Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
Dear parent / carer
We hope that you and your families are keeping well through these difficult times.
Earlier this week I stated that I would like to inform you by today (15th May) of our plans for the potential re-opening on the 1st June for Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 children. We have made significant steps forward with those plans by referring to the government guidance, however, that guidance is still unfolding - we received the latest last night at 7.30pm and we are expecting further documents in the coming days. We are working extremely hard to consider all the questions it presents and trying to keep up with all the ongoing changes and updates.
I have been liaising with staff, our governing body, Headteachers in the local area and my network of local and national school contacts including Lincolnshire County Council. The local authority has also been working with head teacher representatives to provide schools with a consistent message around the decisions that need to be taken; they have been superb.
At the moment I feel like the captain of a ship navigating stormy seas. I am fortunate that the crew who work with me have been outstanding from Day 1 and together we will find our way through all of this and find the right solution for our school community. School is going to look very different for some time (certainly this side of the summer term) and we will all have to adjust. It’s our job as a school to support children and families and we understand that we have a vital role to play in the local community.
June 1st is by no means confirmed and the government has indicated that it could change depending on infection rates. As I write, Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance - the government's scientific advisors - are meeting with union representatives to clarify the science behind the decision to re-open schools so early when other countries in the United Kingdom have not taken this step. Headteachers across the country are awaiting the results of that meeting.
We are currently carrying out risk assessments and considering how we could meet the requirements for social distancing and management of pupils and staff. This is not a straightforward task and it is clear that provision at school for the remainder of this academic year will look very different to what it did before the lockdown.
Thank you to all the parents of the children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 who have promptly responded to the survey text this week, this has helped us to plan towards an opening. We realise what a difficult decision this is - many of us are parents - and clearly you have huge concerns. We also understand that your response may change over time as data evolves; this is absolutely fine and we will be in regular touch with you over the coming weeks to monitor this.
In order to address all of this at school, we have considered:
-The creation of small ‘bubbles’ of children who remain together as a single group throughout the day with a specific teacher and a teaching assistant who will be mainly responsible for cleaning. These 'bubbles' would have to be separate from the other 'bubbles' - they shouldn’t mix at all - and we’ll be introducing different drop-off and collection times which may differ from the current school times. There will be clear guidance as to what this means for you. We are considering a lunchtime finish on Friday to ensure the sites are cleaned thoroughly ready for the following week. We will provide more detail on this next week.
-Break and lunchtimes will be staggered and eating will take place in the rooms in which the children are learning.
-How we could manage the social distancing requirements laid out in the guidelines in a way that is practical for staff and children. In Year 1 and Year 6 the children will have their own space and will be expected to stay in that space for the majority of the day. As I have stated before, we will be unable to guarantee social distancing in any year group but will be constantly encouraging children to be in their own space.
-With matters of hygiene, children will only use school equipment - we will create a kit for them - and following guidance, many resources will have to be removed from classrooms. All classrooms will have all soft cushions, toys and play equipment removed. Cleaning will be frequent through the day as well as daily deeper cleans between days. Children will be constantly reminded to wash their hands. They will not be able to bring in anything from home apart from their lunchbox which will be stored in the lockers (Laughton) or under the child's table (Blyton),
-The curriculum changes too, considering that children will have limited equipment due to hygiene requirements and social distancing. Awkwardly, this has moved from ‘childcare', to 'education,’ but with limitations in the guidance that impacts its delivery and the availability of resources. The curriculum will mainly be phonics (Olive and Fir), reading, writing and mathematics. PSHE will be incredibly important as we look to support children through this time. PE will also take place at a safer social distance. Year 6, in two groups, will also work towards their transition to secondary school. We will aim for as much outdoor learning as possible.
-How we can create the most enjoyable and safe environment for staff and pupils to return, whilst accepting we cannot mitigate every risk.
-Guidance has only just been issued about how to provide home-learning provision for the remaining year groups, and we will also have to consider how to do this whilst staff are in school through the day.
-How key-worker children in Years 2, 3, 4 and 5 are catered for. We will be in touch with families soon to gauge numbers.
Based upon all of this, we are continuing to look at how we might be able to safely implement a phased return which is right for our children, staff and families IF we were to return on 1st June. Being open with you all, I am very concerned about how the government expect schools to be organised safely once other year groups return later in June. We do not have the staff or space available currently to ensure this happens safely if the expectations of an opening remain the same at that stage.
Although the government’s intention is to encourage children to attend school, parents have the right to choose whether they feel this is right and required, and they will not be fined for non-attendance. Each family has the freedom to make a decision based upon their own personal circumstances and we will support their decision.
I have provided some detail here but I hope I am in a place to inform you in even more detail about our Action Plan early next week, but as guidance is still being sent from the government I feel it would be premature to do so now. We will let you know of our decisions and plans and share them with you as soon as possible.
Should you wish to discuss this with me, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Stay Safe everyone.
Mr Duke
Please find below the information that has been sent out to schools regarding their potential opening from June 1st. The action plan we produce will take on board the guidance provided here as well as further information from the local authority and our own local needs.
Objective: By June 1st 2020 to partially open the schools up to include vulnerable children, children of key workers, Reception, Years 1 and 6 children.
The Road Map: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/our-plan-to-rebuild-the-uk-governments-covid-19-recovery-strategy
Actions for Educational Settings to prepare: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-educational-and-childcare-settings-to-prepare-for-wider-opening-from-1-june-2020
Implementing Protective Measures: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings
Guidance for Parents and Carers: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers
Dear Parents/Carers
Yesterday, the government published their expectation for the opening of schools from June 1st. The aim is for children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 to return from that date, with children in the other year groups returning for the final month of the year. As the Prime Minister has stated, this move is of course dependent on the reproduction measure of the coronavirus continuing to decrease.
First of all, we are all very eager to return to school and spend time with our brilliant children. We miss them so much. However, my view all along has been that we have to be confident that a return to school is safe for everyone.
I have been involved in teaching for twenty years and along with the vast majority of headteachers in the country, I am absolutely baffled by the inclusion of Reception and Year 1 children within this plan. With best intentions, it is a challenge to ensure children of any age socially distance from their peers and staff members, let alone children aged four to six. I am in no way convinced that any child should be returning to school for the foreseeable future, particularly when the other European countries including our close neighbours are taking a different path.
So, can I guarantee that the children will stay two metres away from each other? I’m sorry, but I can’t, despite our very best intentions. If our other year groups return for the final month of the year, then any form of distancing will become virtually impossible. For parents, I am sure many of you are questioning whether your child will be safe on return. I am pleased that the government have stated that schools will not be accountable for attendance during this time and fining for absence is not on the agenda.
There are a number of serious considerations before we open, including:
As I have previously stated, the safety of the children, our families and the team is my priority. We are currently waiting for further instruction from the Local Authority before finalising our plan. As you can see from the considerations above, any plan will see significant changes to the school day and will impact on timings, both at the beginning and end of the day. We will all need to be very flexible as we move forward through this process. I intend to post the plan on the website by Friday 15th at the very latest so that you have enough time to consider and prepare for the changes prior to June 1st.
Thank you for your support, patience and understanding during this time.
Stay Safe everyone.
Yours sincerely
Mr Duke
Good evening, everyone -
Following the Prime Minister's speech this evening, in which he provided a conditional date of June 1st at the earliest for children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 to return, I have already started to put an action plan together for how we may support this phased re-opening. As I previously stated, I will be working with Mrs Batey and Mrs Briscoe on the further detail of this in due course.
We have already had communication from the local authority this evening who will be expecting further detailed guidance from the Department for Education tomorrow. This will further help us to plan ahead.
Despite the Prime Minister encouraging people to return to work if it is safe to do so, we are still only open until the end of this term for children of key workers who have previously been identified and receive the regular weekly attendance text.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time. I will contact you as soon as possible with any further information.
Mr Duke
Hello everyone - I hope you are well.
Later this evening, the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, will be sharing his government's plans for the coming weeks and months. We believe this will include his intention for how school's will move towards a return to some form of normality. Speculation has been rife over the past few days but we have no clear understanding of the direction that will be taken other than we believe a phased return is likely, which means that not all children would return at the same time.
My only priority is the safety of our families and our team. Any decisions that are made, following any guidance that is provided, will be based on that priority only. I have been appalled by many scenes of gatherings over the weekend and we therefore need to be convinced that the science provided is clear that school openings are safe, even if the number of children attending is limited. All schools are also following union guidance on this very closely.
Presuming that clear guidance is provided, and I am not convinced that this will be the case following recent experience, I will work alongside our governing body and the school's leadership team to plan the next steps for the school. We will also be supported and potentially directed by both the Lincolnshire Diocese and the Local Authority.
We are all eager to return and see our brilliant children again but we need to ensure that we are doing all we can to for this to be done safely.
I imagine tonight's briefing will trigger numerous questions for all of us, not just school related but linked to your own personal circumstances too. It is my intention that the school's plan for how we move forward will be shared with you as soon as possible, so can I request that if you have any questions, that these are saved until any plan is posted on our website as it may provide the answers you require.
I will aim to post again in the coming days.
Stay Safe everyone.
Mr Duke
Children, parents, carers and wider families -
I am writing to you as we are about to start our seventh week of lock-down. We have all had to overcome - and are still trying to overcome - so many challenges during this time without a clear idea of when we will return to any form of reality. For many of us, our circumstances will have changed significantly since we last met. From a personal perspective, as I mentioned in my Instagram post to you on Friday, I haven't seen my own daughter for over six weeks. This breaks my heart, but I understand the need for the distance. For others, the distance may be more permanent, and if you have been affected by the loss of a loved one, our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time.
There is an increasing restlessness in the British media - and particularly newspapers - about a return to school. All this speculation does not help anyone during this time of uncertainty and it builds anxiety with everyone concerned. Like any headteacher across the country - and I am in touch with over fifty at any one time - we will wait for direction from the government, follow guidance from the local authority and listen to advice from teaching unions before moving ahead with any decisions about opening fully. I have daily communication with the local authority who have been extremely helpful during the school closures. It is important to note that we are also monitoring those tea-time press conferences to find out any new information as we only find out the new expectations at those times.
Since the 20th March school has been open for a small number of children. They have been our little superheroes as they come to school to support their parent superheroes. I also have a team of superheroes in the staff who have been coming into school to support the children, helping parents via phone and email, creating online and paper-based learning, cleaning the school and generally being so supportive of each other. All this, when they have also had to help and support their own families too, some in very challenging circumstances. I thought the world of them before the lock--down; my view has escalated since.
Thank you for all you are doing to support your children at home. The learning provided by teachers in the class pages of the website is there to support the time at home and do continue to make use of the BBC Bitesize and Oak National Academy online resources as they are both there to support you. I have looked at both sets of resources and they are very good indeed. There is no expectation from the Department for Education for the school to provide our own 'live' lessons online and this will continue to be the case. We are confident that the activities set by teachers plus the online opportunities are sufficient. Family time is precious and education at home is only a part of that. It will be our job to do what we can to accelerate learning when we open fully again. It is important to note that children have missed only four weeks of school learning so far although it seems like so much more.
As time has passed, I am sure you have generated many questions about the situation and how we move forward. At this moment, until we have clarity from the government, I believe I would find it difficult to answer them but I am happy to try and do so. Once a government map has been shared about a likely phased return, I will speak to the school's Senior Leadership Team and the Governing Body to look at how the organisation of the school will look. The priority to all of us will be the safety of the children and the staff and we will keep you fully informed of the decisions that are made. There is no doubt that for a significant period of time school life will be very different due to social distancing expectations and we ask for your patience and understanding as we begin to regain some form of normality.
I can speak for all the staff in saying we cannot wait to see every single one of our children return to school. They give us so much pleasure every single day and we miss them enormously.
Stay Safe everyone.
Mr Duke