THIS LETTER WAS EMAILED TO PARENTS OF CHILDREN IN CURRENT RECEPTION TO YEAR 5 ON MONDAY 13TH JULY AND IS ALSO ATTACHED IN A LINK BELOW.

 

Dear Parents/Carers

VAUGHAN PRIMARY SCHOOL SEPTEMBER REOPENING

PUPILS WHO WILL BE IN YEAR 1 – YEAR 6 FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2020/21

I hope everyone remains safe and well, in these exceptional times.  

You will have heard the Government’s plans for the reopening of schools in September.  This letter outlines the arrangements that will be in place for your child’s return in September. Please read this carefully.

In order to try and ensure the health and safety of everyone on site, the school will re-open in a different format from the one prior to school closure in March.  It is up to individual schools to decide what is safe and manageable, and in conjunction with the Governing Body, the school will reopen from September with some key changes.  All pupils who are entering Year 1 to Year 6 will be welcomed back on Thursday 3^rd September 2020.

Thursday 3^rd September and Friday 4^th September 2020

In order for pupils to say goodbye to their current teachers, when they arrive back to school on Thursday
3^rd September, they will spend the Thursday and Friday with the class teacher they had before school closed in March.  In this way pupils will hopefully feel a sense of closure.  Unfortunately, this is with the exception of current class 1A, 2A and 3A, as their teachers are leaving us at the end of this term.  1A and 2A have had the opportunity to say goodbye to their teacher through the wider reopening from June, or by invitation.  Miss Sayedi departed on maternity leave, so was sadly unable to say goodbye to her class. However, she will be returning next year, so will have an opportunity to see her old class then.  On Friday 4^th September, all pupils will meet their new teacher for the upcoming academic year, with a view to a clean start to the term on Monday 7^th September.

Arrangements for Thursday 3^rd and Friday 4^th September – Current Reception to Year 5

DAY	YEAR      GROUP	SCHOOL       START    TIME	ENTRANCE FOR PUPILS	SCHOOL   END TIME	EXIT FOR PUPILS
Thursday 3rd September and Friday 4th September	Current    Reception   2019-20	9.00 am	Entrance through the silver gates 1 parent only	3.15 pm	Exit through the silver gates by large playground 1 parent/adult only
Thursday 3rd September and Friday 4th September	Current     Year 1   2019-20	9.00 am	Entrance through the wooden gates 1 parent/ adult only	3.15 pm	Exit through the wooden gates   1 parent/adult only
Thursday 3rd September and Friday 4th September	Current    Year 2   2019-20	8.50 am	Entrance through the wooden gates 1  parent/ adult only	3.15 pm	Exit through the wooden gates   1 parent/adult only
Thursday 3rd September and Friday 4th September	Current   Year 3   2019-20	8.50 am	Entrance through the main hall doors No parents on site	3.25 pm	Exit through the silver gates by large playground   1 parent/adult only
Thursday 3rd September and Friday 4th September	Current   Year   2019-20	8.40 am	Entrance through the small hall doors No parents on site	3.25 pm	Exit through the silver gates by large playground   1 parent/adult only

Thursday 3rd September and Friday 4th September

Current   Year 5   2019-20

8.40am

Entrance through the Year 5/6 gate No parents on site

3.15pm

Exit through back gate.  Parents can meet pupils at back green gate or pupils can walk home in line with school’s collection of children policy. Permission forms for Year 5 to walk home must be completed and sent back to school before Thursday 3rd September.  This will then be in effect for your child entering Year 6 in the following week.

The timings that were in place before school closure will have changed.  For the Autumn term, at least, there will be no more ‘Soft Start’ element to the school day.  A strict timetable for return, outlined below, in line with government guidance clearly indicates start and end of day arrangements for all year groups:

Arrangements from Monday 7^th September for ‘new’ Year 1 to Year 6 (Academic Year 2020 – 2021)

DAY	YEAR   GROUP	SCHOOL START TIME	ENTRANCE FOR PUPILS	SCHOOL   END TIME	EXIT FOR PUPILS
Monday 7th September and then from this point until further notice	Year 1 2020-21	8.50 am	Entrance through the wooden gates 1 parent only	3.15 pm	Exit through the wooden gates   1 parent only
Monday 7th September and then from this point until further notice	Year 2 2020-21	9.00 am	Entrance through the wooden gates 1 parent/adult only	3.25 pm	Exit through the wooden gates   1 parent/adult only
Monday 7th September and then from this point until further notice	Year 3 2020-21	9.00 am	Entrance through the main hall doors 1 parent/adult only	3.25 pm	Exit through the silver gates by large playground   1 parent/adult only
Monday 7th September and then from this point until further notice	Year 4 2020-21	8.40 am	Entrance through the small hall doors No parents on site	3.05 pm	Exit through the wooden gates   1 parent/adult only
Monday 7th September and then from this point until further notice	Year 5 2020-21	8.40 am	Entrance through the Year 5/6 gate No parents on site	3.05 pm	Exit through the back gate.  Parents can meet pupils at back green gate or pupils can walk home in line with school’s Collection of Children Policy
Monday 7th September and then from this point until further notice	Year 6 2020-21	8.30 am	Entrance through the Year 5/6 gate No parents on site	3.05 pm	Exit through the back gate Parents can meet pupils at back green gate or pupils can walk home in line with school’s Collection of Children Policy

These timings are fixed at this point and are designed to ensure that there are fewer individuals on the school site and try to protect the staff and pupils who remain on school premises during the school day.  Attendance is now compulsory and parents are expected to send their child to school from Thursday 3^rd September.  If your child is absent then you must follow the usual absence reporting procedures.

Parents and carers must adhere to these times, particularly the end of day times, as we will not have the capacity to keep groups of pupils who are late to be collected.  Parents must ensure that they have clear drop off and pick up arrangements in place before allowing their child to return to school.

Parents of pupils in Year 4, 5 and 6 will not be permitted on site for drop off, but parents of pupils in Year 4 will be able to collect their child from the silver gates by the large playground at the end of the school day.  For any year group where parents are dropping off or collecting, only 1 parent/carer will be permitted to collect a child from any year group. 

The arrangements outlined above are subject to change by the Leadership of the school who will assess on a daily basis, with a regular review of its risk assessment, whether it is safe to continue with these arrangements.  Parents must be prepared for changes and also for partial or whole school closure if the opening of the school is deemed to be unsafe.

As per the government guidance, pupils will spend the vast majority of their school day with their class group in the Autumn term.  It is important that you as parents are clear about what this will look like and take the time to explain this to your child, before their return.  These plans will include:

• School uniform will be compulsory and washed as normal to minimise risk of infection
• Staggered start and end to the school day for all pupils
• Staggered playtimes and lunchtimes with their year group with social distancing games/activities
• Implementation of social distancing at playtime, at lunchtime and movement around the school (as far as practically possible – the school cannot guarantee this at all times)
• Enhanced cleaning procedures throughout the day, particularly in potential high use areas
• Pupils not being in close contact with adults, or other groups of pupils from other year groups
• All pupils grouped in their class for the majority of the school day – which means that as far as possible, they will be with the same pupils, in the same classroom for the entire week
• Pupils will only be allowed to enter the school building with a waterproof coat, a labelled water bottle, P.E bag or bookbag/backpack and where necessary, a packed lunch. Pupils will not be allowed to bring in their own equipment from home such as pencil cases
• Anything else brought in from home WILL NOT be allowed into the school building
• If Year 5 or 6 have a mobile phone, it will be placed in an envelope on arrival at school and kept with the teacher in charge of their class
• Classrooms will be set up with desks facing forward to the front of the classroom to minimise risk of infection in line with government guidance
• Staff wearing PPE, for specific designated activities in line with government guidance.

All the staff at Vaughan recognise that children and parents alike may be extremely anxious and need time to readjust to new surroundings and routines.  There are also a range of circumstances that families will have been dealing with during this unprecedented time.

Curriculum

As per the DFE guidance released, the main focus in the Autumn term will be on analysing the gaps from the Summer term in the core subjects, and starting the new curriculum for pupils in their new year groups.  However, the staff will endeavour to provide a wide range of pastoral support for pupils on their return, and the timetable in September will be designed to reflect the need for pupils’ emotional support on return as well as, where possible, other curriculum areas to introduce a sense of normality and balance for all pupils. The government have announced a large package of funds to support catch up and intervention support, so the school will wait for any further announcement on whether we receive any of the proposed funding.

Correspondence with school

All correspondence from this point will have to be made via phone/email to the school office.  No parents will be permitted into the school building and parents will not be able to request face to face meetings with ANY staff member.  In September, please do not start to contact the school regarding your child’s progress, as it will take a few weeks for staff to assess where pupils are, and implement appropriate teaching programmes.  A parent consultation will be organised for parents to discuss the progress of their children in the Autumn term.  Staff will not be discussing individual pupils with parents before this as this will disrupt the settling of all pupils on return, and staff need to be focused on teaching in the classroom setting.

Welfare and Medication

If your child exhibits any symptoms related to COVID-19, then parents will be notified and must collect their child immediately.  The whole family must adhere to 14 day whole household self-isolation procedures, whether they have accessed a test or not.  This is in line with Public Health and DFE guidance.

If your child requires regular medication that has to be administered at school, you will need to complete a medical form in the usual way.  If your child has a medical condition, a Healthcare Plan will need to be completed and returned to school.  This will be collected by a member of staff outside the front of the main school office. Parents will need to have this medication ready and any required Healthcare Plan for the school on the first day they are back, or your child will not be permitted to return.  Both documents are available on the school website.

Lunches

Please book lunches in the usual way using the Schoolmoney website.  The lunch menu will be published by the end of this term, after which lunch bookings can commence for September.  Infant school pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will still be able to access the Universal Free School meal government initiative in September.

Milk and Fruit Provision

Free milk provision for pupils under 5 years old will commence from September 2020.  If other parents want their children to receive milk, they will need to ensure that they have an up to date balance on their Coolmilk account or sign up to the provision on www.coolmilk.com.  There has been no announcement on Infant school fruit provision at this point as this is funded via the NHS, and children will not be allowed to bring their own fruit onsite.  We encourage everyone to have a suitable breakfast before the start of the school day.  If guidance changes we will let parents know.  We will also advise parents when we receive any information related to the NHS fruit provision.

Breakfast Club

Breakfast Club will be in operation from Thursday 3^rd September with normal operating times from 7.30 am.  Parents will need to book online at the Schoolmoney website before their child attends.  We will no longer be operating a casual, drop off service.  Pupils will be organised by year group and activities will need to be carefully planned to adhere to DFE guidance.

After School (Childcare) Provision

For those parents who already have an allocated place for their child at After School Club, the provision will continue from Thursday 3^rd September, and finish time will be promptly at 6.00 pm.  Parents must ensure they are prompt for collection, or have contacted the school with alternative arrangements, as we will not be in a position to keep pupils on site – in line with our Collection of Children Policy.  Pupils will be organised by year group and activities will be carefully planned to adhere to DFE guidance.

Other school activities

At this time, the school will not be offering any additional activities as pupils will need to exit school premises promptly, and groups of pupils should not be mixing from different year groups.  In line with DFE guidance, parents are not permitted into the school building, so there may be a number of changes to the activities that traditionally occur during the Autumn term.  As the school receives more information regarding upcoming arrangements, we will let you know.  Please do not contact the school office as the Leadership team will release information as and when it is available.

I hope you can begin to appreciate the level of difficulty this reopening process entails for welcoming back over 600+ pupils, but it is vital that we have carefully planned arrangements so that we can at least try to minimise risks at school.  We will try to minimise risks as much as we feasibly can but it is impossible, when working with these numbers of individuals on site, to eliminate risk altogether.

I hope the content in this communication supports you in putting some plans in place for your child’s return and allays your fears about what will be in place for your child.  There will be an additional communication at the start of the Autumn term to further support parents and pupils’ to continue familiarising themselves with the new expectations for the school year.

Thank you again, to all parents and carers for your amazing support to your children and the school during what have been truly exceptional times.

To all our pupils…. we can’t wait to see you in September!

Take care of yourselves and each other

Yours sincerely

MRS KAREN JONES
Headteacher

THIS LETTER WAS EMAILED TO ALL PARENTS ON WEDNESDAY 8TH JULY AND IS ALSO ATTACHED IN A LINK BELOW.

 

Dear Parents / Carers

END OF SUMMER TERM REPORT PICK UP ARRANGEMENTS

Thursday 16^th July 2020

As we come to the end of the Summer term I would like to share the arrangements for collecting reports for all pupils who are not currently in school.  

If your child is attending school, they will receive their report, and any sibling report, on Thursday 16^th July to bring home.  This will hopefully minimise any additional visitors on site.

We ask that only one parent come to collect the report and any other items that pupils may not have taken home before school closure, including P.E. kit.

Reports and property will be at designated tables on the perimeter of the building, and parents are asked to adhere to social distancing on arrival to the school. Entrance is via the RED main gates only and EXIT is via the back, green gate to minimise congestion and observe distancing protocols.

The arrangements below are in line with the school’s current staggered site procedures, so we ask that parents adhere specifically to the timings below:

• Pupil surnames (family names) A – C: 9.20 am – 9.35 am
• Pupil surnames (family names) D – K: 9.40 am – 9.55 am
• Pupil surnames (family names) L – P: 10.00 am – 10.15 am
• Pupil surnames (family names) R – Z: 10.20 am – 10.35 am

Unfortunately, these timings are not flexible as we have to consider the health and safety of those staff and pupils who are already on site.  We cannot allow parents to collect reports for other pupils due to data protection reasons. 

Any reports that are not collected on Thursday 16^th July will be given out to children during the first two days in September when they return to school.

Yours sincerely

MRS KAREN JONES
Headteacher

THIS LETTER WAS EMAILED TO PARENTS ON FRIDAY 3RD JULY AND  IS ALSO ATTACHED IN A LINK BELOW.

 

Dear Parents / Carers

END OF SUMMER TERM PICK UP ARRANGEMENTS

Friday 17^th July 2020

As we come to the end of the Summer term I would like to share the arrangements for collection for all pupils who are currently attending school.

These arrangements are in line with the current staggered pick up procedures for all year groups who are on site at the moment, so we ask that parents adhere to the timings below:

• Reception pupils will finish school promptly at 1.10 pm
• Year 1 pupils will finish school promptly at 1.20 pm
• Year 6 pupils will finish school promptly at 1.30 pm
• Keyworker/vulnerable pupils will finish school promptly at 1.30 pm.

We look forward to welcoming all pupils back on Thursday 3^rd September 2020.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our families a restful Summer break and thank you for all your support during this incredibly difficult time.

Take care of yourselves and each other.

Yours sincerely

MRS KAREN JONES
Headteacher

This letter was emailed to Year 6 parents on Tuesday 30th June.

 

Dear Parents / Carers

YEAR 6 - SOCIAL MEDIA CONCERN

It has come to my attention that one of our pupils has been using the social media site TikTok to make unkind comments about other pupils in the year group.

Our Year 6 pupils should be role models for others and should be using their position in school as constructive and positive members of the school community.

We ask that parents remind their children about the responsibilities of using social media, and that any abuse that is serious could be referred to the authorities. Parents need to be aware of what platforms their children have access to and take responsibility for these.

Year 6 staff will continue to teach a range of PSHE and ICT lessons concentrating on e-safety and personal relationships.  Parents should be aware that TikTok’s own recommended age for using the app is 12 years old.

However, I do need to stress that the use of applications outside of school does not fall under the school’s remit.  Whilst I can have general conversations with year groups around educating themselves to prevent harm, and issues pertaining to acts of potential cyberbullying, it is beyond the school’s remit to supervise or be responsible with regard to what pupils are viewing, what platforms parents allow their children access to on their own devices, or what they themselves are saying on these applications or platforms.  The school is not allowed to view pupils’ devices for a range of safeguarding reasons.

Please speak to your child and reiterate the need to be safe and to respect the sensitivities of others when utilising these platforms.

Yours sincerely

MRS KAREN JONES
Headteacher

This letter was emailed to all parents on Wednesday 1st July 2020.  A copy of the letter can be found in the link below.

 

Dear Parents and Carers

BREAKFAST CLUB & AFTER SCHOOL CLUB FEES

We are very pleased at Vaughan to offer a Breakfast Club to children in the school, and a fantastic After School Club provision which will re-open to children soon. 

From September 2020, due to budget constraints we will have to increase the cost of both provisions.  In the table below you can see details of this increase and the date it is taking place.

	2019 – 2020 fees	2020 – 2021 fees (with effect from Thursday 3rd September 2020)
Breakfast Club	£3.00	£3.50
After School Club	£9.00	£9.30

There is a sibling discount of £1.00 per extra sibling accessing the After School Club.

The Breakfast Club is no longer available as a drop in service and must be booked online at Eduspot.co.uk (see previous letter for further instructions).  This change is now required to enable leadership to ensure that the appropriate provision for your child is in place.  We can then ensure the club is adequately staffed to meet demand, adhering to appropriate child to adult ratios.

The After School Club continues to be only available if an agreement is in place with Mrs Beaven, our Business Leader.  Please email the school office if you require information on this but please be aware we are currently operating a waiting list.

We hope that you understand we do not take the decision of a price increase lightly and hope that it won’t deter parents from using these useful services.

Yours sincerely

MRS KAREN JONES
Headteacher