Winter hardship grant

Dear Parents and Carers

I am writing to inform you of funding that the Government are providing to support families who have been affected directly by COVID-19, for example if parents have been made redundant or furloughed. Financial support will be given to support in paying energy bills, food, water bills, sewage. They are still finalising the plans but payment will be made in a few ways e.g. an E.voucher. It is known as the Winter hardship grant. 

The Revenues and Customer Support department of the city council are currently developing an eligibility framework and have asked schools to provide a list of families who qualify for this funding. Examples that I have given are:

• Households who might have been able to pay bills this time last year but are struggling to pay them this year
• Households who might have had to request a mortgage holiday
• Households that have low income but not necessarily

If you have been affected financially directly by COVID-19 please let us know via email by or on Friday 27th November). 

Please do not feel embarrassed to put your name forward if you think that you might meet the criteria. This pandemic has taken everyone by surprise.

Please feel welcome to phone school on Friday if you want to discuss this. It will be treated in the strictest confidence.

We need to fill a form in tomorrow (Friday 27th November). 

The Revenues and Customer Support department will be starting to mobilise this from the beginning of December. 

This is all the information that I have been given so far.

I have pasted this letter onto the website and you can click on "select language" for a language of your choice.

Warm regards

Helen King 

Please click "select language" on the Homepage to select a language of your choice.

Good evening parents and carers

I am writing to you on the eve of the national lockdown. This will be the third lockdown for us in Leicester because we were also the first region in England to have a local lockdown. I took part in a meeting with officers from Leicester City Council this afternoon and they thanked schools for the vitally important role they are playing in the lives of the communities in Leicester. 

I have shared with them my pride in the way that you have supported me during what is a very challenging time for me. We are doing so well. There have been no positive cases in the school building and you are being wise and making the correct decisions regarding the virus, i.e. whether to send your children to school or not, following medical advice and adhering to the guidance about self-isolating. I am extremely grateful to you. I am also very grateful for your messages of gratitude, positive feedback and support that I have received.

I had not imagined that I would ever have to manage anything like this during my career.

I want you all to know that you have my full support during the lockdown from tomorrow. The health and wellbeing of all members of the school community, including you, is of paramount importance to me at all times. I am constantly monitoring the situation in school and am being vigilant at all times.

I thank the staff on a regular basis. They love your children. I have observed that the staff also love being back where they belong - providing high quality teaching and learning experiences. They are also continuing to deliver activities to support your children with managing any anxieties and worries that they might have. 

It is of high priority to me that your children feel happy, safe and secure in school. I will continue to strive to ensure that this is the case.

 A third lockdown poses another challenge for us all. It is not an easy time for us but I know that we will continue to pull together as a Wolsey House team to ensure that the children are put first, that they can continue to come to school and that their routine is not disrupted. 

It is vitally important that we all continue to follow the measures put in place on and around the school site and within the community. It is also important that we all follow the Government’s guidance.

A gentle reminder that you should not be visiting anyone else’s homes please, nor should your children should not be going to anyone else’s homes – this is vitally important to avoid the risk of transmitting COVID-19 in the community.

Together Everyone Achieves More - TEAM.

We can do this!

 You have my constant support.

 Warmest regards 

 Helen King 

Letter from Mrs King

Dear Parents and Carers

I hope you and your families are well and that you’ve had a good week. I am looking forward to welcoming the children and staff back to school tomorrow. I also look forward to seeing you when you bring your children to school in the morning. We worked together so well last half term by ensuring that we followed the Government’s guidelines regarding COVID-19 and I would like to thank you again for this.

Leicester City Council have updated the information on their website on self-isolation and about safely celebrating festivals taking place during October and November. You might find it useful. This link will take you to the website:

https://schools.leicester.gov.uk/coronavirus-updated-advice/opening-schools-and-educational-settings/

This is a link to a flowchart which provides guidance for you when you are deciding whether to send your child to school:

https://www.leicester.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/school-and-colleges/school-arrangments-autumn-term-covid-19/can-my-child-go-to-school-today/

The school field

I respectfully request that in the interest Health and Safety you do not walk on the school field please. It is muddy and is often slippery due to rain. We have a new path near the Nursery which will give you safe access from the tarmac path to the Key Stage 1 building, Kingfishers’ and Owls’ gates.

Marquee

During the half term holiday a marquee was erected on part of the school field close to the Key Stage 1 building. It has been hired for the winter and spring months so that the children can continue to be taught PE, for instance when it rains. It is well ventilated. Children will need to come to school dressed for PE on their PE day as they were doing last half term. I suggest clothes which are comfortable and warm.

Please note that the school halls are being used for a different purpose and I believe that due to COVID-19 it is safer for the children to be taught PE in the marquee where there is more space.

Year 2 parents – please note that due to this astro turf has been laid near the Year 2 gate so that you can walk across that – I will be by the Year 2 gate in the morning and at the end of the day to show you because it will be the first day with the astro turf.

I have copied this letter onto the website so that you can click select language on the homepage to choose a language of your choice.

I look forward to working with you all again this half term.

Warm regards

Helen King

A letter from Mrs King 

To translate to a language of your choice please click on the Select Language button on the Homepage. 

Friday 9^th October 2020

Dear Parents and Carers

As we draw to the end of the 6^th week back in school I am writing to thank you for your continuous support and understanding. It is the strength in the partnership between the children’s homes and school that make it a successful school. Thank you for continuing to follow the measures put in place on the school site – I appreciate it very much.

It is also very important that measures are taken at home to ensure that everyone stays safe and well. I am writing to remind you of the measures that you should be following at home, in our community and other places. Most importantly – your children should not be visiting other children’s homes to play. They should not be sleeping over at a friend’s house. They should not be in physical contact with friends in this school or other schools please. I spoke to the older children in Years 3 to 6 about the importance of staying in their own homes today. Please note that this applies to children of all ages in the school from 3 to 11.  I understand that this might be hard for the children but it is very important that they follow the guidance.

I am pleased that we have not had to close a class, bubble or the school but as a community we cannot be complacent and the school cannot work alone in this. It is my aim to keep the school open for all children and I want to make sure that there is no risk of closing due to a positive case in school. If we had to close it could cause inconvenience for many, if not, most of you, for example around child care. It would also interrupt the children’s learning. They have settled into a routine of learning and I have observed how happy they are to see their friends again. I do not want to put this at risk of being stopped or interrupted again.

I would be grateful if you would spare time to read the following guidance which is available on the Leicester City Council website. I have also inserted a number of links in the email, but have also copied this information to share with you. I hope it answers some questions about the local restrictions.

It is important to note that the local restrictions apply to the whole city of Leicester.

How do I protect myself and my loved ones?

The advice in Leicester remains to:

• Limit your contact with other people.
• Stay 2m apart from anyone you do not live with.
• Wash your hands regularly.
• Work from home if you can.
• Wear a face covering on buses, in shops and in public spaces where distancing is not always possible.
• Don’t meet up with people in their homes or in any indoor space, or in private gardens.
• Book a test and self-isolate as soon as you get symptoms.
• If you test positive, continue to stay at home for at least 10 days and until you feel better. Members of your household should stay at home for 14 days – Please note from Mrs King - please keep the school informed at all times

Where can I see my friends and family?

• In Leicester you are not permitted to meet anyone you don’t live with in a house or a private garden.
• Government advice is not to meet friends or family in any public venue, such as pubs and restaurants.
• If you do meet people you don’t live with, for example in a public park, keep 2m apart.

How many people can I meet?

Under the government’s national “rule of six”, you cannot meet up in groups of more than six people. In England this includes children, babies and people you live with. So if you are a family of four living together, you can meet two other people – and only in a public outdoor space, not in a private garden. If you break the rule of six you could be fined.

What about support bubbles for adults who live alone?

You can still form a support bubble with one other household if you live alone or are a single adult with dependent children – in other words, if you are in a household where there is only one adult. All those in a support bubble can act as if they live in the same household – you can spend time together inside each other’s homes and do not need to stay 2 metres apart. You can only form support bubbles with one other household – you should not switch the household you are in a bubble with or connect with multiple households.

When do I have to wear a face covering?

You must wear a face covering on public transport and in hospitals, shops, banks/building societies, post offices, places of worship, cafes, restaurants (except when seated at a table to eat or drink) and take-away food places. Please note that in Leicester the guidance is: We are also asking you to wear a face covering when dropping off or collecting children at school.

What about car sharing?

Try not to share a vehicle with those outside your household or support bubble. If you need to do this, try to:

• share the transport with the same people each time
• keep to small groups of up to 6 people at any one time (this limit of 6 people will apply and have legal force from 14 September 2020)
• open windows for ventilation
• travel side by side or behind other people, rather than facing them, where seating arrangements allow
• face away from each other
• consider seating arrangements to maximise distance between people in the vehicle
• clean your car between journeys using standard cleaning products - make sure you clean door handles and other areas that people may touch
• ask the driver and passengers to wear a face covering

Can I travel in and out of Leicester?

Yes - you can make non-essential journeys and travel in and out of the city. You are not able to visit people at their homes either indoors or in private gardens – even if they live outside Leicester – unless you have formed a support bubble with them. You can go on holiday with people you already live with, or with someone you have formed a support bubble with. You cannot stay in another person’s home while they are there. Find out more about support bubbles at GOV.UK

You can find the guidance in full at Leicester lockdown guidance

I am pleased that there have not been positive cases of Coronavirus in the school and want this to continue to be the case. We need to continue working together as a school community to make sure that this continues.

Extra layer of clothing

We are following the Government’s guidance and have put in place many measures with the aim to keep everyone who visits the school safe. One of the measures is to ensure that the classrooms are ventilated. I have asked the children to feel welcome to bring an extra layer of clothing to school so that they don’t have to wear their coats in class. They can carry the extra piece of clothing to school and take it home at the end of the day. I respectfully ask that they do not bring it in a bag please. I suggest the extra piece of clothing could be a hoody, fleece, sweatshirt, cardigan. It does not have to be in the school colours – as you are already aware I am taking a flexible approach to clothing and uniform at the moment.

This was a long letter to read and I am grateful to you for reading it.

With the children’s best interests at the forefront of all I do, warm regards,

Helen King

A letter from  Ivan Browne, Director of Public Health Leicester City Council.

Date: 25 September 2020 Re: Rise in Coronavirus cases

Coronavirus remains a significant threat to our communities. Recently cases have sharply risen locally, as well as nationally, and we must act quickly to reverse this trend and stop the virus taking hold in our communities.

If this upward trend continues, we risk seeing more of our loved ones, friends and families being admitted to hospital, leading to more suffering and more deaths within our communities. Already 329 Leicester people have died. It is vital that we continue to follow Public Health advice so we can reverse this upward trend in the number of infections and protect our family, friends and communities.

In Leicester we are still subject to Leicester specific enhanced restrictions which means that you cannot:

• Meet family or friends from other households in homes or private gardens unless you have formed a support bubble

• Stay overnight in another person’s home, unless you’ve formed a bubble with them

• Meet up with anyone you don't live with inside a café, bar, restaurant or other indoor space.

In addition to these local restrictions it is really important that we follow these rules:

• Limit your contact with other people and stay two metres apart from anyone you do not live with • Work from home if you can

• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser • Wear a face covering in enclosed public spaces and wherever it is difficult to maintain 2m distancing

• Do not meet in any public outdoor space in groups of more than 6 people at any time – those in breach of this could face a significant fine

• Self-isolate and book a test as soon as you start to show symptoms; the symptoms of coronavirus are: o new and persistent cough o high temperature o loss or change to smell or taste

• Isolate for 14 days if anyone you live, or have been in close contact with, with shows symptoms or has a positive test.

From 28 September those in breach of self-isolation requirements will be liable for a significant fine of up to £10,000.

Help will be available for those on low incomes who need to isolate. Page 1 of 2 Leicester City Council 4th Floor, City Hall, 115 Charles Street, Leicester, LE1 1FZ www.leicester.gov.uk

Please also remember the new national guidelines namely, that pubs and restaurants now have a curfew of 10 pm and the number of people able to attend weddings has fallen from 30 to 15 – funerals are unaffected.

I remain grateful to all of Leicester’s communities in working together to tackle this rise in cases, and I would ask you to continue to also follow the Public Health advice and to encourage others to do so.

For the most up to date information go to our website Leicester.gov,uk/coronavirus; follow us on social media: Facebook (Leicester City Council); Twitter (@Leicester_News) and You Tube Leicester City Council and subscribe to our e-newletter Your Leicester (search for Your Leicester on the website).

Please share this letter with all your networks and urge your friends and families to follow the guidelines. They are in place to protect you and your loved ones.

Thank you

Ivan Browne, Director of Public Health Leicester City Council.

Letter from Mrs King about the end of the school day

September 23^rd 2020

Dear Parents and Carers

I hope you are well. Thank you once again for your tremendous co-operation during this challenging time for us all.

One of my main priorities is to keep the school open. It is evident from my daily observations and interactions with the children that they love being back.

I have put lots of measures in place in line with Government guidance and thank you for adhering to them.

There is one thing that needs to be tightened up however. I am writing to respectfully request that you help me at the end of the school day please. It has been brought to my attention that some of you have been arriving at the school gates at 2.45 p.m. or before that. The gates are opened at 3.00 p.m. so please do not arrive before 3.

Those of you who gain access through the gate on Hobson Road – please do not queue outside the houses and please do not lean on the walls of houses. Please space yourselves out. I have received complaints from residents on this road that litter such as cigarette ends, Greggs’ food packaging and bottles have been left on the pavement. We have a bin which is just inside that gate and I respectfully ask you to use that, ensuring of course that cigarettes have been extinguished.

Those of you who gain access via the gate on the main drive on Beaumont Leys Lane – please wait until 3 to come to school. Please keep a social distance at all times when queuing and walking up the path.

Very important - please stand back from the double green gates which open onto the playground – a member of staff has given me a description that there is a surge forward through those gates every afternoon. This is unacceptable and a Health and Safety risk.

Please remain calm and do not rush in – keep a distance between you and the person in front of you – your children are safe in class until you arrive at their door to pick them up. I have to insist on this please.

I would be grateful if you would tell other adults and teenagers who collect children from school know about this.

Thank you for co-operation and understanding.

Please keep your distance from other families at all times.

With the best interest of the whole school community as my highest priority and the aim to keep everyone safe, warm regards,

Helen King 

A letter from Public Health England for parents and carers

23 September 2020

Dear parents and guardians,

This is an important letter to share some information on how we can work together to make sure we can continue to give children and young people the best education in the safest way possible.

One important part of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of pupils, parents and our communities is testing for coronavirus. We all have a duty to make sure that the right people have access to get tested at the right time. Every time a test is used inappropriately, a person with Covid-19 symptoms may miss out on getting tested.

Therefore, I ask that you all follow these principles:

• You should only book a test if your child has any of these three coronavirus symptoms:
• 1. a high temperature: any new high temperature where your child feels hot to touch on their chest or back (you do not need to measure the temperature)
• 2. a new continuous cough: coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
• 3. a loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste: a noticeable loss of smell or taste or things smell and taste different to normal
•  
• Your child does not need a test if they have a runny nose, are sneezing or feeling unwell but do not have a temperature, cough or loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste because these are not normally symptoms of coronavirus.
•  
• If you are unsure about whether to get a test, please check the official list of symptoms on the NHS website, which is reviewed regularly: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/
•  
• Only the person with symptoms should get a test. You do not need to get a test for anyone else in the household unless they also have any of the three symptoms listed above. All members of the household need to self-isolate whilst waiting for the test result.
•  
• If the person with symptoms’ test comes back positive, other members of their household should continue self-isolating for 14 days and only get a test if they develop coronavirus symptoms. 
•  
• If a pupil in a class or bubble tests positive for coronavirus, anyone who is advised to self-isolate does not require a test unless they subsequently develop symptoms.
•  
• No one else in the same class or bubble as the symptomatic person needs to take any action unless advised by the school. Schools have detailed guidance and access to a Department for Education and Public Health England helpline for advice and support.
•  
• Contacts of a person who has tested positive must follow the guidance carefully and in full, which means they must stay at home for 14 days. This is because it can take several days following contact with an infected person before an individual develops symptoms or the virus can be detected. Students should only book a test if they get symptoms.
•  
• The NHS has produced some guidance to help parents understand when their child can and cannot attend school which you may find useful: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthybody/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
•  
• It is vital for children’s learning and future opportunities that they are able to return to school and college. It is therefore vitally important that all we work together and do our bit to make this possible.
•  
• Yours sincerely,
•  
• Professor Viv Bennett CBE Chief Nurse and Director Maternity and Early Years | Public Health England Head of World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Public Health Nursing and Midwifery Follow me on Twitter: @VivJBennett
•  
• Dr Susan Hopkins Interim Chief Medical Officer | NHS Test & Trace Deputy Director | Public Health England Consultant in Infectious Diseases & Microbiology Royal Free, London

Sunday 13^th September 2020

Dear Parents and Carers

Due to COVID-19 it is an extremely challenging and worrying time for us all. I fully understand that you might be concerned about sending your child to school particularly in light of the Government’s new legislation from Monday 14^th September.

It has been brought to my attention that texts or phone calls have taken place amongst some of you about children being tested. It is important to highlight that testing has increased and is likely to continue to take place and possibly increase. The majority of tests that have been undertaken in the United Kingdom have been negative. Therefore if you have heard that a child or their parent/carer has gone for a test please bear in mind that the test will not necessarily be positive.

I have been advised by Leicester Public Health and Public Health England that action to close a bubble will only be taken if someone in the bubble has tested positively for COVID-19.

Due to the Government’s new legislation I plan to take further steps at school regarding Health and Safety measures. I will send you this information on Monday 14^th September.

Please note that I received advice from Leicester City Council on Friday 11^th September that face coverings should be worn on the school grounds and at the school gate please. I am aware that some individuals are exempt from wearing face coverings. This applies to those who: cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment or disability.

Therefore from Monday 14^th September I respectfully request that adults wear a face covering at all times on the school grounds and if you enter the school building which should by appointment only.

The advice from Public Health remains the same regarding children of primary school age – they should not wear a face covering.

For further information this link will take you to Leicester City Council’s page for parents and carers:

https://www.leicester.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/school-and-colleges/returning-to-school-for-the-autumn-term/

It is a difficult time for us all and I hope it reassures you that I am constantly monitoring the situation. Messages that pass between parents and carers do not assist me in this situation, especially if someone were to test positively – I need to be the first to know if someone in your household and home bubble tests positively please – suffice it to say that I would take immediate action.

With the best interests of the whole school community at the forefront of all I do.

Warm regards

Helen King

Adult Learning skills and Learning services

Reading with your child

Every Thursday for 3 weeks – 9.15am011.15am. Starting Thursday 5^th November.

Find out what you can do to develop your child’s reading and make it FUN! Make games to support reading at home.

Join our online classroom and meet other parents/carers and have fun learning together.

This is a free online course

A friendly tutor will be able to support you online, by emails and video calls in a secure google classroom which is free to use.

For more information about family learning and to enrol call 0116 454 1900 or email alison.greet@leicester.gov.uk

Adult Learning skills and Learning services

Everybody’s Reading – Family fun with stories

Thursday 15^th October – 9.15-11.15am

Join our online classroom and meet other parents/carers and have fun learning together.

Learn new skills and bring stories to life.

This is a free online course

A friendly tutor will be able to support you online, by emails and video calls in a secure google classroom which is free to use.

For more information about family learning and to enrol call 0116 454 1900 or email alison.greet@leicester.gov.uk

Dear Parents and Carers

I hope you are all well. Firstly – I want you to know that I understand that this is a very different start to a school year and that you might be concerned. Further work has been undertaken this week in preparation for the children’s return next week.

I am sending you this information again with some amendments which are in bold print. I will warn you that this is a long email and includes a lot of information about next week.

I have uploaded this letter to the school’s website – please click on “News and Events” then click on “Letters.” A translate button has been installed on the home page and this will translate the letter into a language of your choice.

I am pleased to inform you that we have continued to plan and prepare for the children’s return to school on Tuesday 1st September. We are all looking forward to welcoming them back. Please note that the Government expect all children to return to school.

I want you to know that I fully understand that this pandemic has been a challenge for children and I have asked the staff to ensure that the return to school is a supportive one with activities to give children the opportunity to get back into routine. I am aiming for a calm atmosphere for all.

I have also asked the teachers to plan activities to support children in their return to school – i.e. wellbeing activities such as stilling exercises, calming exercises, mindfulness sessions etc. Mr Powell has drawn up a timetable so that all classes from Nursery to Year 6 will be able to learn outdoors as well as inside. These areas are the field: the allotment: the Forest School/Pond area and playground. Activities have been planned with the safety of children and staff in mind. Mr Powell and I have also drawn up a risk assessment which will be reviewed weekly but more often if the need arises. Therefore the changes to the school’s organisation and routine are based on the risk assessment. These changes have been put in place to ensure that school is a safe place for all of us.

Due to COVID-19 I would be grateful if you would make sure that your child has a clean set of clothes every day please. I want the children to be comfortable and dressed in clothes that they can do a range of activities in. I am adopting a flexible approach to this and suggest a mix between school uniform and joggers, T shirts and sweatshirts. To help you with organising this and avoid you going to extra expense I do not mind joggers in colours other than black e.g. navy, grey, blue, and green - please use clothes that you have already. Where possible I would be grateful if the children’s tops could be school colours i.e. red and black but again other colours will be acceptable – the important fact is that the clothes are clean every day. I suggest that children wear trainers on their feet and these can be wiped with an antibacterial wipe every night.

IMPORTANT - Please note that until further notice the children will:

• Not be bringing P.E. kits to school.
• Not be bringing their book bags to school – Reading Books will be available online through Bug Club – more information to follow – there will be a focus on reading in school as part of the school’s catch up programme so they will be reading to adults in school.
• Not need to bring big ruck sacks in.
• Not bring a pencil case to school.
• Not bring any toys etc. from home.

Children will need:

• Those children who bring packed lunches to school can bring their lunch in a packed lunch box or packed lunch bag – no big bags please
• Every child will need a plastic bottle/drinking bottle which is full of drinking water at the beginning of every day – please make sure that it is labelled with your child’s name.
• Coat/jacket depending on the weather.

Breakfast and After School Clubs

Due to COVID-19 there will be no Breakfast Club or After School Clubs until further notice – I understand that this might be disappointing for you and your child but I have made this decision on the grounds of Health and Safety.

School Times and Organisation at the beginning and end of the day

All 4 gates will be open in the morning and at the end of the day. In the morning all gates will be open by 8.45. Children will go straight to their classroom door or line as applicable.

School will start at 8.55 a.m. promptly – you will be welcome to arrive from 8.45.

For the first few days members of staff will be outside in various places on the school ground with signs to direct you and the children to their new classrooms. We will be wearing high viz waistcoats. Please bear in mind that it will be a new routine for us too.

I have attached plans of the school site/building – these have been labelled with the names and numbers of classes and teachers’ names.

At the end of the day the gates will be opened at 3.00p.m.

Early Years Foundation Stage

The Robins (Nursery) children will enter through the door which looks out on to the Early Years Foundation play area

The Reception Classes

The Kingfishers will enter through the “Red Room” door – this is the structure with glazed panels and a red frame.

The Owls will enter through the Green Gate opposite the Key Stage 1 building.

The Woodpeckers will enter through the wooden gate which is on the path opposite the Woodpeckers’ class room – near the Nursery.

Key Stage 1

All Key Stage 1 children will go to their external classroom door. Staff will be strategically placed to welcome the children and show them where to go.   

Key Stage 2

Please note that the Key Stage 2 “tunnel” a short corridor close to the main reception area of the school will not be used. So all Key Stage 2 children will go straight to their external classroom doors.

The Foxes will enter through the door of the large hall – the one that is on the corner facing the Year 6 classrooms.

Parents and carers to keep a social distance and leave the school site as soon as possible.

I am afraid that this year parents and carers of Nursery and Reception children will not be invited in to the classrooms in the mornings as in past years. I have to keep the number of people who are in the school building to a minimum.

IMPORTANT – PARENTS AND CARERS - PLEASE DO THE FOLLOWING AT ALL TIMES

• I respectfully ask you to follow all social distancing guidelines at all times.
• Once you have seen that your child has entered the building safely please leave the school site – do not stay to talk to each other
• Wearing Face Masks – this is optional – if adults want to wear a face mask when on school site please feel welcome to do so. Please note that I cannot enforce this when people are outdoors. I respectfully request that you do wear a mask when you enter the school but this will be by APPOINTMENT ONLY. Please note that you will not be able to talk to the teaching staff at the beginning and end of the school day.
•  

IMPORTANT If you arrive late in the morning I am afraid that the Admin staff in the Office will not be taking children to their classrooms so you will have to take your child to their external classroom door. The Office staff will not be able to take children to different parts of the school because of the new organisation where children and staff will be organised into groups called Bubbles. Movement between Bubbles will not be permitted.

At the end of the day staff will open the external doors to their classrooms at 3.15 p.m. promptly.

If you are running late to pick your child up at the end of the school day it is important that you phone us to let us know so that we can phone the Classteachers to let them know. Please note that you will not be able to pick your children up from the main reception area as has been the case in the past. I am respectively requesting that you aim to be here at 3.15 please. If you are later than 3.25 – there will be one room in each Bubble where children will wait – members of staff will be on a rota to supervise this but ideally I do not want children to wait because the cleaners will be starting their daily deep clean of the school at 3.30 p.m.

Should you be late collecting your child the rooms to go to are:

• Nursery and Reception – Red Room
• Years 1 and 2 – Mrs Russell’s room
• Years 3 and 4 – Mrs Satchwell’s room
• Years 5 and 6 – Mr Clark’s room

Please see a plans of the school attached which show these rooms.

Appointments

I am afraid that you will not be able to come to speak to staff unless you make an appointment in advance. Therefore you will not be permitted to come to the main reception area at any time unless you have phoned or sent us an email and a member of the Admin staff or other member of staff has arranged an appointment with you. The meeting will take place in the main reception area – there is a screen there which will ensure a distance between you and members of staff.

If you need to speak to a teacher next term you will leave a message with a member of the Office staff. The teacher will contact you by phone the following day. They will not be able to speak to you after school because they will be leaving the building so that the cleaners can do a deep clean.

I know that this is very different from our usual routine but I have to put these measures in place due to COVID-19.

School Dinner Payment

In the interests of Health and Safety we will not be accepting payments in cash or coins. Payments can be made via a BACS transfer. The office staff are currently setting this up and will notify you via email.

Dinners

There will be no hot dinners at the beginning of term while we settle to the new routine. The school kitchen will provide a packed lunch for those children who usually have school dinner. For children who usually bring their own packed lunch in from home – this will continue as before.

I have attached photos of a few things. One is of a resources bag that children will be given at the beginning of term. Every child will only use the things in their bag – they will not share. The bags contain pencils, rubbers, sharpeners, rulers, individual whiteboard and pen, crayons. I have also included antibacterial gel in each bag.

Other photos show the layout of the classes in Key Stage 2 – this is different from the way they have been set out before. Children in Key Stage 1 and EYFS will sit at tables – they are younger and the Government have advised that they are not at as much risk of contracting Coronavirus.

There is also a photo of me in a transparent face shield which members of staff might wear. I would be grateful if you would show your children these photos so that they can be prepared.

Information about the school day for children:

• There will be no large gatherings e.g. assemblies
• Each bubble will use a playground designated to their bubble
• One class at a time will do PE and sport in their designated area outdoors – our own Wolsey House Sports coach. Mr Lawrence will clean all equipment on a daily basis
• Each bubble has its own stock of resources: PE and Sport equipment: First Aid Kits: designated toilets which will be cleaned during the school day as well as at the end of the school day: staff room – so that staff do not mix across bubbles
• Even though your child will be in a larger year group bubble they will be in a class of 30 children
• A toilet system has been planned to ensure that only one child at a time goes to the toilet thus ensuring a limited number of people in a corridor area. I will reassure the children on Tuesday 1^st September that they can ask to go to the toilet whenever they want to – the only thing that has changed is that it will have to be one child from each year group at a time.
• Each year group has a designated toilet
• The Government have not made the wearing of masks for children compulsory in Primary Schools

The following procedures will be followed if a child show symptoms of COVID-19

We will take immediate action and a child will be taken to a designated “waiting area” in their bubble. We set these up at the beginning of the holiday – they are just rooms – there is nothing in them which will cause a child anxiety. There is a chair for them to sit on. A member of staff will accompany them, stay with them. Parents and Carers will be contacted immediately. A child will wait in the designated area until they are collected from school. We will expect them to be collected as soon as possible.

Tests

You might have heard that schools will be given a certain number of tests which we can give to you should a child be displaying the symptoms. I regret to inform you that we haven’t received these yet and the Local Authority are aiming to supply these as soon as possible but they are waiting for their suppliers to deliver them.

Until we have the tests then we would recommend that you go to one of the testing centres in Leicester – one of the nearest to us is Birstall Park and Ride Site, Loughborough Road, Leicester, LE4 4NP.

Annual school photos

This might disappoint you but I am afraid that due to COVID-19 it is not practical for the annual visit from the school photo company. I am informing you in advance in case you want to book a photo session at a photographers. I know that some of you might give these as gifts at Christmas time or for other occasions. I do apologise because I also know that it is an opportunity for children to have a photo in their family groups.

This was a lot of information to read and take in. I kindly suggest that you read it again because there is so much to take in. The school routine, structure and organisation have had to be adjusted due to COVID-19 but the warm ethos will remain.

My main message before I end this letter is – please try not worry about your children. I will keep an eye on them all. They are, together with my staff, my highest priority as we embark on a new routine as a school and community.

I have your children’s best interests at the forefront of all I am doing – so do the staff.

Take care

H. M. King