitely begin to open for face to face provision.  If this is safe from June 1st, then proposed dates are below.  But these are subject to change and continual review.

 

Which children will come in and when

If all children in the year groups below decide to return to the school site, then their teachers will put them into groups, with as equal a split of girls and boys as possible to reduce the number of children accessing the toilets.  We will be sending a survey to parents. Once parents indicate if their child will return before the summer, then we will be able to create final groupings and rotas for each year coming onsite.

 

Opening hours

Children in each year group on site will attend either between 9.45am and 11.45am or between 10am and 12pm. 

For example:

RD 9.45am and 11.45am     RA 10am and 12pm

This 2 hour session means that children and staff will not need a break or lunch provision.  Safety is our absolute priority, especially during this early phase of opening our site.

I am also only offering 2 hours so that children can return home and complete their remote learning in the afternoon.

 

Year 6 – Wednesday 3rd June  

The first Y6 children will be on site from June 1st.  

They will be with Mrs Brown and Mr Routledge, as their class teachers cannot be on site.  They are devastated.  They will have a video presence in the classroom and an online presence for remote learning.

They will be taught in the Y6 classrooms they are usually in and the IT suite. This is important for their emotional well-being, if their return is to be meaningful at this stage in their school career.  

They will be doing things related to the end of their primary school journey, sports and mindfulness activities.  There will be a real focus on doing leavers related activities, like creating leaver books.  This will also involve children who do not come into school.  They will have the best end of Y6 we can manage. 

We will actively support Y6 children who do not come on site, to fully participate in any leavers activities so that no-one misses out. 

 

Reception class – Wednesday 3rd June  

The first Reception children will be onsite from June 3rd.  

They will be with a small team of staff from the EYFS building like Mrs Laidman, Mrs Fleming, Mrs Henderson and Miss Owen, who are all familiar faces to our youngest children returning.  Their class teachers cannot be on site.  They are devastated.  They will have a video presence in the classroom and an online presence for remote learning.

They will be taught in their usual classrooms.  This is all very important for their emotional well-being.

These 6 children in each classroom will have a structured 2 hour session, with a mixture of outdoor time and guided group activities, which will focus on social interaction and well-being.  This structure will prevent the need for the children having ‘free access’ to their classroom space and objects until the summer holidays, during this early opening of the site.  

In the last 2 weeks, the children will begin to move into the Year 1 classrooms and use the Y1 entrance.  They may also spend some time with their teachers for September.  This will aid transition for September.

 

Year 1 – Monday 8th June  

The first Year 1 children will be on site from June 8th.  

They will be with their class teachers, alongside Mrs Taylor and Mrs Wright some of the time.  As these are the staff Year 1 children are used to, then instead of being in their usual classrooms, they will move into Y2 classrooms.  This means they can use a different entrance and a different part of the main building to Y6.  This will also aid their transition into Year 2.

These 6 children in each classroom will have a structured 2 hour session, with a mixture of outdoor time and guided group activities, which will focus on social interaction and well-being.  This structure will prevent the need for the children having ‘free access’ to their classroom space and objects until the summer holidays, during this early opening of the site.

  

In the last 2 weeks, Year 1 children may also spend some time with their teachers for September.  This will also aid transition for September.

 

What next?

We have no idea and no control over events related to COVID 19.  It could be that this plan does not happen, if it is not appropriate to proceed.  We need to be told we can go ahead.  We also don’t know for sure how this plan will unfold. But I do have confidence that this plan will work for us.  I will of course keep in touch with all parents, as the weeks go on. 

   

Remote learning – School has been open throughout for learning.  This will continue and it is now even more important that children who are engaging less often than others, now do so.  Or it WILL impact on their future.   

 

Other year groups – I will update you if there are any plans for other year groups as the weeks go one. But I have to be honest, that there are no significant plans that they will be.  What we may be able to offer is some time towards the very end of the term, during afternoons, for some time in school and transition. 

 

Children or staff with a cough or any other symptoms

If at any point anyone has even mild symptoms, then they will be sent home.  We will follow the guidance for schools on what to do.  We will share this guidance on our website for you.  But it will be OUR decision to send anyone home.  Even if a parent feels this is unnecessary.  We will NOT TAKE ANY risks.

 

We will send parents in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 a short survey to let us know your thoughts and to indicate if you will be sending your chidlren in to school.  This is a decision for each parent to make.

 

Take care,

Kate Byrne