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Here is our Annual Report to Parents for 2020 – 2021.

ARP2021

Please find below and attached and below this week’s newsletter

NL5th July

Tre Uchaf Primary School
Newsletter Week Beginning 5th July
Dear Parents,
Many, many thanks to those of you who attended our new format covid secure Sports Days for our junior classes on Thursday. You followed our rules and routines perfectly, making these very successful and safe events on our very generous sized school field!
I hope next week’s events will proceed equally well but must emphasise that this it is up to you to show that you are following all our rules. As you know, I have had some concerns about consistent mask use in the Infant yard and I would urge you to comply if this week’s events are to go ahead.
Monday 5th July
Art Exhibition
An exhibition of the children’s coin designs will take place in the gym on Monday and Wednesday. This has been set out so that you can walk through it socially distanced after school, after collecting your children at the normal time. The following safety rules are essential;
• Strictly one parent per family
• Follow the usual one way system after collecting your child
• Proceed to the gym either through the front gate or via the link gate in the Infant Yard
• Enter the gym through the front fire exit doors (queue at 2m distance if necessary)
• Wear a mask at all times on school premises
• Follow the markers to ensure you remain at a 2m distance from others
• Keep moving!
• Leave the gym by the main gym entrance then follow the one way system to exit as normal
• Please follow instructions given by staff to keep everyone safe
If Monday is looking busy, please attend on Wednesday instead. If we find we have large queues we will open it up on Thursday or Friday too.
Tuesday 6th July
Year 6 Transition Day – bus to transport children to and from school
Class Transition Visits – All children will meet their new class teachers and teaching assistants, outside, weather permitting. You will receive a letter about your child’s new class.
11.30 Meeting for September Reception parents – infant yard
Wednesday 7th July
Year 6 cycling transition project
Art Exhibition
Thursday 8th July
Year 6 Trip
Foundation Phase (infants) Class Sports Events
9,15 Year 1
10.15 Year 2
11.15 Reception
Please adhere to our rules as follows;
• Strictly one parent per family
• Arrive at the start time and not before
• Go straight to the field
• Wear a mask until seated on a chair at a 2m distance from others
• Do not move the chairs and do remain seated
• Leave as soon as the event is finished
• Strictly no photos on social media eg Facebook
Afternoon Nursery Trip to Parc William – Please adhere to the rules you will be sent early next week
Friday 9th July
Morning Nursery Trip
Year 5 swimming
Reports out for Reception – Year 6
Let’s hope for good weather this week!

Take care and stay safe!
C M Hewitt

NL28th June

Tre Uchaf Primary School
Newsletter for Parents Week Beginning 28th June 2021
Dear Parents,
A reminder of important dates for this week (see last week’s newsletter for all dates to the end of term)
Monday
STF Trip to Aberavon
Tuesday
Year 5 Transition morning
Wednesday
Year 3 Trip to Folly Farm
Thursday
Foundation Phase Trip (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2) to Aberavon
Key Stage 2 Class Sports Day
9.15 – 10.00 Y3
10.15 – 11,00 JSTF
11.15 – 12.00 Y4
1.00 – 1.45 Y5
2.00 – 2.45 Y6

SPORTS DAY Routines
While many schools are not inviting parents in for Sports Days we are very fortunate in having a large school field and can do this safely. We feel that events such as these are important for the well-being of our school community so we are committed to making it happen! We are very grateful to you for following our rules and routines over these past 18 months so we trust you to do so with respect to Sports Days. The success and safety of these events will, of course, depend on everyone following the rules as follows;
• Each class will have a specific time slot of 45 minutes
• Only one parent may attend for each family
• Parents should arrive at the allotted time and not before
• Parents should leave as soon as the class have finished
• Parents will be seated to watch at a 2m distance from each other on the seats we have set out for you
• As normally happens on school premises parents should wear face masks when walking to and from the events. However, you can remove them once seated at a 2m social distance.
Please do follow these guidelines so that these events can be enjoyed safely by all. Unfortunately, I have been contacted by several parents who are concerned that other parents are failing to wear face masks on school premises and are not social distancing. Please respect our whole school community by complying with this request. This is the only way we will feel confident in allowing events involving parents to go ahead.
Expressive Arts
This week all children will be taking part in Expressive Arts Week. This means that the whole week (when not on trips or doing sports days!) will be devoted to Expressive Arts learning such as Drama, Music, Art, Film and Dance. So this should be an enjoyable week for the children all round!! We will let you know if and how you can attend our Expressive Arts Exhibition next Monday, depending on the success of Thursday’s Sports Day.
School Uniform Grant
The deadline for applying for this year’s School uniform Grant is Wednesday 30th June. Please use the link here to apply;
https://www.swansea.gov.uk/schooluniformgrant
This is for families who are entitled to free school meals with children currently in Reception, Year 1, Year 3, Year 5. We will let you know about the grant for the next year very soon.
Best wishes

C M Hewitt

NL21st June

Dear Parents,

We have a very busy time ahead of us as we try to fit in some important and fun end of term events for you and your children. I now have some dates for your diary!

Tuesday 22^nd  June         Nursery to stay for lunch  until 11.30

Wednesday 23^rd June      Year 4 Trip to Port Eynon

Thursday 24^th June             Year 5 Trip to St Madoc’s (leaving at 9am sharp!)

Monday 28^th June             STF Trip to Aberavon

Tuesday 29^th June              Year 5 Transition morning to Penyrheol

Nursery to stay for lunch  until 11.30

Wednesday 30^th June      Year 3 Trip to Folly Farm

Thursday 1^st July                 Key Stage 2 Class Sports Days

9.15 Y3

10.15 JSTF

11.15 Y4

1.00 Y5

2.00 Y6

Foundation Phase Trip to Aberavon

Monday 5^th July                 Arts Exhibition in the gym – staggered times to be confirmed

Tuesday 6^th July                  Year 6 Transition morning in Penyrheol

All children to visit their new classes/teachers

Nursery to stay for lunch until 11.30

Meeting for September Reception parents 11.30am

Thursday 8^th July                Year 6 Trip to Oxwich

Foundation Phase Class Sports Days

9.15 Y1

10.15 Y2

11.15 Reception

2.00 ISTF

Afternoon Nursery Trip and Sports Day

Friday 9^th July                      Morning Nursery Trip and Sports Day

Reports out

Monday 12^th July              Reserve Sports Day

Nursery Reports out

Tuesday 13^th July               Class Picnics and Fun Day on the School Field

Wednesday 14^th July        Meeting for September Year 3 Parents 2.15pm

Thursday 15^th July              Reserve Sports/Picnic Day

Friday 16^th July                    Year 6 Leavers’ Event on school field – 9.30

Year 6 Leavers’ Party on school field – 1.00

Last day of term!

We must proceed cautiously, particularly with events which involve bringing parents onto the premises. I am sure you will understand that in order to keep everyone safe we must put the following in place over the coming weeks;

• Some events will be strictly staggered through the day
• Only one parent per family will be permitted to attend school events
• The wearing of masks and social distancing will be essential for parents
• Each class will travel on their own bus for trips
• All trips will be to outdoor venues

Please follow any guidelines we give you as it would be such a pity to spoil the end of this school year through over-crowding of adults. Thank you!

IMPORTANT

The children are really looking forward to our end of term events but in the circumstances we must be extra careful to ensure everyone is safe. This means that we can only include children who follow instructions consistently. We will not hesitate to exclude children from trips and fun events if we do not feel confident that they will remain in their contact groups and follow staff instructions immediately and without question. Let’s hope we can include everyone and finish this difficult year on a positive note!

I will put all these events on the Schoop calendar for your convenience so that you receive timely reminders!

September Classes

We have now just about worked out our staffing structure for September and we will be letting you and your children know over the next couple of weeks who will be teaching which class in September.

I hope you are and your children are looking forward to these final few weeks of what has been a challenging year as much as we are! Thank you for your continued support during these strange times!

Yours faithfully

C M Hewitt

Tre Uchaf Primary School

Parents’ Newsletter 28^th May 2021

Dear Parents and Carers,

Today we finish for half term and your children are more than ready for a break. Most of your children have worked very hard this half term to catch up on time lost due to school closure and I am very proud of the effort they and their teachers have put in.

Monday 7^th June is an INSET Day during which staff will be developing a new format for reports which we hope you will find informative and easier to understand. Staff will also be working on the school environment so that both indoor and outdoor areas support all the exciting learning opportunities we have planned for the final half term of this difficult year.

We know that the children need lots of things to look forward to in school at the end of this challenging year and we are busy planning to do what we can to make up for those experiences they have missed out on due to covid restrictions. Some school trips have already been planned and plans for arts and sporting events are underway.

Class Photographs

There will be outdoor class photographs taken on Wednesday 9^th June. Please send your children to school in school uniform on that day, even if it is  their gym day. May I remind you that gym days are not a ‘non-uniform day’! Children must wear their school jumper over their gym t-shirt and comfortable leggings or joggers. preferably in black or grey.

School Car Park

I need to remind you again that children should not be riding their bikes and scooters across the school car park or in the yards at the beginning and end of the school day. This is very dangerous for them and for families arriving in school.

We have experienced some tampering with staff cars and are currently investigating this by adjusting our CCTV cameras so that we can see who is doing this. If you have any information about this would you please let us know.

Homework and Reading

Many children are completing their homework every single week and reading regularly and I would like to say well done to those children and their families for their commitment to this. However, we have too many children persistently failing to do this. I know how busy everyone is but may I remind you that the children need to be supported in this more than ever before as they prepare to move on to their next class. Our year 6 children in particular need to develop good habits of organisation in readiness for comprehensive school where homework expectations will be much higher.

Today we are appointing a new deputy head teacher! This will be a new member of staff and we will inform you all about this as soon as possible. I am confident that our governors will do you proud and make a good appointment.

May I wish you and your children a happy half term break and we look forward to welcoming you all back on Tuesday 8^th June.

Yours faithfully

C M Hewitt

Please read click here or read the information below..

March Return Letter to Parents

Thursday 11^th March 2021

Dear Parents,

March Return to School

I am writing to you to give you further information on our reopening for Key Stage 2 (Juniors) on Monday 15^th March.  There is also information here which relates to our Foundation Phase (infant) children so please read through everything.

It has been lovely to welcome our younger children back to school. They have settled really well which makes me very hopeful that our older children will settle well too!

We have considered all the latest guidance and amended our advice and procedures accordingly so that we can keep everyone as safe as possible as we enter this new, and hopefully final, chapter in the return to school.

I have outlined below the answers to some questions you may have. 

Are all children required to attend?

The expectation is that all Key Stage 2 children will return to school on Monday unless you have had medical advice that they should stay at home. Also if your child or anyone in your household has symptoms of coronavirus (high temperature, new persistent cough, loss of taste or smell, general unusual illness) your child should not attend.

If you or your children have anxieties about returning to school, we will work closely with you as a family to address any worries. If you do not feel able to return your children to school yet we will be supportive of this and will advise you on how you can keep your child learning until you are ready for them to return.

How will I know what time my child starts and finishes?

All children will start on Monday at the times set out below, so that we can ensure everyone is spread out. The times are very similar to last term.

Please help us to keep everyone well spread out by ensuring children arrive as close to their given time as possible.

How will the children and staff be kept safe in school?

While there is a strict 2m social distancing requirement between adults, the guidance we have is that we do not need to socially distance between children, particularly the youngest ones. However, we must try to keep them from very close face to face contact. We must also keep them in class groups, with no direct contact with other classes. They will be taught and supervised by the same adults throughout the day where possible.

• Children will be seated side by side rather than face to face.
• They will not be allowed to hug each other or their teachers.
• They will be spread out at lunch times on a staggered timetable
• There is a one-way system in corridors and visits to the toilets will be monitored to ensure there are never too many children using these areas at the same time.
• Lots of time will be spent outside as this is good for your child’s health and well-being and we have plenty of space to spread children out.
• Playtimes will be staggered so that each class can play in one large outdoor area without contact with other classes.
• Staff are required to try to keep some distance away from children where possible. Where this is not possible staff will wear a face covering.
• Staff will need to wear aprons, gloves, masks and visors when administering first aid or if they need to help with toileting.

How will we monitor strict hand cleanliness?

• On their first day back in school your child’s class teacher will remind your children how to wash hands correctly and thoroughly. There is plenty of anti-bacterial hand soap available in toilets and in classrooms.
• As the children enter the building they will use hand sanitiser. Once children are in the building and have deposited their coats and lunch boxes they will each be sent to wash their hands, maintaining social distancing where possible.
• Although the most important thing is hand washing, hand sanitiser will also be available at the entrances to eating areas and frequent touch points such as toilet block doors.
• All staff will have twice weekly tests so that we are immediately aware of any asymptomatic covid infections in the school and you will be informed if your child’s class needs to isolate

Does my child need to wear school uniform?

Yes we would rather your child wore school uniform as this will help to make school feel more ‘normal’ and to make children feel part of a community of equals. They should wear clean uniform each day if possible.

Most importantly your child needs to wear footwear which they can run around in as there will be plenty of outdoor activities and we won’t be getting the children changed for these.

We will let you know when your child will be having PE lessons and we will ask you to send in children already in their gym kits with their school jumper over the top.

School Uniform Grant

You should have received an email from the Local Authority if you are eligible for a School Uniform grant. Please note this year this is open to children in Reception, Year 1, Year 3 and Year 5. You have until 30^th June to reply.

What about Face Masks?

• The wearing of face masks for children of primary school age is not recommended as they have a tendency to touch them frequently, risking poor hygiene.
• However if any child’s family feels that wearing a mask is essential in order to be safe in the school environment they will not be stopped from doing so. Well-being and a feeling of safety is of paramount importance. They will need to bring a plastic bag in which to store the mask when eating and will need a clean mask every day

What should my child bring to school?

We provide all the stationary and equipment your child needs and your child should have been provided with a wipeable see-through zip wallet or a tidy, clean tray, with all their own pens, pencils, rubbers etc. These items will never be shared. If you have bought new stationary for your child for return to school please keep this at home and use it for homework tasks.

Your child won’t need a book bag this term as we will be giving them each a plastic wipeable wallet to transport reading books and homework to and from school. So all you child needs to carry to school is…

• Plastic wallet with reading book (and homework once a week)
• A drinks bottle
• Snack and Lunch (if needed)

Which gate shall I bring my children in through?

You can bring your children in through either the main front gate, the North Road gate or the St David’s Close gate. There will be a one way system in place which you and your chid should follow.

• If your child needs to walk from the infant yard to the junior yard they can take a short cut alongside the gym.
• If you enter through the main gates with your chid please leave through the small junior yard gate.
• The North Road entrance is two way but you are asked to keep left.

Where does my child wait to enter the school building?

There are markings on the yards to show where each family should wait before children are invited into school.

Please arrive with your child only at the time you have been given as this staggered start is an important part of social distancing. If you have two children starting at different times you may need to wait in your car or in the designated place in the yard. If this is causing you difficulties staff will be on hand to help you out.

As we found last term, If you arrive at the times you have been given and not too much before there will be very little waiting and your child will be taken into school pretty quickly. This is especially important if it is raining so we can take children straight into class without delay.

Can parents come on to the premises?

• We know that parents of infant children, taxi escorts and some key stage two children need to bring their children into the yard and this is fine as long as you stay with your child at all times.
• Please arrive to collect your children only at the time you have been given and wait a good distance from others on the yard.
• If you need to bring junior children with you to drop your infant children off, they must stay close to you, at a 2m distance from other families at all times.
• Please ensure your children stay with you at all times while waiting. They are not allowed to run around the yard, even with members of their own classes.
• Parents will not be able to have long conversations with teachers when dropping off or picking up children as we need to keep a strict 2m distance between all adults. (Yellow dotted lines have been marked out at a 2m distance from infant external doors as a reminder of this. Thank you for your efforts so far to keep outside of this zone)
• Please also respect 2m social distancing from our Key Stage 2 teachers both at the door and in the yards.
• If you need to discuss something at length please phone school to make an appointment. Preferably the conversation could take place by phone.

How can parents help to keep our community safe?

We have been asked to remind parents that, despite the reopening of schools, we are otherwise still under Tier 4 restrictions. School will be operating under strict guidelines with no close contact between adults and strict hygiene routines in place. Until a further review, in order to preserve safety and to limit contact between families we would urge you NOT to do the following;

• Hold birthday parties and sleepovers for children
• Meet together to socialise after dropping the children into school
• Gather in large groups outside of school, even if the children are in the same class
• Share childcare
• Travel by car to enjoy leisure time outside of your locality

I’m sure you will agree that these next few weeks could be ‘make or break’ in terms of the lifting of further restrictions and we mustn’t do anything to risk another wave of infections.

For the safety and well-being of everyone, we have been given a system for reporting any breaches of restrictions which we have been made aware of. Sadly, we have already had to make use of this system.

May I assure you that our staff are also subject to these rules and Governors have asked that this be communicated very clearly to them.

Will there be Breakfast Club and Kids’ Club?

Breakfast Club will start on Monday 15^th March from 8am for those who really need this facility.  You should have had a message about this already and you will have seen this announced on the website.

There is a booking system for Breakfast as we need to limit numbers attending in each class in order to be able to spread out different contact groups. Please phone school by Friday lunch time each week to book your children in the following week.

Will my child have a normal school day?

• We aim to make school as enjoyable, welcoming and positive as possible but to keep risks low a few things will be different;
  • Your child’s relationship with staff will be just the same as before but please warn them that hugging will still not be allowed!
  • The curriculum will be just the same as before but we realise that some children may need to do some catching up before they move on to new learning. We will start from where each child is
  • The first two weeks back will focus on checking on your child’s well-being, reminding them of hygiene routines, communicating high expectations of engagement in learning and informally assessing their progress.
  • We will take the opportunity to congratulate those children (and their families) who have worked so hard during school closure as we think this should be acknowledged.
  • We don’t want the children who have not completed much remote learning to worry about coming back. We realise that there are many reasons why they have not completed their work and we will consider Monday 15^th March to be a fresh start!
  • Everyone will have their own personal resources but if equipment has to be shared it will be disinfected frequently
  • There will be a staggered timetable throughout the day which will not allow classes to mix.
  • Computers, Chrome Books and iPads will still be used but will be disinfected between uses.
  • Assemblies will take place with one class at a time
  • There will be Interest Groups on Friday afternoons from next week but children will always be in a group just with members of their own class.

What happens if a child or member of staff shows symptoms of COVID 19?

(You will be sent an online form very soon for you to confirm that you understand our rules and your responsibilities. You only need to complete this once.)

1. If a child or member of staff becomes symptomatic (eg persistent cough, temperature, loss of taste and smell) they will be taken to our designated isolation room (not as scary as it sounds!) away from other people and will need to be collected immediately.
2. The child’s temperature will be taken, using a remote device. The isolation room will then be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before it is used again.
3. If a positive test confirms a case of COVID 19 in the school children and staff within the class group only may be asked by Track and Trace to isolate.
4. In the unlikely event of an outbreak in the school (two or more linked cases) Public Health Wales will decide how to proceed.

What about lunch and snacks?

• All lunch bags and bottles should be very clean, clearly named and where possible children will need to refill their own water bottles throughout the day.
• School dinners will be served from the first day back
• Children entitled to Free School Meals will be provided with a meal in school. If you pay for your school meals please ensure your sQuid account is topped up. Children can, of course bring in a packed lunch instead.
• Please continue to send in a drinks bottle and a fruit snack for your children.
• For younger children, please send in items which they can open themselves so that we can avoid close contacts between staff and children.
• Children will eat their lunch in the hall or the gym as we have large tables which are easy to clean and make social distancing possible. Use of the hall and gym for lunches will be staggered so there will only be two classes in there at any one time. Hygiene will be closely monitored by staff.
• Please note we are a ‘nut free’ school so please do not send your child into school with any foods containing nuts or nut products.
• Birthday Cakes – Some parents have asked if they can send in cakes for the class to celebrate their children’s birthdays. At this time I would ask you only to send in shop bought, individually wrapped items. Not so nice, I know, but safer!

Texting System

To receive texts, you need to download the ‘Schoop’ App to your phone. When you are asked for our school ID, this is 8821. You should then be able to sign up to receive messages for the classes of each of your children.

Many of you have done this already. Please note you must click on the link you have been sent to complete the registration process. This will help us to contact you quickly if we need to.

We will also be continuing to contact you through the website, DoJo and your sQuid email address.

It is very important that school has your correct current phone numbers in case we need to contact you in an emergency so please contact us today if there are any changes.    

We are really looking forward to welcoming our older children back to school and I hope it won’t be long before everyone is settled back into their classes ready to enjoy the final term of the year together! May I thank you once again for your support in these very difficult circumstances. We know how hard you and your children have found these past few months.

Best wishes

C M Hewitt

KeyInformationfor Parents

Monday 22^nd February 2021

Dear Parents

February Return to School

I am writing to you to give you further information on our phased school reopening for Foundation Phase (infants) this week. There is also information here which relates to our Key Stage 2(junior) children.  We have considered all the latest guidance and amended our advice and procedures accordingly so that we can keep everyone as safe as possible as we enter this new chapter.

Please take a look at the video link below which is a personal message from myself and the Chair of Governors and which includes some other important news!

A Special Message from Mrs Hewitt and Rachel Rees, our Chair of Governors

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eBQc0dkhTcxZjupv32OcdrItdytoJ5_z/view?usp=sharing

I have outlined below the answers to some questions you may have. 

Are all children required to attend?

The expectation is that all Foundation Phase children will return to school by Friday unless you have had medical advice that they should stay at home. Also if your child or anyone in your household has symptoms of coronavirus (high temperature, new persistent cough, loss of taste or smell, general unusual illness) your child should not attend.

If you or your children have anxieties about returning to school, we will work closely with you as a family to address any worries. If you do not feel able to return your children to school yet we will be supportive of this and will advise you on how you can keep your child learning until you are ready for them to return.

How will I know when and at what time my child should attend?

This information is in my Newsletter of 12^th February which you will find on the website in the News section. You should also have received an email. For the first two days (Wednesday 24^th and Thursday 25^th ) only half of each class in Nursery – Year 2 will attend, after which they will attend full time every day (from Friday). You should now have received a message to tell you whether your children are attending on Wednesday or Thursday in this first week. If you haven’t received this please contact school directly or your child’s class teacher today.

On-site provision for the very small numbers of families who absolutely need this, and have already booked, will begin on Tuesday 23^rd February and will run from 8am – 3pm. This is only for Key Stage 2 (junior) children on Tuesday.

It looks possible that our Key Stage 2 (junior) children will return to school from 15^th March. I will keep you informed if I have any definite information on this. Fingers crossed!

How will the children and staff be kept safe in school?

While there is a strict 2m social distancing requirement between adults, the guidance we have is that we do not need to socially distance between children. However, we must try to keep them from very close face to face contact. We must also keep them in class groups, with no direct contact with other classes. They will be taught and supervised by the same adults throughout the day.

• Children will be seated side by side rather than face to face.
• They will not be allowed to hug each other or their teachers.
• They will be spread out at lunch times on a staggered timetable
• There is a one-way system in corridors and visits to the toilets will be monitored to ensure there are never too many children using these areas at the same time.
• Lots of time will be spent outside as this is good for your child’s health and well-being and we have plenty of space to spread children out.
• Playtimes will be staggered so that each class can play in one large outdoor area without contact with other classes.
• Staff are required to try to keep some distance away from children where possible. Where this is not possible staff may wear a face covering.
• Staff will need to wear aprons, gloves, masks and visors when administering first aid or if they need to help with toileting.

How will we monitor strict hand cleanliness?

• On their first induction day back in school your child’s class teacher will remind your children how to wash hands correctly and thoroughly. This will be supervised as much as possible throughout the day, particularly with younger children.
• There is plenty of anti-bacterial hand soap available in toilets and in classrooms.
• As the children enter the building they will use hand sanitiser. Once children are in the building and have deposited their coats and lunch boxes they will each be sent to wash their hands, maintaining social distancing where possible.
• Although the most important thing is hand washing, hand sanitiser will also be available at the entrances to eating areas and frequent touch points such as toilet block doors.
• All staff will have twice weekly tests so that we are immediately aware of any asymptomatic covid infections in the school and you will be informed if your child’s class needs to isolate

Does my child need to wear school uniform?

Yes we would rather your child wore school uniform as this will help to make school feel more ‘normal’ and to make children feel part of a community of equals. They should wear clean uniform each day if possible.

Most importantly your child needs to wear footwear which they can run around in as there will be plenty of outdoor activities and we won’t be getting the children changed for these.

We will let you know when your child will be having PE lessons and we will ask you to send in children already in their gym kits with their school jumper over the top.

What about Face Masks?

• The wearing of face masks for children of primary school age is not recommended as they have a tendency to touch them frequently, risking poor hygiene.
• However if any child’s family feels that wearing a mask is essential in order to be safe in the school environment they will not be stopped from doing so. Well-being and a feeling of safety is of paramount importance. They will need to bring a plastic bag in which to store the mask when eating and will need a clean mask every day

What should my child bring to school?

We provide all the stationary and equipment your child needs and your child should have been provided with a washable see-through zip wallet or a tidy, clean tray, with all their own pens, pencils, rubbers etc. These items will never be shared. If you have bought new stationary for your child for return to school please keep this at home and use it for homework tasks.

Your child won’t need a book bag this term as we have given them each a washable zip wallet to transport reading books and homework to and from school. Apologies if you have already bought a new book bag but we feel this is a safer option in the short term. Please keep any new book bags safe, ready for when things are ‘normal’ once again!

So all you child needs to carry to school is…

• Zip wallet with reading book (and homework once a week)
• A drinks bottle
• Snack and Lunch (if needed)

Which gate shall I bring my children in through?

You can bring your Foundation Phase (infant) children in through either the main front gate or the St David’s Close gate. There will be a one way system in place so that you can leave the infant yard through the large gates or through the infant outdoor area to St David’s.

On-site provision  will be in the Junior building. If your child is in on-site provision please use either the junior side gate or the North Road entrance to enter and leave. There is a Keep Left system in place on the North Road path so you can use this path to enter and leave the premises.

If you need to bring in both a Foundation Phase (infant) child and a child in Key Stage 2 (juniors) on-site provision please drop off your Key Stage 2 child first before waiting to enter Foundation Phase classes.

If it is absolutely necessary for your Foundation Phase child (infant) to be in on-site provision from 8am before going to class please note that they will need to be fully isolated from the other children before being taken to class at their start time. You will need to have booked this provision in advance.

Where does my child wait to enter the school building?

There are markings on the yards to show where each family should wait before children are invited into school.

Please arrive with your child only at the time you have been given as this staggered start is an important part of social distancing. If you have two children starting at different times you may need to wait in your car or in the designated place in the yard. If this is causing you difficulties staff will be on hand to help you out.

As we found last term, If you arrive at the times you have been given and not too much before there will be very little waiting and your child will be taken into school pretty quickly. This is especially important if it is raining so we can take children straight into class without delay.

Can parents come on to the premises?

• We know that parents of infant children and escorts will want to bring their children into the yard and this is fine as long as you stay with your child at all times.
• Please arrive to collect your children only at the time you have been given and wait a good distance from others on the yard.
• If you need to bring junior children with you to drop your infant children off, they must stay close to you, at a 2m distance from other families at all times.
• Please ensure your children stay with you at all times while waiting. They are not allowed to run around the yard, even with members of their own classes.
• Parents will not be able to have long conversations with teachers when dropping off or picking up children as we need to keep a strict 2m distance between all adults. Yellow dotted lines have been marked out at a 2m distance from infant external doors as a reminder of this. Please do not cross these lines.
• If you need to hand anything over to the class staff please place it in the box provided near this area. If you need to discuss something at length please phone school to make an appointment. Preferably the conversation could take place by phone.

How can parents help to keep our community safe?

We have been asked to remind parents that, despite the reopening of schools, we are otherwise still under Tier 4 restrictions. School will be operating under strict guidelines with no close contact between adults and strict hygiene routines in place. Until a further review, in order to preserve safety and to limit contact between families we would urge you NOT to do the following;

• Hold birthday parties and sleepovers for children
• Meet together to socialise after dropping the children into school
• Gather in large groups outside of school, even if the children are in the same class
• Share childcare

I’m sure you will agree that these next few weeks could be ‘make or break’ in terms of the lifting of further restrictions and we mustn’t do anything to risk another wave of infections.

Most importantly, we want our junior children to return to school as soon as possible and need to show that the opening up of schools does not encourage parents to engage in risky behaviour.

For the safety and well-being of everyone, we have been given a system for reporting any breaches of restrictions which we have been made aware of.

May I assure you that our staff are also subject to these rules and Governors have asked that this be communicated very clearly to them.

Will there be Breakfast Club and Kids’ Club?

I’m sorry but breakfast club will not be available until we have this phase of return to school safely established. I know this is important to some of you and I will let you know as soon as possible what the arrangements for this will be. It is possible that numbers will be limited to allow for class groups to be kept apart, as last term.

We will also let you know when we feel able to reopen Kids’ Club.

Will my child have a normal school day?

• We aim to make school as enjoyable, welcoming and positive as possible but to keep risks low a few things will be different;
  • Your child’s relationship with staff will be just the same as before but please warn them that hugging will still not be allowed!
  • The curriculum will be just the same as before but we realise that some children may need to do some catching up before they move on to new learning. We will start from where the children are.
  • The first two days back this week will focus on checking on your child’s well-being, ensuring they feel secure and happy in school and reminding them of hygiene routines.
  • Everyone will have their own personal resources but if equipment has to be shared it will be disinfected frequently
  • No soft toys, furnishings or dressing up clothes will be used but if children in Nursery, Reception, ISTF and Year 1 would like to bring a small, soft, washable ‘cuddle toy’ in case they are feeling sad, they may do so. This will never be shared with other children and must be taken home to wash weekly.
  • Role play areas will be used but the children will only use these areas with a small set group of children
  • There will be a staggered timetable throughout the day which will not allow classes to mix.
  • Computers, Chrome Books and iPads will still be used but will be disinfected between uses.
  • There won’t be assemblies until we have worked out how to do this safely!
  • There will be Interest Groups on Friday afternoons from next week but children will always be in a group just with members of their own class.

What happens if a child or member of staff shows symptoms of COVID 19?

(You will be sent an online form very soon for you to confirm that you understand our rules and your responsibilities. You only need to complete this once.)

1. If a child or member of staff becomes symptomatic (eg persistent cough, temperature, loss of taste and smell) they will be taken to our designated isolation room (not as scary as it sounds!) away from other people and will need to be collected immediately.
2. The child’s temperature will be taken, using a remote device. The isolation room will then be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before it is used again.
3. If a child or staff member in your child’s class group has shown symptoms we will let you know so that you can be vigilant in checking for any symptoms in your child. We would ask you not to panic if this happens as it’s more than likely that the symptoms have a different cause.
4. If a positive test confirms a case of COVID 19 in the school children and staff within the class group only may be asked by Track and Trace to isolate.
5. In the unlikely event of an outbreak in the school (two or more linked cases) Public Health Wales will decide how to proceed.

What about lunch and snacks?

• All children will need to bring a packed lunch, a fruit snack and a drink in a plastic bottle for this first week back as no meals or snacks can be provided in school. All lunch bags and bottles should be very clean, clearly named and where possible children will need to refill their own water bottles throughout the day.
• Families entitled to free school meals will have received either a BACs payment for meals or a food parcel. This enables you to either buy ingredients for packed lunches or to use the ingredients you have been given. This payment/food parcel will stop from 1^st March for infant children and school meals will resume. Children entitled to Free School Meals will be provided with a meal in school. If you pay for your school meals please ensure your sQuid account is topped up. Children can, of course bring in a packed lunch instead.
• Please continue to send in a drinks bottle and a fruit snack for your children.
• For junior children, the payment/food parcel will continue until the children return to school.
• For younger children, please send in items which they can open themselves so that we can avoid close contacts between staff and children.
• Children will eat their lunch in the hall as we have large tables which are easy to clean and make social distancing possible. Use of the hall for lunches will be staggered so there will only be a few children in there at any one time. Hygiene will be closely monitored by staff.

Texting System

You should have received a text last week to let you know that we are starting a new texting system this week. To receive texts, you need to download the ‘Schoop’ App to your phone, iPad or other device. When you are asked for our school ID, this is 8821. You should then be able to sign up to receive messages for the classes of each of your children. We are having training today so will be able to give you further support with this in the next couple of days.

We will also be continuing to contact you through the website, DoJo and your sQuid email address.

It is very important that school has your correct current phone numbers in case we need to contact you in an emergency so please contact us today if there are any changes.    

We are really looking forward to welcoming our younger children back to school and I hope it won’t be long before we have a full and final return for everyone!

May I thank you once again for your support in these very difficult circumstances. We know how hard you and your children have found these past few weeks. Routines for remote learning for our junior children will continue from Tuesday and I hope they will do their best to engage with this for just a little bit longer.

Hoping for good news on the return of our older children within a couple of weeks!

Best wishes

C M Hewitt

Tuesday 9^th February 2021

Dear Parents and Carers,

Return to School!

We are delighted to be able to tell you that we can start welcoming Foundation Phase children (Nursery, Reception, Year 1, Year 2, ISTF) back to school after half term, starting from 23^rd February! We know that many of our youngest pupils have found home learning difficult and have missed the school environment so I am sure you will also welcome this decision.

Arrangements for a Calm and Safe Return

We are keen to make the return to school as calm, safe and welcoming as possible for you and your children so we are planning a phased return for the first week. We will have a third of each class in on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday then whole classes from Friday onwards. Your child’s class teacher will let you know soon which day will be your child’s Induction Day (Tuesday 23^rd, Wednesday 24^th or Thursday 25^th). Having small groups into school to start with will enable us to do two things;

• Give each child lots of individual attention on their first day back, giving them the best chance of settling well and enabling us to find out where they are with their learning
• Practise safety routines, such as hand washing and ensure all children understand what is expected

With all this in place we will have everyone in from Friday 26^th February and hopefully every day until the end of term!

Arrangements will be slightly different for our new afternoon Nursery children and Mrs Hall will be in touch with families about this.

There will be no breakfast club or school lunches during this first week but school lunches will resume on Monday 29^th February. Children will need to bring a packed lunch for this first week.

Start and finish times will be staggered as last term, as follows;

The safety and success of this return to school will depend not just on how we run the school but upon the actions of our families and our wider community. As the Minister for Education has said, this is not the time to resume ‘normal’ socialising for families, as Tier 4 restrictions remain in place. I would therefore like to remind you of the following;

• Parents should stay 2m away from other families on the journey to school and at the school gates. They should consider wearing face coverings on the journey to school.
• Parents must not organise play dates, parties or sleepovers, even for children who are in the same class

Parents must wear face coverings on school premises both inside and out and should use the floor markings in the school yards to ensure they are waiting at least 2m away from each other.

We understand that ‘Enforcement Officers’ may be deployed to deal with any families who appear not to be following the rules as schools re-open.

Return of Older Children

We are still unsure when Key Stage Two (Junior) children will be allowed to return to school but we hope it won’t be too long!  In the meantime emergency on-site provision will continue to be available in school from 8am – 3pm starting on Tuesday 23^rd February for families who have no alternative safe childcare. Please ensure you always book your child’s place before 3pm on a Thursday. Remote learning will continue for our older children and we hope they will make the best of all the learning opportunities they are given. Your continued support with this is very much appreciated and we thank you for your patience.

If you have any concerns about your child’s return to school please do not hesitate to call me or Mrs Davies in school. Alternatively you can email me directly at HewittC23@hwbcymru.net

Your child’s class teacher will let you know through Class DoJo when your child’s induction day will be by this Friday.

Yours faithfully

C M Hewitt

Friday 15^th January 2021

Dear Parents and Carers,

I would like to thank you all for everything you are doing to support your children’s remote learning during this difficult time for all of us. We have tried to personalise our communication with you during these last two weeks and you should all have had a phone call from your child’s class teacher. Please be assured we are not phoning you to put pressure on you but to check on your child’s and your family’s well-being.

We realise that some of you are under immense pressure trying to work from home and manage your child’s learning, and in some cases, their behaviour! We have agreed to give the children three tasks per day as some are keen and able to do this. However, if you are not in a position to do this much home learning we totally understand and are happy for you just to do as much as you can. We will be sending out a questionnaire this week to get some feedback from you as well as a quick well-being questionnaire for your child to alert us to any difficulties.

Please be assured that teachers do understand how hard it is as many of them also have children and are trying to manage the same challenges.

We have further plans to give even more personalised feedback to your child and we hope this will help them, and you, to feel their efforts are valued. We will also be meeting as a staff, remotely of course, to review how things are going.

Well done to everyone who managed to join a Class Catch Up on Teams this week. We had a fabulous turn out and it was lovely to see the children on screen, each isolated at home but all together as a class. I know some children found this quite overwhelming and I can understand this as I felt quite emotional myself at times when joining classes!

Please bear with us while we iron out the challenges of these meetings. This is a new venture for all of us and we are already discussing ways to make these sessions feel less ‘chaotic’! We think you will see a difference next week so do join us again if you can.

Remote learning will continue until at least the end of January and possibly beyond so it is important that we get this right. We are open to feedback and will do our best to keep your children learning and happy. I will be in school all day from Monday to Thursday and Mrs Davies will be in on Friday. Please don’t hesitate to call us if you want to discuss anything. We are here to listen and to try to help.

Above anything else, please stay safe and look after yourselves.

Best wishes,

C M Hewitt 

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