School moves to remote learning for two weeks.

Further to yesterday’s email I can now confirm the action being taken by school.

It has been unanimously decided that from Tuesday 5th January our school will move to remote learning until Friday 15th January 2021. On that day (and possibly before if the climate changes) I will write out to all families and confirm our plans for the week beginning Monday 18th January 2021.

 

We are able to provide face-to-face education for key worker and vulnerable children from tomorrow. To secure your child’s place please could you book your child in via Scopay before the end of today so that we have an official register and are able to maintain our safeguarding arrangements. If your child accessed school during the first lockdown because you were able to provide us with a key-worker letter, then you do not need to provide any further evidence. If, however, you would like to send your child in to school because you now have key worker responsibilities then we would need evidence of this by tomorrow morning (email from your workplace or physical letter is fine).

If your child is not attending school from tomorrow and you have booked wrap around care for them, please edit the option on scopay by choosing ‘not attending’.

 

For the next two school weeks, if you choose not to send your child to school we will support this and the attendance policy will not be applied. We ask that you reply to this email with relevant information around attendance.

 

Breakfast and after school club remain available for keyworker and vulnerable children but, for the next two weeks, there will be no Fizzy Tree or Team Theme after school club. Music lessons with Mrs Taylor-Fox are hoped to be held remotely – more details will follow later in the week around this.

 

Tomorrow will be the first day of the Spring term and teachers will begin the remote learning sessions –  some staff will be in school and some will be working remotely. By 9am tomorrow morning, you will have a zoom link from your child’s teacher with instructions to be followed. Attached with this email is a letter found also on our website detailing what remote learning may look like. 

Paper packs of school work will be available for collection on Tuesday and Wednesday from school – these will support the remote learning for your child. We ask that you organise the collection of these materials – possibly co-ordinating with other families to reduce the number of people coming to school (keeping to the current tier 4 regulations though at all times). Please avoid the usual drop off and collection times to reduce numbers  of adults at school.

 

We appreciate that many families have more than one child attending our school and that there are likely to be sessions clashes. If you would like a zoom recording to be able to access later so that devices can be shared, we can facilitate this. If you have no computer for your child to work on, please inform me as soon as possible. We have one laptopm from the DfE which we can release to a family.

 

For those children attending school tomorrow, please meet our usual uniform expectations. PE wear can still be worn if it is an expected PE day although your child’s timetable will be adapted for these next two weeks and it may not be the same as it has been previously.

 

Our lollipop lady Sharon, as you know, will not be with us this term so myself and Mr Goulds will cross the children safely onto the school site. May I take this opportunity to remind all families that from this term onwards we ask that no adult comes onto the school site in the morning, additional staff will be outside to support the arrival of infant children. 

 

To continue the protection of staff who will be entering the building in the coming days, we will be encouraging the use of PPE including the use of face masks. We would ask that you share this information with children to help prepare them for this visual change. 

 

All changes made to our plans are not linked to unsafe practice. Governors, staff and parents view the actions we have taken so far to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission as effective. Concerns being raised now are due to the hugely significant rise in numbers of positive virus cases both locally and nationally.  I wholly appreciate the difficulties this may present many of you with and for any disruption it has caused you have our complete sympathies. 

There will be new and regular information coming out to you this week with updates and links so I thank you in advance of your attention to these documents.

 

With best wishes for this new year and hopes for a smoother Spring time,

 

 

Kind regards,

 

Mrs Sarah Roach

Head Teacher

 

Mrs J Hayhurst

Chair of Governors

 

St Mary and St Andrew’s Catholic Primary School

Station Lane,

Barton,

Preston

PR3 5DY

01772 862335

 

We are guided by God to be the best people we can be.