Please see below for full guidance regarding your child's return to school:

We know that some of you may be anxious about returning your child to school at this time. Please be assured that we and the Government are confident that the benefits of being back in school far outweigh the very low risk the current levels on the virus in the community poses for the vast majority of children. It is vital for all children to return to school to minimise the longer-term impact of the pandemic on education, wellbeing and wider development.

We have been working throughout the summer holidays to prepare the school for the return of all children and staff and this letter will provide the information on how the school will be running from 7^th September.  In order to introduce the new routines to the children we are going to have half of each class in school on Monday 7^th September with the other half joining them on Tuesday 8^th  September.  We feel that this will be the best way for us to explain what will be expected in order to minimise risk in school.    

Travelling to and from school

Following Government advice, we encourage you to walk or cycle to school if at all possible. Only members of a household bubble should travel together to and from school, and only one adult from the household should travel with pupils.

If your child wears a face covering to travel to school please discourage them from touching the front of their face while they are wearing it and when they remove it. Please provide them with a plastic bag to keep it in while they are at school.

We politely request that parents do not socially gather on the way to school and on the school premises.   We would also like to refer you to government guidelines at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-safer-travel-guidance-for-passengers  which gives advice for walking, cycling and travelling in vehicles safely during this time. 

Start and end of the school day

The following arrangements are in place for the start and end of the school day:

There will be one-way system operating in the playground.  Only one parent/carer can accompany children in Reception and Years 1 to 4 and children in Years 5 and 6 should arrive and leave school on their own.   Children should enter school through the external doors to their classrooms and children in Reception and Years 1 to 4 should be dropped off at the gates to the outdoor areas leading to the classrooms. 

We will ask pupils to perform hand hygiene on arrival at school.  When your child arrives at school, the class teacher and teaching assistant will check with your child if they are feeling well.   Children will then sanitise their hands at the entrance to the classroom before entering. If they are wearing a face covering they will need to remove this and then sanitise hands before entering.

Cohorting of small groups (Bubbles)

Pupils and staff will remain with their own class groups who are separated from classes within the school. The guidance advises that it is acceptable for siblings to be in different bubbles.    Initially we are not running a breakfast club or our normal range of after school clubs but will aim to do so as soon as possible.  We will contact you about this in September.  However, we will be offering a class based sports club for Year 2 to 6; Mrs Chilvers will contact you about this shortly.

Following government advice we have:

• Planned the school day and activities to avoid classes from mixing and support distancing within classes as much as possible, including making as much use of outside space as possible
• Ensured resources such as pens and pencils are not shared and other resources are not shared between bubbles
• Increased our cleaning and disinfection regime
• Put in place hygiene stations to support increased hand cleansing  
• Ensured that windows and doors are open to increase ventilation inside the building when it is safe and appropriate
• Ensured that adults working with children will be consistent for most of the week and will only change for teachers’ planning time.

Educational visits will be assessed to ensure that providers are COVID-19 secure;  there are currently no overnight stays.

Lunchtime and school meals

School lunches will be provided as usual.  Children with packed lunches will eat in their classrooms with hot dinners being served in the hall.  Lunchtimes will be staggered and children will eat in their class groups.   Each class will have its own designated area in the playground or on the field.

Universal hygiene

Staff are implementing these universal hygiene measures and encouraging our pupils to do the same:

• Washing their hands thoroughly with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand sanitiser if soap and water isn’t immediately available. Everyone should wash their hands on arrival at school, before eating, after coughing or sneezing, after visiting the toilet, when you get home at the end of the school day, as well as other regular intervals throughout the day.
• Catch it, Kill it, Bin it - Covering their mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve when sneezing and putting used tissues in the bin straight away. Always washing their hands afterwards. We will be providing tissues and bins in our classrooms and at other places where they are needed in the school.
• Avoid touching the eyes, nose or mouth if they haven’t washed their hands.
• Self-isolating if:

•  they or a member of their direct household has a new, continuous cough and/or high temperature/fever or a loss or change in their sense of taste or smell.
• Asked to through the NHS test and trace service.

• Going home if they develop symptoms, not matter how mild.

Cleaning and disinfection

The following enhanced arrangements are in place:

• We have removed items that are difficult to clean
• We have identified specific cleaning methods and the times that cleaning and disinfection is needed.
• All touch points that are fixed to the premises such as door handles, taps and toilet flushers will be disinfected twice a day; in some cases such as where pupils find it difficult to wash their hands the frequency of cleaning these items has been increased.

• We will ask pupils about how they feel on arrival at school and arrange for pupils to go home where they have symptoms (no matter how mild).
• We will talk to pupils about symptoms and encourage them to tell a member of staff if they feel ill no matter how mild. We are also keeping vigilant for any signs of symptoms too and reminding everyone about this regularly.
• Our staff and visitors will not attend if they have symptoms and will go home if they develop symptoms while they are at the school.
• If your child is unable to attend because they are complying with clinical advice or because they are isolating we will arrange for access to remote education.
• We are very mindful about the anxiety that children and you may be feeling and we encourage you to talk about those concerns, particularly if your child has been shielding and are now advised this is no longer necessary or you are concerned about the comparatively increased risk including if you are from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) background.
• We will talk and listen to children on their return and help them with any anxiety they may be experiencing.
• If your child has a support plan, we will review this plan where it is needed in order to consider any specific requirements that will help them to return to the new school arrangements.

Your support to help us achieve these standards in our school is vital. Please role model the hygiene behaviours that apply when you are at home and encourage your children to follow them. Please ensure that:

• Your child washes their hands before coming to school and on arriving home. Please support and encourage them to follow good hand and respiratory hygiene at all times.
• Your child wears PE kit to school on their PE day.   No changing of clothes will take place at school and no PE bags can be brought in to school.   Children must wear school uniform on all other days. 
• Children should not bring anything from home to school except for lunch boxes and water bottles and a coat if needed.  They will be provided with individual stationary packs and books from the library.  We intend as far as possible, to continue to teach a broad and balanced curriculum to the children but Read, Write Inc. sessions will be adapted and take place within the class ‘bubbles’.
•  

Educating and supporting

Children can become advocates in infection prevention at home and in their community by talking to others about how to prevent the spread of viruses, so we are educating in an age appropriate way.

We have updated our behaviour policy to cover the new arrangements and site rules that we have put in place. We will ensure that we take a consistent approach to reinforcing behaviour.

Symptoms and isolation

• If a pupil feels ill while they are at school we will keep them safe and move them away from others in a designated room while they wait to be collected. We will not leave a pupil who is ill where they are not safe to be left alone. In an emergency we will call the emergency services, and we will continue to provide first aid for emergencies as we normally do. Staff will wear personal protective equipment if a pupil develops symptoms or requires first aid and we need to be in close contact with them.
• Please collect your child as soon as you can if we ask you to (we’ll contact you if they become ill with either a temperature, a change to their sense of taste or smell, or a new, continuous cough). We will provide you with a testing kit and instructions if your child has these symptoms. Please help us by using this test or booking a test at a centre and letting us know the results as soon as you receive them.
• Please let us know if any member of your household develops symptoms as soon as you can. This means we will need to move your child into separate room while they are waiting to be collected to protect others in their bubble. You will then need to follow normal household isolation arrangements. Please arrange for a test to ascertain whether it is COVID-19 and share the results with the school so that we can communicate any necessary actions to other parents. Your privacy will be maintained when we do this.
• Please ensure that you follow isolation arrangements if any member of your household develops symptoms

Further information can be found here: https://www.justonenorfolk.nhs.uk/

Supporting the test and trace system

The national test and trace system is a fundamental supporting mechanism to keep us all safe during this time. Getting tested when you have symptoms and letting the tracing team know who you have been in contact with if you do test positive means that we can all take the right actions to stop the spread of the virus.

If anyone in your household develops any of the most common symptoms of COVID-19 (a new continuous cough, a high temperature and/or a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell), everyone in the household must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. You should arrange for the person with symptoms to get tested. Tests are FREE - you can get a test by calling 119 or via the online webpage:  www.NHS.uk/coronavirus.

If your child develops symptoms please let us know as soon as possible by telephoning the school so that we can take the right actions to keep everyone safe.

You can find out more about tests for children and young people at: https://www.justonenorfolk.nhs.uk/test-trace/tests-for-children-young-people

You can find out more about what you need to do if anyone in your household has symptoms here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance

Action we will take if someone from the school has a positive test

If someone tests positive from the school then we will work with the local Health Protection Team from Public Health. We will advise you in the event that someone has tested positive where it means that your child needs to isolate for 14 days. If your child is not part of the same main or extended bubble then it is unlikely that they need to isolate.

Meetings and visitors

Wherever possible, meetings between yourself and the school should take place by telephone or internet and this includes informal conversations we might normally have.

Only absolutely essential in person meetings will take place; should this be required, the school will make specific arrangements with you. We will only meet with one parent if this is the case. Please do not come into school unless you have an appointment.

Payments for lunches will need to be made over the telephone using debit or credit cards.

We have safe arrangements for essential visitors who need to come onto site such as maintenance contractors.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation; we will review our arrangements in line with any required changes and advise you where needed.  Please contact the school office if you would like a copy of our full school risk assessment. 

As a reminder ...........