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Friday 10th July 2020
September School Re-Opening Update
Dear Parent/Carer,
As you will be aware there has now been guidance issued for the FULL re-opening of schools in September and we cannot wait to welcome everyone back, including those new to our school!
As a school we are in the process of carefully planning for September for the reopening, ensuring that we do this as safely as possible, following the guidance that has been given to us by the DfE, and also the Trust. The safety of pupils and staff will be our primary concern in this planning process and will remain so throughout.
Our plans will be carefully looked at by the Trust on Tuesday 14th July allowing me to then share them with you on Wednesday.
In the meantime, here is some useful information that I can share with you now and will help you and your child prepare for September.
In September ……………….
Start Date
Children start back on Thursday 3rd September. ALL children are expected to return on this day unless they have been given a different starting date by the school. Reception children will be staggered in over three days in order to support a smooth transition into full time school from nursery.
Uniform
Children will be expected to wear the academy’s school uniform. If you would like to order one online with the school’s logo on, please go to https://www.schooltrends.co.uk/ and search ‘Easterside Academy’. The navy uniform can also be bought at any local supermarket.
Children will be encouraged to come to school in their PE kit on their PE days to minimise risk of transmission of the virus. We will let you know your child’s PE days on their return in September.
Hand Sanitiser
Children DO NOT need to bring in their own hand sanitiser.
As a school we have plenty of hand sanitiser in ALL classrooms as well as at stations around the school, including outside the dinner hall.
Children will be told to wash their hands and sanitise regularly throughout the day.
Breakfast Club Provision
There will be no breakfast club provision in school immediately. This will be something we are constantly reviewing and once we feel we are able to provide the service safely under the guidance given, we will let parents / carers know.
Our priority is firstly getting everyone safely and settled back into school.
National Breakfast Programme
Our school has signed up to receive free healthy breakfast food as part of the Covid response offer, under the National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP), which is being delivered by the charities Family Action and Magic Breakfast.
We will start the provision week beginning 14th September.
We will be providing ALL pupils with bagels each morning on entry to school if they would like one.
The benefits of a healthy breakfast include children being settled and ready to learn at the start of the day.
Start Times / Collection Times
We will be encouraging a staggered approach to ‘drop off’ and ‘pick up’ times. This is in line with the DfE guidance. To reduce congregating or having to ‘hang around’ on the yard for different class start/finish times, we have decided to continue to use the approach we are using now which has been working well.
Start Times:
Children with surnames A-L to arrive between 8:45 and 9:00.
Children with surnames M-Z between 9:00 and 9:15.
Pick Up Times:
Children with surnames A-L to leave between 2:45 and 3:00.
Children with surnames M-Z between 3:00 – 3:15.
If you have children with different surnames then just pick either time to arrive – it’s more important that things are staggered than the exact grouping.
ONLY ONE ADULT should bring children to school and pick up. This is to reduce the number of people on site over this period-of-time. We understand that some of you may have other children that you will need to bring along with you.
Medication
If your child requires medication please bring to the main office labelled on their first day back.
If your child has an inhaler, please pass to your child’s class teacher labelled.
Any child with asthma will only be allowed to remain in school with a current inhaler.
Visitors / Parents / Carers in School
No visitors, parents / carers will be able to come into school without a prior appointment. This is in line with the DfE / Trust Guidance.
If you need to speak to a member of staff, please call the main office.
Thank you for your patience in this matter.
Behaviour Policy
As we welcome pupils back, we have reviewed and made changes to our behaviour policy in light of COVID 19. This includes changes to our procedures for ‘reflection’ and ‘time and space’ ensuring we are observing social distancing; as well as sanctions being given for pupils not following social distancing procedures within school that could put others at risk.
A copy of the policy can be found on the academy’s website under ‘Important Information’ and ‘Policies’.
School Dinners
We will be serving school dinners as usual with both a hot and cold option.
More details of how lunchtimes will be ran will follow next Wednesday as well as pricing.
All Reception / KS1 pupils are entitled to a Universal Free School Meal.
Contact Numbers
Please make sure we have your up-to-date contact numbers.
If they have changed over the closure period, please phone the main office.
Please look out for further September information next Wednesday.
Anxious Children
It is important to start talking to your child about their return to school. We understand that some children will be very anxious and we will do all we can to alleviate these fears on their return.
Following my letter on Wednesday, you will also be able to talk to your child about how some things may be a little bit different when they return. I will try to make these points clear in my next letter so you can discuss them with your child.
I will use this icon next to information / points that would be good to share and talk about with your child.
I will also be writing to the children next week.
We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back in September! J
Best Wishes,
D. Linacre
Mrs D Linacre
Principal