All our latest news can be found in our weekly newsletter.
Tuesday 14th July 2020
Dear Parents/Carers,
We are coming towards the end of what has been quite an unexpected and truly remarkable academic year. One I’m sure we will all remember well, but hope will not be repeated in the future.
A short while ago, Mrs Milner wrote to you to advise that Term 6 will end on Friday 17th July for pupils currently in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. All other year groups would be invited back into school for the last three days from Monday 20th to Wednesday 22nd of July. We have been watching local developments carefully in Leicestershire, as well as reviewing the daily updates from Rutland County Council and of course latest guidance from the Government and we feel confident that we can continue to be Covid secure as we say good-bye to some of the children so that we can welcome back those who have been learning at home, prior to the summer holidays.
From Monday 20th July, only children in Years 2, 3, 4 and 5 will be able to come into school. Where possible, these children will work in their new class groups up to a maximum of 15 children per bubble; normal class sizes resume from September. Children will work in their new classrooms, with their new teachers – again, where possible.
Children who will be in Nursery or Reception in September should have received separate information about transition meetings and stay and play sessions, which will run from Monday 20th to Wednesday 22nd July but please see the section in this letter confirming arrangements, if you are unsure.
If you are a key worker and parent/carer of a child in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 or Year 6 and you require childcare from Monday 20th to Wednesday 22nd July, please contact the school office to request a place in a key worker bubble. Please note, if class bubble groups are full, we will open a key worker bubble which will be a mixed age group of children from across the school.
Please note that, following Government Guidance, children can not change bubbles part way through the week. This means that if you have a child currently in Nursery who requires child care for the last three days of term, they will be in the Key Worker Bubble and so will not be able to join their peers on the transition morning if your child is due to join Reception in September.
All safety measures we currently have in place will remain. Breakfast clubs and after school clubs will not operate during the last three days. Children will not need PE kit but should wear a relaxed version of the school uniform - school t-shirt with tracksuit bottoms and trainers. The children should bring in a packed lunch, or they can request a school meal: a cold pre-made packed lunch each day. Children will eat with their bubble group either in the classroom, or outside weather permitting. Children will also need a named water bottle and if good weather, a named sun hat. Please bring a change of shoes for the woodland area and ensure sun-cream is pre-applied before school.
One-way system
To try to minimise traffic on the school path into school, please use the pedestrian entrance and use the path when coming onto the school grounds and head to the specified entrance point for your child (details below). Once you have left your child at the entrance, please leave the path using the yellow gate nearest to you and walk back down to the exit on the car park side of the blue fence, exiting through the vehicle entrance gates. Staff will all have arrived in school so this will be safe. Parents/carers should not use the school car park please to ensure pedestrian safety.
Drop off and collection arrangements
Each class will use a separate entrance and exit to help maintain social distancing. Entrance doors will be open from 8:30am. Details of entrance points and collection times are below.
Please note, if your child accesses school on a reduced timetable, this is for information only and your child will continue to attend school at the agreed times.
Current Little Ospreys – children will be invited in to the Pre-School or Reception classroom on a set date/time for meetings and stay and play sessions in Little Ospreys Pre-School. You should have received separate information detailing these visits.
Children due to start Reception in September – you should have been contacted with regard to a meeting with Mrs Johnson on Monday, 20th July. All children starting Reception in September will be able to come into school on Tuesday 21st July for the day, from 8:45am until 2:45pm. The children will be based in the Reception ‘Stars’ classroom. Children will be collected from the wooden gate to the outdoor area on the playground. Please queue, 2 metres apart, until a member of staff opens the gate to welcome you. Please leave your child with the member of staff at the gate. This will minimise adults congregating in the classroom. All children in due to start in Reception will need to be collected promptly at 2:45pm as part of a staggered finish time. This should enable us to avoid congestion and groups gathering at collection time.
Current Reception children will be invited into school on Wednesday 21st July for the last day of term. This will be a transition day for the children so that they can begin to think about what school will be like when they become Year 1 children in September. The children will be based in the Reception ‘Stars’ classroom. Children will be collected from the wooden gate to the outdoor area on the playground. Please queue, 2 metres apart, until a member of staff opens the gate to welcome you. Please leave your child with the member of staff at the gate. This will minimise adults congregating in the classroom. All children currently in Reception will need to be collected promptly at 2:45pm as part of a staggered finish time. This should enable us to avoid congestion and groups gathering at collection time.
Current Year 2 children will be with Mrs Smith in the Woodpecker’s classroom. Children will enter the classroom by the fire door (usually used for pick up at the end of the day). Please queue, 2 metres apart, by this door until it is opened and ensure you leave your child at the door. Please do not come into school. This will minimise adults congregating in the cloakrooms and classroom area and allow us to maintain social distancing for staff and children. All children currently in Year 2 will need to be collected promptly at 3:10pm as part of a staggered finish time. This should enable us to avoid congestion and groups gathering at collection time.
Current Year 3, 4 and 5 children will be with Miss Chard in the Wren’s classroom. If more than 15 children attend, a second bubble will open in the adjoining classroom (currently Lark’s classroom). Children should enter and exit school via the fire door near Little Ospreys entrance at the front of school (to the right of the office entrance). The door will open at 8:30am and children can arrive from this time. Please queue, 2 metres apart, by this door until it is opened and ensure you leave your child at the door. Please do not come into school. This will minimise adults congregating in the corridors and office area and allow us to maintain social distancing for staff and children. All Year 3, 4 and 5 children will need to be collected promptly at 3:15pm as part of a staggered finish time. This should enable us to avoid congestion and groups gathering at collection time.
Any children in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 or Year 6 who have booked a space in our Key Worker childcare bubble will need to enter school via the office entrance and will wait in the hall with an adult from their bubble. Children will then be taken to the spare Key Stage 1 classroom once all children have arrived. The door will open at 8:30am and children can arrive from this time. Please queue, 2 metres apart, by this door until it is opened and ensure you leave your child at the door. Please do not come into school. This will minimise adults congregating in the corridors and office area and allow us to maintain social distancing for staff and children. All Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 children will need to be collected promptly at 3:25pm as part of a staggered finish time. This should enable us to avoid congestion and groups gathering at collection time.
Many of the children will have been away from school for quite some time now and we appreciate that you may have some concerns surrounding their return. Please do contact the school office if you have any queries or to confirm that you require a space if you have not already been in contact with someone from school. At the end of this week, we will be sending home a letter which will give information about the full school return in September. We will continue to follow all guidance and local updates to ensure that we can keep the children, families and our staff as safe as possible.
Many thanks for your continued support,
Mrs Martin
Head of School