Dear Parents and Carers,

We’re looking forward to seeing you and your child soon – we have missed seeing everyone and hope that you are all keeping safe.

Although the building has been closed to nearly all our children over the last few weeks the school has definitely not been shut! Most teachers and support staff have been busy working either in school running childcare for key workers, supporting families or preparing work for pupils from their homes. Many of you will have seen staff volunteers delivering food parcels and craft packs to families in our school minibus.

On Monday 29^th June we will be reopening our doors to children, but it will not really be school as usual! The school will look different to how we have all previously experienced it and we know this will be tricky for all of us to get used to.

Children from Reception to Year 6 will return to class in small groups and we will do our best to make sure they are taught by their usual classteacher and staff they know. Because we will have to keep to social distancing our school and classrooms will be organised differently. We are aware that everyone will be getting used to all of the changes and we know we will all need to be patient with each other. We will do our best to make sure everyone is as safe as possible.

We will be able to share more information once we know who will be returning to school. Thank you to those parents who have already completed our survey to tell us if you will be sending you child to school when we reopen. We understand that some of you are still not sure – this is not an easy decision for you to make. If you need to talk to someone please contact your child’s classteacher through dojo or ring the school office.

The Local Authority has decided that children in nursery will not be returning to school until September. However, we are making special plans to help those children who will be coming to school fulltime with us in September. We will send more information next week.

Start and end times will be different and we will not be having lunch in school (at least not in the first few weeks when we return).  At the moment children will be offered one session in school each week and this will focus on wellbeing with time to ‘catch up and checkin’ with friends and teachers.

To keep everyone safe, the usual timetable for the day will be different and we will not be able to move around the school. We will be spending lots of time learning outdoors. In the afternoon teachers and children will continue with their remote learning at home. We will send more information about times and days next week.

We have developed careful plans and new routines to help keep everyone safe. We will be sending more information shortly. These plans will include

• Social distancing measures
• Hand cleaning routines
• Regular cleaning of areas that are touched often
• Use of tissues to catch coughs and sneezes
• Everyone behaving in a way that keeps us all safe
• Use of PPE (e.g. gloves/masks/aprons) where appropriate (we will be following the advice of the local authority and Welsh Government)

Childcare for key workers will continue to run from 8.30 – 3.30 from Monday to Friday each week.

We understand that all of this information is a lot to think about. If you need further help, support or if you have any questions or concerns, please contact the school office or your child’s classteacher through dojo.

As we have already said there will be more useful information on our website next week to help you and your child get ready to return to school.

Best wishes to everyone – you are all in our thoughts even though we aren’t altogether. Keep safe!

Mrs Hope

Headteacher

Date: 18.6.2020