September Re-Opening 2020

School Reopening: September 2020

We are now making plans for the full return of pupils in September 2020. We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back and we want to make the transition back as smooth as possible. We appreciate that for many of you it has been a very long break and it will all feel a little bit strange returning to school. However, we will do everything we can to help support you with this step in September. Our first step is to outline some of the key measures we are putting in place for the start of the new term.

The School Day

School transport

School transport will be operating at full capacity from September. We have been liaising with all of the operators about September. On the Mawley Oak bus, the children from class one will be sitting in the front section of the bus and the children from class two towards the back. The children are not required to wear face coverings.

Arrival and Collection

Pupils being dropped off by car will enter and leave the school site by the small gate in the top school playground and will follow a marked one-way route to maintain social distancing. Parents may enter the site through this gate and follow the marked route where they will be greeted by a member of staff outside of the school. The children will be handed over to parents/carers in the top playground at the end of the school day. The gate will be locked after everyone has arrived in the morning and unlocked at the end of the school day.
To limit the number people outside the school, we ask that one parent/carer drop off and collect from this gate please.
The children travelling on school transport will enter through the front gate. Class one will go through the side gate and enter the classroom through their back door. Class two pupils will enter through the green front door to go into class two.
We will be ready to guide them through these new routines and ensure they enter school safely.
If you need to speak to a member of staff, contact should be made by telephone or email in the first instance. Please use the admin@farlow.shropshire.sch.uk to book a call after school.
All pupils will wash their hands when entering and leaving the building and regularly throughout the day.
Please make sure you collect your children promptly and avoid congregating on the school site or in the vicinity of school.

School lunch arrangements

We would like to update you on the plans for school dinners from September. We will no longer be collecting our dinners from Cleobury Mortimer Primary School. From September, Lacon Childe School is taking on the responsibility of providing school dinners for the Academy schools within the Trust. They have also agreed to support us by providing our school dinners from the kitchens at Lacon Childe. We are currently liaising with the catering manager to set this up.

In September when all pupils return back to school we would like the pupils in KS2 to bring their own healthy packed lunch in from home for the Autumn term. This will enable us to eat outside when the weather is suitable and to reduce the pressure on space during the lunch time period.

The children in KS1 and children on free school meals will be provided with a packed lunch sourced from Lacon Childe School for the first half of term. This will then give us time to sort out menus during the first half of term in preparation to collect and serve cooked meals to KS1 after the half term break.

The packed lunches provided will be similar to those we have had in the past. There will be a choice of three sandwich fillings (Ham, cheese or Jam), a cake, a piece of fruit and a drink. Children also have the option to bring their own packed lunch in from home if they prefer not to have the one provided. In KS1 and FSM children, we will need to know your child's requirement for each week on the first day of the week, so we can order accordingly.

We will be constantly reviewing our school dinner arrangements with Lacon Childe School from September. We hope to have a hot school meal option available to all pupils by the beginning of the Spring term. We thought we would introduce the cooked meals in a phased manner so that we can manage it effectively whilst also giving careful consideration to the safety of the staff and pupils.

Healthy packed lunch and snack

Please can we ask that a healthy packed lunch is sent into school, along with a piece of fruit for break time, as we are unable to provide fruit yet.
Packed lunches will be eaten at desks or outside when the weather permits. Please send in a water bottle clearly labelled with your child's name. The drinking fountain will not be used.

Break times.

Class one and Class two will be two separate bubbles in the school and will play in different parts of the playground. We are going to set up a rota so that they all have access to the top and bottom sections of the playground across the week. No equipment will be shared between bubbles.
We shall stagger breaks slightly to allow for hand washing before and after play times.
Children should not bring in their own toys or items from home.

Clothing and Equipment

What to Bring and Wear to School

Children should come to school in school uniform except for days when they have P.E. or outdoor learning sessions.
On days when they have P.E. they should come dressed in their P.E. kit wearing black jogging bottoms, white t-shirt, school sweatshirt and pumps/trainers.
Both classes will be having an outdoor learning session on a Friday.
On Fridays they should come dressed in outdoor learning clothes and bring with them a waterproof coat, waterproof bottoms and wellingtons to change into for the session.
Children will be outside every day and will need appropriate clothing such as a waterproof coat and sunhats if the weather is hot. Suntan lotion should be applied at home before coming to school when required.
Children may bring their own labelled hand sanitising gel if parents wish them to do so. This will be left in school on their desks and not shared with anyone.

Social Distancing and Hygiene

Each class will operate as a separate bubble and resources will be shared within the bubbles.
Staff will aim to keep a 2m distance from one another and will avoid prolonged close contact with pupils (closer than 2m) unless required to support them with their learning or give First Aid.
Handwashing will take place routinely on arrival, regularly throughout the day and before leaving the site, using soap and hot water.
Children will be encouraged to use a tissue or elbow to cough or sneeze into and use bins for tissue waste. We have purchased pedal bins for the disposal of tissues. Bins will be emptied frequently.
An additional scheduled clean of the toilet facilities will take place after midday ready for the afternoon session.
As many school doors will be propped open as possible to avoid contact with handles.
We will have windows open in all areas of the school to promote good ventilation.
Surfaces, tables, door handles and light switches will be wiped down frequently throughout the day.

Class organisation

All year groups will be sitting in forward facing desks except for the pupils in reception. Reception pupils will have a morning/afternoon place on the horseshoe table.
We have purchased new desks which have trays built into their structure. Each desk will accommodate two pupils with a tray housed under the desk for their named pencils and other essential equipment in it.
Desks will be positioned with as much space between them as possible.
Reading books will be quarantined for 72 hours before being reintroduced into the class reading stock. The children will be given new reading material as required.
Resources will be shared within the class bubble but not between bubbles
P.E. equipment and musical instruments will be left for 72 hours before being used by a different bubble and if required wiped down before use.
Home reading can be accessed through Active Learn and the library service materials.

We will put photographs of our classrooms onto the school website once they have been set up for the new school year. Our new furniture is not due until the middle of August.

The School Day and Learning

We will continue to make every effort to plan exciting learning experiences so that teaching and learning is enjoyable for all, despite the changes to our classroom organisation.
We will be very mindful of everyone's social and emotional well-being.
We will do as much outdoor learning as possible if the weather is suitable.
We aim to do the recommended daily physical activity.
We will be marking books and the children will be guided to do self-assessment and evaluation verbally.
We will not be gathering for whole school assemblies, but we will incorporate time for daily worship for our classes and use technology to link up as a whole school.

What happens if pupils or staff show symptoms?

If a pupil, staff or household member show symptoms (new, persistent dry cough and/or temperature) they should stay at home and book a test to confirm Covid-19.
If someone receives a positive confirmation with Covid-19, they should follow government policy on self-isolation. We will follow advice from Public Health England on the measures we need to take in the setting following confirmation of a positive test.
If the test taken is negative, the pupil or member of staff may return to school, when they feel well again.
If a pupil develops symptoms at school, they will be isolated from the rest of the group and we will call parents/carers to collect them from school.
We have PPE (masks, visors, aprons, gloves) to deal with anyone who develops symptoms.
Other first aid will be dealt with within each class. Where appropriate, children will self-administer with staff monitoring.
Please make sure your child's medication in school is up to date.

Wraparound Care

The wraparound provision will start operating from the second week of term which is the week beginning Monday 7^th September.

We hope this information will help with the transition process. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about any of the outlined above. You can email us and we will do our best to get back to you as soon as possible. Obviously, these plans may be subject to change but we will keep you informed of any developments via email if required.

In the meantime, we hope you have a lovely summer break and continue to stay safe and well.

Yours sincerely,

Alison Davies
Head teacher