Dear Parents and Carers

I am now in a position to give you more details about our plans for potentially opening the school for Year 6 pupils during the week beginning 1st June. I must apologise for the length of this letter, but there is a great deal of information for me to share with you and I urge you to read it very carefully.

HALF TERM HOLIDAY
School will be closed to all pupils during the week of 25th May (next week).  The school needs to be deep cleaned and made ready for opening on Tuesday 2nd June.  There will be NO Home Learning set for this week (or for Monday 1st June as we are preparing for our phased re-opening). Please have a break, if you can. Sunny weather is predicted!

REOPENING THE SCHOOL FOR KEY WORKER & VULNERABLE CHILDREN
We will be continuing to provide Educare places for vulnerable pupils and key worker children from 2nd June. We are still only able to provide care between the hours of 8.15am and 3pm, but we will be constantly reviewing the situation and if anything changes, we will update you.  If you have not been accessing this care and would ideally like to start after Half Term, it is imperative please that you contact the school office to let them know as soon as possible. We will need to know which days of the week you will need each week (unless this will not change). Please do not turn up to school without notice as we need to ensure that our staffing levels are correct.
All pupils accessing Key Worker and Vulnerable Children Educare are asked to bring in a packed lunch. There is no option for a school meal at the moment.
If the government continues with its current forecast, Year 6 will not be able to access Educare. They will be going back into a Year 6 setting. However, if this changes, then of course we will welcome any Year 6 children who need it into the Educare provision.  
  
HOME LEARNING
Home learning will continue to be set for ALL Year Groups who are not in school and for those Year 6 pupils who are not coming back to school at the moment.  Access to this learning has not changed and will continue to be set on the class pages of the school website.  Teachers will continue to contact you and are happy for you to contact them too.
We will contact parents of Year 1 – the next Year Group to hopefully return to school - in the first few days back after Half Term. Their return – with staggered starts and ends to the day, and similar social distancing – will look much like the below, taking into account their age.

HOW THE SCHOOL WILL MANAGE SOCIAL DISTANCING
Our school will look different when we return. Staff will, of course, be as welcoming and as friendly as they normally are, but we won’t be able to return to a normal school day. As the Government have advised, it is impossible for us to maintain the 2m apart recommendation at all times in school, but we are doing everything we can to ensure that we are keeping pupils and staff as safe as possible.  Actions we have taken will include (and these will constantly be under review to ensure that we are keeping everyone as safe as is possible):
• Limiting class sizes. There will be up to 4 groups of Year 6 children. There will be no more than 15 pupils to one Class ‘Bubble’. During the day, pupils will stay in these same bubbles and will NOT mix with other bubble groups.
• Pupils not mixing with other groups outside of their bubbles. Each bubble of pupils will have their own breaktimes and lunchtime and they will arrive and be collected at a different time from the other bubbles.
• Limiting movement around school. Bubbles will remain in one classroom and they will use the nearest toilets to that room only (one bubble will not share toilets with any other bubble), when inside in school. Pupils must stay in their bubble groups when they are outside. Pupils will use the same desks and same chairs during the day.
• Limiting what can be brought from home. Pupils MUST bring a water bottle with them as we will not be using the water fountains. Pupils must not bring a school bag with them to school. They can bring a packed lunch with them, a sunhat (sun cream to be applied at home before school please) and any personal hygiene items (these can be in a small bag). NO PENCIL CASES PLEASE.
• Staggered drop offs and collections. Each bubble must be dropped off and picked up at different times. No parents will be allowed inside the school at any time.
• NO PARKING on school grounds. We cannot use the normal staff car park, as those pupils in Educare need to use that space as their playground, so the school staff will be using the parking spaces at the front of the school.  Please park at the secondary school and walk your children down to school (they can of course still walk to school on their own if you are happy for them to) or please use the drop off lane, where members of staff will be ready to ensure that pupils get out of the car safely. There will be lines marked on the ground (much like at the supermarket) and we ask you please to wait behind each of these lines if there is a queue.
• Packed lunches only. We are unable, at the moment, to serve hot meals for lunch. We are able to provide a packed lunch if you do not want to send your child in with a packed lunch. If your child is entitled to free school meals, we can of course provide them with a packed lunch, but you will no longer be entitled to the Government-run Edenred FSM Voucher Scheme. At the moment, pupils who are entitled to free school meals able to continue to claim for the vouchers IF they send their child/children in with a packed lunch.
• Enhanced Cleaning. The school will be deep cleaned over the Half Term. When we return, classrooms and toilets will be cleaned regularly during the day as well as at the beginning and the end of the day. Touch points, door handles (though doors will, where possible be kept open), desks, chairs, light switches, toilets and sinks will be given particular attention.
• Adopting excellent respiratory hygiene and regular handwashing. There will be a huge focus on handwashing – both adults and children. We will be adopting ‘Catch it, bin it, kill it’ in each classroom. There will be a plentiful supply of tissues, hand wash, paper towels for drying hands, surface cleaner and cloths for every bubble.
• Pupils will be provided with their own equipment and stationery for their use only. No pencil cases to be brought in please.  

RETURN TO SCHOOL FOR YEAR 6s
• School staff will return to school on Monday 1st June to prepare our classrooms for our new approach to learning.  We will be welcoming Year 6s back from Tuesday 2nd June. Whilst we are not yet entirely sure how many Year 6s plan to come back to school on Tuesday 2nd June, we have imagined a scenario where more than 45 do. This will entail a staggered drop off and collection. Details of how this will look are further down this letter.
• You will be informed of which bubble your child will be in as soon as we know how many pupils we are expecting back.
• The Year 6 teachers will allocate the bubbles and as much as possible, will put friendship groups together. If there is anyone in particular that you would like for your child to be with, please email your child’s class teacher.
• Pupils will be in a bubble with at least one member of staff well known to them. We are hoping for 2 adults per class bubble, with at least one of these being a Year 6 Teacher or TA (Mr Smith, Mrs Callister, Mrs Wilton and Ms Harris will all be in school and will be with Year 6).
• Pupils will be based in the year 6 and other KS2 classrooms. 
• Break times (there are two breaks per bubble group planned for the morning) and lunchtimes will take place entirely as a bubble. There will be no mixing with other bubbles. All lunches will be eaten in the classroom and playtimes/lunch play will be outside in a set play area. Each play area will be used by Year 6 pupils only (there will be no mixing with the Educare pupils). Year 6 pupils will help to decide how break times will best work during their first morning back.
• Learning will not look exactly the same as it did before lockdown. We will do our best, however, to provide a fulfilling and fun environment that will both develop children’s learning whilst also focusing on their wellbeing. Written marking is unlikely to happen in the first instance, but any feedback will be given to your children verbally and in the moment. We have been giving verbal feedback to all pupils attending our Educare provision and this is working well.

Drop off and pick up: 
? We will inform you of which bubble your child is in as soon as we have definite numbers
? ALL Year 6s to be dropped off and picked up at the Year 3/KS2 gate
? Pupils to arrive during their drop off bubble time only
? Pupils will be dismissed at the end of the day as a bubble – we ask you please to line up for pick up in the same way as drop off.
? We request that only 1 adult comes to drop off/pick up please, to limit the amount of people at any time on the school grounds
? Pupils can walk to school (I realise that this may not happen on the first day) if you are happy for them to
? NO PARKING on school grounds. Please part either at the Comp and walk down with your child, or use the drop off lane outside the Nursery
? There will be many staff on hand to help bring pupils into school, either at the gate or on the way to the Year 6 classrooms, or out in the car park area
 
DROP OFF IN THE MORNING WILL LOOK LIKE THIS
Arrival of class 1 (6Ba): 0825 – 0835
Arrival of class 2 (6Wa): 0835 – 0845
Arrival of class 3 (6Bb or 6BWb): 0845 – 0855
Arrival of class 4 (6Wb): 0855 – 0905

PICK UP IN THE AFTERNOON
Pick up of class 1 (6Ba): 1425 – 1435
Pick up of class 2 (6Wa): 1435 – 1445
Pick up of class 3 (6Bb or 6BWb): 1445 – 1455
Pick up of class 4 (6Wb): 1455 – 1505

UNIFORM
We are asking please that ALL PUPILS (no matter what year group) come to school in school uniform (you are welcome to wear trainers as we will be outside when we can) BUT YOU DO NOT NEED TO WEAR A TIE.  Please ensure that, as much as is practicable, uniform is clean. We understand that you may find that your child has outgrown their school uniform. If this is the case, please contact your child’s teacher. We can be flexible.
Normal other Uniform rules are still in place: no jewellery; small, stud earrings only; no nail polish and hair past the jawline MUST be tied back please.

DO I HAVE TO SEND MY CHILD BACK?
No, is the short answer. Schools have been asked to encourage children back to school, but it is your decision to make, given that these are unprecedented times. The government guidance is set out below but please note that parents will not be fined for non-attendance at this time.  
We strongly encourage children and young people in the eligible year groups and priority groups (such as children of critical workers) to attend, as requested by their school or college, unless they are self-isolating or there are other reasons for absence (such as shielding due to health conditions).
You should notify your child’s school or college as normal if your child is unable to attend so that staff are aware and can discuss with you. 
Please note that children with a pre-existing medical condition or those who live with someone with a pre-existing medical condition will need to follow the government guidance.  There are categories of vulnerability, with different actions required for each:
• Children that have been classed as clinically extremely vulnerable due to pre-existing medical conditions have been advised by letter to shield and should not come to school.  They will need to follow the Staying at home and away from others (social distancing) guidance.  We will continue to support their home learning. 
• Children that have been classed as clinically vulnerable (but not clinically extremely vulnerable) are those considered to be at a higher risk of severe illness from coronavirus.  Parents/carers will need to follow medical advice if their child is in this category and should inform the school of what has been advised.
• If a child lives with a clinically extremely vulnerable (shielded) or a clinically person, including those who are pregnant, the government advice is that they can attend the school, so long as our stringent social distancing protocols are adhered to at all times.
If your child lives with someone who is shielding and you are considering requesting a place at school, please call me to discuss whether or not we can meet the stringent social distancing measures required. If we are unable to support your child’s return, we will continue to support them to learn at home.

Children with symptoms of COVID-19 MUST NOT attend school. The whole family should follow the latest guidance from the government on how long to isolate for.
However, if you are not yet feeling quite confident enough to send your child back now, but may want to in the future, you can of course do this. Please do call us if this is the case and we will talk it through with you.
We would much prefer whole days and the whole week as things stand, but if your circumstances mean that this will not work for you, please do email us.  We can be flexible.
If your child returns to school, but then feels unsettled (we are obviously hoping that this is not the case), of course we can help with this. If this is the case, please do call or email the school and we will get back to you.  As I have said above, it is your decision to make as to whether your children return to school at this time. Whilst we definitely encourage you to send your children back, we will respect any decision that you make.
 
WHAT IF THERE IS A CASE OF COVID-19 IN SCHOOL?

We will be monitoring all pupils carefully upon their return and would ask all parents who intend to send their child/children to school to remain incredibly vigilant regarding the symptoms of COVID-19 and to keep their child at home if they are or appear unwell. Any pupil who becomes unwell at school will be sent home immediately. They will be isolated within school, accompanied by a member of staff protected by PPE, until they can be collected. Any pupil or member of staff showing any symptoms of COVID-19 will be able to access a test, which can be booked online.
If a child or a member of staff in one of our bubbles becomes unwell, we will inform all families of members of that bubble so that they can self-isolate. That bubble will then be closed until the test result is known and so that we can arrange for a deep clean of the spaces that they are using.  

Nearly there. Be reassured: our primary focus will ALWAYS be the safety of the pupils and staff in school. We understand all of the anxiety that you as parents are facing and we are here to support you.

There may be questions that I have not answered or made clear in this letter. You may have questions specific to your situation. If you do have any questions, please do contact me via the Secretary@wadebridgeprimary.co.uk email address.

Further information regarding other year group’s arrangements will be emailed to you in the week of 1st June.

Kindest regards

Rebecca Whitlock
Headteacher

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are sure that, like us, you have lots of questions following the Prime Minister's announcement last night.
At the moment, for us in school, there is no change to the guidance, so we will be continuing to operate as we have over the last few weeks. We will continue to provide essential child care for key worker families as well as vulnerable children.
The message remains that it is safer to stay at home. We appreciate this is a confusing time. Once we have received further information and reviewed the guidance on how to manage a safe, phased return we will of course keep you informed.
 
Please stay safe and take care.
Kindest regards
Ms R Whitlock

The children in school today have had a brilliant day coming in to school in red, white and blue to celebrate and learn all about VE day. The children made aeroplanes, designed bunting and baked cakes for a ‘street party’ in the afternoon. Our day was made even better by the delivery of delicious scones, cream, jam and sandwiches from  Morrisons, Bodmin.

With the delivery of Easter eggs a few weeks ago and the delivery of goodies today, we have been overwhelmed by their generosity. Mrs Dingle (a lovely neighbour to the school) has also been treating us to lots of treats. Today, she kindly dropped in some iced biscuits and the children thoroughly enjoyed them as part of our celebration day. Thank you!

We hope that you have a great bank holiday weekend at home. If you are celebrating VE Day, then have a peek on the Facebook page where you can find some useful resources and links.

Take care and fingers crossed for sunshine!

Dear Parents/Carers,

It’s May already! Whilst April seemed to take a while to settle down, it then seemed to fly by and it is hard to think that we are already in our fourth week back after Easter. I was in school last week with a fantastic bunch of teachers and pupils and much fun was had in both working and also being creative. I saw some super Fairy doors and habitats and lots of handmade cards towards the end of the week and it was lovely to see how proud pupils were of their considerable efforts.

I know too that there is LOTS going on at home – do please feel free to share things with us – not only do you get to show us what you have done, it can also give ideas to other families ?. You can send pictures, drawings, videos or written things via email to your teachers or the secretary@wadebridgeprimary.co.uk inbox at any time. We are keen to see as much as we can.

One of the most odd things for me is thinking – often with a jolt – that, for example, this week Year 5s were supposed to be going to the River Dart for their residential trip. Next week, Year 6s were due to take the SATs Tests… They worked SO hard right up until the minute that they were not able to come to school any more and part of me is sad that they will not get to ‘show their stuff’ but part of me also (always) thinks that these tests are in no way a true reflection of the wonderful characters and people that they are anyway.  As we keep saying, do feel free to share what you are doing with us – I have read some amazing stories from Year 6s recently, which make me so proud to be a part of you all. Thank you.
 
We have some more exciting things to share with you this week too. Do go online to watch our teachers reading stories and poetry if you can – we have some new ones in this week. I have loved watching them all.

We also saw a lovely link online looking at actions to make us happy over the weekend https://www.actionforhappiness.org/meaningful-may. It gives some lovely ideas to be mindful and appreciate what we have and know.
We also have a fun competition from Dandelion Learning (based in St Ives) to share with you:
Mrs Foley’s Book Cover Challenge #mrsfbookcoverchallenge
Inspired by the Getty Museum Challenge, where the public has been invited to recreate masterpieces in their own home…
 
…we have devised our own challenge.
Can you recreate a front cover from one of your favourite books?

If you have Instagram, you can tag your pic with #mrsfbookcoverchallenge feel free to get family and friends involved too.
Send them in to us at Wadebridge too – we would love to see them!

Have a good week and do get in touch if you want or need to; whatever the reason we would love to hear from you.
Stay safe and hopefully, maybe, see you soon.
Ms Whitlock