Dear parents,
I hope you had a good summer and were able to spend time with friends and family. The information below outlines the arrangements we are putting in place for the return to school this term. Although Government guidance has now been updated, it is up to each school to decide the measures it will put in place to reduce the transmission of the COVID-19 virus. Our risk assessment is being finalised and will be available on the school website next week.

The school day
For now, we are operating a slightly staggered start / end to avoid congestion in the playground, with allocated entrances and exits for year groups to use.

• Nursery, Reception and Years 1 and 2 will start at 9am. They finish at 3.20pm.

• Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 start at 9.10am. They finish at 3.30pm.

• Clubs start on Monday 13th September

• Fit For Sport after school provision will start on Monday 6th September

Start of the day
Nursery and Reception parents can walk their child to the classroom and then leave the school through the Daycare gate on Church street. Parents with children in Years 1 – 6 will be asked to drop their children off at their designated gate. Please see the table below. All teachers will be in the playground at 9am.

If a parent has a child in Nursery / Reception and an older sibling, the older child can come in and go to their classteacher, as all teachers will be in the playground at 9am. Similarly, if a parent has a child in Years 1 or 2 who starts at 9am and an older sibling who starts at 9.10am, the older child can come in at 9am too and go to their teacher, who will be waiting by the class line. This will be more convenient for those families who have different start times.

End of the day
EYFS and KS1 parents will need to go to their designated gate and come into the playground at 3.20pm. Nursery and Reception parents will collect their child and then leave through the Daycare gate. Parents collecting children in Years 1 and 2 will collect their child and leave through the Church Street gate. Parents who have siblings to collect at 3.30pm will be able to wait by the office before collecting their child and then leave via the Church Street gate.
KS2 parents will need to go to their designated gate and come into the playground at 3.30pm. Parents will collect their child and then leave through the Church street gate.

We are asking all families to make sure they have left the premises by 3.40pm, to allow Fit For Sport and clubs to use the playground.

Changes to national self-isolation guidance
Government guidance has changed. Schools no longer have to send whole classes home if there is a positive case reported. Only positive cases will be required to isolate and NHS Test and Trace will contact anyone else the positive case identified as a close contact.

If a child has a member of their household who tests positive, I would ask that the school is notified. The child can come to school if they have no symptoms, but it would be very helpful if the child could be regularly tested during this time. If the child does start to show symptoms, they must be kept at home and tested. If a child develops or exhibits symptoms at school or comes into school with symptoms, parents will be called to collect the child and take them home.

Even if you do not have symptoms, you should still:
• get a PCR test on GOV.UK to check if you have COVID-19
• follow advice on how to avoid catching and spreading COVID-19
• consider limiting contact with people who are at higher risk from COVID-19

If there is a significant increase in the number of cases in the local area and / or in school, Public Health England might advise that there is a temporary reintroduction of control measures such as year group bubbles etc like we had last year.

Class bubbles
The children will no longer be kept in class bubbles. KS1 children will have playtime and lunchtime in the small playground and KS2 will have playtime and lunchtime in the large playground.

Children will have their lunch in the dining hall with Year 1 starting lunch slightly earlier at 12.15pm, followed by Year 2 at 12.30pm and then the children in KS2. Nursery and Reception children will have lunch in their classrooms.

Water bottles
We are not using the water fountains in the playground yet, so all children will need to bring in a water bottle, preferably a reusable one, with their name on.

Hygiene, cleaning and ventilation
We will continue with our systems for handwashing and use of hand sanitiser. We will continue to employ an additional cleaner to clean all the toilets and disinfect key touch points such as door handles and the stair rails before and after lunch as well as in the morning and after school. The cleaning team will also be thoroughly cleaning the school before and after school.
We will keep windows open in classrooms, halls and the stairs to ensure adequate ventilation as we did last year.

Bikes and scooters
Children are welcome to bring their bikes and scooters back to school, but they are NOT to be ridden in the playground. We would ask that everyone dismounts from their bike / scooter and walks with it into the playground to the appropriate rack. As parents will not be able to come into school in the morning initially, children will need to park their own scooter and be able to lock their own bike.

GENERAL REMINDERS

Sweets, chocolate and fizzy drinks
These are not allowed in school at all, including lunchtime. We try to encourage healthy eating and are part of the school fruit scheme. All KS1 children get free fruit most days. The only time that these items are allowed in school is for the end of term parties or very special events. We are a NUT FREE SCHOOL at all times – this includes lunchtime and packed lunches (no Nutella, chocolate hazelnut spread, peanut butter sandwiches or coconut products) as well as food for trips, end of term parties, the fairs and cake sales.

Birthdays – cakes / party bags
We celebrate children’s birthdays in the newsletter, with all children having their name published in the edition closest to their birthday. No cakes / party bags are allowed.

Jewellery
No jewellery is to be worn for school (unless it is of religious significance). This is for the children’s safety and to guard against their loss through accident or theft. Children wearing studs will be asked to remove them. The earrings will be put in an envelope and can be collected at the end of the day. Children who have had their ears pierced recently and are unable to take the studs out will have to wear micropore tape until the 6 week healing period is over. They will then need to take the studs out at school.

Clothes
William Patten does not have a school uniform and children are free to wear whatever they would like. Football shirts are not allowed. If we see a child wearing a football shirt, we will remind them not to wear it again. If the clothes are inappropriate, we will call home and ask for parents to bring in a replacement.

Bookbags / resources
Children can bring in their bookbags and small bag if they are having packed lunch. We would prefer that children do not bring in a large rucksack if at all possible, particularly if all it contains is the child’s lunch. The bags are too bulky and take up too much space on the coat racks. We appreciate that some children may be going between two homes or attending an after school activity and therefore may need to bring in a larger bag.

Mobile phones
Children are not allowed to bring mobile phones in school unless agreed with me in advance. In very rare circumstances such as a child travelling to school on public transport, I will give permission for the phone to brought into school and be kept in the office. Without such agreement the phone will be taken off the child and parents would need to collect it from me.

Dogs
Dogs are not allowed in the school or the playground. If you bring your dog to school, they must be tied up outside the gates.

Contacting school
Please use admin@williampatten.hackney.sch.uk to email school. If parents do need to come into the office at any point, they will need to wear a mask, unless exempt.

The staff team have been in this week, busy planning the work for the term and getting the school ready and we are very much looking forward to seeing our lovely children next week!

See you on Monday!

Best wishes

Karen