A message from Saleem Tariq, Director of Children and Families to all parents and carers

 

Below is a letter from Leeds City Council, and includes information about most schools needing to stagger start and finish times.

 

All schools will need to consider this in context of their own school building, entrances and numbers of pupils. Each school will have a slightly differing ways of how they can make this happen safely.

 

We know this means that families with children in different year groups may have slightly differing times to drop off and collect. Unfortunately, as we have over 100 family groups in school, we cannot make any changes to this system, or let differing year group siblings in together. We will just try to be as efficient, with parents help, to make the system as quick for you as possible.

Tuesday 8th September

 

Changes to the dropping off and collection system have been made following Monday's 'trial run' and the details have been altered below. There will always be staff outside to help and support you too. 

 

Grown ups - please wear a mask when entering the school site, unless you medically cannot.

Please stay distanced in the playground whenever you can.

 

Thank you for your support and help today - the children had a great day in school!

Monday 7th September

 

We are so excited to be welcoming the children back to school on Monday! All the details of what will happen on Monday are lower down on this page. 

We know it looks complicated but we have tried to make it the quickest and safest way to get all the children into our building.

We have to make sure that the children stay in class or year group bubbles at all times - this means they can't be in the corridors or shared spaces at the same time.

 

That is why different year groups are going into different doors and entrances at different times.

It is tricky at Lane End, as we don't have lots of entrance gates and the few we have are very close together - but we know with your help and support, we will make it work.

 

Please try to keep yourselves socially distanced from other parents and families as you wait for your child to go into school, or when you collect them. As we only have one way into school - there will be lots of people on that road outside school, you may want to wear a face masks yourselves too, as you wait.

 

We have tried to keep the staggered start times as close together as we can, to help out parents with children in different year groups.

 

Key information:

 

• Children will stay in class and year group bubbles - in the classrooms, corridors, playground and hall.
• Children will go into school, and leave school, in these bubbles.
• Parents are not to come into the school site unless visiting the main office.
• There will be LOTS of handwashing!
• Children do not need to wear face masks at school.
• If your child is unwell at all, they should not come into school. 
• If a child becomes unwell at school, we will contact you to collect them. They will be looked after in the school family room or medical room with a member of staff until you arrive.

 

Looking forward to seeing you all next week

The Lane End Team

When does school re-open?

School open for year groups 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 on Monday 7^th September. Nursery and Reception parents will be contacted separately about their start dates.

 

What do children need to wear and bring to school?

Children will need to be back in full school uniform.

• Children will need to bring in their own filled water bottle each day to school. Please can you make sure it has their name on, and it will be returned each day for you to clean and refill to bring back to school the next day.
• On PE days, children in Year 1 upwards will be asked to come to school, already wearing PE kit. This needs to be an outdoor PE kit, so the children will need to be wearing jogging bottoms and jogging style top, plain t-shirt, socks and trainers.

• There will be no need for the children to come in PE kit on any day in the first full week of school. PE lessons, and the need to come in PE kit to school, will start from Monday 14^th and class teachers will tell children, and post on class webpages, what day you need to send your children in PE kit.

 

How will school life be organised for the children?

 

Children will be in year group or class bubbles. This means that they will stay with their classmates throughout the school day – and movement is limited around school. 

 

• In the classrooms – learning will be organised so that children are sat are safe distances and movement around school will be minimised. This will vary depending on the age of the children, so for example classes won’t have ‘carpet’ times in the same way as before, but rather will be sat in their own work places to listen to stories, teaching input etc. There will be lots of times built in for handwashing and cleaning the classrooms or work spaces all throughout the day too.
• At playtimes and lunchtimes, the children will stay in their ‘bubbles’. The playground has been zoned so that children have a designated area to play with their classmates. In the hall at lunchtime, children will be sat in lunch bubble zones – again, staying with their classmates. Cooked dinners will be brought to their tables -again to minimise movements and interactions around the hall.
• Lunch choices will be limited for the Autumn term – the menus will be put on the website as usual. The main change is that there will only be 2 cooked choices, one always being a jacket potato, topping and salad/vegetable option. We will let you know in September the best way for the children to choose their dinner choice, but rest assured, the children will get the option from the 2 choices they would like right from the first day back before the new choosing system is in place! You can still, of course, send your child with a packed lunch each day instead.

 

What will drop off times look like?

 

After our very busy (and wet!) trial run on Monday morning, we have since found out from Health and Safety that parents can come on site as long as they are wearing masks. So, from Tuesday 8th September, if you are a Rec, Y1, Y2, Y3 or Y4 parent, you will be allowed to come on the school site - at the times below - and drop your child/children off with their class teachers. 

 

Grown ups - please can you wear a mask if you are on the school site, and maintain social distance from one another. Staff will be asked to keep a social distance from parents and carers too.

What happens if I have children in different year groups or starting times?

 

We appreciate that lots of families will have brothers and sisters in different year groups, and some may be starting at the 2 different start times. Having 2 start times is the safest way to admit our large numbers of pupils, and with the number of school entrances we have into school at this time. We know you will understand and be patient with us during these highly unusual times! We will try to be as quick as we can getting the children in, will keep reviewing any health and safety guidance we get, and will make any changes we are directed to make.

 

What do children in Nursery and Reception do?

 

Children new to our Reception classes will be dropped off at school at 9:00, at the first main entrance. Miss Miles, EYFS lead, will be giving these parents information as to how this will look in their first few weeks.

 

Children attending Nursery – if your child attends a morning session, the times have had to slightly change. You will need to arrive at the first main gate entrance at the earlier time of 8:30am (no later please) and staff will be there to support you dropping off your child. At 11:30, the Nursery staff will bring all the children out and hand them over to the parent or carer who is collecting them.

If your child attends an afternoon session, they will need to arrive at the first main gate entrance (nearest the bike sheds) at 12:30 (no earlier or later please). Nursery staff will then come out to collect your children all together. At 3:30, the Nursery staff will bring the children back to this gate, and let the children leave with their parent/carer who is collecting them.

 

If you arrive late, what will happen?

 

It is really important that your child is in these lines at this time as if they arrive late, you will have to wait with them until all other children have been admitted into school, and then wait until a member of your child’s class bubble is available to collect them from the gate. This may take some time. This will be the same at the end of the day also.

 

What will happen at home time/collection times?

 

We need to make sure that all children are safely handed over to the parent/carer collecting them.

 

How do I collect a Year 3, 4, 5 or 6 child?

 

At 3:00 the children in Years 5 and 6 will be brought back to the main entrance gates - near the car park gate and school office doors.

Year 4 will be brought out of school near the stage in the playground (outside Year 1) and the Year 3 will be leaving school near their classrooms. 

Parents will be asked collect their children from these points. 

What happens if I need to speak to a member of staff?

 

As parents and carers will not be coming onto the school site, if you wish to speak to a member of staff, or pass a message on, we need to ask you to phone call the school office, or send the school a text message, asking someone to contact you back as soon as they can.

Please be mindful that staff won’t have any time to call or chat at the start of the school day as now, sadly, as we will all be focused on getting the children safely and quickly into school, and to start lessons.

We cannot admit lots of parents to the school office either, as this would not support safe social distancing. Please ring the office with any questions or queries you have first, and they will advise you on what to do next.

Again, this is very different to how we normally work, but know you will support us in this.

Please, please be patient with us – this is new and complicated for everyone.

 

Will there be after school activity clubs running?

 

There will be no after school clubs offered to the children in the Autumn term.

 

Will swimming lessons be on for Year 4?

 

Further information about this will be given to the Year 4 children in September. We are still waiting for guidance from the Sports Centre.