IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL PARENTS AND CARERS
STARTING BACK TO SCHOOL INFORMATION -Monday 8th March
We will be opening the school to all parents on Monday 8th March. We have all been very excited since the announcement, and have relooked at our procedures and what we need to put in place, within the new guidelines.
DROPPING OFF AND PICKING UP
We will continue to have our one way system in place. There will be two entrances to the school and one exit.
Entrance 1: The small blue pedestrian gate on the approach to school.
Entrance 2: The pool gate in between the infant school and the junior school. To use this gate, parents must use the Free Street entrance on to the junior school and only walk on the path, not cut across the field. Mr Campbell is happy for this route to be used, and the scaffolding has now started to come down , making the access easier for all again. Both entrances will be manned to ensure entry only (not exit).
Exit
Year R and Year 2 will exit through the blue gates and down the ramp. Year 1 will exit through the car park, if Mrs Ely is available to man. It is a live car park and parents will need to walk near the grass verge, with their children near at all times.
At all points around the school, children need to walk with their parents, not run on ahead.
Masks are to be worn by all adults.
To limit adult contact it is 1 adult per group of children (family group/childcare group).
Drop off and pick up will need to be brief, with parents 2m away from doors. If you need to pass a message on/would like to speak to a teacher, please telephone/email and a member of staff will get back to you.
Timings
There will be a 10 minute drop/off pick up time for each year group. Please do not come onto site before the allocated time. Gates will be locked between the timings.
Year R:
Morning: 8.45am-8.55am
Afternoon: 2.45pm-2.55pm
Year 1 and 2:
Morning: 9.05am-9.15am
Afternoon: 3.05pm-3.15pm
Children will need to adhere to their own time slots. With children in different schools, we understand that there maybe waiting/overlap. This is unfortunately unavoidable. We will reassess the school routine at Easter Break.
Please maintain social distancing at all times when on the school site.
What will my child need to bring?
Please bring a water bottle, lunchbox (if needed), a coat/sunhat (depending on weather) and their book bag. Fruit snacks will be provided. Please put sunscreen on, if the day is sunny.
Children will need to be in school uniform, unless it is their PE day, when they can come in PE clothes. From now until September, our shoe policy is relaxed. Children can either wear school shoes or trainers, Footwear needs to be suitable for running around and outdoor learning (not thin canvas shoes as these become soaked when on wet grass). If children are wearing school shoes, they will need to leave a pair of trainers in school/bring a pair, in case we are running around.
PE days:
Mon:Year 1
Tues: Year 2
Thurs: Year R
What will happen at lunch time?
We will continue to have lunch in our class bubbles. There will be three options for school lunch. The menu is under 'school menus' under the parent tab. You can being a packed lunch if you would like to.
Are Early Birds and Treetops clubs running, before and after school?
Yes, both clubs are running as normal from Monday 8th March. They will be running from the hall. Year group bubble will still be kept apart, as per the government guidelines for the club. Please explain this to your children, if using the clubs.
What will the curriculum look like?
Our curriculum will continue to be taught through our projects and will be broad and balanced. We will continue to update to Tapestry in all Year Groups and parents can also update to tapestry too. The Year R curriculum, where observations are part of the EYFS curriculum, there will be more updates than in other year groups. Children will be assessed and taught appropriately, ensuring and knowledge/skills gaps are taught. Our teachers work as year teams and moderate regularly between themselves to ensure all classes have the same teaching, experiences and resources.
We will also be revisiting our Learning Values and Badger Values, to revisit school expectations with the children.
What about my child's mental health and well being?
From our remote learning questionnaire feedback, we looked for ways that we could further develop well being in BWIS.
As part of our whole school, well-being approach we are introducing Trick Box, which is a fun and effective personal development programme, to help children to;
Build confidence
Manage emotions and anxiety
Develop communication skills
Make positive choices about actions
Coach themselves through challenges
From Reception to Year 2 your child will be introduced to 12 'tricks' and a simple self-coaching model called the Letter Box, designed to give them positive habits for life. We'll be practising the tricks at school and it would be great if you could also practise these tricks at home with your child. There are 12 more tricks in the Trick Box to help your child now or during their school journey as juniors.
You will find more information about Trickbox at:
This will be a new approach for us and we are busy training and looking at ways we can introduce this with our children.
What can I do to help?
Being at home, children will not have been handwashing as regularly as they will at school. We will be giving lots of reminders, but if you could talk to your children about this too, this will really help.
We will not be mixing class bubbles inside, but children will be mixing outside in their year group at play/lunch times. Children will have their own space to sit, like last term. One thing we did notice, when we came back in September, was how much time we spent explaining playground rules ie. only jump where it is safe to, using equipment appropriately (ie not climbing on musical instruments and playhouse roofs). If you could also talk to your children about how school and home are different, as they are so young, this will help us too.
What do I do if my child or a household member displays COVID-19 symptoms?
The main symptoms of coronavirus are:
- a high temperature
- a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot, for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
- a loss or change to sense of smell or taste – this means they cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
If your child/member of your household develops any of these symptoms, please follow the NHS advice:
- Get a test to check if they have coronavirus as soon as possible.
- You, your child and anyone else you live with should stay at home and not have visitors until you get the test result – only leave your home to have the test.
Anyone in your support bubble should also stay at home if your child has been in close contact with them since their symptoms started or during the 48 hours before they started.
If the test is positive, please contact the school immediately by telephone in school hours and QR code on Parent Information page, out of school hours, so that we can put our Track and Trace into place.
For advice on what to do please click on either link below:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/coronavirus-in-children/
What happens if we have to isolate/a bubble has to isolate?
Don't worry! We will be updating our remote learning plan, to ensure children are educated throughout.
I know there is a lot of information to take in on here, and I hope that I have covered everything. We are looking forward to seeing you all so much. If there is any aspect of the start back, you need further clarification on, please don't hesitate to get in touch. It has been a really tough few months for parents and we are under no illusion that this has been easy for anybody. Life is not yet back to 'normal'. We are still under lockdown regulations, with our lives being very different for a while yet. Many parents have found ways to cope, whilst many are struggling. We hope you have felt supported by us and remember we are here to offer advice/support as well as teach.
You have all been truly amazing throughout the lockdown. Thank you for your messages, goodies and support for both your children and us. I cannot end this message without mentioning our AMAZING school team at BWIS. We are learning all the time, developing new skills and knowledge month after month. Our teachers, LSAs, office staff, cleaning team, lunch staff and kitchen staff have worked incredibly hard to make everything run as smoothly as it possibly can, and will continue to do so. It all looks easy from the outside, and it can only look like this with everyone giving 100%. I am very proud of our whole team and would like all the parents and carers to know that your children are really and truly at the heart of BWIS. They drive every decision, and are always at the forethought of all we do.
Hopefully, schools are a very small step towards normality and seeing family and friends soon.
Best wishes
Mrs Riches
Headteacher
