Letter to parents 09.09.20

Dear parents and carers

Welcome back!

It was wonderful to have our children back to school yesterday and see so many smiling faces at The Lane site. This morning, our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) pupils started school for the first time and it was lovely to meet our new families. Tomorrow we look forward to the return of our remaining EYFS children. All staff have been so impressed with the positive attitude of pupils who were so ready to start school. It was a great start.

Face coverings

You will be aware that from Monday, the government is limiting social gatherings to six people. While this new law does not apply to schools or workplaces, nevertheless it has been introduced urgently as cases of Covid19 have begun to rise rapidly. Therefore, as a safety measure and to play our part in helping to reduce any transmission of the virus, we are now asking parents and carers to wear face coverings as soon as they come on to the school site. This is with immediate effect until further notice. It will be permissible not to wear face coverings if there are valid reasons not to. There is no requirement for any of our children to wear face coverings at any time.

Keeping everyone safe

We will continue to refine the changes to our procedures to ensure everyone in our school community is kept safe during the ongoing pandemic. We have a comprehensive risk assessment in place, which you can view on our website, and this will be regularly monitored and updated as necessary by our governors and by Ebor Academy Trust. 

The high number of parents in the playground means achieving appropriate social distancing is a concern. Where possible, only one parent or carer should be on a school site and for the shortest time possible. We need to ensure teachers can safely hand over pupils at Key Stage 1 whilst making sure parents and carers remain at a safe distance.

With this in mind, we have already therefore identified some changes to drop off and pick up by parents and carers, which can hopefully reduce congestion, help with social distancing and increase levels of safety.

Access to the playground

Staff have noticed some parents entering the playground at a far earlier time than they need to be there. Larger gathering of parents is something we must avoid. Please do not arrive at school earlier than you need to. The side gate to the playground will be opened at 8.45 in the morning and 2.55 in the afternoon. We know we will have parents queuing to come in along the path from the entrance to the school site, so please space out and leave a clear two metres distance between the person in front of you. 

New exit

On the playground, the Key Stage 1 area becomes congested as younger pupils have to be handed over individually for safety. Older pupils have had to exit by passing Key Stage 1, which unfortunately has been adding to the congestion. Therefore we are changing the exit route to school, which will now be via the MUGA gates for all parents and children. Staff will show parents and children and guide them as to where to go. 

Keep moving

Once you have dropped off or collected your child, we respectfully ask you to please immediately leave school premises. Benches and play equipment are strictly off limits for parents, carers and children at the start and end of the day. 

These remain challenging times for everyone and I hope you can understand the reasoning behind the changes we are imposing. All staff continue to do their best for the children and it remains very important we all pull together to remain safe.

Yours faithfully

Mr Brown

Headteacher