Thursday 2nd September 2021
Dear Parents/Carers
We hope you have all had a lovely summer holiday and that your children are looking forward to returning to school tomorrow (Friday 3rd September).
We sent out information before the summer break stating changes that we were expecting to happen when we returned in the autumn term. The government have stated that these changes are still happening so we thought we would remind you all of them.
- There are no more ‘bubbles’ in school. This means that all children and staff can mix and play together.
- Whole school assemblies can take place in the hall again. This includes whole school singing as well. (This is something we have really missed hearing in school since the first lockdown in March 2020.)
- Although we will still be holding Merit Assembly every Friday morning, we will not be inviting parents in for at least the first half term. We will wait to see what happens in relation to Covid, eg, if cases rise in school/across the country or not.
- The children will no longer be sitting in rows in classrooms. Tables will be back in groups and children will be facing each other rather than all facing the front of the classroom.
- No staggered start times. Doors will open at 8:45am until 8:55am so that children can come into school and straight into their classrooms. Any child who arrives after 8:55am will be classed as late. Their parent/carer must take them to the school office and provide a reason why they are late.
- We will go back to the original home times: Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will leave at 3:15pm. Years 3 to 6 will leave at 3:20pm.
- Reception will enter and leave school through the Reception door and through the little playground.
- Year 1 will enter and leave school through the Year 1 entrance. (Next door to the ramp entrance.)
- Year 2 will enter and leave school through the ramp entrance.
- Year 3 will enter school through the ramp entrance and leave through the office entrance.
- Year 4 will enter and leave school through the ramp entrance.
- Years 5 and 6 will enter and leave school through the Year 6 entrance.
- Children and staff are still expected to wash/sanitise their hands regularly.
- We still have to open windows in the school. Please ensure your child has a jumper or cardigan to wear as it will be cold now that we are in the autumn term and heading towards the winter. Although the heating will be on, it will still feel cold as all of the windows are open.
- After School Clubs will return from week beginning 13th September. Letters will go out week beginning 6th September. Children will be mixing from different classes.
- When it is PE day, children can still come to school in their PE kit and will have PE for the whole afternoon. (Your child’s class teacher will inform you through Dojo which day PE is on.) One hour will be with our coach from Aston Villa, and the other hour will be with their teacher/teaching assistant. Please ensure that your child does not come to school wearing jewellery, particularly earrings – children sometimes find these very difficult to take out and can lose them. School is not responsible for any losses.
- NHS track and trace will contact you and tell you if your child has been a close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19. They will then advise you what to do.
- Public Health have advised schools that if we get 5 cases or more in school (staff or children), that we inform you so that you are aware that the number of cases are rising. We will not tell you who has tested positive, but you may wish to test everyone in your household using lateral flow tests.
- Classes will not be told to isolate as they were before the summer holiday. If anyone, staff or child, is informed by the NHS that they are a close contact, they will be asked to carry out a PCR test to show they are negative and given further instructions on what to do.
- In order to protect everyone (staff, children and families), we are asking that if anyone in your household (families and staff) tests positive, please inform school immediately and have all of your household booked in for a PCR test. We are also requesting that you do not send your child into school until they have had a negative PCR test result – these seem to be returned quite quickly now. This is so that we can reduce the risk of Covid-19 spreading in school.
- The reasoning behind this is Public Health have informed us that unvaccinated people are more likely to catch Covid-19 if they are in close contact with a positive case, especially if that contact is someone in their household. Children are not vaccinated. Therefore, there is a higher probability that they would catch Covid-19 and spread it, possibly being asymptomatic (having no symptoms) themselves.
- Masks are no longer expected to be worn in school. However, if anyone (parent, older sibling or staff member) prefers to wear them as they feel safer, this is absolutely fine. There may be times we ask you to wear one, for example, if we have a meeting with you in school in a confined area or with several people present, but we will inform you beforehand.
- If you need to visit the School Office, please be aware that we are still only going to allow 1 family in at a time. This is because the waiting area is a very small, confined space. If a member of staff speaks to you in this area, we will ask you and the staff member to please wear a mask as you will be in very close contact with each other.
- If you, your child or any member of your family (this applies to staff as well) feel unwell, whether you are double vaccinated or not, please inform school immediately, take a PCR test and do not come to school until you have a negative result. This will limit the spread of Covid-19 and help to keep each other safe.
Thank you for all of your support during the last 18 months. It will be lovely to get back to school and have some sense of normality return! On behalf of the staff and governors at Deykin Avenue JI School, we can’t wait to see you all on Friday 3rd September. Children, we have missed you!!
Yours faithfully
Mrs. Janet Edwards Mrs. Sharon Brewer
(Head Teacher) (Deputy Head Teacher)