Dear Parents,

I hope this email finds you all safe and well. I am really looking forward to seeing you all soon and welcoming your children back into school full time from Monday 7^th September.

I would like to start with an apology. I wanted to write to you all earlier than this, but the government guidance changes so regularly that I have left it as late as I can to contact you with our re-opening plans.

If you follow this link to our website you will see the Covid-19 reopening plans in much greater detail: https://www.st-johns-pri.bham.sch.uk/covid-19-information/

This letter is just to outline main points for you, but I would encourage you to read the full plan on the website if you want to understand our decisions in more detail. I also want to be completely honest with you: we may need to change these plans if we feel that the safety of the children can be improved by doing things differently.

Hopefully, you will have already received an email which tells you whether your child is coming in next Thursday (3^rd September) OR Friday (4^th September). We are starting with only half of the children coming in so that we can try out the measures below to see if it works.

1. BUBBLES

Children will be in year group bubbles. This means that as far as possible, children will not come into contact with children in a different year group. They will have different toilet blocks, playgrounds, doors to enter and leave by, etc. This does not prevent children catching Covid-19, but it minimizes the risk of it spreading quickly around the school.

1. GETTING ONTO/OFF THE SCHOOL SITE

We will be operating a one-way system. Entry is through the main gate from the park. Exit is through the Stratford Road gate. I know that this will be inconvenient for some of you, but health and safety must come first. Staff will not allow you to enter the site from the Stratford Road gate or leave through the park gate.

1. MORNING DROP OFF

YEARS 1-6

Year group bubbles have the following drop off times:

Even year groups (Y2, 4 and 6) will start at 8.45am.

Odd Year groups (Y1, 3 and 5) will start at 8.55am.

NURSERY & RECEPTION

You will have been given “getting to know you” sessions for the next few weeks.

You must be on time to minimise the number of parents in the vicinity of the school.

1. WHAT DOORS DO CHILDREN USE?

Nursery: Main nursery gate

Reception: classroom door

Y1: classroom door at 8.55am

Y2: classroom door (2B have a door at the back of school-next to the swimming pool) at 8.45am

Y3: main door next to the office at 8.55am

Y4: main door next to the office at 8.45am

Y5: Year 5/6 door at 8.55am

Y6: Year 5/6 door at 8.45am

Staggering entrance will ensure that the adults and children on site can distance appropriately and it will reduce the risk of children coming in to contact with children from other bubbles.

Children with siblings can enter school at the same time as the earliest child and go straight to their room using the appropriate door (as listed above).

No adults will be allowed inside the school building unless this has been arranged over the phone/email.

Phone number: 0121 675 1469 or email: enquiry@st-johns-pri.bham.sch.uk

1. HOME TIME PICK UP

This is our biggest challenge. As you know, the waiting area at home time is always a squash, so we are having to do things very differently. I will outline what each year group is doing below:

Nursery: From the outdoor grassed area. You will need to enter through the main park gate and walk down to the Nursery gate-gate E.

Reception: collected from the classroom door (you won’t be able to enter the site until the gates are unlocked at 3.15pm when all KS2 children are lined up in the playground).

Year 1: collected from the classroom door

Year 2: 2B are collected from the classroom door (by the swimming pool) and 2F from the back car park gate by the pool- gate H

Year 3: From the playground Gate A (see the map attached to this email)

Year 4: From the playground Gate B (see the map)

Year 5: From the playground Gate C (see the map)

Year 6: From the playground Gate D (see the map)

I appreciate that if you have several children to collect, this is going to be a pain for you and will involve a lot of walking around. However, the safety of the children has to come first.

No parents are allowed into the playgrounds. We will keep all the gates to the site closed until all the KS2 children have lined up in the playground. The teacher will then send your child out of the gate to you. Please stand at least 2m away from other parents, and wear a mask. We would ask that parents wait on the path nearest to the designated gate so that teachers can see you.

1. HANDWASHING

Adults and children are to wash their hands on the following occasions:

• Entry to school
• Before and after break times
• Before and after lunch
• If/ When they change rooms
• Before leaving school
• Any time that they visit the toilet
• Any time that they cough/sneeze into a tissue or their hands.
• Before and after sharing equipment.

We have now installed two sinks in each classroom and hand sanitizer must be used on entry.

Please send your child into school with a tissue and teach them about sneezing/coughing into the tissue and putting it in the bin.

1. WHAT DO CHILDREN NEED TO BRING TO SCHOOL?

Please send your child with a pencil case which they will leave in school. They will need: a pencil, rubber, sharpener, pencil crayons and a ruler. If you are unable to provide one, please don’t worry: we will provide your child with what they need. We want all children to have their own resources so that they do not need to share. We will give every child a handwriting pen, so please don’t provide one of those.

Your child will also need a water bottle that comes home to be washed every day, and a lunchbox if they have packed lunches.

Children will also need to bring their Reading bag every day as we will be sending books home. These will be quarantined for 72 hours once they are brought back into school.

Children need a tissue/ small pack of tissues.

DO NOT send in a PE kit. If your child left their kit at school, they will be bringing it home on their first day. We would like them to stay at home as this will minimize classroom clutter. We will be asking children to come into school wearing their PE kit on the days that they do PE. You will be told what day this is on the first week back.

1. WHAT ABOUT SCHOOL DINNERS?

We have a new chef: Rebecca who has started preparing for the return to school. She is an experienced catering manager and brings a wealth of experience to St John’s. She is also a mum, and is an expert at hiding vegetables in delicious meals!! She is planning on “grab bags” for lunches which most children will be eating in their classroom to begin with. The menu will be sent out soon but will be a combination of sandwiches and hot "finger food".

1. SCHOOL UNIFORM

Children will be expected to wear uniform.

• Light blue blouse/shirt (short-sleeved or long-sleeved)
• School tie
• Royal blue v-neck pullover or cardigan with logo
• Grey skirt, dress or trousers
• Grey, blue or white socks/tights
• Black flat-heeled school shoes
• Trainers and ankle boots are not allowed
• Jewellery and nail polish are not allowed.

On PE days, we will be asking children to come wearing school PE kit.

All PE kit is listed here:

Blue shorts or plain navy joggers and navy sweatshirt,

pale blue t-shirt with logo or pale blue polo shirt

Trainers

Please phone/email school if you have any problems with this.

1. ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD KNOW?

Please see the useful information below regarding attendance. At this point, the DfE are determined to get children back into school full time. We will do everything we can to keep the children and staff safe and well and would ask you to make sure you do not come into school, or send your child into school if they have any symptoms of Coronavirus.

The main symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19) are a high temperature, a new, continuous cough and a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.

Coronavirus related absences quick reference guide

Attachments

Attendance information:

Coronavirus related absences quick reference guide

FINALLY:

If your child becomes ill at school, we will ring you and ask that you collect them as soon as possible, and definitely within an hour. They will be looked after in the Purple Room (a room at the back of the main hall) so that they are not near any other children. Please make sure school has a correct phone number so that we can contact you.

I know this is a long email, but I haven’t even managed to tell you everything here! There is lots more that we are doing to minimize the risk of catching Coronavirus at St John’s. I will send more information out in bite sized chucks over the next week. I will repeat myself, but that should help you to be clearer about the “new normal”!

Here is a link to a video which tells you some of this information:: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDdereoMPWs

Best wishes,

Mrs Seymour.

Attachments