Phased return to school from 1st June 24/05/20

OUR PLAN for the phased return to school from June 1^st

• The government will make an announcement on Thursday 28^th May to confirm whether primary schools WILL OR WILL NOT re-open from Monday 1^st June
• We can only share our plan for re-opening with you at this point, we cannot confirm when each phase of our plan will start until the government have made this announcement
• On Monday 1^st June, all staff will be in school for training about the phased return risk assessment and protocols to ensure we are meeting government guidelines and keeping your child safe
• Phase 1 from Tuesday 2^nd June, will be opening up key worker provision to more families. Key Worker families will receive an email on Monday 25^th May to confirm uptake of this offer. Feedback from the Parent Survey indicates up to 20 key worker children are likely to be in school. These children would be divided in to two separate groups working with two adults – a teacher and a teaching assistant – in two separate classrooms. Teachers will be covering the same learning in English and Maths as provided for children learning at home
• If this works successfully, Phase 2 would be to invite Reception and Year 1 children back in to school. Again these children would work in two separate groups (Reception and Year 1 working separately) working with two adults – a teacher and a teaching assistant – in two separate classrooms. Phase 2 may happen from Monday 8^th June
• Phase 3 would be to invite Year 6 back to school in July in order to complete some support for preparing to go to secondary school and celebrating their time at our school
• We will review how effectively each phase is working towards the end of each week by getting feedback from the children, parents and staff involved. This review will help us in making any changes to our practice and deciding when to start the next phase
• From 1^st June to 17^th July, when this academic year finishes, teachers will continue to provide weekly home learning as well as feedback to pupils about their home learning in the Pupil Area. Teachers will also continue to be available to parents for direct contact using their personal email addresses. Teachers will prioritise feedback to children and communication with parents of children who continue to learn at home
• Given the current DfE guidelines, it will not be possible for any primary school to have all its children in school at the same time. Working with children in groups of 15 means there will not be enough staff nor enough space to manage this
• In order to prepare for this phased return, we have employed a specialist Health & Safety Consultant to help us complete a personalised risk assessment. On Wednesday, Miss. Watson and Mr. Pugh spent 2 hours walking round school with the Health & Safety Consultant discussing areas of concern and solutions. The Health & Safety Consultant will continue to provide us with advice and support until the end of December. Parents will be sent further information next week when the risk assessment has been finalised
• On Friday 29^th May, we will be in touch with all parents to confirm what will be happening from Monday 1^st June
• This is a complex and tricky situation for all involved, however we will continue to do our best to keep parents informed and up-to-date

What will the phased return to school look like for children?

From Tuesday 2^nd June, we will be open from Monday to Friday starting from 8.45am to 3.10pm for key worker & vulnerable children. The government expectation is that from 1^st June, children attend school for the whole school day and every day during term time.

• We are expecting up to 20 key worker & vulnerable children
• These children will be divided in to two separate key worker groups based on their age
• Each group will be in a 'bubble' having no contact with children and adults in other groups
• Each group will be working with two adults – one teacher and one teaching assistant for the whole day including playtime and lunchtime
• Each group will be based in their own room with very limited access to the rest of the school building except toilets and access to the outdoor space as much as possible (weather permitting)
• Each group will be allocated a dedicated space for their group outside that can be used for lessons as well as playtime and lunchtime
• Playtimes and lunchtimes will be taken outside whenever possible. If the weather is bad, each group will have their own allocated break for playtime and lunchtime in the hall. Children will either eat lunch outside or in their classroom
• All children will need to bring their own packed lunch and full drink bottle (water/squash/fruit juice) in a carrier bag or small rucksack. Other than a packed lunch and refillable drink bottle, children must not bring any other personal items from home. P.E. kits will NOT be needed. Families of children who are entitled to free school meals will continue to receive fsm vouchers every week
• Children WILL BE expected to wear their school uniform, although wearing trainers is highly recommended as we are hoping children will spend as much time as possible outside when the weather is fine
• Measures to prevent infection include limiting the amount of contact between groups, ensuring social distancing within each smaller group, maintaining good hand and respiratory hygiene while providing increased cleaning

Parent Survey re: phased return to school

52% of parents said yes - they would send their child back to school.

30% of parents said no they would no - they would not send their child back to school.

19% of parents either did not complete the survey or their responses were not clear.

I have attached the file with the results of the Parent Survey below.

I have also attached a statement by Lancaster & Morecambe District Primary Headteachers about schools re-opening.

I will contact parents on Friday 29th May to confirm arrangements for our school's phased return following the government's announcement on Wednesday 28th May.