If your child is in Year 6, please complete this quick return to school survey:
St Oswald’s – Return to School – Year 6
Dear Parents/Carers of year 6,
Hope you are all well and enjoying the sunshine, it really helps to cheer us all up!
I’m sure you are aware that there is still lots of uncertainty regarding the potential opening of schools. Although we are not certain about lots of things, I have to plan ahead as if our year 6 are coming back to us in late June. There are many factors to consider ensuring the safety and wellbeing of everyone in school including staff availability, usable space around school, toilet and handwashing facilities, staggered lunchbreaks and picking up and dropping off systems.
In my main letter to school I tried to be very honest with you and prepare you and your children for a very different school experience, this is particularly sad for your children as they will not be with us for very long before going on to their secondary school of choice. I had hoped that some of the secondary schools might have used the closure of their schools to all other children as an opportunity to offer transition to their new Y6/7 pupils but it would seem not.
Our risk assessments that we are carrying out at the moment are dependent on lots of different scenarios’ but the main one is how many children we need to prepare for. I know that lots of families have not yet made the final decision about sending their children back into school, and there is no legal obligation for you to do so, however I wanted to do a rough estimate which might aid our plans.
What we do know is:
- Children taught in groups no bigger than 15 (bubble)
- Bubbles will be linked to friendships where possible.
- Staff may be different from their usual ones
- The 15 child bubble will not be able to mix with other bubbles
- Each bubble of children will be in a separate teaching area that might not be their own classroom
- Lunch and playtime will be different for each bubble
- No football, contact games or large play equipment.
- No bags other than disposable lunch bags allowed.
- Behaviour expectations will be very strict, social distancing non-negotiable.
- School will be set up with markers to enforce distance in queues and lining up.
- Children’s arrival and end of day may have to differ from the usual times
- Uniforms will not be compulsory to assist you with frequent washing.
- Children should wear clean clothes each day.
- Cleaning regimes will involve the children looking after and cleaning their own equipment
Some of you may find these measures reassuring and others not. I apologise, my aim is to be clear so that you have all the information to make informed choices around your child’s safety. What I can tell you in honesty is that it is going to be very challenging enforcing these rules with your children, they do not fully understand the urgency of not touching and being hygienic.
The planned protective measures are aimed at minimising risk as far as can be reasonably practicable.
What I can promise will be a big welcome back, staff have missed all our children and each other, our joint aspiration is for school to return to some normality while accepting it is going to be a very different place for a long time.
I would be grateful if you could help me and the staff in planning ahead by indicating if you are sending your children back to school. This is not binding, just a scoping exercise to give us indicative numbers.
Please continue to keep us all in your thoughts and prayers, as we continue to work together through these challenging times.
Kind regards
Mrs Walsh
Headteacher