Headteacher letter Monday 4th January 2021                         

Dear Parents and Carers,

You have probably heard the government announced tonight that schools will be closing due to the national rise in Covid cases (as a result of the new variant).  Due to this we will use tomorrow as a planning day to ensure that from Wednesday we are best placed to offer online/remote learning to all children and to contact those families whose children fall within the bracket of critical worker children and vulnerable children to offer places for them from Wednesday. We will also be able to spend some time trying to source devices to help with learning at home as well as make packs for you to collect when notified.

This will mean that from Wednesday our children will move to remote learning via Teams and Class Dojo (Tapestry for EYFS/Wrens). A letter will be within the packs which will tell you clearly how to access learning online and what will be provided each week.

We will be contacting those families who were placed on the preliminary critical and vulnerable lists during the morning tomorrow by phone. School will be open to the critical and vulnerable groups from Wednesday 6^th January on the strict understanding that places cannot be used flexibly. Alternatively, if you have been allocated a place and no longer require it, please contact the school as soon as possible, as places are limited.

In-school children will remain in a year group bubble. Completing the same learning that children will be completing from home. We will also be providing opportunities for children to engage with their teachers from home should they require support with their learning – again this will be explained in the packs.  This high-quality learning ensures that your children will not be disadvantaged further due to the lockdown and of course it is all sprinkled with the wonderful Queen Margaret Primary School  magic that our families have become accustomed to . Any parents having difficulty accessing this work or supporting their child will be given bespoke online/telephone support by a member of our staff team.

Information regarding breakfast provision will follow later once we have been given further guidance.

I understand that the lockdown may have caused surprise and concern for many but rest assured, the staff of Queen Margaret Primary School will be on hand to support all of our families throughout this time.

As ever, I will update you regularly on the school’s position and although I am saddened that we will not see some of our families in person for a while, I am pleased that our remote provision is of a high standard and also that further safety measures are being introduced to protect our communities.

Stay safe everyone and please keep in touch!

Kind regards,

Sara Bennion

Headteacher

Headteacher letter Sunday  January 3rd  2021

Dear Parents and Carers,

First of all Happy New Year to you all – I hope that all managed to have some sort of celebration with family whilst keeping safe at the same time.

As you know there has been a lot of uncertainty about whether primacy schools should return on January 5^th. The Prime Minister made it very clear this morning that he feels that children should return to school as planned. This means that we will be open for children on Tuesday 5^th January.

To ensure that we are a safe as possible in the circumstances  we have reviewed our Risk Assessment which can be found on the website (Information for Parents /Letters). Here is a brief update on changes:

• Masks will be worn by members of staff once they are outside of their class bubble and in any shared spaces  
• All adults will be expected to wear a mask whilst on site – this includes dropping off and picking up children (please be aware that we will insist on this at the gate)
• Automatic hand sanitisers have been fixed in each classroom and shared areas to enable even more rigorous sanitising occurring  
• Whist increased ventilation will be expected (through open window etc.) we will be mindful of the temperature in classes
• Only essential additional adults will be allowed into the school building
• Interventions held in the hall will be limited to ensure bubbles are not crossed

As you may also be aware Education Unions have been advising staff to evoke section 44 which states that they don’t feel safe to teach the whole class at this present  time. With this in mind Year 3 (Magpies) and Year 6 (Eagles) will be taught remotely/online  from Tuesday 5^th January until Monday 18^th January, except for those who have received a phone call from myself or Mr Wootton about provision for critical workers or other children.  For those receiving online learning, communication will be sent out tomorrow  (Monday) to explain how that will work.

These are very challenging times for all of us and I hope that we can work together to make sure our school community stays safe, follows the guidance and ensures that the children continue their education.

With thanks for your understanding,

Sara Bennion

Headteacher

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