| From the Office | A message from the Executive Head
Dear Parents and Guardians
When planning the reopening of a school, it helps to know which year groups will be attending!
During the first lockdown I vividly remember a conversation I had with Hugh Wilding about the first stage of getting children back to class. I confidently reassured him that in no way would the government select Reception or Year 1 in the first instance as there can be no expectation for children of that age to understand the concept of social distancing. Low and behold, Reception, Year 1 (and Year 6) headed back to school first, and I was left rather red-faced!
Nevertheless, it has taught me to expect the unexpected from the Department for Education (DfE). So what could happen on 8 March, the allocated return to school day?
Well, firstly, the date may get pushed back depending on the number of Covid-19 cases, Covid-19 associated deaths/numbers in hospitals, and regional variations. If March 8 is the starting date, it is highly likely that only certain Year groups will return, or they may choose for schools to use a rotational basis for having pupils in school. However, this can prove difficult for larger schools in regard to deep cleaning of areas and bubbling.
So which Year groups are considered, by the government, as priorities?
In my opinion, strong arguments can be made for every year group. Naturally, Reception and Year 1 pupils will find it most difficult to access online work without considerable support from parents, but then Year 11 and 13 are in the midst of their crucial national examinations. Year 7 have only got to know their new schools for a term...and now they are back home. And, what about Year 8 and 9 who it sometimes feels have been forgotten by the DfE. These children especially need those essential social interactions to support the creative areas of their brains, which can be valuable when responding to more resolution based tasks.
Year 10 and 12 have just started their relevant examination courses, Year 2 and 3 are seen as the vital age range for cementing the building blocks of learning they received in EYFS, and then Year 6 are in the final year of junior education and need support in making the transition to Year 7. Hang on, surely Year 4 and 5 is the children's first experience of gaining inference-based conceptual learning, isn’t that important, if not imperative?
Who knows! As you can see, all year groups have strong cases to return. What we can be sure of is this: we will continue to support you and your families no matter what actions emerge from the DfE, and when we are given the opportunity, we will have your children back in school as quickly, as happily, and most importantly, as safely as possible. We will keep you informed of details as they become clear.
Have a lovely weekend.
Best wishes
Justin Spanswick
Executive Head Teacher
Nursery
Please look out at the end of the week for the 2Build a profile observations being sent to your email. If your child is new to nursery, please ensure you have accepted the 2Build a Profile email, which has been sent to you. Sometimes it goes into your spam so check there too.
Polite reminders
- Nursery starts at 8.30am. Please wait in your car until this time whilst key worker children are arriving
- We have all windows and doors open at the moment for added ventilation so please ensure your child is dressed appropriately
- Please bring coats, scarves, mittens and hats etc for outside activities
- Please name all items of clothing which are coming into school
- Please provide a pair of wellies if you haven’t already
- Please provide a morning snack for your child, and please remember we are a no nut/kiwi/allergen school.
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