We know you have seen in the news that schools may reopen on 1 June to Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils if the government thinks it is safe then. As you can imagine we have been deep into planning for a return to school for some children. Looking at how social distancing could work, designing drops offs, creating one way systems and looking at staffing to allow for smaller groups, plus the level of deep cleaning that will be regularly required. The Government are suggesting they will not let schools know their final decision until May 29th. This gives us all short notice, but we will be ready.
As leaders and as parents we have never been in a situation like this before, we understand how very unsettling it has been to be home educators and now to think about a return to school. Many of you will have been reading the newspapers and watching the news hoping for some guidance as to whether it is safe to return to school. But rest assured that we are going to be doing everything to be ready to receive these year groups if it is safe for our school to reopen in the coming weeks. We are working our way through guidance and creating a detailed action plan that we will be sharing with Governors early next week. We will then summarise this for parents. The Government has assured us that parents who do not wish to send their children in will not be penalised or fined. We recognise that many of you at home will still be shielding or still feel uncomfortable returning your child to school, we understand this and support your personal decision.
Tomorrow we will be sending home via email and on the website a poster indicating how school will be different and what these changes may look like. We must be very honest with you and say that school will be a very different place. We will take very seriously the strict guidelines given, ensuring we can feel confident in our return.
Next Monday, we will be sending out a survey to parents of Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 to gather information about your feelings on a return to school and to assess the numbers of children likely to return.
In the meantime, the St Johns school is still open only for vulnerable pupils and the children of critical workers. We know some employers will be encouraging you to return to work, but we are not in a position right now to extend places to other children until we receive further government guidance.
We would like to thank you for your continuous support in helping your child learn from home. We will keep you updated once we know more about when schools will be able to reopen for other year groups. If your child will remain at home beyond 1 June, we will continue to support you and them with home learning, and meal support for those eligible. Please do continue to stay in touch with us about how your child is getting on.
Kindest regards
Mrs Firth