In line with the Government’s plans we are looking forward to welcoming all of our pupils back to school on Monday 8th March 2021. It will be lovely to have everyone back in school every day and our teachers have planned lots of interesting learning to help your children when they return to school. If your child has a school Chromebook they need to bring it back to school with them every day because they can be used at school and at home.
Arrangements for the start and end of the school day
The beginning and end of the school day are the busiest times for children and adults congregating together in one place and maintaining safe distances within normal arrangements can be a challenge.
For this reason, from 8th March onwards we will continue to have our staggered start and finish times. These will remain the same as they were during Autumn term. I would like to reassure you that the safety of our school community is our priority. All children will need to stay in school until their class finish time so that they receive their full learning time, so children will not be able to leave early with a younger sibling. The staggered start and finish times are as follows:
Nursery = 8:45am drop-off and 11:45am collection from the side walkway and EY quad area. 3:15pm finish for Nursery pupils accessing 30-hours provision. Please leave via the car park so nobody passes on the narrow path.
Reception = 8:55am drop-off and 3:15pm collection from the side walkway and EY quad area. Please leave via the car park so nobody passes on the narrow path.
Y1 = 9:05am drop-off and 3:25pm collection from the Y1 classroom. Please leave via the car park so nobody passes on the narrow path.
Y2 = 9:15am drop-off and 3:35pm collection from the Y2 classroom. Please leave via the car park so nobody passes on the narrow path.
Y3 = 8:45am drop-off and 3:15pm collection from the KS2 yard directly into the Y3 classroom. Please leave via the exit gate onto North Terrace.
Y4 = 8:55am drop-off and 3:25pm collection from the KS2 yard. Please leave via the exit gate onto North Terrace.
Y5 = 9:05am drop-off and 3:35pm collection from the KS2 yard. Please leave via the exit gate onto North Terrace.
Y6 = 9:15am drop-off and 3:45pm collection from the KS2 yard directly into the Y6 classroom. Please leave via the exit gate onto North Terrace.
Safety is our absolute priority. All pupils must be brought to school and collected by only one adult each day, so that nobody is mixing with people from another social bubble. We ask you to be respectful and not congregate on our school yard or at our gates at all. Any parents found doing this may be refused further entry as we must be able to keep all our school community as safe as possible. Please do not wait at the KS2 gate for your child to be sent to you, all adults need to come into the school grounds following the one-way system to collect their child. All adults entering our site must wear a face covering unless you have a medical reason not to.
Maintaining a safe school environment
I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the preventative measures the school has put in place in order to minimise the spread of infection.
As per the advice from the government, the following actions for infection control remain in place:
Displaying coronavirus infection control measures information posters around the school
Encouraging good hygiene by promoting the importance of handwashing for at least 20 seconds with warm water and soap in the following circumstances:
Using the hand sanitiser available at all entrances, the hall and all classrooms that contain at least 70 percent alcohol
Ensuring pupils and staff understand that they must cover their cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue away
Ensuring frequently touched objects and surfaces are cleaned and disinfected more regularly than usual
Calling home for the child to be collected if someone becomes unwell, isolating any unwell people in a separate room, and providing a separate bathroom, where possible
All following social distancing when on the school site
As an important part of our school community, I would ask that you continue to encourage good infection control practices, such as thorough handwashing at home and keep your child informed about the things they can do to discourage the spread of infection.
As per the current NHS and government advice, you should keep your child at home if they develop coronavirus symptoms. Symptoms include a high temperature or a new, continuous cough. If someone in your child’s household has symptoms, your child must self-isolate for 10 days from the day the other person’s symptoms started. This is because it can take 10 days for symptoms to appear. More information regarding symptoms and actions can be found on the NHS website (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/).
If you think your child may have been exposed to or has coronavirus, please contact the school on 0191 6053407 at the earliest opportunity.
If your child has come into close contact at school with someone who has tested positive we will close the bubble and they must self-isolate at home for 10 days. They will only need to take a test if they then show any of the symptoms themselves. We will provide work online on Google Classroom (Y1 – Y6) or Tapestry (Early Years) and also post work to your home if this is your preferred method so that your child carries on with their learning. As a school, it will remain at our discretion to ask for pupils to be collected if they are showing any of the main symptoms so that we can protect the rest of our school community as best as possible. Thank you.
Arrangements for breaktimes and lunchtimes
We recognise the importance for all pupils to have a break from learning and to enjoy time outside during the school day. Reconnecting with friends will be an important aspect of pupils settling back into school life, but we have made some adjustments to break and lunch times.
Hot lunches will be cooked in our kitchen and delivered to the classrooms by our lunchtime supervisors for those who are entitled to FSM and those who pay for school lunches. Lunches can be paid via Joinos for pupils in KS2 who do not qualify for free school meals. Please ask at our office for more details of this. If children bring a packed lunch from home it must be in fully disposable packaging and cannot return home.
PE
All pupils need to continue to wear their PE kit all day on the day they have PE so can wear a hoodie or sweatshirt over the top to keep them warm. Many PE sessions will take place outside so I am also happy for them to wear plain, dark tracksuit bottoms for PE and keep their jumper on. The PE timetable until Easter is as follows:
Y1 – Mondays and Tuesdays
Y2 – Tuesdays and Fridays
Y3 – Wednesdays and Thursdays
Y4 – Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Y5 – Wednesdays and Thursdays
Y6 – Fridays (double session)
On the days that they don't have PE they need to wear their school uniform so that it helps to settle them back into a school routine quickly. If you need some support with school uniform please give us a call so we can organise for your child to have a spare one from school.
Support for pupils and families
We do not underestimate how difficult the recent months have been for us all and we all will have been touched in some way by the coronavirus pandemic. We recognise the need to focus on pupils’ emotional wellbeing as well as their return to learning.
Parents/carers may wish to seek support for themselves from the following support agencies:
Samaritans – call free 24 hours a day on 116 123
National Domestic Abuse Helpline – call for free and confidential advice, 24 hours a day on 0808 2000 247
Shelter provide free confidential information, support and legal advice on all housing and homelessness issues if you call 0330 0536 083 (please note, this is not a free phone number and your call will be charged). A free webchat is available at https://england.shelter.org.uk/get_help/webchat
Contact with school and the main school office
Parents/carers still cannot come beyond the school entrance, so please can we encourage you to communicate only via telephone 0191 6053407 , email office@wallsendstpeters.org.uk and post at our school address until further notice. If you wish to speak with the class teacher or Head Teacher, please make an appointment where this can take place via telephone outside of school hours.
Office staff will not take in any bags, drinks or packed lunches to pass to children, so we can avoid any cross-contamination. Please do not ask them to do this, thank you.
I hope that these arrangements provide you with the information you need to support your child to return to school on 8th March. I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for supporting the school over recent weeks and supporting your child with their home learning.