Return to School 8th March, 2021
We are ready and excited for the return of all children back to school on Monday 8th March, 2021. Please read the following letter with all the details and information on. We will still be asking families to wear masks during pick up and drop off and to remember social distancing. Cases are low locally, but we still need to be vigilant - I don't think any of us want to return to any lockdown!
The most important thing we do to ensure Covid safety is to have well-ventialted rooms, regular hand washing, time outside and maintaining social distance.
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RECEPTION |
LOWER BUILDING MAIN ENTRANCE |
DROP OFF FROM 8.45AM – 9AM PICK UP AT 2.50PM |
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YEAR 1 |
UPPER BUILDING MAIN ENTRANCE |
DROP OFF FROM 8.45AM – 9AM PICK UP AT 2.50PM |
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YEAR 2 |
UPPER BUILDING MAIN ENTRANCE |
DROP OFF FROM 8.45AM – 9AM PICK UP AT 3PM |
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YEAR 3 |
UPPER BUILDING MAIN ENTRANCE |
DROP OFF FROM 8.45AM – 8.50AM PICK UP AT 3.05PM |
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YEAR 4 |
LOWER BUILDING MAIN ENTRANCE |
DROP OFF FROM 8.40AM – 8.50AM PICK UP AT 3.05PM |
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YEAR 5 |
LOWER BUILDING MAIN ENTRANCE |
DROP OFF FROM 8.40AM – 8.50AM PICK UP AT 3.05PM |
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YEAR 6 |
LOWER BUILDING MAIN ENTRANCE |
DROP OFF FROM 8.40AM – 8.50AM PICK UP AT 3.10PM |
Lateral flow device - Covid testing at home
Anything that helps identify asymptomatic cases of Covid is good news. However, one of the reasons why their use in schools has been controversial is that they are not very accurate and people have a false sense of security if they get a negative result sometimes leading to them behaving in a less Covid safe way. However, provided you still behave and act as if you have Covid, it's an extra level of safety which is to be welcomed. Currently, all members of staff do a lateral flow test twice a week.
What Are They For?
The purpose is to detect some asymptomatic Covid cases which would otherwise go undetected preventing further infections. If you have symptoms you must not use these tests. You book a PCR test as before:
https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test
If you DO NOT have symptoms you can take the LFD (Lateral Flow Device) test twice a week as an additional reassurance. False positives are rare so if you test positive, your whole household isolates and you book a confirmation PCR test.
Information from Government:
Rapid lateral flow testing for households and bubbles of school pupils and staff
Around 1 in 3 people with coronavirus (COVID-19) do not have symptoms but can still pass it on to others. Regular testing of people without symptoms (asymptomatic testing) is important to help stop the virus spreading. As lockdown restrictions gradually ease, we all need to play our part to help protect each other.
On Sunday 28 February, the Department of Health and Social Care announced that from Monday 1 March, households with primary school, secondary school and college age children, including childcare and support bubbles, can test themselves twice every week at home as schools return from Monday 8 March. Households, childcare and support bubbles of primary, secondary and college staff can also be tested. Twice-weekly testing will also be offered to adults working in the wider school community, including bus drivers and after school club leaders.
The twice-weekly test kits can be accessed:
· via employers if they offer testing to employees
· at a local test site
· by collecting a home test kit from a test site
· by ordering a home test kit online
Schools should not give test kits to parents, carers or household members and should not order more test kits for this purpose.
This guidance provides information on who can be tested and how you can get a test.
Being ready to return to school
This section below will help you to be ready for school. Watch this assembly video for some tips about getting ready.
School Uniform
All children are expected to wear school uniform as usual. We also know that they may have grown. We have an extensive range of second hand uniform, so please come and ask if you need to borrow anything at all. The school office is open if you need to buy any uniform before you return.
Book bags and school bags
Book bags can be brought in and taken home each day as can school bags. Toys and games, as usual, are not permitted to be in school. Please bring back any reading books you may have at home.
Lunches, snacks and hot water bottles
You can either order a school dinner or being in a lunch each day with you. School dinners now only have two choices of hot dinners each day, excpet for Wednesday where a packed lunch option is available. Children can bring in a water bottle each day - only water is allowed - no juice or squash. Children may also bring in a healthy fruit snack to have at playtime.
Bubble Classes
Children will remain in year group bubbles so that we can be as covid secure as possible. We will be making sure that we do not cross over and each bubble has its own staff assigned to it.
Assemblies
We will of course still be doing assmeblies, but these will be remote assemblies that will be watched in class - sometimes live via Zoom and sometimes recorded.
What if I have missed some of the work?
In the first couple of weeks, the teachers will be doing what they are best at - working out what you know and what you need to learn next. From there, they will plan lessons to move your learning on.
Brackenbury Best
We expect all children to be trying their Brackenbury Best on return to school. It will not be long until we are back in the routines and habits of school life. We can't wait!