Whole school message

 

Dear Parents and Carers,

 

The school will be closed from today, Friday 20th March.

 

All staff have worked extremely hard over the last weeks to set up remote learning resources for all our children.

 

Of course we all wish our children’s learning to continue.  Please read the following information carefully.

 

School remote learning will begin on Tuesday 24th March. This will give teachers one day to finalise all systems and load with resources. Teachers will be working daily, during school times as normal. School holidays will occur as normal.  Remote learning will stop.

 

Key Stage Two: Teachers and pupils will be using:

• Google classroom for teaching /learning resources
• “Meet” for group video conferences with pupils (one group per day at a set time)
• Email for parent / teacher contact, questions. Teachers will be teaching, preparing resources so responses may not be immediate (within 24 hours)

 

Key Stage One: Teachers will be using:

• Daily emails with children’s work
• “Meet” for group video conferences with pupils (one group per day at a set time)
• Email for parent/teacher contact, questions. Teachers will be teaching, preparing resources so responses may not be immediate (within 24 hours)

 

Reception: Teachers will be using:

• “Seesaw” for teaching/ learning resources
• “Meet” for group video conferences with pupils (one group per day at a set time)
• Email for parent/ teacher contact, questions. Teachers will be teaching, preparing resources so responses may not be immediate (within 24 hours)

 

Your class teacher will email to help with instructions, how you can access all of the above, with contact emails, and timetables for the “Meet” video sessions. These sessions are for the children, NOT the parents, so while you should help your child access them you must not join in.

 

PLEASE read see the Learning from Home document for some other suggestions.  Please, please also be patient with any glitches that will happen.  We will all be working in new ways over the coming weeks. Together, I am confident we will ensure all children are happy, secure and learning.

 

I am already looking forward to welcoming the children back. See you all at the other end and keep well.

 

Parent Mail and parents@marshgate.richmond.sch.uk will also continue as normal so do email if we can help in any other way.

 

Ms Jackson

Head Teacher

Dear Parents and Carers,

 

As the regulations are changing daily I wanted to summarise where we are at the moment.  Please keep checking the link below for information:

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response

 

Children’s absence

If your child or anyone in your household has any of the below symptoms the whole family (all brothers and sisters) must stay at home, not come to school for 14 days.

• A cough
• A high temperature (37.8)
• Shortness of breath

 

Those children who were absent on Monday 16th March must now comply with this 14-day absence requirement. Any child sent to school who has had any of these symptoms or presents with these symptoms will immediately be sent home.

If you are following the self-isolation fourteen days guidance, please contact the office to inform them if you child’s/children’s absence on day one (this can be done on absence@marshgate.richmond.sch.uk – please put your child’s full name and class in the message).  You do not need to contact the school on a daily basis.  If, after the fourteen days, your child is still not well enough to be in school, we ask that you contact us with an update.  Please continue to inform us of any new developments with your child and family.

These absences will be authorised and coded with a Y which means “Unable to attend school due to exceptional circumstances”.

 

Staff absence

All of the above applies to school staff as well.  We have a number of staff off at the moment due to this. None of these have been diagnosed with the Covid-19 virus but have family members with coughs etc. Therefore, they will be off for 14 days. At the moment we are able to cover all classes with our internal experienced staff. Should staff absence increase, it may be necessary to begin partial closure of the school.

 

Home learning

Teachers are working full time / all day teaching classes so therefore at the moment it is not feasible to provide extra and additional work for multiple individual pupils. Please be assured if / when schools close we will provide work for whole classes.

 

In the meantime, if your child is at home use the curriculum summary (previously sent and on the website) and use your child’s online access to the computer learning programmes they already have for homework.  As we always say reading is the key to all learning so enjoy lots of lovely extended reading sessions.

We are trying to keep everything very calm for the children at school and would ask you to do the same at home.  We do not want any child worrying.

 

Updates on Coronavirus developments will be emailed regularly and also put on the Latest News section on the Marshgate website.  This can be translated into over one hundred languages by using the translate button at the top right hand side of the website, please do take a look.

 

Thank you for your wonderful co-operation and all the lovely emails of support.  Keep well.

 

Ms Jackson

Head Teacher

Dear Parents and Carers,

 

Please be reassured the school is following all Public Health England and Department for Education advice.  Please see the link and follow the same guidelines at home.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response

 

All of the above advice applies to children as well as adults, so if your child has any of these symptoms you must keep them in isolation at home and NOT send them to school for seven days.

• A fever 37.8 +
• A cough
• Shortness of breath

 

Should your child present with these symptoms in school, our safe protocols will be implemented, you will be called to collect and again your child must not return to school for seven days. These absences are authorised (exceptional circumstances).

Measures taken for day to day Safe Practise

• Organised class handwashing five times a day (please ensure your child washes their hands thoroughly before entering school)
• All assemblies have been cancelled
• No visitors in school / anyone entering required to hand sanitised
• No sharing of salad bar at school dinners (salad and bread will be served from the hatch).

 

Possible School Closure

Current advice is that schools do not close unless directed to do so by Public Health England. There may be a case of closure or partial closure (if a high number of staff are absent) in the future.  Partial closure means classes or year groups may be asked not to attend.  As ever the welfare of pupils and education are central to our arrangements.  In the case of closure, the staff are currently working very hard to set up remote access and learning for the pupils, (more to follow).  In the meantime, it would be a good idea to ensure your child has access to a computer or tablet so they can access this.

 

School trips

I am acutely aware that we have the Year 4 Sayers Croft residential trip coming up and the Year 6 residential trip to France in June/July.  As of today with all schools open, there are no changes to the plan for this.  I will inform you if any change to this arises.  Day trips and outings for other year groups will not go ahead in the near future.  Please make any outstanding payments as per normal requirements.  If these trips are cancelled you will receive a refund. 

 

With best wishes.

 

Ms Jackson

Head Teacher