SEPTEMBER ARRANGEMENTS - 15/07/2020
Dear Parents/carers,
We hope that this letter finds you and your families well. It has certainly been a strange, and at times, difficult few months for all of us. We would like to express our thanks for your messages of support, as we have worked hard to ensure that your child’s learning has continued to be catered for throughout the pandemic.
Having now received and been able to reflect upon the latest government guidance for the wider re-opening of schools from September, we are very happy to be able to inform you that we will be able to move to the next phase in our reopening strategy. As such, school will reopen to all children on Thursday 3rd September. However, initially this will be for 4 ½ days each week. Up until October half term, school will be closed to all children on a Friday afternoon after lunch and registration, in line with some other Sandwell schools.
This will enable us to do two things, both of which will ensure greater protection for your child and help to minimise the risk of spreading the infection. Firstly, we will be able to reduce the movement of staff between classes thereby restricting the number of adults that your child will come into contact with. Secondly, it will enable us to ensure school is cleaned thoroughly before the weekend ready for children to return the following week.
We appreciate that you may have to make arrangements for the care of your child on a Friday afternoon, albeit on a temporary basis, hence the reason we are letting you know now before the summer break. We would ask any family for whom this will present an unsurmountable difficulty to contact the school office.
After October half term, we hope to be able to move to the final stage in our reopening strategy whereby we will be able to welcome all children back in to school on a fulltime basis. That said, Friday afternoons may look a little different at Lyng as we move forward! We are very excited about a number of new initiatives that we hope to be able to share with you in September. These will enable us to pick up where we left off in March following our successful Ofsted inspection and will be the next step in our plans to continue to provide exciting and engaging learning for all our children.
Following government guidelines there will also be staggered start and end times to the school day for different Year Groups. This is to ensure that large groups do not congregate on the school grounds. Please familiarise yourselves with the table below and how this will affect your child:
|
CLASS |
START TIME (Mon – Fri) |
FINISH TIME (Mon – Thurs) |
FRIDAY FINISH TIME |
|
Blossoms |
12:00pm (Mon – Thurs only) |
3:00pm PM Session 12:00 – 3:00pm |
NORMAL PM SESSION |
|
Nursery |
8.30am Session (8:30 – 11:30) |
3.00pm Session (12:00 – 3:00) |
12.15pm (30 hour children) |
|
Rec |
8.30am |
2.30pm |
12.15pm |
|
Y1 |
8.45am |
2.45pm |
12.45pm |
|
Y2 |
9.00am |
3.00pm |
1.15pm |
|
Y3 |
8.30am |
2.30pm |
12.15pm |
|
Y4 |
8.45am |
2.45pm |
12.45pm |
|
Y5 |
9.00am |
3.00pm |
5D - 12.45pm |
|
|
|
|
5EB – 1.15pm |
|
Y6 |
9.00am |
3.00pm |
1.15pm |
The KS1 Hall will be made available from 8.30am onwards. If required, older siblings can be dropped off, and will be supervised at a socially acceptable distance from any children not in their class. This will solve the problem of parents having to wait around for long periods of time. However, it will be safer for parents to adhere to the start times as closely as possible. Similarly, the Hall will be available at the end of the day from 2.30pm, for younger siblings to wait for older siblings to be collected.
Breakfast Club will still be available from 8.00am – 8.30am.
We understand that children may have grown out of their school uniform over the last few months and due to the pandemic, some parents may have been furloughed or been made redundant. This potentially will have put increased financial pressures on families. We are sympathetic to this and as such there will not be an expectation for children to wear a uniform containing the school logo. We are aware that Asda supply an affordable school uniform range - Black Trouser for £6 pack of 2, Girls skirts pack of 2 £7, Pinafores £5, Polo shirts pack of 5 £6, Blue Sweatshirts pack of 2 £4. Failing that, all we ask is that parents do their very best to send their child to school in appropriate clothing that mirrors the school colours. However, if any family is having difficulty, please do contact school and speak to a member of staff at any time.
For the first 2 weeks in September, unfortunately there will not be the capacity to provide any hot meals at lunchtime. Instead, a packed lunch will be offered until the kitchen is up and running and we all get used to new changes to the school day. Children will eat their packed lunch, either brought from home or provided from the school kitchen, in their class room with an allocated member of dinner staff who will be in their bubble.
We anticipate that government guidance will be updated throughout the Summer. Therefore, we will write to you at the start of September, prior to the children’s return, to explain how we will be operating bubbles of children and any other special adjustments which are designed to keep your child safe.
We look forward to working with you over the next academic year as we rebuild our school from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and reconnect with you, our wider school community. We wish you a happy and healthy summer.
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Fowler Lynn Howard
Head teacher Chair of Governors
Starting the Phased Re-opening of Schools you will be aware from the news that the Government has announced the phased reopening for schools from 1 June 2020. In Sandwell, we have been looking at how this will be achieved and have worked with our schools and academies to agree a common approach. Schools have reviewed the requirements for social distancing, hygiene and cleaning required daily as well as organisational changes they may need to make to the school day to open.
June 1st is the start of a process for reopening and, initially, not all children will be able to start on a full-time basis. The number of children in a school at any one time will be dictated by the size of the classrooms and the availability of staff. To maintain social distancing normal sized classrooms can only hold 6 - 10 pupils at a time. If your child is in Secondary school then the Government has requested that only those in Year 10 and Year 12 are invited individually or in small groups to begin face to face meetings with staff to assist them with their learning. Each school or academy will devise a rota for children to attend and will contact you to tell you when this will be. In the main, all children will continue to do most of their work from home.
Primary schools have been asked by Government to open to a number of year groups, Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. However, due to the space available in each Primary school, it is not possible to accommodate all children from these year groups at the same time. Therefore, Primary schools will prioritise pupils in the following order:
• Vulnerable children
• Key Worker Children
• Reception
• Year 1
• Year 6
• Nursery
Primary schools will inform you of the arrangements they are making and will let you know which days your children can attend school from 1st June. Children in Years 2, 3, 4 and 5 will need to continue to remain at home until Government guidance changes.
Yours sincerely,
Chris Ward
Director of Education, Skills and Employment
Which years groups can start to return to school from 1 June 2020?
The Government has asked that schools start the phased return of Y12, Y10, Y6, Y1, Reception and Nursery children. Schools will manage this gradually and not all children will be in school full time as they are limited by space and staffing availability. Schools will write to parents to let them know what the arrangements are.
What about Key Worker children and vulnerable children?
Schools will continue to prioritise these children ahead of all others. This may limit the spaces available to children in some year groups.
Which additional children will be prioritised first?
Secondary schools will manage a timetabled rota for Year 10 and Year 12 pupils to attend. Primary schools will prioritise children in this order:-
• Vulnerable children
• Key Worker Children
• Reception
• Year 1
• Year 6
• Nursery
Will my child be in school full time?
Key Worker children and vulnerable children will continue to be offered full time places in both Primary and Secondary schools. All other year groups will be on a phased return. In many Primary schools this is unlikely to be a full-time place due to space and staffing availability and schools will offer places for priority year groups first. Schools may have to operate a rota system for children to accommodate them across the course of a school week.
What happens if I do not want to take up the school place?
Your school will write out to you to ask you if you would like to take a school place from 1 June. You do not have to accept the place. If you do not accept the place it will be offered to a pupil in another priority year group. If you change your mind then you must give your school at least one week’s notice as they may have to make staffing changes to accommodate extra children.
Will I get fined for not sending my child to school?
You do not have to send your child to school during this pandemic. There are no plans to fine parents of children who do not attend at the present time.
How will schools keep children safe?
Schools are following National Guidance produced by the Department for Education and Public Health England. They will operate social distancing (where possible), keep children in small groups throughout the day, increase cleaning schedules and ask children to follow more stringent hygiene routines. Schools may also stagger the start and finish of the school day to reduce the number of adults arriving and departing at the same time.
Is it possible to manage the youngest children to follow social distancing rules?
The Government accepts this is very difficult. Young children naturally want to play and work together. Initially, and for as long as is necessary, children will only be able to interact with a small group of other children. Schools will do their best given the space and resources they have available to manage children.
What happens if my child has special needs?
Schools will have completed an individual risk assessment for each child. This will be used to make a decision on whether it is safe for your child to return to school or whether they will be safer at home. Schools will talk with you directly to discuss your child’s needs.
Will teachers and staff have to use PPE?
If social distancing can be managed then staff will not generally use PPE. If a child becomes unwell and is displaying symptoms of COVID-19, staff will have to isolate that child from others and use PPE to protect themselves. In some circumstances, for example where a child needs personal care or has specific additional needs, staff may use PPE whilst they support a child.
My child is worried about coming back to school, how can I help them?
Talk to your child in a positive way about school, seeing friends and teachers again. Help them understand how social distancing works and make sure that they can wash their hands properly by themselves.
Will schools be teaching the National Curriculum when children return?
No. Schools will initially focus on ensuring children feel safe and anxiety free. They will deliver a curriculum designed to support children back into school routines and classroom learning. Teachers will use this time to work out what learning support children need and how they can support them further.
Will schools continue to set work or activities for children at home?
Schools will continue to provide some remote learning or activities for children to do at home. This will vary from school to school depending on whether they operate, for example, an online learning platform or have a website with suggested learning activities.
Welcome
A very warm welcome to all website users!
At Lyng Primary School our vision is to provide a nurturing, happy and safe environment. Surrounded by caring adults children will be provided with opportunities to become the best that they can be. We will strive to ensure that every child leaves Lyng Primary feeling confident, self-motivated and independent so that they are ready for the next stage in their lives.
Both in and outside the classroom a Lyng child should:
- Be engaged, excited and inspired & love to learn
- Be challenged
- Learn to use their imagination and develop curiosity
- Learn to take risks, try new experiences & not give up
- Learn to work alongside each other
- Celebrate their uniqueness and embrace each other's differences
- Not be afraid to make mistakes
- Be successful
- Achieve
- Have fun!
On behalf of the governors and staff we look forward to working in partnership with yourselves and your children to ensure they reach their full potential.
Mr A.Fowler
Latest Calendar Events
- Staff Training Day01Sep2020
No pupils to attend school.
- Staff Training Day02Sep2020
No pupils to attend school.
