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Update 26.2.21

Update 26.2.21

26th February 2021

Dear parents and carers,

COVID update 26.2.21

It has been a long week of planning for a safe return for ALL pupils on Monday 8th March since Boris Johnson’s announcement on Monday. We are all looking forward to welcoming you all back in just over a week’s time. We will continue to follow government guidance on the systems of control required to minimise the risk of infection. These include:

  •         Retaining bubbles – Children will be in class bubbles, they will not mix with other pupils
  •         Enhanced cleaning – 3 hours per day deep clean and ongoing regular wiping of surfaces/resources/handles
  •         PPE for staff when contact is in shared areas such as corridors, staff room, not in classrooms
  •         PPE for adults at pick up/drop off unless exempt
  •         Staggered start/finish and break/lunch times (EYFS/KS1 0900-1515 and KS2 0845-1530)
  •         Regular hand-washing and general hygiene practice
  •         Friday pm blended learning task to avoid bubble mixing of adults when teaching staff take their PPA and to continue good practice of digital/family learning. Children will finish after their lunchtime on Friday (same times as before lockdown last term). There will be care available for children whose parents require it on Friday pm.
  •         Ventilation – outdoor learning and well ventilated classrooms where possible
  •         Hand sanitising stations in every class and communal areas
  •         Whole school assemblies to continue weekly online so children can socialise with the whole school and families can join us from home
  •         PE with MR C to continue so children get to see each other in their different bubbles, parents can join in from home and it’s great practice for the federation of both schools to get to know one another
  •         Payments to be made via Parent Pay
  •         No visitors on site unless a prior appointment has been made with the secretary
  •         Staff meetings and staff training to continue remotely
  •         Wraparound care must be booked in advance and is only accessible to vulnerable families and families for whom it is a necessity for them to work, attend education or training or to attend appointments/support groups

All of the above systems of control will be reviewed regularly as and when we receive new guidance or new scientific evidence emerges.

School Meals

Hot meals (veggie and non veggie options) will resume on 8th March. There will be no packed lunch option so children will need to bring their own if they require one. Menus for the rest of the term will be sent to your personal email. These will be revised by the children and staff for the Summer term.

Uniform

We expect children to wear uniform on their return to school. We also understand that they may have grown out of their old uniform and that they may have to wait until shops reopen to buy new. School sweatshirts can be ordered via email to our secretaries. secretary@germoe.cornwall.sch.uk and secretary@boskenwyn.cornwall.sch.uk  If you have any old uniform and would like to donate it to another family then please send it into school with your child in a sealed bag and we can quarantine it then advertise it on the school websites. There is a way for us to do this anonymously if preferred.

Attendance

The DFE have made it very clear that they expect all children to return on 8th March and have said that attendance is mandatory and they will return to issuing fines for non attendance. Please let us know before 0900 if your child is unable to attend for any reason and please ensure you are punctual at drop off and pick up times to avoid congestion.

How will school look on 8th March?

As I have already mentioned, we are not keen on the term “Catch up.” Neither are the local authority, they prefer the term “Recovery.” As you know, we like to be different and we are going to term the 4 weeks before Easter, “Strengthening Foundations for learning.” We have lots of exciting learning planned around team building, building relationships, emotional health and wellbeing and ensuring our children are “ready to progress” by strengthening their academic, social and emotional foundations for learning. Taking this hare and tortoise approach will allow our children time to settle back in as tortoises and make as much (if not more) progress than the hares being crammed with catch-up programmes.

The sun is shining at last! We wish you a happy weekend.

Take care and stay safe

Paula Blackburn