Today, I write the 50th School Update. I can’t quite believe that I have now written 50 daily updates, trying to ensure that our school families are communicated to at this difficult time and all understand what is happening.
As I write this, we look to the 1st June as we possibly re-open our school for Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 as well as continue to offer Emergency Childcare provision for those identified children and those children of Critical Key Workers.
The Government have stated: ‘eligible children e.g. Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 – including priority groups – are strongly encouraged to attend their education setting, unless they are self-isolating or they are clinically vulnerable, from 1st June 2020.’
Although parents will not be fined for their child’s non-attendance at this time, we are being asked to re-open our registers and continue our attendance records for each pupil in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6.
In order to help us accurately record pupil attendance, tomorrow you will be notified of your child’s new class teacher for those children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, regardless of whether or not your child returns to school on Monday 1st June 2020 as well as the teacher who will be supervising the Emergency Childcare Provision for those children of Critical Key Workers,.
Yesterday, I informed you that if you have decided not to send your child to school on Monday 1st June, I need to ask you to contact the school office on Monday 1st June and to report your child’s absence, as you would normally do, so we can accurately record pupil attendance.
When your child returns to school either on the 1st June or at a later date, they will then be added into the new class group you will have been notified about. If returning after the 1st June, please notify the school office prior to their return so we can make the necessary arrangements.
This week, I have tried to set out the new protocols for this phased re-opening of the school, on the 1st June. It is fair to say, that with the introduction of the ‘class bubbles’ to try and minimise social contact between the groups, school life is going to be a little different.
I would like to reassure you that the children will continue to enjoy scheduled break times and each class has been allocated an outdoor ‘working space’ to use across the day.
Unfortunately, the children will not be able to play with children from other ‘class bubbles’ at this time but they will be able to play and interact with children from their own ‘class bubble’, during these outdoor times, as long as they maintain social distancing.
Each class has been given a selection of outdoor play equipment which the children in the individual ‘class bubbles’ will be able to play with, as long as they observe good personal hygiene e.g. washing hands with soap and water before going outside and once returned in to the classroom.
Our Reception children will continue to enjoy the opportunity to engage within a range of child-initiated play activities as part of their curriculum. Since the last letters, we have decided to extend the outdoor classroom provision to include the story circle area, adjacent to the woodland area and school pond so we can ensure that the children have the opportunity to play, as part of their learning, while maintaining social distancing.
Reception age children benefit tremendously from learning through play. It is our intention to support this and facilitate outdoor learning for this age group as much as possible, as to minimise their time in the classrooms, at their tables.
For those children who are little worried about returning to school, please try to reassure them school-life, although a little different at the moment, will be familiar to them, once they return. Please reassure your child/ren that myself and the school staff: the teachers, teaching assistants, dinner supervisors, the admin and site staff and those who deliver our wrap around provision are excited to see them all on the 1st June.
For those children who are unable to return on the 1st June e.g. Years 2, 3, 4 and 5, we hope to see you soon-before the summer holidays.
A reminder of the key points for all pupils who return to school on Monday 1st June:
Can you help? When the school re-opens on the 1st June, we are looking to borrow approximately 30 ‘traffic cones’ or plain cones/bollards to help demarcate the social distance guidance along both the school paths and the Church path.
For those of you who have been coming to school, I have been using chalk to ‘mark out’ the measures. I was hoping to source a solution that didn’t require ‘chalking’ lines onto the paths, perhaps daily. If you think you might be able to loan the school 30 cones then please email: enquiries@barrowby.lincs.sch.uk. Thank you for your support-fingers crossed.
NEW this week:
Google Doodle
For those children in Y3 & 4 CLICK HERE to view the new Google Doodle.
For this competition your pupils will need to complete 4 cricket skills challenges – Batting, Catching, Throwing, Bowling (see the instruction videos in the pack attached). Ask someone to video you completing the challenges and have a go as many times as you wish and record your best scores.
Ask a parent/guardian to:
You have two weeks to submit your entry from 11th May onwards until Friday 22nd May. The best scores from each SGO area will be selected for a county final event. Good luck!
Finally, please can I ask that if your child is returning to school on Monday 1st June:
Please discuss the content of this letter and the changes to school with your child/ren before they return. I look forward to welcoming ‘back to school’ our Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, from Monday 1st June, if the school re-opens.
I will continue to keep you up to date. Stay safe.