Dear Parents,
Before I set out the arrangements for the rest of the summer term, I would like to thank you for your support and understanding throughout the first half of term. It has been quite a journey for all of us as we have adjusted to online learning. The teachers have thrown themselves into unfamiliar territory with real commitment and creativity. I am so proud of them and of the tremendous work the children have produced under your guidance. I know that this has been a challenging time for families who have had to juggle childcare, work commitments and online learning.
The government has said that schools should open for nursery, reception, Year 1 and Year 6 classes from 1st June at the earliest. We know that children thrive when they are happy at school with their friends and teachers, so we want to see them back at school as soon as possible. Behind the scenes we have been planning for a June return, following the latest government guidance. Although we would like to invite our Year 2 children back, we are not permitted to do so at present.
Please also note that if the government changes its mind over the earliest re-opening date for schools, we will be forced to postpone our opening until directed to do so.
We have put detailed safeguarding and hygiene measures in place in order to minimise the risk of children and adults contracting coronavirus. In addition to social distancing and enhanced cleaning, we are creating small classes often referred to as 'pods' or 'bubbles'. Class groups will be separated from one-another and the playground will be divided into two physically separated areas. Adults from one class will not mix with adults from another. The children will be taught (weather permitting) under gazebos in the open air.
Although we would prefer to welcome all of our children back for a full school week, we simply cannot create two groups of children from the same class and teach them simultaneously. Our main constraint is teacher numbers as we only have three full-time teachers at the Upper School and Aisha is fully occupied teaching her Year 2 class online. The most workable option for us is to teach each group for two consecutive days per week, either on a Monday and Tuesday or a Thursday and Friday. Rather than teaching children for four half-days, either morning or afternoon, we felt that two full days would give parents enough time to focus on work. More importantly, half-days would entail an unfeasible amount of cleaning between groups in the middle of the day.
The school will be deep cleaned by staff between groups, on Wednesdays and on Friday afternoons. Teachers will plan and prepare resources on Wednesdays. The teaching and learning during the two days in which your child is at school will be intense. There will not be any educational visits or specialist teaching (such as music, PE, art, dance, violin or Spanish) taking place on-site this term and playtimes have been reduced to an absolute minimum of 20 minutes each. All class time will therefore be focused on maths, English and topic, including history, geography and science. There will be a great deal of academic work covered in the two school days. Maths and English work will be sent home in paper form, along with a topic project for non-school days. Singing, music appreciation, violin and dance lessons will continue to be uploaded onto Seesaw.
Below are details of the way in which we will operate. In the meantime, it will be helpful if you can begin to prepare your child for a positive return to school. We want to diminish the potential stress of returning to a changed school environment after such a long break. The staff will be familiar to your child, but classrooms will be less so, with carpets, soft toys and cushions removed. You will also have to prepare your child for a relatively swift goodbye at the gate or door. The first few days might be difficult, so the better prepared everyone is, the smoother the transition will be.
When we return to school the staff will have to become familiar with and implement an entirely new way of operating. This will allow us to open as safely as possible, focusing on measures that will help limit the risk of coronavirus transmitting within The Children's House. Children have been at home for a long time and will have to adjust to a socially distanced day. The return to school should be as gentle and manageable as possible for everyone, so I have decided to stagger the children's return during the first week. Staff will have a two-day induction inset at the beginning of the week and will finish re-organising the school on the Wednesday. Teachers will upload activities onto Seesaw for 1 - 3 June but will not be free to respond to messages.
On Thursday 4th June Group A children will come into school for one day only. On Friday 5th June Group Z children will come into school for one day. The school will be thoroughly cleaned at the end of Thursday 4th and Friday 5th June in readiness for the next group. Our new timetable will begin on Monday 8th June.
It goes without saying that the safety of your child and of our staff is our top priority. We are doing our utmost to limit the possibility of viral transmission at school, but our ability to remain open is dependent on us not having an outbreak. Please help us by following government guidelines on social distancing as best you can outside our school setting as well. Most importantly I would ask anyone who is displaying coronavirus symptoms, or who lives with someone who does, not to attend school. If you or a member of your household has a vulnerability and you have chosen to send your child to school, we encourage you to tell us so that we can take this into account.
I hope I have covered most aspects of our return in the information below, but if you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me. Enjoy the beautiful weather that has been forecast for the rest of half-term and I look forward to seeing you soon.
Warm regards,
Kate