Returning to school in September 2020
We can’t wait to see you all back in September and to keep safe, school will still be a little different.
The times of arrival and departure for the different classes will be:
Class 1 Children (Reception) – 8.45am-3.00pm
Class 2 children (Years 1/2) – 9.00am-3.15pm
Class 3 children (Years 3/4) – 8.30am-2.45pm
Class 4 children (Years 5/6) – 9.15am-3.30pm
Arrival and Departure
At these allocated times parents/carers will need to be waiting outside main school gate at main entrance, alongside the green fence, adhering to social distance requirements at all times. Your class teacher will collect you from the gate and you will be escorted into school to wash hands. Children and parents must wait alongside school fence and not come to the door and ring buzzer. If you are late parents must ring the office to arrange an alternative drop off/pick up.
How can I keep safe at school?
- Children who display coronavirus type symptoms or children who live with someone who has coronavirus will not be able to attend school. Isolation and self-isolation rules will be followed.
- Lessons will involve more independent learning as your teacher and support assistants will need to try and maintain social distance where possible to you to give you targeted support.
- Classrooms will have all unnecessary furniture, equipment and all soft furnishings removed.
- Teacher’s desks are positioned at the front of the classroom, socially distanced from pupils.
- Children’s desks are placed in rows facing the front of the classroom.
- You are kept in consistent groups/bubbles.
- You are supported to maintain distance and not touch staff and other children where possible.
- Classroom based resources, such as books and games, are used and shared within your bubble /group and not to be shared with the other bubble/groups.
- Each class will have their own activity bag for break/playtimes
- Movement limited where possible to key times-Break times/Lunch times
- Whole school assemblies and concerts etc are not allowed to take place
- Strict hygiene rules will continue to be implemented. Children will frequently wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds and dry thoroughly. You will clean your hands on arrival at the setting, before and after eating, and after sneezing or coughing. Hand sanitiser is provided at school.
- You will be given individually allocated stationery
- You will be given regular drinks of water using disposable cups rather than their water bottles
- You should not bring anything from home into school except for a sun hat on days where it is forecast to be warm and sunny. Please ensure that you have put sun cream on at the start of the school day as you will be going outside wherever possible and this will protect you.
- School Reading books, homework books etc may be taken between school and home
- The classes of children will have to remain in their groups (bubbles) at all times – school will ensure that lunch and play times are separate.
- You may bring packed lunch but their box must be wiped down outside with anti -bacterial on arrival
- Your teachers will not wear any PPE – unless for intimate care, first aid or if a child/adult develops symptoms.
School Meals from September
From September, School Meals for pupils in Year 3, 4, 5 & 6 will be increasing in price to £2.10 per day, which means a week’s dinners will now cost £10.50. Meals for those in Reception, Year 1 & 2 will still be free.
Some trips can start again
We can resume non-overnight domestic educational visits. We must make sure any trips are in line with protective measures, such as keeping pupils in their ‘bubble’.
Breakfast and After school clubs
Class 2, 3 and 4 Teachers are going to offer their class bubble one hour after school tuition three times per week . We can then keep our bubbles together and offer extra tuition to try and help close any gaps of learning for all of our Year 1-6 children. There will be no after school care for our Reception children as always in the Autumn Term. These tuition sessions will be of no cost and will last one hour immediately after the class bubble finishes for the school day. This after school provision will start week beginning 7th September 2020 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Class 2– 3.15pm-4.15pm -Tue, Wed, Thur
Class 3– 2.45pm-3.45pm-Tue, Wed, Thur
Class 4– 3.30pm-4.30pm- Tue, Wed, Thur
Class Teachers will send out letters on Wednesday 2nd September so that we know which pupils will be attending these sessions.
Breakfast club will commence week beginning 7th September. Children who attend will be served breakfast in their own classroom bubble to avoid class bubbles mixing. It will start at 8am and finish when their class bubble arrives. It will continue to cost £1 per day, which you can pay via parent pay. Parents/Carers will need to follow same arrival guidelines as attending school classes and supervisory assistants will meet at main entrance at 8am. Please could children arrive on time.
We will return to our usual school uniform
Uniforms won’t need to be cleaned any more than usual, or with methods different from normal.
PE Kits
Children in Class 1 and 2 will need to bring their full PE kit into school on the first day back in a PE bag or carrier bag. Please ensure that this is labelled with their name and class. The PE kits will be stored in the cloakrooms on a labelled peg in school and sent home weekly to be washed. Class 3 and 4 will come into school with their PE kits on allocated PE days to avoid moving around. Class teachers will notify
Virtual Class Swap Day
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbfo1J3zvLs&w=560&h=315]
We are looking forward to welcoming back all the children from Nettlesworth Primary school. A virus called Coronavirus has meant that we have had to stay home to stay safe. This Playmobil video helps to explain what the virus is and why we have had to stay at home.
But now we have been working hard to open our school for children. Your grown up might like to share this story of what it will be like at school.Back-to-school-after-Coronavirus-1
We are Proud of you Teddy Bears
We hoped you like your teddy bears. We wanted you to know that we are all so proud of you and how hard you have all been working at school and at home. We are really missing the children who can’t be at school at the moment but we are really excited to see you all in September.
What should we wear for school and what can we bring?
You don’t have to wear your school uniform because we would like you to wear clean clothes each day. You will need to come to school in comfortable clothes and shoes. We won’t be able to get changed for PE so clothes such as tracksuit bottoms or leggings, T-shirts and trainers would be best. You will also need to bring a jumper or hoodie as you might get cold because we have to keep the doors and windows open. You can also bring a coat if the weather isn’t great. If the weather is sunny, please put on your sun cream before you come to school and you can also bring sun cream with you and a hat.
We are also happy for you to bring a school bag (to carry your packed lunch in). We will give you everything you need for the day so please leave your pencil cases and stationery at home.
When you arrive at school you will:
- Notice some signs that helps to keep everyone a safe distance from each other and notice these around our school too.
- Please make sure you arrive at school on time! Your teachers will be waiting at the main gate to meet you. Once all of your bubble is lined up, we will say goodbye to all of the grown ups and your teachers will lead you into school.
- When we get to the porch door, we will line up on markers and the teachers will invite you in one by one. Once we get into school, we wash our hands for 20 seconds before we go into our classroom. We will be washing our hands a lot during the day to keep us all safe!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q4kP-aPNuM&w=560&h=315]
How will our classes be organised?
Classes are going to be organised into ‘bubbles’ and the bubble you are working in will be a bit smaller than your usual class. Because we all have to stay 2 metres apart from each other, we can only fit up to 6-10 children in each bubble, but many of these will be much smaller. Your bubble will include some of your friends and two adults you will already know from school. You might not have all your friends in your bubble, but you will have some of them. Nearer the time of you coming back school, we will send you an email telling you who your teachers will be.
Your bubble will do all of their activities together. You will work together, play together, think together and eat together.
Your bubble will have a classroom space inside and some space outside. It will be all yours. None of the children in the other bubbles will come in to your classroom and you won’t be able to go into theirs. Even though we won’t be spending time with the children in other bubbles, if we see them we can wave and shout ‘Hello!’
Will we be in the classroom we usually work in?
You might not be in your usual classroom but we think you will soon get used to your new space. The classrooms look a bit different from how they normally do because we’ve had to take out a lot of the furniture so it is safer for us to work in there. You might also notice that lots of the toys and books are missing too – this just makes it easier to clean. Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to read loads with your teachers and there will still be lots of things for you to use and play with. We just need to make sure we clean them afterwards. We have taken some photos of the classrooms so you know what to expect when you get here.
What will we be learning during the day?
This will depend on how old you are – but you will all be doing similar things to what we usually do at school each day. The older children will do English and Maths each day and the younger children will still focus on learning to read, write and use number. You will do lots of different subjects, including art, geography and history and we will try to get outside and do as much PE as we can. The Early Years children will still be working down in the forest and continue to do a lot of their learning outside. We will also do PSHE lessons so that you can talk about how you are feeling at the moment if you want to. The main thing is that we will definitely be doing lots of fun tasks and activities which we are sure you will enjoy!
Will we still get a break-time in the morning?
Of course! You will have your break-time with the children and adults in your bubble. All the bubbles have different break-times which means that you might not see the children in the other bubbles, but you will have the whole playground and field to play on! We will make up our own ‘socially distant’ games (so we stay 2 metres apart) and then clean the equipment after we’ve used it. Break-times will still be fun!
Will we get homework?
No! You will do plenty of work at school, so you don’t need to do anymore at home – unless you want to! You can’t bring workbooks or folders or even reading books in between home and school like we normally do. Your teachers will read with you at school but you won’t bring reading books home. You can read your own books at home or there are lots of books available online. Ask your teacher if you’re not sure how to read these.
Of course, if you really want to do homework, you can still use TT Rockstars at home, as well as being able to find work on the Home Learning pages of our website!
What happens at lunchtime?
Your lunchtime might be at a different time from normal. Everyone will be eating in their classroom. You will always eat together with the children and adults in your bubble. There won’t be different adults on duty at lunchtime – just your usual bubble teachers. When you have all finished eating, you can go and play on the playground or field. Many of the bubbles will eat at different times but there will sometimes be other bubbles of children playing at the same time as you. If this happens, your teacher will give you a special area of the playground or field which you will have to play in with the other children in your bubble. You can wave at the other children but you can’t go and play with them – they will have their own special place to play in.
What if I need to go to the toilet?
At any time of the day, including break and lunchtimes, you need to tell your teacher that you need to go to the toilet and they will take you there. Each bubble has their own allocated toilets and sinks. The teacher with you can also tell you this and will remind you to wash your hands.
What happens if I hurt myself or feel poorly when I am at school?
If you hurt yourself or feel ill when you are at school, you need to tell the adults in your bubble. If you need some first aid, they might be able to help you right where you are or if they can’t, they will ask another adult in school for help. The same will happen if you feel poorly or are ill. We might ring your adults at home and ask them to come and collect you. While you’re waiting for them to arrive, you will have to wait in a room with a teacher until you are picked up. You might have to stay off school for a while until you are well enough to come back.
When the adults in school help you, they might have to put on special protective clothing (you might have heard it called PPE) so they can keep you and themselves safe while they help you. Some people think they look funny or a bit scary – it’s okay to think that – just remember it’s just one of the adults you know.
It’s also important that you tell your adults at home if you are feeling poorly as it might be better for you to stay at home until you are better.
What do I do if I hear the fire bell?
If you hear the fire bell, it means that there is a real fire or it is a fire drill. If this happens, you would do like we have practised before and go outside through the nearest door as quickly, safely and calmly as you can. The main difference will be that you will line up with your hub and you might have to stand in a different place from normal. You will have to stand on the markings next to the fire point sign for your bubble. Don’t worry though, your teachers will show you exactly where this is and we will have a fire drill every time a new year group comes back to school.
How can I stay safe at school?
The adults in school have been working hard to make the school as safe as possible for you to return – as well as being as fun as we can possibly make it! But it’s important that you do your bit too and there are many ways you can help keep you and everyone else safe whilst you are at school.
Washing your hands
You will be washing your hands a lot through the day so you need to remember to do a really good job every time you do it. You must always use soap and water and wash your hands for 20 seconds. Sometimes your hands get sore when you wash them a lot. If this happens, you can ask us for some hand cream or you can bring your own from home.
Handwashing is your superpower
How to wash your hands
More handwashing instructions
When you cough or sneeze…
You can cough or sneeze into your elbow or a clean tissue. All the bubbles have lots of tissues which you can use. Then you must throw it straight into the bin and wash your hands. We have special bins in our bubbles which are specially for tissues and wipes.
Help keep your hub clean and tidy
We need to keep our classrooms and equipment as clean and tidy as possible. Sometimes dirt is so small that we can’t see it and germs can be left on things we use or touch. You can help by keeping your equipment tidy on your own desk and not putting it on anyone else’s desk. Only touch your own equipment and if you use toys, you can help the adults keep them clean by letting them know what you have played with. You will notice that all the adults are cleaning everything more often and it will be easier for them if the surfaces are tidy. You will also notice that Mr Nicholson and Mrs Knox are taking it in turns to be in school all day long so that they can help clean our school and keep it safe.
Social Distancing
You’ve probably heard about social distancing a lot recently! All it means is that at the moment, we need to keep apart from each other (about 2 metres) to keep each other safe. You have been staying in your houses for a long time and we know that you will be really excited to see your friends after so long. Some of you coming back to school is the next step to us all being together again. For now though, we can’t get too close to other children and teachers – unless they live in your house. We can still work and play together but we can’t sit right next to each other, hug each other, hold hands or high five. There are loads of games and ways of doing things though which will still be fun and will help keep us safe. You should try and stay in your own space and apart from other people – but if you sometimes forget, don’t worry! Your teachers will remind you but you won’t get into trouble. In fact, the teachers will be finding it as tricky as you are not to work as close to you or to give you a high five. We really can’t wait until we can do that again!
Downloads
Ideas for social distancing
Give air high fives!
Share air hugs with each other
Show kindness by smiling
Step aside
Smile and wave!
Its ok to worry about Coronavirus under 12’s
Here is some more information you might find useful all about social distancing at school.
How school will be a little bit different when we go back
Any more questions?
We want you to feel as comfortable and excited as possible about coming back to school and we think the more you know, the better you will feel! We hope we’ve thought of everything that you might want to know before you come back, but if you have another question, no matter how small or silly you might think it is, please ask us by emailing or phoning us.
Thank you for taking the time to read this page and we look forward to seeing you all very soon.