Parents – What you need to know

A Melrose Learning Trust School

The outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) led to the closure of schools in England from 20 March 2020. As we reopen our school there are a number of new measures in place to keep the children, parents, staff and wider community as safe as possible. Initially, we will be opening for the children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 as well as continuing to be open for the children of Key Workers.

What safety measures are in place to protect my child?

The DfE guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings recognises that for children of primary age they ‘cannot be expected to remain 2 metres apart from each other and staff’. We will be discouraging contact between children. However, for 1st aid or for some children with intimate care needs close contact will be necessary.

However, we will ensure that:

  • Children and staff avoid contact with anyone with symptoms
  • Promote frequent handwashing and good hygiene e.g. blowing nose into a tissue
  • Regular cleaning of rooms and equipment
  • Minimising contact and mixing between groups of children.

 

Updates sent to parents:

Back to school tomorrow…..

Good afternoon everyone,

I would just like to clarify a final few points for children starting back tomorrow.

PE:

PE will commence from Monday 7th September. PE bags will not be allowed in school. On the days children have PE they will come to school in their PE kit and remain in their kit for that day. Please see below which day your child will be having their PE lesson. On the day specified, children will be doing two PE sessions (all afternoon) to satisfy the two hours of PE required per week. The guidance states that PE should be done outside when possible, therefore unless the weather is extremely poor, children will be having their PE lessons outside. We therefore recommend children wearing tracksuit bottoms and a long sleeve top as opposed to shorts and a t-shirt.

Monday – Ms Lilley’s Class

Tuesday – Miss Defty and Miss O’Neil’s Class

Wednesday – Mrs Appleby’s Class

Thursday – Mr Churchill’s Class

Homework:

A letter from your child’s class teacher will be circulated in the coming weeks to clarify expectations around homework and reading for each class.

Snack:

As lunchtimes are being staggered for the foreseeable future, children in Y4/5/6 will be getting their lunch at a slightly later time than last academic year. Can I request that children bring in a substantial, healthy snack that they can eat during morning playtime.

Beginning and end of school day:

Please can I highlight and confirm some important points mentioned on the Autumn Term Provision document that was distributed to parents in the summer term.

  • When arriving at school in their designated time slot, children will leave their parents on the yard and proceed straight into class via the entrances listed below.
    – Ms Lilley’s Class (9:10-9:20am) – parents enter the school site via the side gate onto the yard and Ms Lilley will be at the Reception gate to welcome children
    – Miss Defty’s Class (8:55-9:05am) parents enter the school site via the side gate and children will enter school through the MAIN ENTRANCE
    – Miss O’Neil’s Class (8:40-8:50am) parents enter the school site via the side gate and children will enter the school through the MAIN ENTRANCE
    – Mr Churchill’s Class (8:55-9:05am) parents enter the school site via the Car Park gate and children will enter school through the SIDE GATE NEXT TO THE MUGA
    – Mrs Appleby’s Class (8:40-8:50am) parents enter the school site via the Car Park gate and children will enter school through the SIDE GATE NEXT TO THE MUGA

 

  • Please see the details below regarding the end of the school day.
    Monday to Thursday:

    Time Car park entrance Side gate
    3.25pm Mrs. Appleby’s class Miss. O’Neil’s class
    3.15pm Mr. Churchill’s class Miss. Defty’s class
    3.05pm Ms. Lilley’s class

    Friday:

    Time Car park entrance Side gate
    2.15pm Mrs. Appleby’s Year 5s Miss. O’Neil’s Year 3s
    2.20pm Miss. Defty’s class
    2.30pm Mr. Churchill’s class Ms. Lilley’s class

    Year 2 and Year 6 will have Booster Class from 2.30-3.30pm on a Friday and from 3.30-4.30pm on a Wednesday.  This will start from week commencing 7th September.

 

  • Please ensure children are dropped off and collected at the times provided above. A reminder please that parents/carers will not be allowed into school when dropping off and collecting children. If parents need to speak to a member of staff, please contact the school to arrange an appointment.
  •  We also strongly encourage parents to maintain social distancing when standing on the school yard.

 

Personal possessions 

Please note children will be provided with all stationary by the school.  Due to the guidance given please can I request that children do not bring in any personal items from home e.g. toys/games etc.  Children only need to bring the following into school:

  • Packed lunch – (if applicable). For those children choosing to have a packed lunch, they are allowed to bring their lunch into school in a packed lunch box rather than disposable bags which was the case during the summer.
  • A water bottle (labelled with the child’s name)
  • A coat
  • A snack (snack will be provided by school for EYFS/Year 1 and Year 2 but children are welcome to bring their own).

Many thanks with your cooperation and support with all of the above points. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow.

Final points re September ….

Good afternoon everyone.

Please find below clarification of a couple of key points before school opens next Wednesday.

 

Arriving at school and the end of the school day

 

Monday to Thursday :

Arriving at school:

From September, children from each class will be asked to arrive at school at different times and through different entrances.  It is of vital importance that these times are adhered to so that there is no delay in the children commencing their education.  Please see below the times of arrival for each class:

Time Car park entrance Side gate
8.40-8.50am Mrs. Appleby’s class Miss. O’Neil’s class
8.55-9.05am Mr. Churchill’s class Miss. Defty’s class
9.10-9.20am Ms. Lilley’s class

 

End of the school day

Similarly, to arriving in school, the end of the school day will also be staggered. Again, if this poses a challenge to parents of children in different classes, then our after school provision is an option so that children can be collected at the same time. It is of vital importance that these times are adhered to so that there is no delay in the children being collected and leaving the premises unless they are accessing after school provision.  Please see below the times of departure for each class.

Time Car park entrance Side gate
3.25pm Mrs. Appleby’s class Miss. O’Neil’s class
3.15pm Mr. Churchill’s class Miss. Defty’s class
3.05pm Ms. Lilley’s class

 

Friday :

Arriving at school:

Time Car park entrance Side gate
8.40-8.50am Mrs. Appleby’s class Miss. O’Neil’s class
8.55-9.05am Mr. Churchill’s class Miss. Defty’s class
9.10-9.20am Ms. Lilley’s class

End of the school day:

Home time on a Friday will be staggered like the rest of the week.  Please see below for the times each class will be dismissed.  Please ensure an adult is present on the yard at the times given.  If your child is accessing After School Provision, they will remain in school with a member of staff until the provision begins.

Time Car park entrance Side gate
2.15pm Mrs. Appleby’s Year 5s Miss. O’Neil’s Year 3s
2.20pm Miss. Defty’s class
2.30pm Mr. Churchill’s class Ms. Lilley’s class

Year 2 and Year 6 will have Booster Class from 2.30-3.30pm on a Friday.

 

School Lunches

School lunches will be provided for children from Wednesday 2nd September from our school kitchen.   For our children in Year Reception,1 and 2 lunches are free under the Governments Universal Free School Meal Scheme.  For children in Years 3,4,5 and 6 lunches cost £2.10 per day from September 2020 in line with Durham County Council guidlines. This can be paid on a weekly or half termly basis.  Please ensure lunch money is sent into school in a named envelope with your child, to be handed to their class teacher, on a Monday morning (if paying weekly).

If your child would prefer to bring their own packed lunch to school this is allowed, however please stick to the healthy packed lunch guidance on our website.

http://easingtonprimary.org.uk/parents/school-office/healthy-eating/

 

Back to school …. September 2020

Good afternoon everyone.

As always I hope this update finds you all safe and well. I sincerely hope you have all had a wonderful summer break under the circumstances.

Finally the day is upon us when we can welcome back our wonderful children into school. I cannot begin to explain how much the staff have missed them all. We are all so excited to see all of our families after such a difficult period. Just a reminder that children will start back on Wednesday 2nd September.

Although there will be some obvious changes that have been forced upon us, I can reassure you that all of the staff will be doing everything in their power to ensure the transition back to school for our children will be a smooth and happy one.

Please follow the link below if you need to refresh your memory around the guidance for children returning next week.

http://easingtonprimary.org.uk/autumn-term-provision-an-update-for-parents-07-07-20/

The autumn term is going to be challenging, but I know if we work together and support each other it will also be fun and fantastic.

Thank you everyone and I can’t wait to see you all on Wednesday, where we will back as our truly special Easington family.

Mr Appleby

See You Soon

Dear parents/carers and children,

As we come to the end of a very unusual and strange year, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the hard work you have done before and during lockdown.  To parents and carers, thank you for supporting your children with the work that has been set-we know completing work at home can be extremely difficult!  Please can we take this opportunity to notify you that the Oak National Academy resources are still available for use over the summer and we would advise you to complete tasks when you can and when it fits in with your family circumstances.  Again, a huge thank you for all of your efforts with regard to this.

To our amazing and wonderful children, we have missed you greatly and we simply cannot wait to see you again in September.  To those of you who have accessed Zoom meetings and held phone calls with teachers, even though this is not always possible, a huge thank you for this and for completing some brilliant work during the lockdown period.  We are more proud of you than you can possibly know.

Best wishes for the summer, stay safe.

All staff at Easington C of E

Information from Durham County Council for parents 14/07/20

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we head into the summer holidays, we wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that Coronavirus is still with us and there are some very simple steps we can all take to help keep each other safe and healthy.

We want to encourage all of our families to have fun together during the holidays, in the (hopefully) warmer weather. But please remember you should still be:

  • Washing your hands for 20 seconds regularly – it’s one of the best ways to protect yourself and encourage your children too
  • Using hand sanitiser (at least 60% alcohol) if soap and water aren’t available
  • Staying 2m apart where possible or 1m with additional measures such as, wearing a face covering, being behind a screen, not talking face-to-face. When you are in businesses/public premises follow the advice on site
  • Trying not to touch your face (mouth, nose, eyes) with your hands
  • Using a tissue if you cough or sneeze, then bin it and wash your hands. If you don’t have a tissue use the crook of your arm. Catch it, Bin it, Kill it!

 

We know that there is still some confusion around Coronavirus so we thought the following points might be helpful:

What are the main symptoms?

  • A temperature
  • A new and persistent cough
  • Loss of sense of taste or smell

What should you do if you have symptoms?

  • Self-isolate immediately
  • Get tested – you must do this within the first five days of having symptoms

How do I get tested?

What is self-isolation?

If you are self-isolating because you have symptoms/have been diagnosed, someone in your household or support bubble has symptoms/has been diagnosed or you have been asked to by the NHS Test &Trace team, then you should stay at home.

  • Don’t go out to work / school / public places (if you can work from home that is ok)
  • Don’t go shopping even for food/medicine
  • Don’t use public transport or taxis
  • Don’t have visitors
  • Don’t go out to exercise (you can do this in your home or garden)

The County Durham Together Community Hub is there to help you with everything from getting food or medication as well as advice about managing financially and ways to continue looking after your physical and mental health while in isolation. You can find out more details here: http://www.durham.gov.uk/covid19help

Following these simple steps will help stop the spread of Coronavirus. Remember your symptoms can be mild, so you could be spreading the virus without knowing it. You have the power to help keep your family, friends and loved ones safe.

 

Autumn Term Provision- an update for parents – 07/07/20

Following the Government guidance released last week in relation to schools returning in September, we have outlined below the measures that will be in place to ensure school is as safe as possible for children, parents and staff.  Please follow the link below for comprehensive guidance that we have used to inform our decisions and complete the necessary risk assessments.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools

Please note that there are several changes/alterations that we are required to make.  To that end, school will be a different environment to when it was closed on March 20th.

Each class will be a ‘bubble’.  Each bubble will not be able to interact with any other bubbles in school and contact between them whilst moving around school will also be minimised. During our wrap around care provision, the relevant guidance for this will be strictly adhered to.

Each bubble is as follows:

Bubble 1 – EYFS

Bubble 2 – Year 1

Bubble 3 – Year 2/3

Bubble 4 – Year 4

Bubble 5 – Year 5/6

 

Arriving at school:

From September, children from each class will be asked to arrive at school at different times and through different entrances.  It is of vital importance that these times are adhered to so that there is no delay in the children commencing their education.  Please see below the times of arrival for each class:

Time Car park entrance Side gate
8.40-8.50am Mrs. Appleby’s class Miss. O’Neil’s class
8.55-9.05am Mr. Churchill’s class Miss. Defty’s class
9.10-9.20am Ms. Lilley’s class

 

We fully appreciate that for parents who have children in more than one class these drop off times can pose a challenge. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to stagger the start times to adhere to Government guidance. If this does cause an issue for parents then we will be offering the Breakfast Club provision from September, which would enable parents to drop their children off at the same time.

In the event of unforeseen circumstances resulting in your child being late, please can we request that you inform the school as soon as possible so the appropriate safety measures can be implemented.

Classes entering through the car park entrance will enter the main school building through the side gate next to the MUGA.

Classes entering school through the side gate will enter the school building through the main school entrance except Ms. Lilley’s class, who will access the EYFS classroom through the gate to EYFS garden.

Upon arrival at school, ALL children will be required to apply hand sanitiser before entering classrooms.  This process will be repeated at break times, lunch times and home time as well as any other times throughout the day where the class teacher deems it necessary.

It is of the utmost importance that these arrangements and times are not deviated from.  Parents and carers are strongly advised to NOT congregate on the school premises (yard, car park etc.) and leave as soon as they have dropped their child/children off. 

 

Morning Playtime: 10:35 – 10:50am

Children will all have morning playtime at the same time.  However, children will be kept separate from each class and will have their own designated area, which they will not be able to deviate from (please see below). In the event of inclement weather, indoor playtimes will be spent in classrooms, in the class bubbles.

EYFS – EYFS Garden/Field

Y1 – MUGA

Y2/3 – Yard

Y4 – Bottom half of field

Y5/6 – top half of field and pavement area outside of Y2/3 class

 

Lunchtimes:

Lunch will be eaten in classrooms. Children will be allowed to bring the following from home:

-Packed lunch

-Morning snack

-Water bottle

 

End of the school day

Similarly, to arriving in school, the end of the school day will also be staggered. Again, if this poses a challenge to parents of children in different classes, then our after school provision is an option so that children can be collected at the same time. It is of vital importance that these times are adhered to so that there is no delay in the children being collected and leaving the premises unless they are accessing after school provision.  Please see below the times of departure for each class.

Time Car park entrance Side gate
3.25pm Mrs. Appleby’s class Miss. O’Neil’s class
3.15pm Mr. Churchill’s class Miss. Defty’s class
3.05pm Ms. Lilley’s class

 

Ms. Lilley’s class will exit school through the EYFS side gate (the same gate used to enter on the morning) and exit the school site through the side gate.

Miss. Defty’s class will exit school through the main entrance and exit school site through the side gate.

Miss. O’Neil class will exit school through the main entrance and exit school site through the side gate.

Mr. Churchill’s class will exit through the side gate next to the MUGA and exit the school site through the main car park gate.

Mrs. Appleby’s class will exit through the side gate next to the MUGA and exit the school site through the main car park gate.

It should also be noted by parents/carers that you will not be able to enter the school building without a prior appointment-this is for the safety of all.  If you require an appointment with a member of staff, please email or phone the school office to arrange this.

Unfortunately there will be NO parental events during the Autumn Term – this includes Family Friday, class collective worships etc. As you know this is a huge part of our school ethos and it is very disappointing, however we must follow the guidance given. If the guidance around this changes, school will alter the arrangements in compliance with this.

 

Classroom Organisation:

The guidance also requires the arranging classrooms with forward facing desks – children are able to sit by the side of each other but NOT facing each other.  This will be a change for children who are more familiar with being in groups.  The sharing of resources (pencils, books etc) between children is not allowed.

It is still recommended that pupils limit the amount of equipment they bring into school each day, so essentials such as a packed lunch, hats, coats and books. Bags are allowed. Pupils can take books and other shared resources home, although unnecessary sharing should be avoided.  School will provide each child with the stationary they require.

 

Hand washing routines

There will be rigorous and stringent hand washing and sanitising routines in place.  Children will sanitise their hands upon entering school and at break and lunch times.  There will also be additional cleaning opportunities and hygiene practices taking place, which will be at the discretion of the class teacher.  School will provide hand gel for children to utilise.  School will also be advocating the use of the ‘catch it, kill it, bin it’ approach at all times in school.  Please can we request that you emphasise the importance of hygiene to your children before they return to school in September.

 

Uniform

School uniform should be worn in accordance with the school’s uniform policy and that uniform ‘does not need to be cleaned more often than is usual’ as stipulated by Government guidance.

 

Curriculum

Upon their return to school in September, the children will still have access to a broad and balanced curriculum.  However, the curriculum provision has been carefully planned and sequenced to allow children the opportunity to ‘catch up’ with work that they have missed.

From September 2020, the children will have access to a curriculum that includes new elements. Please see below for a summary of this.

 

Mathematics

In order to help address gaps that may be apparent in mathematics, the children will access a ‘daily maths meeting’ (Key Stage 2 only).  This is a session of 30 minutes in addition to the usual mathematics lesson of 60 minutes. This means that children in Key Stage 2 will have 90 minutes of mathematics each school day.  The focus of the daily maths meeting will come from ongoing assessment for learning and will focus on addressing any gaps in knowledge from the previous year’s curriculum.  Alongside this, the ‘usual’ mathematics lesson will focus on teaching the current year group’s content building on previous knowledge and assessment.

For Key Stage 1 children, the decision to not have a daily maths meeting has been made to emphasise other curriculum elements, namely phonics and reading, but it should be noted that the children in Key Stage 1 would still access a mathematics lesson of 60 minutes each day.

 

English

Similarly to mathematics, the children will have access to a ‘daily English meeting’.  This session will also be 30 minutes in duration and will be in addition to the ‘usual’ 60-minute English lesson.  This means children in both Key Stages will have access to 90 minutes of English per day.  In Key Stage 1, the focus of the daily English meeting will be phonics and reading (meaning that the children in Key Stage 1 will access two phonics sessions per day) based. In Key Stage 2, the focus will be determined from ongoing Assessment for Learning and could be based on a range of grammar, reading, use of punctuation activities based on the needs of the children.

 

Our Curriculum

We will still be teaching a broad and balanced curriculum, which is vital in providing an overall education with non-core subjects, such as history, art, geography etc. having high importance and emphasis throughout school. As in previous years, Medium Term Planning will be available on our website for each class. This will show a detailed week-by-week overview of what topic the children will be learning in each half term. Children across school will also access the two hours of PE each week.

 

Year 2 and Year 6

Children in Year 2 and Year 6 are both working towards the end of a Key Stage. It has been announced this week that end of Key Stage 1 and 2 statutory assessments for 2021 will be going ahead. It is therefore of vital importance that these children have additional opportunities to catch up after the prolonged absence to ensure that they are ‘Key Stage 2 ready’ and ‘Key Stage 3 ready’.  Therefore, school has decided to offer two additional booster sessions, which will begin week beginning 7th September for these year groups (these boosters will run all year).  One of the additional sessions will have an English focus whilst the other additional session will focus on maths.  The specific work to be covered within these sessions will be dictated by ongoing Assessment for Learning carried out in class by the class teacher.

The sessions will take place as follows:

Wednesday – 3.30pm-4.30pm – English

Friday – 2.30pm – 3.30pm – Mathematics

Miss. O’Neill will provide both booster sessions for Year 2 with support from the Senior Leadership Team.

Mrs. Appleby will provide the English booster for Year 6 on a Wednesday and Mr. Churchill will provide the mathematics booster for Year 6 on a Friday.

Whilst attendance at his boosters is not a legal requirement, we would strongly advise that all children attend in order to maximise the learning that can occur and for the benefit of the children concerned. If children are not attending booster clubs, Mr Appleby will be contacting parents to ascertain reasons why.  There will be no charge for booster sessions throughout the year.

 

Behaviour

Children are still expected to adhere to the behaviour policy, which was in place before lockdown.  Rewards and incentives will still play a huge role in everyday school life.

 

Visits/visitors

School has decided that we will focus on having visitors into school to provide curriculum enrichment during the Autumn Term 2020.  School trips will resume in the Spring Term allowing more time for the pandemic to continue to improve.

 

New appointment

During the Autumn Term, we will be making a new appointment. This will be an additional Teaching Assistant. As well as this, we have also increased some of our existing Teaching Assistants hours. We are confident this will have a positive impact on our school.

 

Our wonderful school will look different in September but we know with your support and help we can make it a success. Thank you for everything over these past few months, particularly in supporting children with their learning, which we know has been challenging in these unprecedented times.

We wish you all a lovely summer break and look forward to seeing you all in September.

Best wishes and stay safe.

Senior Leadership Team, all staff and governors.

 

Autumn Term Provision 2020

PDF copy of the above information

 

Important message for parents 11/06/2020

Dear parents and carers,

Following government and local authority advice, those children who are attending school from 15th June will not be allowed to bring packed lunches into school. A hot school meal will be provided which the school will cover the cost of, up until Friday 17th July.

Any keyworker children attending school on a Wednesday will still need to bring a packed lunch as this is the day school is closed (to all children apart from keyworkers) for a deep clean and therefore there will be no kitchen staff from Taylor Shaw on site.

Can we also take this opportunity to remind parents of those children returning on the 15th of a few points.
~Please can children wear sensible footwear and weather appropriate clothes
~Please apply suncream before school on sunny days and supply a cap/hat
~Please ensure your child’s water bottle is sent to school every day

If you are unsure about anything or need reassurance, please do not hesitate to contact the school.

Kind regards,

Mr Appleby

Important message to parents – 28/05/20

Please find below the Press Release from Durham County Council.

Council provides further information to schools on reopening

A North East council has provided further information to schools on plans for phased reopening.

Durham County Council has provided the information after new scientific advice was published on Friday 22 May and due to concerns that key issues outside of its control have not yet been resolved.

The advice from the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), states there is ‘a consensus that evidence on the role of children in transmission of COVID-19 is unclear with a number of gaps in understanding’. It also says there is some evidence to suggest that children are as susceptible to COVID-19 as adults but advised that is not conclusive. Scientists have also advised government that the messaging to parents and teachers had to be ‘robust’ in order to ‘enhance confidence and willingness to return.’

The council has also acted in response to data which shows the North East having the highest coronavirus infection rate in the country.

Its action is also in response to delays implementing the national Test and Trace system – seen as vital in managing children returning to school. The system will not be fully operational by 1 June, the date previously announced by ministers as when the phased reopening should begin.

The information the council has provided to schools advises that 15 June, the date the government has put forward for secondary pupils to return, is a more realistic date for the phased reopening to begin.

Cllr Olwyn Gunn, the council’s Cabinet member for children and young people’s services, said: “Our priority has always been the safety of staff, children and communities and we have issued extensive advice and guidance to headteachers and governing bodies with the emphasis on reopening only when risk assessments have been carried out and found to be of a high enough standard.

“We have at no point stated schools should return on 1 June. And in the light of the new scientific advice, high infection rates and the unacceptable delays in implementing Contact Tracing, we believe 15 June is a more realistic timeline for all schools to work towards, subject to government scientific advice and individual school risk assessments.

“Ultimately it remains a decision for schools to open when they feel it is safe to do so and I would like to place on record our sincere thanks to all headteachers and staff for the tremendous work they are doing to this end.”

Important message to parents re YR/1/6 phased return 1st June

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are very pleased to be welcoming your child back into school on 1st June. We would like to provide you with more specific details about the provision that will be available, how we will ensure the school is the safest possible place for your child and make clear the processes that will be in place which are not the ‘normal’ you would usually expect from school.

School will be open on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. We will shut every Wednesday for a ‘deep clean’. The school day will begin at 8:55am and end at 3:20pm. Your child has been assigned to one of two groups. Group 1 is the EYFS group which has a total of 7 children. Group 2 is the Y1 and Y6 group which has a total of 6 children (3 Year 1 children and 3 Year 6 children). Each group will have two adults responsible for them on any given day with a member of the Senior Leadership Team overseeing each group. Please see below for further details:

Group 1:
Senior Leader – Mr. Appleby
Monday – Ms. Lilley and Mrs. Wray
Tuesday – Ms. Lilley and Mrs. Wray
Thursday – Miss Defty and Mrs. Kirkwood
Friday – Miss Defty and Mrs Kirkwood

Group 2:
Senior Leader – Mr. Churchill
Monday – Miss O’Neil and Miss Hall
Tuesday – Miss O’Neil and Miss Hall
Thursday – Mrs. Appleby and Mrs. Scarr
Friday – Mrs. Appleby and Mrs. Scarr

Please see below a detailed overview of how the school day will look for each group.

Group 1:
Arriving at school:
Children in Group 1 will enter school through the SIDE GATE. Parents will bring children onto the yard and stand in a designated space (these will be marked on school yard) and wait for a member of staff to come onto the yard. PARENTS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO ENTER SCHOOL UNLESS THEY HAVE BEEN REQUESTED TO DO SO BY A MEMBER OF STAFF. The designated Teaching Assistant for Group 1 (Mrs Wray or Mrs Kirkwood) will come to the top of the yard and ask children ONE AT A TIME to enter school. The child will enter through the MAIN ENTRANCE where they will put hand sanitizer on and then proceed down to the classroom where their teacher (Ms. Lilley or Miss Defty) will be waiting.

Playtimes and Lunchtimes:
No packed lunches will be allowed into school. The only items children are allowed to bring in from home are a water bottle and a jacket/coat. A hot lunch will be provided by the school each day.  Children in Group 1 will go for their lunch at 12:00pm. They will collect their lunch from the school hall and eat it in their classroom with a member of staff. Group 1 will have their playtime and lunchtime on the SCHOOL YARD and in the MUGA.

Home time:
Parents must arrive promptly when collecting children and wait in one of the marked areas on the school yard. Children will exit the school from the MAIN ENTRANCE. Children will be dismissed one at a time and brought from the classroom to the parent/carer by the Teaching Assistant. As a result of this, home time will take a little longer than usual but I’m sure you understand our reasons for doing this.

The Curriculum:
Children will be completing work set by Oak National Academy (a link went out to all parents regarding this earlier today). They will also be completing other activities set by the class teacher. Children will be social distancing in the classroom setting, with desks being place two metres apart. Children will not be allowed to bring in any stationary from home. Each child will be provided with the following from school to use in lessons. They will not be sharing these items with any other child.
· Pencil
· Pen
· Pencil sharpener
· Rubber
· Coloured pencils/pens

Group 2:
Arriving at school:
Children in Group 2 will enter school through the MAIN GATE IN THE CARPARK. Parents will bring children onto the yard and stand in a designated space (these will be marked on school yard) and wait for a member of staff to come onto the yard. If children are walking to school by themselves then they must wait in the designated space. PARENTS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO ENTER SCHOOL UNLESS THEY HAVE BEEN REQUESTED TO DO SO BY A MEMBER OF STAFF. The designated Teaching Assistant for Group 2 (Mrs Scarr or Miss Hall) will come to the top of the yard and ask children ONE AT A TIME to enter school. The child will enter through the SIDE GATE NEXT TO THE MUGA and go round straight into Mrs Appleby’s classroom, putting hand sanitizer on before entering. Their teacher (Mrs Appleby or Miss O’Neil) will be waiting in the class to greet the children.

Playtimes and Lunchtimes:
No packed lunches will be allowed into school. The only items children are allowed to bring in from home are a water bottle and a jacket/coat. A hot lunch will be provided by the school each day. Children in Group 2 will go for their lunch at 12:15pm. They will collect their lunch from the school hall and eat it in their classroom with a member of staff. Group 2 will have their playtime and lunchtime on the SCHOOL FIELD.

Home time:
Parents must arrive promptly when collecting children and wait in one of the marked areas on the school yard. Children will exit the school from the SIDE GATE NEXT TO THE MUGA. Children will be dismissed one at a time and brought from the classroom to the parent/carer by the Teaching Assistant. As a result of this, home time will take a little longer than usual but I’m sure you understand our reasons for doing this.

The Curriculum:
Children will be completing work set by Oak National Academy (a link went out to all parents regarding this earlier today). They will also be completing other activities set by the class teacher. Children will be social distancing in the classroom setting, with desks being place two metres apart. Children will not be allowed to bring in any stationary from home. Each child will be provided with the following from school to use in lessons. They will not be sharing these items with any other child.
· Pencil
· Pen
· Pencil sharpener
· Rubber
· Coloured pencils/pens

Cleaning and PPE:
As previously mentioned, school will be closed every Wednesday up until July 17th for a deep clean. School will also be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected every morning and every night. Staff will not be wearing PPE during the school day, however there are occasions that a member of staff may need to wear PPE. Please see below:

· If they need to administer First Aid to a child
· If a child is feeling unwell or is showing any symptoms of COVID-19.

In any of the above cases, the child will be taken by a Teaching Assistant to the Isolation Room (school library). If a child is unwell or showing symptoms of COVID-19 parents will be contacted immediately and the child must be collected from school as soon as possible. If a child does test positive for COVID-19 then the child and the rest of the group and staff working with that group must self-isolate for 14 days.

Children and staff will be washing their hands frequently throughout the day, especially when they reenter the school from being outside. The children will soon get used to this and it will simply become part of the school day.

Children should attend school in a clean set of clothes each day therefore school uniform is not essential.

Summary:
The two groups of children will NOT come into contact with each other at all during the school day and neither will the adults working with each different group. The idea is that each group is in a ‘bubble’ and work with the same group of adults to minimise risk of infection.

School will undoubtedly be different but we will do all we can as a staff to ensure it is still as welcoming and warm as possible for our children. The staff have missed the children greatly and I know are very excited to get back to school and some kind of normality.

I hope all of the above is clear. If you are unsure on anything at all or need anything clarifying, please do not hesitate to get in touch and I will get back to you as soon as possible. We have worked through various Risk Assessments over the past weeks to ensure our school is as safe as possible for children, staff and parents from the 1st June 2020.

Take care and God bless.
Mr. Appleby and Governors

Important message for parents – 21/05/20

Hello everyone

As always I hope this update finds you all safe and well. In these uncertain times, I just wanted to clarify some questions that parents may have at this time of the academic year.

1) As with previous years, all children will receive a full written report from their class teacher. The report will cover attainment and progress of your child up until the time when schools closed. Teachers will also comment on your child’s attitude to work and behaviour in school. The report will also contain which teacher will be teaching your child from September and the structure of their individual class. Reports will be completed for week beginning 6th July. An update will follow at a later date confirming how you will receive your child’s report.
2) From June 1st, the work being set for you child by their class teacher will change. Mr Churchill will provide a full update on this at the beginning of next week.
3) At the moment, no one knows what September is going to look like. As I’m sure you are aware, it depends on a number of factors. We could be still looking at some kind of phased return or school may return as normal. I will ensure I keep in contact with you regarding this and update you on any government guidance that I receive as quickly as possible.

Once again thank you for your understanding and patience. As a school we really are trying to provide as many updates as possible and be honest and open with our communication.

Take care and stay safe
Mr Appleby

Important message to parents – 18/05/20

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope this communication finds you safe and well.

We would like to thank you for your patience and understanding during this uncertain time.  We have been reviewing all of the guidance that is available from national, local and other authorities such as the Diocese and the Union representation.  As I’m sure you are aware some of the guidance is contradictory and we have made every effort to take the advice provided and apply it sensibly to our school context, we know our school community and families well, and feel that our offer of provision now and moving forward is the most safe and supportive possible.

We will be opening for YR, Y1 & Y6 children on the 1st  June as well as continuing to support those children from key and critical worker families.   We are continuing to develop our learning offer to ensure the same curriculum will be available to those children both in and out of school.  All families will receive specific and further information relating to this as soon as possible.

To those parents/carers who are in YR, Y1 & Y6 who have confirmed they will be sending their children to school from 1st June, Mr Appleby will be contacting you via telephone over the coming days to ascertain your individual requirements and further confirm the preparations that are taking place ready for the wider opening of school for your children.  School will be available from Monday-Friday for those families who need it however you are not required to send children full time and we will be as flexible as you need/want us to be.

To those parents/carers who are critical workers, the updated list of critical workers who can access schools or educational settings is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision

We urge you to review this guidance and contact us if you require your child/ren to be in school.  Now that some lockdown restrictions have been lifted we are able to support any child/ren from families with parents/carers who are categorised as critical workers.  Please email the school (easingtonce@durhamlearning.net) by 9am on Thursday 21st May 2020 if you are a critical worker and would like to access school provision or have any questions about this.

We will continue to provide updates and communication as new information becomes available or where it is needed to support the most appropriate planning for our school.   We hope you appreciate that this is a very difficult and unprecedented time for all, we are working extremely hard to support each of our families with their individual and unique situations.  Your child’s safety and wellbeing has an will continue to be our utmost priority.

Please find the link to our recently created Facebook page to support our communication strategy: https://www.facebook.com/Easington-Church-of-England-Primary-School-101597814900326

As always, should you have any queries or concerns please do not hesitate to get in touch.

We miss our children and the wonderful school family we have here at Easington Church of England Primary and look forward to the day when we can all be together again – stay safe and well.

Important message to parents – 15/05/2020

Dear Parents and Carers,

We hope that this email finds you and your family safe and well. We know that many of you will be anxious about a possible return to school and the wider global situation. We have to be honest and say that until a vaccine is found, the threat posed by coronavirus is very real. We understand your worries and are working with the Government guidance on how we may potentially be able to reopen and do our best for your children and our staff.

Following the communication from school yesterday (14th May), more guidance was published by the Government through the Department for Education yesterday evening. It is only right and sensible to share some of the requirements being placed on primary schools upon their conditional (the five Government tests still need to be satisfied) phased return for some pupils on June 1st. If indeed school reopens, it will not be a return to ‘normal’ school. These are our initial thoughts and are subject to alteration in this ever changing situation.

Firstly, school has been tasked to ensure that children who return are placed into a group of no more than 15 children. The different groups of children within school will not be able to interact with any other groups of children to any extent. To that end, each group of children will have their own break and lunch times (using a staggered rota) to minimise contact between groups. To further minimise contact, children will be required to eat their lunch in their designated classroom (this may not be their usual classroom e.g. children from Year 6 may be designated a base in the Year 2/3 classroom).

Within their designated group, staff will attempt to minimise interactions between children. As we are sure you can appreciate, social distancing in school, particularly for our younger children, is an impossibility so we cannot guarantee that your child will not come into close contact with a child or children form different families.

Secondly, a member of staff will be allocated to each group of children, potentially on a rota basis, depending on the needs of the school and children. Once again, this may mean that your child is not with their usual teacher and/or teaching assistant. As we are sure you can appreciate, a task of this nature and magnitude is causing huge logistical problems which we are currently risk assessing and working through.

Thirdly, routines for hand washing will be rigorously applied throughout the day-this is for both the safety of staff and children alike. Children will not share any resources and should not bring toys etc from home. Guidance from Government also requires classroom layouts to be altered to ensure that items that are difficult to wash (soft furnishings etc) are removed from the environment before the children attend. This means that the ‘look’ of the school environment and daily routines will be different from what your child is usually used to.

Fourthly, arrangements for the dropping off and collection of children need to considered. A staggered timetable will be in place (more details to follow) to ensure that parents and children are socially distant when dropping off and collecting. There will be NO deviation from these times and punctuality is essential to ensure the safety of all involved. The Government advice also strongly discourages parents/carers from congregating in groups at the school gates and on the yard and spending any unnecessary time in school etc. We request that you follow this advice should school reopen.

The school will be thoroughly cleaned using a targeted approach. All key surfaces (tables, door handles, toilets etc) will be deep cleaned regularly. Staff will supervise the use of resources and the cleaning of these will happen. There will be no assemblies or large gatherings in the hall or other areas. The outdoor space will be used as much as possible throughout the course of the day.

More information regarding other day-to-day organisational considerations will follow when all relevant risk assessments are completed.

We understand that each family is different, and at this moment, some families will not want to send their child back to school. If this is your family decision, there is no penalty and school will not follow any non-attendance procedures.

School won’t be the same environment that your child left on 20th March, however what we can ensure is that all children whenever they come back into school will be received into a nurturing and loving environment. Our focus has never faulted from having the best interests of your children are at the forefront of everything we do.

We are working on improving the remote learning offer and will be utilising the Oak National Academy resources as available. The offer will be available for all children whether attending school or home learning. Further details will follow.

We appreciate that we may not have answered all of your concerns but as you can appreciate, this is an unprecedented situation and we hope this helps to provide you with further information and we fully appreciate the challenging decision you have in deciding whether to send your child back into their education settings.

We are asking for an indication of pupils numbers for 1st June as we need this information to effectively plan for a safe return and unfortunately cannot add any specific detail until we can understand the need and the teaching resource we will have available.

Yesterday the government released the updated list of critical workers who can access schools or educational settings, please find the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision

If you fall under this category and require child care arrangements please contact the school via email (easingtonce@durhamlearning.net) as a priority.

We are working incredibly hard to do the very best we can for your children and our staff. We will write to again when we have more information.

Please continue to stay safe

Important message for parents – 14/05/20

Hello Everyone,

Following the government’s announcement that school will begin a phased return from June 1st as a school we need to ascertain the requirement from our families.

Please find below a link to the most up to date guidance for parents and carers from the Department for Education:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers/reopening-schools-and-other-educational-settings-from-1-june

At present we are only able to potentially offer school places to those in Year Reception, Year 1 and Year 6.

For those parents with children in Year R, Year 1 and/or Year 6 can you please reply to the text message which was sent to you, by 9:00am on Monday 18th May 2020 confirming if you will be requesting a place for your child from 1st June.

Once we have received this information further consultation will take place and we will provide you with further details as soon as possible.

Best wishes,

Mr Appleby and Governors

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