You may recall I wrote a draft plan before the holidays of the way we proposed to begin reopening to wider groups of pupils following the Government’s priority list. I am pleased to say we are on track to meet the dates set out in our original plan. Staff have been working incredibly hard to make the setting as safe as it can be (removing furniture, setting up individual stations 2m apart, putting in 2m distancing markers, making one-way systems etc). School is not school as we know it but we will make the best of the situation.

We still have the health and safety inspection and risk assessment authorisation to take place (which is happening tomorrow afternoon- Friday 5th June) so I will confirm for definite at the end of Friday but as it stands, I see no reason why we wouldn't get the go ahead to open to the first group next week.

When are we reopening to wider groups?

Our plan would be to welcome the foundation stage group on Monday 8^th June and give them one to two days to settle before welcoming the pupils that have requested a place in the Year 1 group on either Wednesday 10^th June or Thursday 11^th June. We would then welcome the Y6 group back on Monday 15^th June. These start dates are completely dependent on the risk assessment being approved and on how quickly each group settle in as we want to ensure each group is safe and settled before the next group starts. 

On our draft plan we planned to close on Wednesday afternoons to cover staff planning and to ensure deep cleaning could take place but we have managed to cover these in different ways so pupils who have a place will be able to attend every day.

Which pupils have a place?

Before the half term holiday, all parents were asked whether they would want their child to have a place when/if their year group was offered. All parents have their own views about what is right for them and their child and we have supported every decision, whether it is to keep the child at home or return to school when/if places become available.

All parents of pupils in Nursery (those starting Reception in September only), Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 that requested a place before the holiday will have received an e-mail yesterday or today confirming they have a place, starting in the next 2 weeks.

Our key worker/vulnerable groups are also continuing. 

When will the other year groups be offered a place?

At this time, we have received no information about pupils in Y2, Y3, Y4 or Y5 attending school. We do not know if the guidance on this will change but we do know that under the current 2m distancing rules, we wouldn't have space to offer these year groups a place. The Government do keep changing the guidance though so we will keep you informed if this situation changes.

What happens if I have changed my mind and my child is in one of the priority year groups?

At this time, we cannot offer any further places to pupils in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 or Year 6 if a place wasn't already requested or you have changed your mind and now want a place. We have prepared the school, classrooms, timetables, staffing and settings for those that requested a place and each of these groups is now full. Our aim is to get these groups into school and settled safely into their new routines fully before re-evaluating to see if there is any flexibility in relation to staffing availability and class spaces to accommodate any further pupils safely. Please e-mail me if you want to be included on a waiting list  (pupils that requested a place may change their minds) or if you would like me to contact the local authority on your behalf to see if there's any places in other local schools if you feel this is something you need but I am aware that other local schools are in the same situation too.

Social distancing. As I have said in previous communications, social distancing outside of school is crucial to minimise the risks to all pupils and staff that are attending school as well as their wider families. Please ensure you/your household all follow the social distancing rules consistently. Pupils find this difficult without the supervision of adults so please ensure you supervise your child if they are in the community. Many staff (with Union support) and several parents are worried about the increased risks caused by a minority of people not following these rules. Please remember that we will ask you to keep your child away from school for 14 days (the self-isolation period) if they are observed by a professional, such as one of our staff, police, social worker or health worker not following social distancing rules. I’m sure you can understand everyone has a right to be kept safe and we don’t want a situation where staff or other pupils feel unable to come to work or school due to increased risks.

Organisation for those attending school

As you know, to minimise the risk of spreading COVID, all groups' start times and end times are staggered. Different gates are also used by different groups.

1. Where to drop off and collect: Only one adult should bring the child to the relevant gate to reduce numbers of people. It is really important that you arrive at the times given as other groups may be arriving before you or after you.  You will see white spots on the pathway outside the school gate. Please use these to maintain social distancing. Adults will not be permitted to enter through the schools gates to reduce the risk to pupils so please ensure you talk to your child about this as this is not what they are used to. If you need help with anything, most things can be sorted via e-mail or telephone but in exceptional circumstances, you may need to visit the main Reception. A staff member will greet your child at the gate and bring your child to the gate at the end of the day.

2. What to bring: To reduce the risk of contamination from outside school, pupils are asked not to bring anything with them to school apart from the following:

Coat, hat, sun cream, lunchbox (if relevant), PE kit, change of clothes/wet wipes (if relevant). Please send these in a plastic carrier bag (not a fabric bag, book bag or rucksack as these can't be wiped). Lunchboxes need to be plastic so they are easily wiped. If your child doesn’t have this type, please send them with their lunch in a disposable bag instead. Ideally, it would be great if the children could bring a carrier bag on Monday which contains everything they need and leave this in school. That way the only things coming into school and home again would be a coat and lunchbox (if relevant). Reducing the number of things coming into and out of school reduces the risk to staff and pupils. Please remember, we do not need your child to bring any books, organiser, toys or anything else from home to reduce the risk to pupils.

3. School uniform/washing: Another important way of minimising the risk is to ensure children wear a clean set of clothes to school each day. We still want children to wear school uniform (Y6 pupils can wear their leavers hoodies everyday if they purchased one) but we also appreciate that you may not have lots of sets of uniform and may not want/be able to wash every day.Therefore we are introducing ‘Wear what you want Wednesdays’  so you can wash what has been worn on Monday and Tuesday so it is clean read for Thursday and Friday. Children should therefore be in school uniform on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays but can wear something of their choice each Wednesday. If their birthday falls on a Wednesday, they can wear their own clothes on Tuesday or Thursday of that week as we still want them to feel special. Please remember to send your child in a full set of clean clothes each day. If you are short of school uniform, please let me know. We have lots of donated/ unclaimed uniform which is in clean, good condition and is free to anyone who needs it.

4. School dinners. The kitchen staff are aiming to keep to the menu as close as possible so it should be accurate on School Money moving forward. Please order via School Money in advance. Your child will receive Universal free school meals as before but you can still logon to School Money to select your meal. If your child has been receiving the free school meal hamper, please see the note below.

5. Free school meal hampers. If your child is eligible for free school meals and has been receiving the hamper, they will need to transfer to free school meals in school once they start. Pupils who come to school wb 8th June will need to bring a packed lunch for any day in school that week as the last hamper covers that period too. Hampers will continue to be provided to those in receipt of free school meals, who have requested one and who are not attending school.

6. Breakfast club and After school club. Due to restricted numbers, breakfast club and after school club is only available to the pupils in Blue key worker group. We’re sorry if this causes any inconvenience but trust you understand our hands are tied by this situation.

Please e-mail me: headteacher@anthonybek.derbyshire.sch.uk  if you have any questions or need any further information.

Take care and Be Safe,

Mrs. Johnson