Dear Parents / Carers,

 

Welcome back to all families and also a very warm welcome to our new families and pupils.

 

Unfortunately, we still find ourselves in far from normal times. I wish to reassure all parents and carers that Marshgate staff have been planning, preparing and organising for the full return of all pupils. This will, of course, necessitate arrangements for keeping all our pupils, families and staff as safe as possible.

 

Dropping and picking children up:

Please see below regarding times and arrangements for delivering and picking up your children. I do fully understand that the different times for each year group may present difficulties for parent/ carers with more than one child but these arrangements are to protect the children so do keep exactly to these times.  Should there be 30 minutes or more (not 15 minutes) between individual children please get in touch with your class teachers who may be able to help.

 

 

Classroom organisation:

Children will be in year group Pods with their own class rooms, year group play space and equipment.

All children will be seated facing the front, on tables for two. Handwashing/hand gel will be required six times a day. Children will all use their own equipment. Computers and tablets will be sanitised before and after use. Reading and library books can go home but will be retired (72 hours out of use) upon return before going back on shelves. Movement around the school will be minimal but there will also be a one-way system in place. KS2 children may bring back packs but only with essential items in them. KS1 children may bring their red book bags.

 

Uniform:

We will be returning to the required full uniform - see the website. However, to minimise risk, all year groups will be permitted to wear their PE uniform to school on their PE days (only on these days please). Your teacher will inform you of these days. Therefore, no child will be changing clothes at school.

 

School dinners / Lunches

Reception, Y1 and Y2 pupils will have a hot school dinner in the hall. This is provided free under the Universal Free School Meals Programme. They will be served in year group pods supervised by their year group staff.

Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 will eat a packed lunch in their classrooms or outside (weather permitting) supervised by their year group staff.  You may purchase a school packed lunch from our caterers, Harrisons. Menus for the hot school dinner and packed lunches will be sent out as soon as possible. 

 

A suspected or confirmed case of Covid -19

If a child presents with symptoms at school, they will be taken to the isolation room by a Pod staff member. The parent/carer will be telephoned and asked to come and pick up the child immediately. The parent / carer should arrange a test as soon as possible and report the result to the school immediately it is received. If the test is positive the child should isolate for 10 days and immediate family members for 14 days. All other children and adults in the year group Pod, who will also have had direct contact with the child with confirmed Covid, will also need to isolate for 14 days. Therefore, the year group Pod will close and teachers will provide home learning for the isolation period.

 

The School Office

The school office continues to be accessible by phone and email only.  They are happy to help with any queries you have.   Please see below:

 

How you can help

• Do not send your child to school if they are at all ill with any kind of Covid symptoms. Children will be sent home immediately if presenting as sick.
• Attendance at school has returned to being compulsory.  If your child is absent for any reason you must (for safeguarding reasons) email or telephone the school on each day of absence.  Please send an email with your child’s full name and class to absence@marshgate.richmond.sch.uk.  This information will then be forwarded to your child’s teacher so he or she is aware of why your child is absent.
• Please ensure you inform the school office using the absence@marshgate.richmond.sch.uk email address for any appointments (such as medical / music exam) during the school day.  Please provide at least 24 hours-notice about these.
• Please revert to using parents@marshgate.richmond.sch.uk to contact myself or the teachers.  This inbox is monitored by the school office and messages are directed accordingly.  Please do not use the teachers’ direct email addresses, these were provided purely for periods of home learning.
• Provide your child with a full pencil case, hand gel, sanitising wipes and tissues for personal use. (As usual, if any families are financially challenged and need support with providing these supplies the school will supplement them.)  A link to the pencil case information can be found on the Home/Parents&Carers/Information/School information booklets page on the Marshgate website.
• Make sure you and your children are maintaining social distancing rules outside school at all times. We really need everyone’s support on this, so no Covid is brought into the school.
• Ensure all children and adults in any household maintain the required quarantine following any travel abroad.
• Please drop and pick up your child exactly on time.
• Please leave the school gates, drop off points promptly so other year group pods can enter and exit safely.
• Maintain social distancing at drop off and pick up.
• If you provide your child with a packed lunch, please ensure they can open all items themselves.

 

I do know for many parents this will be an anxious time but please do reassure your child that everything is being done at school to keep them safe.  We really do want them to come back confident and happy.

I do hope the above answers any questions you have but I will arrange a parent Class Representative (current Class Reps not new ones) virtual meeting as soon as possible after the first full week.

 

We are all looking forward so much to seeing all the children back.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Ms Jackson

Head Teacher

Marshgate Primary School

www.marshgate.richmond.sch.uk