Dear Parent/Carer,

The full reopening of school on Monday 8^th March 2021

Following the announcement by the prime-minister, Boris Johnson on Monday, I am pleased to confirm that we will be reopening to all pupils on Monday 8^th March. I am really excited to see you all and look forward to seeing and hearing busy classrooms once more. 

As before, we will endeavour to make school feel as normal a place to be as possible for the children and provide them with a nurturing, fun and safe environment in which to learn, play and develop.  The spring term and the coming summer term are a wonderful time in school and we are looking forward to help your children have important experiences which will enable them to flourish academically, socially and emotionally.

Our first priority in terms of ‘catching up’ is to make sure the children feel happy and safe in school and have the chance to play, share and relax with friends. If we can get this right, it will be a firm foundation on which to base academic progress.

From March 8^th 2021, school is once again compulsory for all and to reassure you as parents, in the remaining part of this letter, I will outline the safety measures we have in place already as well as additional measures we will implement on the return of all pupils.

Existing Covid-safety measures:

• Staggered starts and finishes to the school day: Sandymouth and Duckpool 8.50am - 3.20pm; Crooklets 8.55am - 3.25pm; Widemouth and Summerleaze 9.00am - 3.30pm. 
• Children educated in class bubbles with their own toilets, play area and space to have lunch.
• No mixing between bubbles within school.
• Increased hand washing.
• Increased cleaning of surfaces.
• All parents to wear masks when dropping off and collecting from school.
• A strict Covid-secure visitor management policy.
• Strict quarantining of reading books brought into school.
• Key Stage Two pupils to have their own pack of stationery resources provided by the school.
• Robust procedures for dealing with suspected cases of coronavirus within school.

I would like to reassure parents that the levels of infection in the Bude area are very low, but as a precaution and to keep all members of our school community as safe as possible, we will be introducing the following measures from Monday 8^th March:

• To reduce the number of people on site at the start of the day, we are asking that all pupils in Key Stage Two are dropped at the front gate by their parents.  Obviously, if you are bringing these to school with younger children who are starting earlier, please continue as normal.
• For those of you waiting to drop off and collect children, please remember to observe social distancing using the lines provided as a guide and keep all children with you whilst you are waiting for them to enter the school.
• Please can only one adult per family drop the children off at school.
• Once you have dropped your children off or collected them, please leave promptly and refrain from chatting and socialising with others on the school premises or on the pavement outside of school.
• Please endeavour to drop off and collect your children at the correct times.  Please remember the rule is that all children in a family start at the start time of the youngest member and finish at the end time of the oldest member of the family.  For example, a family with a child in Sandymouth and Crooklets would drop both children off at the start time for Sandymouth (8.50am) and collect both children at the finish time for Crooklets (3.25pm).
• To reduce cluttering in corridors and to reduce the potential transmission of the virus, we are asking that children bring their packed lunch or reading book to school in a plastic bag.  Do not bring large rucksacks to school!  This worked well during the summer term.
• Please do not send your child into school with soft toys or books to share from home.
• We have introduced a new ‘keep left’ policy within the building and a one-way system at lunchtime to reduce numbers in the corridors.
• Cleaning of surfaces and door handles will be increased further during the day.

I appreciate that the government announced the return of after-school clubs but due to the rules on bubbles remaining in place, we are not able to offer these for at least  the remainder of the spring term.

Whilst the news of a gradual reopening of society is exciting, please can I ask you to bear in mind that we do have members of our school community, children, staff and parents, who have underlying health issues, therefore, please can you abide by all of the government’s Covid-19 social distancing rules out of school as we do not want a rise in cases in the local area. In addition, please remember the guidance surrounding symptoms of the virus:
 

Please do not send your child in if they, or anyone in your household, has any of the following symptoms:

• A new continuous cough
• A high temperature
• A loss of taste or smell.

If anyone in your household does have one of these symptoms, keep your child at home, inform the school and ring 119 to access a Covid test for anyone within the home who is developing these symptoms.

If your child displays symptoms when at school, we will call you and ask you to collect your child as soon as possible

I know that some of these rules are inconvenient, but I would rather return cautiously and as safely as possible and then review the situation again at the beginning of the summer term. 

Can I also remind you that at present we still do not have a crossing-patrol officer in place, although members of school staff are around to offer assistance when crossing the road, please can you exercise caution when crossing the A39 at the beginning and end of the day with your children.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support, kind comments and incredible job you have done in supporting your children learn remotely during this difficult period.

I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Yours faithfully,

Michael Watson

Head Teacher