11th June 2020

FS2 (Reception) Information on returning to Hexthorpe

Dear Parent/Carer,

We are so looking forward to welcoming your child back to school for the remainder of this school year. As you will be aware, due to Covid-19/Coronavirus, we have had to make lots of changes to how we would normally work. It is important that we all follow these changes so that we can keep your child, you, your family, all of our staff and the wider community as safe as possible during these difficult and unprecedented times.

Which class will my child be in and what will it look like?The children have all been placed in much smaller groups. We are calling the groups/classes Pods. Your child may not be working with exactly the same staff that they worked with before, but they do know the adults that they are with. There are no more than 8 children in each pod, with 3 adults allocated to each room. Children will be based in their allocated room and will not move to different rooms or mix with other pods during the day. Children will have allocated time throughout the day outdoors. We will ring you, next week, to inform you which pod your child will be in ready for them returning to school on Monday 22nd June 2020.

Sun Stream Pod Mrs Allen/Mrs Potter, Mrs Smith and Mrs StevensonSun Castle Pod Mrs Higham, Mrs Ward and Miss NielsonSun Chariot Pod Mrs Hunt, Mrs Jackson and Miss Dorley

We know that, unlike older children and adults, children in the early years cannot be expected to remain 2 metres apart from each other and staff at all times therefore we have put a number of measures in place to ensure that contact is reduced as far as possible. Our Reception environment has been rearranged to ensure that the sharing of toys and resources is reduced. All surfaces that children and staff are touching such as toys, books, doors, sinks, toilets and light switches will be cleaned regularly throughout the session. Children will wash their hands on entry to school, regularly through the session and before they leave school for home. Each child has a new water bottle (that school has provided) and a personal box of tissues. Your child is not allowed to bring any toys or equipment from home.

Will all children in nursery, reception, year 1 and year 6 come to school and go home at the same time?No, each year group will have its own start and end time and set entrances and exits to use.

FS2 (Reception) start to the school day:FS2 children based in Sun Castle Pod and Sun Chariot Pod need to arrive on site between 8.45am and 9.00am. Entrance to the school premises will be through the Glenfield Avenue entrance. We ask that you socially distance queue from the bottom of the ramp that leads to Sun Castle and Sun Chariot external door. Parents will not be allowed to come into classes. Reception staff will be positioned at the external door, internal door and inside the classroom to ensure that once your child arrives, they go straight to wash their hands and settle to their morning activity. Once you have dropped your child off we ask that you leave the school premises using a one-way system across the main playground and out through the exit onto Greenfield Lane. This is marked by arrows and staff will be available to guide you.

FS2 children based in Sun Stream Pod need to arrive on site between 9.00am and 9.15am. Entrance to the school premises will be through the Glenfield Avenue entrance. We ask that you socially distance queue from Sun Stream external door. Parents will not be allowed to come into class. Reception staff will be positioned at the external door, internal door and inside the classroom to ensure that once your child arrives, they go straight to wash their hands and settle to their morning activity. Once you have dropped your child off we ask that you leave the school premises using a one-way system back onto Glenfield Avenue, through the Year 2 gate. This is marked by arrows and staff will be available to guide you.

FS2 (Reception) end of the day:Sun Castle Pod and Sun Chariot Pod pick up is between 2.00pm and 2.15pm. Entrance to the school premises will be through the Glenfield Avenue entrance. We ask that you socially distance queue from the bottom of the ramp that leads to Sun Castle and Sun Chariot external door. Reception staff will bring children to you at the external door. Once you have picked your child up we ask that you leave the school premises using the same one-way system you will use when dropping children off, which is across the main playground and out through the exit onto Greenfield Lane. This is marked by arrows and staff will be available to guide you.

Sun Stream Pod pick up will be between 2.15pm and 2.30pm. Entrance to the school premises will be through the Glenfield Avenue entrance. We ask that you socially distance queue from the Sun Stream external door. Reception staff will bring children to you at the external door. Once you have picked your child up we ask that you leave the school premises using the same one-way system onto Glenfield Avenue you will use when dropping your child off. This is marked by arrows and staff will be available to guide you.

If I’m late and the gate is closed can I come to the main entrance?No, each pod has a 15 minute timeframe to arrive and leave the school site. We do not need to mark children as late so your child would be marked as absent on that day. If they arrive after the gates close, we will not be able to admit them.

Do I need to let you know if my child is not coming to school?Yes, we have to complete registers and returns to the government. You still need to ring or message school if your child is ill and not able to attend. If your child, you or any member of your immediate family displays any symptoms you need to let school know and follow the government guidance.

Does my child need to wear their school uniform?We would encourage wherever possible that your child does wear their uniform, it will help them with the routines and make school feel a little bit more normal. However, we know that they may have grown out of part/all of it. So, if this is the case, sensible comfortable clothes would be fine. We do not want to ask any parent to go out to buy any new uniform or clothes for returning to school. Sensible shoes need to be worn if they have grown out of their school shoes.The school still has a no jewellery policy except for a small pair of simple stud earrings, if ears are pierced.

How will dinner time work?Your child will be provided with a school grab a bag. Each day they will have choice of sandwiches to order. Unfortunately, at this time due to the number of children on site and staying safe, we cannot provide hot dinners. The packed lunch will be made on site by the school kitchen staff and Mrs Singh will then deliver the lunches to each pod at their allocated lunchtime. The children will eat their lunches in their pods supervised by school staff. If your child has any allergies or food intolerances that we do not know about, please let the school office know.

Will my child still get to play out?Yes, but not all children will be playing out at the same time. We have split the playground into 5 zones:

Children will go out to play with their pod and need to stay in the group within the zone that they are playing in at that time. If the weather is nice we may use the school field, but again this will be on a rota basis.

Any equipment that is used at playtimes will be cleaned after use, ready for the next group. The Trim trail, tyres, stage, and benches, which are all made out of wood, are cordoned off and out of bounds; so no-one is allowed to use these.

Zone 3

Zone 2

Zone 4

Zone 1

Zone 5

Can my child go into a different pod?Following government guidance, no. The pods will not mix, this includes both children and staff who need to stay in their pod group.

My child needs medicine- how will they get this?If your child is ill they should not be at school, however, if your child needs medicine you will need to contact the school office so the relevant forms can be completed. At this point the staff in the office will explain what happens next.

If I need to speak to a member of staff how can I do this?You can ring the school office, send a message via parent app or e-mail the school. If you need to speak to a member of your child’s pod’s staff team you can contact the school office, who will notify the teacher and then we will arrange for them to ring you using the school mobile at an agreed time. This mobile does not accept text messages they need to be though the ParentAPP.We also have very small number of staff who are not allocated to work with children in pods and based in other parts of school. A member of this team could also ring you back, particularly if it is urgent.

Name Role Base during Covid-19Mrs Ford Administrative Assistant Main reception /office

Mrs Garbett Pastoral Leader Main reception /officeMrs Veal SENDCo /PP Lead Pastoral OfficeMrs Bann Business Manager Business Manager’s Office

Mrs Harrison Deputy Head SLT RoomMrs Parker-Watts Principal Principal’s Office

What will learning look like?Your child will complete a range of activities throughout the day. This will include: daily adult led phonics, communication and language and mathematics activities along with child-initiated play activities. Learning will take place both indoors and outdoors.

Kindest regards,

N. Parker-Watts

N J Parker-WattsPrincipal