Re-opened school – first few days
Dear Parents/Carers,
We are now 3 days into the return to school and I just wanted to update you on how things are going. I think it’s fair to say so far so good. The new procedures around social distancing that we’ve put in place are working well, routines of regular handwashing are being followed, etc. I really can’t speak too highly about the children, they have coped with the situation better than we could ever have expected. It is clear to see that parents have spoken to the children about the importance of distancing, handwashing, etc., and they have followed the new rules wonderfully well. I would like to thank parents and carers for sticking to the procedures around staggered opening/pick-ups, packed lunches, etc. – it really has helped to make these first few days run smoothly. Thank you also to all school staff, who have brought a wonderful air of normality to a very abnormal situation. Their determination to make things work, to do their very best for the children and to do it with a smile on their faces has been a pleasure to see.
So, to next week and beyond. We have had no new guidelines from Government about opening school to other year groups. As I said last week, it won’t be possible to bring other year groups into school, alongside Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, and maintain social distancing, as we just don’t have the space. I have heard suggestions of some kind of rota system for year groups, but nothing definite. So next week, school will be open again for Nursery, Reception, Year 1, Year 6 and keyworker children. If parents of children in these groups are making any changes to children’s attendance that is different from this week, please can you let school know by 12.00pm on Friday, as it just makes organising for next week a little easier.
One change we would like to make next week is around cleaning. County have provided schools with a daily classroom cleaning checklist, to be used during the day, which is now being used throughout school. We are continually looking at the effectiveness of cleaning routines and procedures, as we are well aware that this is vital to keeping everyone in school safe. We do feel that, in addition to rigorous daily cleaning, all our classrooms need to be deep cleaned every week. I have spoken to our cleaning team and we have agreed that the best time to do this would be Friday afternoon. Clearly it isn’t possible to do this with children still in classes, so from next Friday, 12th June, school will close at 12.00pm for Year 1, 12.15pm for Nursery and Reception, and 12.30pm for Year 6 and keyworker children. This will then ensure that school is as clean and safe as possible for the following Monday.
Thank you again for your help and support with all we are asking you to do. We know that organising work, child care, etc. isn’t easy, but the safety of everyone in school has to come first.
Please stay safe and well.
Yours sincerely,
Mr. Johnson
