Reopening of school to all children on March 8th- update 1.3.21

As you are aware school will be re-opening to all pupils on Monday 8th March 2021. We don’t anticipate many changes from how we were operating September to December last year so there should be nothing new to concern children and we can’t wait to see them all back in school.

Below are the practical pieces of information parents will need:

Temporary staggered starts/finishes

In line with social distancing there is a need to keep in place the temporary staggered starts/finishes as follows:

Nursery 8.45am to 11.45am

Reception 8.45am to 2.55pm

Years 1, 3 and 5 8.50am to 3.00pm (Willow, Holly, Cherry, Hazel, Beech and Magnolia)

Years 2, 4 and 6 8.45am to 2.55pm (Olive, Maple, Birch, Oak, Laurel and Sycamore)

All children from Nursery to Year 4 must be dropped off/collected by an adult over the age of 18. Only children in Years 5 and 6 may walk to/from school alone, assuming the relevant permissions are in place on the Home School Agreement.

Adults need to wait with children on the gates and ensure queues are socially distanced and all adults should wear a mask. Please do not drop your child off directly from cars and allow them to cross the roads unassisted. We have had a couple of near misses during lockdown and the roads will only get busier as schools return and more people go back to work.

Gates will open and close five minutes either side of these times and any children arriving late will be marked as such and need to enter via main reception as we cannot mix any bubbles.

Dinners

If your child is in Reception or KS1 (Years 1 and 2) they will receive a meal in school as part of the Universal Infant Free School Meals scheme – they will not require a packed lunch.

If your child is in KS2 (Years 3 to 6) and not in receipt of Free School Meals then you may opt to either purchase a school meal at a cost of £2.30 via ParentPay or bring in a packed lunch.

If your child is entitled to Free School Meals regardless of what year they are in then they will receive a meal in school - they will not require a packed lunch.

The FSM Supermarket voucher scheme will stop once schools return on Monday 8th March 2021.

PE/Swimming

All children in Years 1 to 6 need to fetch into school every Monday a PE kit suitable for outdoor PE in a small bag (a carrier is fine) – this will remain in school all week and they will take this home every Friday for washing over the weekend.

Children in Year 5 and Year 6 have all received a separate email regarding swimming re-starting – please read this carefully and ensure all consents are in place.

Uniform

All children will be required to attend school in full uniform from Monday 8th March 2021. We are aware that some children have been in school during key worker provision and we have allowed the uniform to lapse however from Monday 8th March all children need to ensure they have the correct uniform.

Full information on our school uniform can be found on the school website: https://www.woodfieldprimaryschool.co.uk/page/school-uniform/75242 If anyone is experiencing any difficulties with regards to school uniform please contact school directly on admin@woodfield.doncaster.sch.uk or speak with any member of the Inclusion team.

Children in Years 1 to 6 will need to bring in a refillable water bottle on a daily basis and all children will require a warm waterproof coat – children do not need to fetch any other bags with them as cloakrooms remain out of use and storage is limited in the classrooms.

Masks/Testing/Covid

Children in primary schools are not required to wear a mask in school nor are they required to undertake lateral flow testing. All staff will continue to wear masks/visors in communal areas such as corridors and on the gates, in addition to this all staff are undertaking lateral flow testing every Monday and Thursday.

The only exception to the mask rule is for Years 5 and 6 – these children will be required to wear a mask when travelling to and from swimming on the bus.

In the event that your child/household has to isolate due to Covid-19 please inform us immediately so that we can put bubble closures in place if required and inform other parents/pupils/staff.

New Government guidance out today states that households with school age children can access rapid lateral flow tests. The guidance on how to access test can be found via the links below:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rapid-lateral-flow-testing-for-households-and-bubbles-of-school-pupils-and-staff

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rapid-lateral-flow-testing-for-households-and-bubbles-of-school-pupils-and-staff?fbclid=IwAR1_cwBgAgG201Sqdpw_eKHT7D8iYV0rHu4UQjXSDhSOBAoKrDtFECz49HU

Ukulele/Choir

We are pleased to confirm that Ukulele and Choir will both return after Easter. Ukulele will be in place for Year 3 Hazel class every Thursday starting on Thursday 15th April 2021. Choir will re-start but will be slightly different. After Easter we will start with auditions and these will be in class sessions so no bubbles are mixed. Assuming the re-opening roadmap goes to plan in July we may be able to commence mixed choir sessions with those children who are allocated a place in choir based on the auditions.

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory for all pupils in school from Monday 8th March 2021. If your child is going to be absent for any reason then you must ring the Attendance Officer, Miss Boyes or email school on admin@woodfield.doncaster.sch.uk on a daily basis. Any children not attending may be followed up by the Local Authority and Educational Welfare Officer.

Loaned school devices

For families that have loaned a school device these will need to be returned as your children return. We appreciate that the Monday morning may be a little hectic as you organise your children to get to school so will be offering two slots for device return. As the Family Friday activities on the 5th March will be largely screen free we will be open for you to return it between 10am and 2pm on Friday 5th March. If you prefer to return it on Monday 8th March we will be available from 10am to 2pm. Please ensure that you return the device, the case, the charger and the instructions. Please note devices need to be returned by adults directly to main reception as the paperwork will need re-signing – please do not send devices to class directly with children.



We appreciate that this is a lot of information to take in but should you have any concerns/queries please do not hesitate to email us on admin@woodfield.doncaster.sch.uk

We look forward to welcoming you all back on Monday 8th March 2021.