Dear Parents/Carers,
I hope you have all had a good summer and that your children are now excited to be starting the next chapter in their education. We are certainly excited to be welcoming them back to school!
The following information is for parents of Reception age children in both classes. I will provide specific information for the Year One children in Earls Hill at the end of this post.
Arrangements for school drop off were detailed in the letters you received. Parents will need to follow the one way system from the Middleton Road Green gate. A member of staff will be there to greet and direct you. Please follow the path around, past the Nursery onto the Reception playground where myself and Mrs Meddins will be waiting to greet you and your child. Drop off will be at 8.50am. As you hand your child to a teacher, we will be checking who will be collecting them and asking for a password. This is a safety precaution to keep your child safe until we become familiar with all of you.
We understand that this may be an emotional time for both you and your child, but we ask for your support in trying to encourage your child to enter the building as quickly and smoothly as possible. Staff inside will welcome and help your child to wash their hands and hang up their coats. Both classes have set up a waving window where your child can stand to wave goodbye to you as you continue to follow the one way system off the school site, exiting at the Beech Grove gate.
Please be assured, our experienced staff will do everything we can to settle your child and support them if they are upset. If a child becomes very emotional, and will not settle after a period of time, we will phone you to discuss the best course of action.
Collection for week one is at 11.45am. Children will need to be collected from the ‘Giraffe Entrance’ found along the KS1 corridor. Please enter the school site from the Middleton Road entrance, and follow the instructions from school staff. There will be a clear one way system in place again. As you approach the door, we will ask who you are collecting and what the password is. We will then call your child to join you and walk to the exit located at the Beech Grove gate.
The Government provides free school meals for school age children in Reception and KS1. For the next week, we will be sending your child home with a school packed lunch in a paper bag. The following week, when they are in school for their lunch and from then on, they will have a hot meal provided.
Children will not have a PE session during the first two weeks. They do not need a book bag or snack. They will need a named water bottle. Please send in named sun hats if it looks to be a warm day and coats if it is chilly or wet. We will be spending a considerable amount of time outdoors, please ensure clothing is practical and easily washable!
We understand that young children do have ‘accidents’ occasionally. Staff are experienced at following our intimate care policy. We do have a very small supply of spare clothes at school, but please send in some spares with your child. Please put these in a named bag which can remain on their coat peg or in their tray until needed. Staff will follow the Covid – 19 school risk assessment, which follows government guidelines and so will wear PPE to clean your child and change their clothes.
The drop off information above is also applicable for those children in Year One. However, from Monday they will be accessing a full day of provision. At the end of the day (3.20pm) please enter the school site as usual from Middleton Road, and follow the same one way system as in the morning. Children will be exiting from the Earls Hill Classroom door.
Year One children will be provided with a school meal or you are welcome to provide a packed lunch if your child prefers this. Again, no PE for the first week but we will be accessing lots of outdoor provision, so please dress your child in weather appropriate practical clothing. Year One do not need book bags initially, but will need a named water bottle. We will provide snack as in Reception.
Staff in Early Years and Key Stage One are wearing face shields as an added safety precaution. The nature of young children is that they find social distancing difficult. We will encourage them to maintain their distance as best they can, although the government guidelines state that young children do not have to socially distance from peers in their classes. Hand washing and sanitizing will be carried out on entry into school and on leaving. They will also wash or sanitize regularly throughout the session, including before and after eating or drinking and before and after accessing outdoor provision.
I have provided a great deal of information here. Staff will be on hand to guide and help you.
We look forward to greeting you and your child at 8.50am on Monday morning. I hope you have a lovely weekend!
Mrs Allcock
EYFS Lead Teacher
