FULL RE- OPENING OF SCHOOL FROM 8^th MARCH  2021.

                                                                                                Monday 1^st March 2021

Dear parents and carers,

The government want all primary schools to re-open fully for ALL PUPILS  from Monday 8^th March 2021.We look forward to welcoming all children back after the enforced school closure during January and February.

The government have made the return of pupils mandatory from this date and I need to emphasise to parents that it will become unlawful to NOT send pupils back to school after 8^th March 2021.

 We want to support any families who are especially anxious about returning to school and we are here to help with this by explaining the many safety measures we have already established which will be in place.

Notwithstanding that it will become unlawful again not to send children to school, can I also remind parents of the many benefits of all children returning to full time education.

• Children need to re-start their education so they can build on the home learning via google classrooms and go on to reach their full potential at school and later in the world of work. We want to help all our children become successful.
• We know our children love learning and are stimulated and engaged by it.
• All children thrive on routine and they need to re-establish the good habit of coming to school each day, Monday to Friday, on time. This will help them re-instate a clear structure in their daily lives and also help their mental health and well-being.
• Children will have missed their friends in class and also their teachers

We want to make the re-opening as safe as we possibly can for all children, staff and their families at home. School leaders have a detailed risk assessment to minimise the chances of anyone becoming sick or spreading the virus within school or the wider community. This is on our school website for all parents to read.

Below is a very brief outline of the safety measures we will be taking in school to prevent the spread of infection:

• Approximately 25% of school staff have now received a first dose of the COVID vaccine and this will not only help protect them but will also help prevent them spreading the virus
• School now has a good stock of lateral flow tests and many staff are using these twice weekly to help us pick up any asymptomatic cases early.

• Children will again be educated in “Year Group Bubbles”. The children in each year group bubble will stay together all day, every day – whilst learning, eating lunch and at playtimes – to limit the spread of the virus.
• Children in each year group bubble will use the same classrooms, the same resources and be taught by the same adults every day – to limit the spread of the virus.
• The single most important measure we will take is to do everything possible to make sure that pupils within one year group bubble do not mix with other pupils from another bubble.
• Therefore playtimes and lunchtimes will be staggered and the playground itself separated into zones so bubbles don’t mix
• There will be a one –way system in use within school so pupils do not mix with other groups.
• A staggered start and end to the day to avoid pupils and adults mixing
• Regular, supervised handwashing and hand sanitiser  - 6 times per day – on entry to school, before and after playtime, before and after lunch, and before leaving school.
• All classrooms will be well ventilated, with doors and windows open all day to ensure a good air flow
• Enhanced cleaning procedures within each class on all hard surfaces and around school on frequently touched surfaces like door handles etc

Above are just a very brief summary of safety measures we will be undertaking. There are many other safety measures too numerous to mention here to keep all pupils and staff safe.

Parents can help by:

Parents can help by dropping off and picking up their children promptly at the new staggered times set out below;

• Please wear a mask/face covering when dropping off or picking up your children

• Parents should enter the alleyways as usual, hand children over to staff immediately and leave via the pedestrian gate at the bottom of the staff car park. Please do not linger to talk to staff or other parents or congregate in groups.

• Please do not send your child into school if they are sick. The main symptoms of coronavirus are a new, continuous cough, a high temperature or a change to the senses of smell and taste;
• however, other symptoms include vomiting/diarrhoea and generally feeling unwell. It is important that if your child (or someone living in your household) has any of the symptoms identified, that you DO NOT send your child into school. If your child has a temperature and you have given them medicine for this, you must still keep them at home. The medicine will temporarily mask a raised temperature, but they may still have the virus.

• Please send children in clean school uniform every day.

Please note:

• Breakfast club and After School club will be open as normal from Monday 8^th March 2021 – please book/pay through the school office/ parent pay  if you want a place
• There will be no toast for children in the mornings so please don’t send in any money. Children can bring a piece of fruit instead
• All queries and questions should wherever possible be managed by phoning the office or emailing school
• Only one parent will be allowed into the school reception/security lobby at a time and a queue system (2 metres) apart outside to be observed similar to supermarkets
• Any child who becomes ill will be immediately isolated within school and parents asked to collect them immediately

Medically highly vulnerable pupils :

There may be a very tiny number of pupils who remain unable to attend school because they are acting upon the written advice of a GP or other medical practitioner. School will require written evidence of this .School will continue to provide daily, on line learning for only these pupils until further notice.

Please note – school will not provide any home learning for pupils who should be attending but choose not to. School will have to follow the law and record these pupils as an unauthorised absence.

I do hope this letter sets out the school’s current position clearly and no doubt I will be in touch again in the near future with another update.

If you have questions or queries please use the school email address:

 stthomasofcanterbury.rcprimaryschool@salford.gov.uk

God bless,

Mr Deane OBE

Head teacher

17^th September 2020

Dear Parent/Carer

Milk Money is only payable for children in years 1 to 6 who are NOT eligible for BENEFIT free school meals (not universal free meals as in years Reception to Year 2). Please check parentpay to see if you need to pay.

We are now ordering milk (individual small 189ml bottles) for the whole school year i.e. from 2nd November to 20th July 2021 and the cost is £20.00.  If you would like your child to continue (or start) receiving milk then please let the school know by paying online via www.parentpay.com

As we are a ‘CASHLESS’ school, payments and orders can only be made online at  www.parentpay.com using your username and password.

If your child is on BENEFIT Free School Meals then please confirm via email if you wish your child to have Milk.

If your child is in Nursery or Reception then milk is automatically provided; please confirm via email if you wish to opt out of Milk.

Please contact the school office if you are experiencing any problems.

TO BE PAID FOR NO LATER THAN FRIDAY 16TH OCTOBER. NO ORDERS WILL BE TAKEN AFTER THIS DATE

Thank you for your co-operation.

Yours faithfully

Mr D Deane

Headteacher

FULL RE- OPENING OF SCHOOL FROM WEDNESDAY 2ND^nd SEPTEMBER 2020.

Dear parents and carers,

As you will know, school has safely re-opened to some year groups for the last 6 weeks (since Monday 8th June). This has meant that 165 children, representing 1/3 of the total school population have safely and successfully re-started their education this half term.

Thank you to all the children, parents and staff who have so sensibly and responsibly followed our new safety measures around social distancing and working in bubbles.

There has been no reported transmission of the virus within the school community and NO pupil or member of staff has tested positive for COVID 19 since our return. This gives us confidence that our new safety measures are working well to minimise any risk of spreading the virus.

The government want all primary schools to build on this successful partial re-opening and now move to a full reopening for ALL PUPILS beginning Wednesday 2nd September 2020.

The government have made the return of pupils mandatory from September 2020 and I need to emphasise to parents that it will become unlawful to NOT send pupils back to school after the summer holiday.

We do recognise that some families and pupils may have some anxieties and worries about this, especially where they have not been in regular schooling since March. We want to support any families who are especially anxious about returning to school and we are here to help with this by explaining the many new safety measures we have already established this half term.

Notwithstanding that it will become unlawful again not to send children to school, can I also remind parents of the many benefits of all children returning to full time education in September:

• Children need to re-start their education so they can “catch –up” on missed learning and go on to reach their full potential at school and later in the world of work. We want to help all our children become successful.
• We know our children love learning and are stimulated and engaged by it.
• All children thrive on routine and they need to re-establish the good habit of coming to school each day, Monday to Friday, on time. This will help them re-instate a clear structure in their daily lives and also help their mental health and well-being.
• Children will have missed their friends in class and also their teachers

Below is a very brief outline of the safety measures we will be taking in school to prevent the spread of infection:

• Children will be educated in “Year Group Bubbles”. The children in each year group bubble will stay together all day, every day – whilst learning, eating lunch and at playtimes – to limit the spread of the virus.
• Children in each year group bubble will use the same classrooms, the same resources and be taught by the same adults  every day – to limit the spread of the virus.
• Years 3 to Year 6 will sit in rows adjacent to each other facing the front. For younger children in the Early Years this will be more of a challenge but staff will encourage children to remain apart and explain why this is important now.
• The single most important measure we will take is to do everything possible to make sure that pupils within one year group bubble do not mix with other pupils from another bubble. THIS IS ESSENTIAL TO LIMIT THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS.
• Therefore playtimes and lunchtimes will be staggered and the playground itself separated into zones so bubbles don’t mix
• There will be a one –way system in use within school so pupils do not mix with other groups.
• A staggered start and end to the day to avoid pupils and adults mixing
• Regular, supervised handwashing and hand sanitiser  - 6 times per day – on entry to school, before and after playtime, before and after lunch, and before leaving school.
• Enhanced cleaning procedures within each class on all hard surfaces and around school on frequently touched surfaces like door handles etc

Above are just a very brief summary of safety measures we will be undertaking. There are many other safety measures too numerous to mention here to keep all pupils and staff safe.

Parents can help by:

Parents can help by dropping off and picking up their children promptly at the new staggered times set out below;

• Parents should enter the alleyways as usual, hand children over to staff immediately and leave via the pedestrian gate at the bottom of the staff car park. Please do not linger to talk to staff or other parents or congregate in groups.

•  Please do not send your child into school if they are sick. The main symptoms of coronavirus are a new, continuous cough, a high temperature or a change to the senses of smell and taste; however, other symptoms include vomiting/diarrhoea and generally feeling unwell. It is important that if your child (or someone living in your household) has any of the symptoms identified, that you DO NOT send your child into school. If your child has a temperature and you have given them medicine for this, you must still keep them at home. The medicine will temporarily mask a raised temperature, but they may still have the virus.

• Please send children in clean school uniform every day.

Your child’s new teacher for September 2020 will be:

Other key changes to note

• There will be no breakfast club or after school club the first week back, although this will be reviewed
• There will be no toast for children in the mornings so please don’t send in any money. Children can bring a piece of fruit instead
• All queries and questions should wherever possible be managed by phoning the office or emailing school
• Only one parent will be allowed into the school reception/security lobby at a time and a queue system (2 metres) apart outside to be observed similar to supermarkets
• Any child who becomes ill will be immediately isolated within school and parents asked to collect them immediately

Medically highly vulnerable pupils :

There may be a very tiny number of pupils who remain unable to attend school because they are acting upon the written advice of a GP or other medical practitioner. School will require written evidence of this .School will continue to provide daily, on line learning for only these pupils until further notice.

Please note – school will not provide any home learning for pupils who should be attending but choose not to. School will have to follow the law and record these pupils as an unauthorised absence.

I do hope this letter sets out the school’s current position clearly and no doubt I will be in touch again in the near future with another update.

If you have questions or queries please use the school email address:

 stthomasofcanterbury.rcprimaryschool@salford.gov.uk

God bless,

Mr Deane OBE

Head teacher

                                                                                              Thursday 21^st  May 2020

Dear parents and carers,

School leaders aim to re - open our school on Monday 8^th June 2020 for all children in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. The children of key workers in Years 2, Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5 are also allowed to come to school from this date.

We want to make the re-opening as safe as we possibly can for all children, staff and their families at home. School leaders are currently undertaking a detailed risk assessment to minimise the chances of anyone becoming sick or spreading the virus within school or the wider community.

Below is a very brief outline of the safety measures we will be taking in school to prevent the spread of infection:

• Children will be educated in small groups or “bubbles” with a maximum size of 15 children in each bubble. The children in each bubble will stay together all day, every day – whilst learning, eating lunch and at playtimes – to limit the spread of the virus.
• Children in each group/bubble will use the same classroom, the same resources and be taught by the same 3 adults (a teacher and 2 TAs) every day – to limit the spread of the virus. However this may not be the child’s class teacher and may not be in the regular classroom.
• Social distancing within classrooms will be organised with desks 2 metres apart. For younger children in the Early Years this will be more of a challenge but staff will encourage children to remain apart and explain why this is important now.
• The single most important measure we will take is to do everything possible to make sure that pupils within one bubble/group do not mix with other pupils from another bubble. THIS IS ESSENTIAL TO LIMIT THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS.
• Therefore playtimes and lunchtimes will be staggered and the playground itself separated into zones so bubbles don’t mix
• Most pupils will eat lunch in their classrooms to  avoid any mixing of groups/bubbles
• There will be a one –way system in use within school so pupils do not mix with other groups.
• A staggered start and end to the day to avoid pupils and adults mixing
• Regular, supervised handwashing and hand sanitiser  - 6 times per day – on entry to school, before and after playtime, before and after lunch, and before leaving school.
• Enhanced cleaning procedures within each class on all hard surfaces and around school on frequently touched surfaces like door handles etc

Above are just a very brief summary of safety measures we will be undertaking. There are many other safety measures too numerous to mention here to keep all pupils and staff safe.

Parents can help by:

Parents can help by dropping off and picking up their children promptly at the new staggered times set out below;

• Parents should enter the alleyway from either Dudley Street or St James Road, hand children over to staff immediately and leave via the pedestrian gate at the bottom of the staff car park. Please do not linger to talk to staff or other parents  or congregate in groups.

• Please do not send your child into school if they are sick. The main symptoms of coronavirus are a new, continuous cough, a high temperature or a change to the senses of smell and taste; however, other symptoms include vomiting/diarrhoea and generally feeling unwell. It is important that if your child (or someone living in your household) has any of the symptoms identified, that you DO NOT send your child into school. If your child has a temperature and you have given them medicine for this, you must still keep them at home. The medicine will temporarily mask a raised temperature, but they may still have the virus.

• School undertook a survey of parents to find out roughly how many parents from Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 intended to send their children to school from Monday 8^th June. If you have said no and later change your mind and want your child to attend, please Email/phone the office and give 48 hours’ notice so we can “manage” the size of groups/bubbles.

• Please send children in clean school uniform every day – this will mean additional laundry

Other key changes to note

• There will be no breakfast club or after school club the first week back, although this will be reviewed
• There will be no toast for children in the mornings so please don’t send in any money. Children can bring a piece of fruit instead
• There will be no external visitors – no hymns, no music tuition, no sports coaches etc
• All queries and questions should wherever possible be managed by phoning the office or emailing school
• Only one parent will be allowed into the school reception/security lobby at a time and a queue system (2 metres) apart outside to be observed similar to supermarkets
• Any child who becomes ill will be immediately isolated within school and parents asked to collect them immediately

Those pupils not attending school :

Pupils in Year 2, Year 3, Year 4 and Year  5 will not be returning to school on 8^th June unless they are key worker children. It is as yet unclear when they will return. Some parents of pupils in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 may choose to not send their children into school. This is your decision and your right ( at this time as normal regulations have been suspended) and school will not seek to penalise parents for non- attendance and they will NOT face fines/prosecution at this time.

School will continue to provide daily, on line learning for these pupils not attending until further notice.

I do hope this letter sets out the school’s current position clearly and no doubt I will be in touch again in the near future with another update.

If you have questions or queries please use the school email address:

 stthomasofcanterbury.rcprimaryschool@salford.gov.uk

God bless,

Mr Deane OBE

Head teacher