Stanmore Post - 15 May 2020
Dear Parents,
I hope that you are all well and beginning to adjust to the gradual easing of some of the lockdown measures. Well done on your continuing efforts to support home school learning and to encourage children to submit work. We really enjoy the variety of creative ideas that come in via Stanmore Support each week.
If we can help your child to access work in some way, please get in touch by sending an email to stanmoresupport@stanmoreprimary.com
We can provide printed versions of the work on line. Please contact the school office to arrange collection.
Work submitted and house points
https://www.stanmore.hants.sch.uk/news/2020/5/15/summer-term-2020-work-and-house-points
Year 1 and 2 home learning can be found here:
https://www.stanmore.hants.sch.uk/news/2020/5/14/year-1-and-2-home-learning-18-may-2020
Year 3 and 4 home learning can be found here:
https://www.stanmore.hants.sch.uk/news/2020/5/14/year-3-and-4-home-learning-18-may-2020
Year 5 and 6 home learning can be found here:
https://www.stanmore.hants.sch.uk/news/2020/5/14/year-5-and-6-home-learning-18-may-2020
If you haven't had the opportunity to watch our staff team school say 'hello' to you, then follow the link below. We hope you enjoy it, we had fun creating it for you.
https://www.stanmore.hants.sch.uk/news/2020/5/13/we-thought-wed-say-hello
In accordance with the Prime Minister's announcement on Sunday 10th May, and the guidance documents released this week, we are making plans for the first phase of a return to Stanmore Primary School for Years R, 1 and 6 no earlier than 1st June. There is still uncertainty about the plans and I am sure that you are aware of their mixed reception. We would like to reassure you that we are following all available Government and Local Authority advice in order to lower the risks for children and their families in school.
Planning for school return for Years R, 1 and 6
Links to the guidance can be found at the bottom of this letter. I would like to highlight a few key points and considerations from the plans, as things stand.
The guidance makes very clear that primary-age children cannot be expected to comply with social distancing - we will be able to offer best practices to lower the level of risk, but will not be able to adhere to the stringent social distancing that the rest of the population are bound by.
We will set systems in place to maximise hygiene practices - frequent handwashing practices will continue, as well as a regime of cleaning surfaces and contact points throughout the day. Children will also have their own desk and equipment to use wherever possible, with highly restricted sharing of resources.
Children will be taught in half year groups - the guidance sets a limit of no more than 15 children in a group, who will not be allowed mix with children from other groups, even if they are in the same year. Learning time, lunch and playtimes will be with the same group of children and adults in order to lower the risk. There will be no assemblies other than in their own groups
Most children will not be taught by their class teacher - we will be utilising teaching spaces throughout the school to accommodate the three year groups, children of Critical Workers, and vulnerable pupils and deploying every available member of staff. This means that, although the work will be planned with input from their year-group teacher, they aren't guaranteed to be with that teacher.
School start and finish times These may need to be staggered - this is in order to adhere to social distancing at the school gates, thereby lowering the risk to adults dropping off/collecting their children. We are planning an in/out system at the gates and there will be a 'check in' and 'check out' queue for parents and children marked at 2m intervals. Only one parent can accompany the child onto the school site.
Wrap around provision. This remains under review. Children mixing before and after school compromises the strategy of keeping children in their groups to lower the risk of transmission and therefore parents should not expect that this provision will resume at this time.
All penalties regarding non-attendance have been suspended - although the Government strongly encourage children to attend, they will not be challenging school attendance during this period. Some will not be able to attend because their families are self-isolating or shielding.
Priority children from all year groups are still invited to attend - this includes vulnerable children and children of Critical Workers. Children of Critical Workers who are in Years R, 1 and 6 will join their respective year groups. It is likely that children of Critical Workers in Years 2-5 will be taught either as their own group, or join the nearest Year group out of Year 1 or Year 6.
Home learning provision will continue - we expect to be able to maintain our current levels of home learning provision for all year groups, so that no child is left un-catered for.
We will not be able to provide the full depth and breadth of curriculum your children are used to - mental health and wellbeing will be the priority on return, in addition to receiving regular core-curriculum teaching (English, maths and science)
You will appreciate that all schools have had only a few days to consider how the guidelines apply to each setting, and that there are many more details to be worked through. The information above is only there to give an idea of how things are likely to be. In order to help you make an informed choice, we will provide you with a more detailed guide as to how your child's school day will run. It is also important that you remain aware that the June return date is contingent on a number of factors including the meeting of the Government's '5 Pillars'.
As far as transition is concerned, it is looking increasingly likely that this will have to take place remotely, with activities set by the receiving teachers. This will be shared in due course.
For parents of children in Years R, 1 and 6, we are happy to talk through any concerns you may have about a return to school for your child, though we may not have all the answers yet.
We will do the best we can to make the reopening of our school it as smooth as it can be, and want to thank you for the messages of support and encouragement we have already received. We are really looking forward to welcoming back the children in these year groups and look forward to when we can see all of our children back in school.
Information for parents and carers: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers/reopening-schools-and-other-educational-settings-from-1-june
Actions for education and childcare settings to prepare for wider opening from 1 June 2020: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-educational-and-childcare-settings-to-prepare-for-wider-opening-from-1-june-2020
Implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings
Best Wishes
Sharon Taylor