Letter to Parents - Return to School September 2021
1st September 2021
Dear Parents and Carers,
From August 16th the new Covid-19 guidelines have come into force and as such there are changes to how we operate in school. One of the key changes that will take place is that education and childcare settings will no longer be asked to conduct routine contact tracing this will be taken over by NHS Test and Trace. We have put a Document entitled Contact Tracing in education and childcare settings on to the website to accompany this letter and this explains how this will happen.
As with all aspects of society, as we open up things are returning to normal and this includes the resumption of the fixed start and finish times.
Start and finish times
All children will start at 8:45am and finish school at 3:30pm. We will be retaining different entrances for the different year groups to avoid crowding on the yard for the present time. These are:
Nursery – own door (entry and exit)
Reception, Year 1, 2 and 3* to line up on the yard in their class groups. These will be signposted and their new teacher will meet them there. (*Please note the change for year 3 due to congestion concerns)
Year 4 – Entry through Hall Doors
Year 5 & 6 own classroom doors
Please can parents of children in Year 5 and 6 and children in Year 4 who are used to walking in through the hall, please drop them at the main gate and the children will walk round on their own - again this is to avoid too much crowding.
At the end of the school day, all children (except Nursery) will be escorted to the school yard by their teachers. Children in Reception – Year 3 must be dismissed to a parent or designated person. Children in Years 4, 5 and 6 children do not need to be picked up by an adult. Please note however, parents with children in Year 4 need to ensure that the office are aware that they give written permission for their children to leave the premises unaccompanied.
We know that the yard will be busy at the end of the school day and we politely request that adults picking up clear the yard as soon as they have their child/children. The younger children (R, Y1 and Y2) will be ready to be dismissed at 3:30pm from the doors they entered, whilst the older children will be escorted round from their classrooms to the yard at that time.
The top gate will be open as normal. Staff will be on the main gate to support at the start and end of the school day.
All teachers will notify you of PE days. From September 2021 we will be returning to children wearing school uniform each day (see website for details) and bringing their PE kits on the days that they are required. PE kits can remain in school for the half term for your convenience.
Many thanks for your support and consideration.
The West Park Team