Dear Parent

As you will be aware, there is a new variant of the COVID-19 virus, the Delta variant, spreading at an alarming rate across the whole country and it has now reached our area. 

The communities of Minsterley and Hanwood have already been significantly affected and there is great concern that our community will be too. 

So, I ask that if you, or anyone in your family, display any symptoms then to isolate immediately and book a PCR test. Please also remember that every adult is entitled to free rapid Lateral Flow tests to take twice weekly at home, but these should only be used if you do not have any symptoms. 

As well as a persistent cough and loss of taste, many people have reported the symptoms with the Delta variant as a headache, runny nose, a sore throat followed by a fever. 

Please remember that it is any, not all, of these symptoms. 

Children displaying any symptoms in school will be immediately isolated and parents contacted to collect them. 

With the roll out of the vaccination program and so much optimistic news from the Government, I think we all thought we were through this terrible time. It has been a real shock to discover that once again it is presenting such a clear and present danger to us all!  

Please therefore be super vigilant. It would be awful if I had to close a ‘bubble’, or the whole school, due to a COVID-19 outbreak this close to the end of term. 

Mr Langford 

Dear Parents 

From next Tuesday, 4th May, the front gate will open at 8.45am, our normal, pre-Covid–19, opening time. 

The arrival time will therefore be between 8.45am until 9.00am. 

The side gates will be locked at 9.00am, so any arrivals after this time must enter via the school’s main entrance. Also, if you need to collect your child for an appointment during the day, please go to reception. A member of staff will then bring your child to meet you. 

Have a super bank holiday weekend. 

Mr Langford 

Dear parents 

Just a quick post to say how very pleased I am with the way all children have come back to school after the Easter break. They have returned in fantastic spirits and their attitude has been exemplary. It is also great to see so many, especially our younger children, coming in and walking to their classrooms on their own. Whilst encouraging this independence, don’t forget parents that if you are still needed, or have a message for your child’s class teacher, you can of course continue to accompany your child to the classroom door. 

Thank you also to those parents who continue to support the school by wearing a face covering when dropping off or collecting children. Even though Shropshire is experiencing very low Covid-19 infection rates, the wearing of a face covering is still recommended in Government guidelines. I therefore ask, unless you are exempt and wear an exemption badge, that everyone is to wear a face covering when on school grounds. 

Since the return of all pupils to school on the 8th March, we have been lenient with children who have understandably been wearing alternative uniform due to having outgrown their existing uniform during lockdown. However, now that shops have fully reopened, we are expecting all children to be wearing the correct full school uniform and black school shoes (not black trainers).  We will soon start contacting parents if your child is sent to school wearing the wrong uniform or school shoes. 

Please ensure all school uniform, PE kit items and coats etc. have your child’s name clearly labelled in them. 

To clarify, our school uniform is as follows: 

• Royal-blue sweatshirt with school logo or cardigan with school logo. 
• White or royal blue polo shirt with or without school logo. 
• Grey trousers or grey skirt, or grey pinafore dress. 
• Grey shorts or pale blue and white checked summer dresses can be worn in the summer. 

• Plain socks or tights should be worn (grey or black socks for boys; and grey, black or white socks or tights for girls). 
• Black school shoes (trainers are not permitted). 

Our PE kit is as follows: 

• royal blue school t-shirt (with logo); 
• navy shorts; 

• a navy blue fleece (available from school with logo); 
• navy tracksuit bottoms for outdoor P.E. during the winter months; 
• trainers or pumps; 
• a named P.E. bag. 

School sweatshirts, cardigans, polo shirts, PE t-shirts, PE fleeces, PE shorts, hats, coats, book bags and water bottles are all available to order on the School Money website. 

Thank you for your understanding and support and, as ever, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact. 

Mr Langford

Dear parents

Just a quick post to say how very much every member of staff is looking forward to greeting all children back on Monday. It will be so lovely to see everyone back.

I am very aware that a significant amount of time has passed since many of our children have been in school and that during this time they will have grown! Therefore school uniform may not even get close to fitting!

Please do not worry about this, especially with school shoes which are undoubtedly now several sizes too small! Our uniform policy will be relaxed for the first few weeks back so please just do your best…and remember, no pencil cases please.

Finally, the local authority has asked all schools to send out a reminder to families that, from Monday, attendance is compulsory for all school age children.

Have a super weekend

Mr Langford

Dear parents

We are delighted to be welcoming back all our children next Monday on the 8^th March. This has been a tremendously difficult period for everybody and we would like to thank all parents for being so supportive during this lockdown and understanding of the difficult decisions that have had to have been made.

From next Monday, the procedures we will be asking parents to follow at the beginning and end of every day and information about how school will operate is detailed below.   There have been some changes so please read all of the information carefully.

General Information

• School uniform is to be worn as usual.
• Children are to wear PE kits all day on days when they have PE. They will not be asked to change. All children will also have a Forest School/Gardening day until Easter on these days children can come to school in old clothes that they don’t mind getting a bit mucky. Each class teacher will let you know which days these are required.
• The school kitchen will be open as usual. Children will have their dinner in the hall in their class ‘bubbles’ in separate sittings and discrete areas.
• Playtimes will be staggered and ‘bubbles’ will have designated zones in which to play.
• All requirements for children with Individual Learning Plans or Educational Health Care Plans, including visits from key professionals, will carry on as normal.

Beginning and end of the day

New School Gate

Hopefully, by the 8^th March, there will be a new entrance to the playground on Linley Terrace. We are reinstating the old gate next to the large tree at the end of the existing diagonal path from the playground. Some of you may remember it although it was taken out several years ago!

This new gate will change our beginning and end-of-day procedures, so please do read the following.

• The school gate will open at 8.40am and will shut at 9.00am
• At the beginning of the day, we would like to encourage children to go to the classroom doors by themselves to try and reduce the amount of footfall on the school site as much as possible. There will be members of staff on the playground each day to supervise the children and ensure they get to their classrooms. Parents and children will enter through the existing front school gate and then exit through the new gate. Any parents who need to speak to their class teacher urgently or have children who are particularly anxious about coming into school independently, are to continue anti-clockwise around the school and exit via the side gate onto the front, visitor carpark.
• At the end of the day, parents are asked to collect their children from the back door of their classrooms between 3.05pm and 3.20pm. Parents of children in Years 4, 5, 6 and 1 are to enter through the front, visitor car park, as before, and follow the existing one way system to the classrooms doors and exit through the new gate.  Parents of Reception, Year 2 and Year 3 are to enter through the old front gate as in the morning, collect children from classrooms doors and exit again through the new gate.  If you have siblings in different classes please follow the existing one way system for collection.

• Parents are asked to obey strict 2 metres social distancing requirements at all times whilst on the school site and ensure that children adhere to this as well. We also ask parents not to congregate outside the school in groups before the gate is unlocked in the morning or in the afternoon.
• We still require all parents to wear a face mask when on school site unless they are exempt.

Equipment

• Children are to come to school with their lunchbox (if they are not having a hot dinner), water bottle and coat. (No rucksacks)
• EYFS/KS1 children are to bring reading books in every day. Please only send these in a PPS blue book bag, or just in the clear plastic wallet provided. We cannot have large rucksacks in school as they take up too much space and we don’t want anything unnecessary coming into school.
• KS2 children will keep their reading books in school. We will ensure that children read everyday.  Children may take a book to read at home, but this must stay at home until they have finished the book.
• Children now do not need a pencil case as we have enough equipment in school for children to have their own named pen, pencil etc. Please do not send pencil cases into school.

Wraparound Club and After School Clubs

Until Easter, whilst Covid-19 infection rates are still very high, we will not be running our wraparound club and apologise for any inconvenience this causes. Before and after school provision will therefore start again after the Easter holiday as will after school Crossbar clubs.

Curriculum

We are so proud of the work that you have completed at home throughout this lockdown period.  We appreciate that is has been tough and that circumstances have been different for every family.  We will work extremely hard to ensure that the children’s return to school is a positive experience.

As well as making sure that the curriculum for this term is being covered, we are very aware that some children will have been adversely affected by the isolation and may be very nervous about returning to school.   We will therefore be building in opportunities until Easter for children to ‘catch-up’ on other experiences that they have missed: playing, teamwork, communicating with others and simply having fun with their friends.

Each class will work on a range of activities including, team-building games, forest school, gardening, art, mindfulness activities, music, games and activities to encourage discussions about feelings and emotions, outdoor games and using wonderful picture books to promote discussion and inspire learning.  We hope that these activities will help children to settle back into school quickly, help to build their stamina for a full day of learning, and most importantly help them to be happy and enthusiastic about returning to school.

All staff are really excited and cannot wait to welcome back all our children next Monday. Although we will still be working in bubbles, we hope this is the end of the last ‘lockdown’ and that we all will be returning to normal life as soon as possible.

Mr Langford Miss Roberts Mrs Hilditch