St Bartholomews

Dear Parents/ Carers,

I appreciate that some our parents and carers are anxious about housekeeping details regarding the safe return to school and as such, I have compiled a list of useful information that may answer a number of your questions and / or concerns. You may also find it useful to share this information with your child in order to prepare them for their return to school. We are working on specific start and finish times, in addition to other key areas that we will share with you in the next day or so. As always, thank you for your continued patience and support. St Bartholomew’s staff are all very much looking forward to seeing  our boys and girls next week – we can’t wait!

Kind regards,

Deirdre Bolland

General information;

• Children will start and finish at different times.
• Breaks and lunches will be at different times.
• Dinner ladies will wear masks and no cash will be taken in school. Dinner cards to be topped uponline, in adavance of ordering a school meal.
• We will advise on Breakfast Club when we have further information.

Uniforms and personal belongings;

• Children can bring a school bag containing a snack, packed lunch and water ( they must not share any of these items) Bags to be stored under desks.
• NO TOYS OR MOBILE PHONES.
• Full school uniform – please have clean uniform each day.
• Children can wear polo shirt on PE days. Further information will follow in this regard.
• If your child is unable to tie shoe laces then please provide them with Velcro fastening shoes etc.

Access to the building;

• Children will enter and exit the school building using different gates pertinent to their class.
• Parents/carers or any non council staff will not be allowed on the premises including the yard and any space within the school periphery.

Health and Safety;

• Children will be asked to wash their hands regularly throughout the day.
• Face coverings for children are not required unless clinically advised to do so.
• Enhanced cleaning will take place throughout the school day.
• Signage will be in place similar to shops for children to safely move around and for adults to distance.
• Adults will practise social distancing.
• Children will be encouraged to practise catching coughs, sneezes with a tissue and avoid face touching.
• Windows/ doors will be open for ventilation.

Dear Parents/ Carers,

North Lanarkshire Council have updated the recent letter from Derek Brown and is listed below, please accept apologies for any confusion.

Kind regards,

Deirdre Bolland

Dear Parent/Carer I am writing to update you on the plans to return to schools in North Lanarkshire. The Scottish Government announced last week that all schools should return by Tuesday 18 August. I am pleased to confirm that all schools will return from Wednesday 12 August, following a single in-service day on 11 August.
In common with many councils, the return to school will be phased as follows:
Primary schools
• Wednesday 12 August: Primary One, Primary Two, Primary Three. • Thursday 13 August: Primary One, Primary Four, Primary Five, Primary Six, Primary Seven. • From Friday 14 August: All pupils. All Primary One pupils will attend on 12, 13 and 14 August. Please note that schools may vary arrival times and departure times, particularly for Primary One classes. If this is the case, schools will be in contact to confirm these changes.
Secondary schools   • Wednesday 12 August: First Year, Second Year, Third Year. • Thursday 13 August: First Year, Fourth Year, Fifth Year, Sixth Year. • From Friday 14 August: All pupils. All First Year pupils will attend on 12, 13 and 14 August.
ASN schools
ASN schools will follow the phasing set out above. However, taking into account the specific needs of some children, there may be some variation. Where this is the case, the school will be in direct contact with you.
Nursery classes and Family Learning Centres
Those attending nursery classes at a primary school will return on Wednesday 12 August and those based at Family Learning Centres will return on Thursday 13 August. The exception to this is Stepping Stones Family Learning Centre, which is open on Wednesday 12 August. If you have not already heard from your provider confirming your child’s session, your provider will be in touch shortly.

Making schools as safe as possible for the return of young people has been our priority  throughout the summer. The guidance issued by the Scottish Government – which can  be accessed at www.gov.scot/coronavirus – makes it clear that a return to school is  not a return to normality.

Schools will look considerably different on pupils’ return. The government guidance makes it clear that schools must have clear plans for the arrival and departure of pupils, how they move around the building, how they manage breaks and lunches, and how they promote health and hygiene.
It is important that teachers are able to ensure young people are familiar with differences in their school and necessary safety and hygiene measures during the first days back. That is why we are putting in place the phased arrangements detailed above.
Schools are required under national guidance to undertake a considerable programme of risk assessment to ensure that they comply with government guidance. This will mean that a number of specific orientation activities will be undertaken with pupils and staff in the week of their return.
Inevitably, because of the different sizes of school and the different configurations of each building there will be some local variation. We have been working hard with head teachers and property managers to ensure there are individual risk assessments in place and extensive signage and other measures continue to be installed to support the new environment.
All of this is happening to minimise the risk of transmission of coronavirus. Equally, we have to be prepared for all eventualities and detailed planning is happening to respond to any positive cases and the measures that could be required if positive cases were to happen in a school setting.
Our prime focus during the first few days will be on health and wellbeing, and re-establishing relationships. We are aware that children and young people have missed the day to day routine of school life, but we also need to help them deal with issues that they might find challenging about returning to school.
In secondary schools, there will be the usual focus on course options, and, in relation to this, we are reviewing our plans to provide vocational learning, college programmes and consortium arrangements between schools for senior phase courses. Our intention is to find way to honour commitments to pupils, where possible, but we acknowledge that delivery of such programmes may look different in light of government guidance which makes clear that movement of pupils and staff across schools should be minimised.
On Wednesday 5 August, we will publish on our website extensive questions and answers based on the guidance and to give you some certainty about some of the anxieties you and your child may have. Inevitably, we will not be able to answer every single question but we will add to these as we approach the start of the school term.
These questions and answers, and all other information we have available, will be published on a dedicated page: www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/schoolplans. When we publish updates on this page we will announce those on the council’s Twitter feed (@nlcpeople) and on the council’s main Facebook page (www.facebook.com/nlcpeople). Schools will also publicise this on their own Twitter feeds, websites, blogs and via email and text.
In the meantime, I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for the support you have given to our schools over this challenging period. I speak for staff in all schools when I say that we will be delighted to welcome the pupils back, with our primary objective being to do this in the safest possible way.
Yours sincerely
Derek Brown Executive Director Education and Families

Dear parents and carers,

I hope that you have all enjoyed a relaxing break and again, thank you for your continued patience during these challenging times. All of our staff are very much looking forward to welcoming our boys and girls back from Wednesday 12th August.Please see below a letter from Derek Brown and we will be in touch again very soon to provide you with more specific information regarding the safe return of all of our pupils.

Thank you for your continued support,

Mrs Bolland

Dear Parent/Carer I am writing to update you on the plans to return to schools in North Lanarkshire. The Scottish Government announced last week that all schools should return by Monday 18 August. I am pleased to confirm that all schools will return from Wednesday 12 August, following a single in-service day on 11 August.
In common with many councils, the return to school will be phased as follows:
Primary schools
• Wednesday 12 August: Primary One, Primary Two, Primary Three. • Thursday 13 August: Primary One, Primary Four, Primary Five, Primary Six, Primary Seven. • From Friday 14 August: All pupils. All Primary One pupils will attend on 12, 13 and 14 August. Please note that schools may vary arrival times and departure times, particularly for Primary One classes. If this is the case, schools will be in contact to confirm these changes.
Secondary schools   • Wednesday 12 August: First Year, Second Year, Third Year. • Thursday 13 August: First Year, Fourth Year, Fifth Year, Sixth Year. • From Friday 14 August: All pupils. All First Year pupils will attend on 12, 13 and 14 August.
ASN schools
ASN schools will follow the phasing set out above. However, taking into account the specific needs of some children, there may be some variation. Where this is the case, the school will be in direct contact with you.
Nursery classes and Family Learning Centres
Those attending nursery classes at a primary school will return on Wednesday 12 August and those based at Family Learning Centres will return on Thursday 13 August. The exception to this is Stepping Stones Family Learning Centre, which is open on Wednesday 12 August. If you have not already heard from your provider confirming your child’s session, your provider will be in touch shortly.

Making schools as safe as possible for the return of young people has been our priority  throughout the summer. The guidance issued by the Scottish Government – which can  be accessed at www.gov.scot/coronavirus – makes it clear that a return to school is  not a return to normality.

Schools will look considerably different on pupils’ return. The government guidance makes it clear that schools must have clear plans for the arrival and departure of pupils, how they move around the building, how they manage breaks and lunches, and how they promote health and hygiene.
It is important that teachers are able to ensure young people are familiar with differences in their school and necessary safety and hygiene measures during the first days back. That is why we are putting in place the phased arrangements detailed above.
Schools are required under national guidance to undertake a considerable programme of risk assessment to ensure that they comply with government guidance. This will mean that a number of specific orientation activities will be undertaken with pupils and staff in the week of their return.
Inevitably, because of the different sizes of school and the different configurations of each building there will be some local variation. We have been working hard with head teachers and property managers to ensure there are individual risk assessments in place and extensive signage and other measures continue to be installed to support the new environment.
All of this is happening to minimise the risk of transmission of coronavirus. Equally, we have to be prepared for all eventualities and detailed planning is happening to respond to any positive cases and the measures that could be required if positive cases were to happen in a school setting.
Our prime focus during the first few days will be on health and wellbeing, and re-establishing relationships. We are aware that children and young people have missed the day to day routine of school life, but we also need to help them deal with issues that they might find challenging about returning to school.
In secondary schools, there will be the usual focus on course options, and, in relation to this, we are reviewing our plans to provide vocational learning, college programmes and consortium arrangements between schools for senior phase courses. Our intention is to find way to honour commitments to pupils, where possible, but we acknowledge that delivery of such programmes may look different in light of government guidance which makes clear that movement of pupils and staff across schools should be minimised.
On Wednesday 5 August, we will publish on our website extensive questions and answers based on the guidance and to give you some certainty about some of the anxieties you and your child may have. Inevitably, we will not be able to answer every single question but we will add to these as we approach the start of the school term.
These questions and answers, and all other information we have available, will be published on a dedicated page: www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/schoolplans. When we publish updates on this page we will announce those on the council’s Twitter feed (@nlcpeople) and on the council’s main Facebook page (www.facebook.com/nlcpeople). Schools will also publicise this on their own Twitter feeds, websites, blogs and via email and text.
In the meantime, I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for the support you have given to our schools over this challenging period. I speak for staff in all schools when I say that we will be delighted to welcome the pupils back, with our primary objective being to do this in the safest possible way.
Yours sincerely
Derek Brown Executive Director Education and Families

Please see the latest statement from North Lanarkshire Council below. Please be reassured that we will be in touch with changes to arrangements  as soon as we are able to. Again, thank you for your continued  patience.

From here;

Today’s announcement from the Scottish Government outlines the plan to reopen all schools on a full time basis from August.

We are currently considering the practicalities and implications of this announcement and will await further clarification and guidance from government, particularly in relation to public health and scientific advice.

Our priority is the safety of our pupils and staff across our network of primary, secondary and ASN schools, as well as our early learning and childcare settings.

We understand that you will have questions, and as this news was only announced today, we will make further information available on how this impacts on our schools and facilities in the coming days.

We are preparing for pupils to return full-time to school on 12 August and we will be working closely with our schools and partners, including our early years and childcare provision to establish our plans, which we will communicate as soon as we are in a position to.

As you are aware, letters have been recently sent out in respect of operating procedures for August in addition to class arrangements. It has come to my attention that some families have received these letters early this morning, whilst other have still to receive them, dependant on post delivery times. I have included a copy of the letter below. As always, with this current situation, could I ask you to appreciate that changes will undoubtedly occur between now and August and we will report these changes as and when they occur. Again, thank you for your patience.

Dear Parent / Carer

School Operating Procedures for August

I am writing to inform you of the new school operating procedures that will come into effect in August to ensure the ongoing safety of our pupils and staff, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. These include changes to: expectations around uniforms; how children enter and exit the school yard and building; start/finish times and confirmation of classes and class teachers.

School Uniforms
To ensure that school routines remain as familiar to the children as possible, school uniforms should be worn although children should not wear a tie. A white shirt or polo shirt and black trousers or skirt/gingham dress are acceptable in keeping with the standard St. Bartholomew’s school uniform.

Changes to school entry and exit procedures (outlined below) also require children to be dressed for all weather, including extreme weather, when coming to school. This should include a waterproof jacket or coat with a hood and warm clothing/footwear, as the weather dictates.

Entry and Exit Procedures
To avoid congestion at school entry and exit points, and for everyone’s safety, it will be necessary to allocate each class to a specific entry/exit gate and lining-up zone within the school. For clarity, access points and zones will be colour-coded and signage will be in place outside the school to direct parents/children to the correct entry/exit gate and zone. The table below outlines the access points and zones for each class:

Class Entry/Exit Gate Lining-Up Zone Start Time Finish Time
Primary 1 Dunvegan Avenue Blue Zone 1 9:10am 2:50pm
Primary 2 Dunvegan Avenue Blue Zone 1 9:05am 2:55pm
Primary 3 Dunvegan Avenue Blue Zone 1 9:00am 3:00pm
Primary 4 Rannoch Avenue Yellow Zone 2 9:00am 2:45pm
Primary 4/5 Rannoch Avenue Yellow Zone 2 9:00am 2:45pm
Primary 5 Rannoch Avenue Yellow Zone 2 9:05am 2:50pm
Primary 6 Rannoch Avenue Red Zone 3 9:10am 3:00pm
Primary 7a Rannoch Avenue Red Zone 3 9:05am 2:50pm
Primary 7b Rannoch Avenue Red Zone 3 9:15am 2:55pm

Please note that there will be strictly no access to the school grounds for any persons before 9am and there will be no adult supervision in place should children arrive before their designated time. It is

therefore imperative that children arrive at the time stated and that the entry gate is kept clear at all times. Class teachers will collect classes at the times outlined above and children will line up in the school grounds in their allocated zones, where physical distancing measures will be in place, before accessing the school building. Similarly, at finishing time, it is imperative that parents collect children at the times specified and keep all exit gates clear until called forward to collect their child.

I fully appreciate the challenges facing some parents who may have children entering and exiting different gates at different times and thank you in anticipation of your continuing support with our plans. Please be assured that the safety of our children, parents and staff is a priority and has been carefully considered in line with current physical distancing measures. Accordingly, our plans have been approved by North Lanarkshire Council and our Health and Safety Adviser.

Playtime and lunchtime
Breaks will be staggered to ensure that physical distancing can be maintained in the corridors, playground zones and dinner hall. Hot meals will be available and will be served in classrooms, but will be limited to the Red Option for children requiring school dinners. The choices will include: burgers; macaroni and cheese; chicken curry and fish and chips. Packed lunches will also be available and children are permitted to bring their own packed lunches however these need to be carried within disposable packaging. Please note that, while physical distancing measures remain in place, children should be discouraged from going home at lunchtime.

Cashless system
From August, cash can no longer be accepted in school. It will therefore be necessary for parents/carers to use our current cashless system. Full details of how to access this system through parent’s portal was issued through email. If you did not receive this email and your email provided has perhaps changed please contact school.

Personal belongings
Children should not bring any personal belongings to school. This includes water bottles, lunch boxes, bags, toys and stationery. Children may bring water in plastic bottles that must be disposed of at the end of the school day and water will also be available to buy within the school. Please be assured that children will be given all of the other resources that they need on arrival at school each day.

Access for Parents/Carers
In line with North Lanarkshire Council’s guidelines, entry to the school yard and building for parents/carers will be by appointment only. There will be strictly no access to the school yard for parents/carers at any time, unless by prior arrangement. It is therefore important that children arrive at school at their designated time, on time, each day. Where children arrive late to school, they should enter through their designated gate and make their own way to the Main Reception door before reporting to the school office.

Primary Classes and Class Teachers
We can confirm our class arrangements and class teachers for the new school session in August as follows:

P1 Mrs MacLean P4 Miss McLaughlin P6 Miss Connor/Mrs Wilson/Miss Allington
P2 Mrs Carlin P4/5 Miss Humes P7a Mrs Crielly
P3 Miss Duffy P5 Ms Kiernan P7b Mrs MacFarlane

It has been necessary to create a Primary 4/5 composite class to ensure an equal provision of time in school for all pupils. This composite arrangement will remain in place for the duration of the 2020/2021 school year. Parents of those children allocated to the Primary 4/5 composite class have already been
notified by letter. Therefore, if your child is moving in to P4 or P5 in August, and you have not received a letter to this effect, your child has not been allocated to the composite class.

In Primary 6, due to the class size, and to allow physical distancing to be appropriately maintained, Miss Allington will assist Miss Connor and Mrs Wilson with a small number of P6 pupils. Another classroom will be set up within the school to accommodate this. Please note that this is not a composite arrangement and that Miss Connor and Mrs Wilson will continue to plan and monitor the progress of all P6 pupils.

Our plans for August have been developed in line with Scottish Government guidelines and the advice provided by North Lanarkshire Council. I am sure you will appreciate that the current situation is ever-changing and that our plans may be subject to change, as the situation dictates. We will, of course, keep you up-to-date with any changes as soon as we are in a position to do so and thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you once again for your continuing support during this unprecedented period. I fully appreciate the challenges that many parents/carers have faced in juggling the demands of work, home life and home-schooling and the challenges that we, as a school community, will continue to face together in the months ahead. Please be assured that school staff are working exceptionally hard to prepare the school for August and every effort is being made to ensure that we are continuing to provide a warm, welcoming environment for the children’s safe return. I thank you in advance for adhering to the foregoing guidelines and contributing to our whole-school and community effort during this period.

Yours sincerely

Deirdre Bolland
Head Teacher

In accordance with the information below, we will send out letters on Monday in respect of the days that your child will attend school from August. We will also send out letters regarding arrangements for August in respect of government guidelines and housekeeping matters. Thank you in advance for your continued cooperation and patience.

Deirdre Bolland

Please see below, the latest letter from Derek Brown, our Executive Director;

Dear Parent / Carer
Clarification of Arrangements for August
You may recall that I wrote to you earlier in the month with information about our emerging plans for August. At that point, we were still awaiting government guidance regarding the planned return of pupils as part of phase three of the Scottish Government’s Strategic Route Map to Recovery. Since then we have been undertaking detailed consultation with stakeholders about our plans to support all children and young people.
Firstly, we are making plans based on the information we currently have available to us, and that the assumptions we are making for how schools will operate in August are still subject to change. Due to the two-metre physical distancing guidance, our schools will be able to admit between 40% and 50% of pupils at any given time, although this may vary positively in some locations due to the size of school building itself and any suitable surrounding facilities which could be utilised. We are planning to offer a minimum of two days of in-school education for all pupils, with access to enhanced in-school learning provided as and when we are able to expand our models locally.
This will be directly supported by a much enhanced digital learning model, which will be an additional support for pupils’ in-school learning, and which will be coordinated through our new digital school. Planning for this is taking account of feedback from parents we have consulted.
Following consultation with trade unions and with our Parent Council Chairs we are proposing to run a four and a half day school week for primary children, with the half day being on a Wednesday, with a key focus around support for our most vulnerable children. The model for secondary schools involves flexible arrangements which will be arranged by schools themselves. Schools will write to parents as soon as possible to clarify specific arrangements for children, including which days of the week each year group will attend. In ASN schools, timetabling arrangements will mirror those of primary schools with Wednesdays being a key focus for our most vulnerable children.
We are restating out commitment to family-focused planning by asking schools to ensure that siblings are supported to come to school on the same day.
We also intend to have one in-service day on Tuesday 11 August, with pupils starting back at school on Wednesday 12 August, as per government guidance. The week will be organised and communicated at a school level, but the expectation of North Lanarkshire Council is that all pupils will be in school for at least part of that first week.
The second in-service day is still required under national arrangements and we intend that it is scheduled for Thursday 24 September.
Naturally, should there be any substantial change to national policy which allows us to bring pupils back for a greater proportion of the school week, or indeed, further expand educational resources out with traditional school facilities, we will be in touch again to outline how we intend to accomplish this.
Once again, we wish to thank you all for your and support in helping us to plan these interim arrangements.
Yours sincerely
Derek Brown Executive Director, Education & Families
Councillor Frank McNally Convener of Education & Families

Please see below, a letter from our Executive Director, Derek Brown in respect of the recovery plan;

Dear Parent/Carer,

Firstly we would like to thank you and all our children and young people for being so patient, understanding and accommodating during this unparalleled health emergency.

We do not underestimate the challenges faced by young people, who have been unable to see their friends and who have had their routines disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Equally, we understand that, for parents and carers, the challenges of supporting children with learning at home while managing other changes brought about by coronavirus may have been very difficult.

We would also like to pay tribute to all our teachers and other education staff who are working hard to provide digital learning and many of whom have also been involved in keeping our community hubs open so that the children of key workers and vulnerable groups can be looked after.

Understandably you may be feeling anxious about how your child will access education following the summer break and we wanted to outline our plans. We aim to ensure that all our children and young people are fully supported and we have been working hard to make plans across early years, primary, secondary and additional support needs schools.

As you are aware, all schools and nursery classes in Scotland have been closed since 24 March as part of the national lockdown arrangements and we have been ensuring continuity of education provision through home and online learning. We know that schools and centres have been making great efforts to stay in contact with parents, carers and pupils over the last two months and we appreciate that this has been challenging.

The Scottish Government recently announced that children and young people will return to school and early learning and childcare settings on 11 August as long as it is safe to do so.

Teachers and other education staff will return to schools and early learning and childcare settings in June to prepare and plan for the forthcoming academic year. Access for those pupils who are transitioning to Primary 1 and Secondary 1 will be arranged, albeit in small groups and with their families, from 15 June. Head teachers and heads of centres at individual schools/centres will be in contact with parents and carers of transitioning children to confirm arrangements.
We are working hard on recovery plans to deliver a blended learning model from August 11, incorporating a mix of in-classroom teaching with home and online learning. This mixed model of learning is needed because the need to have physical distancing measures in schools and early learning and childcare settings means we are not able to accommodate the normal number of children every day. We have already been putting measures in place to assist pupils who require access to digital devices and schools will be in direct contact with those affected.

Health and safety sits at the heart of our plans, with risk assessments and infection prevention and control measures in place. We are working on a range of options which may include smaller groups of pupils being in school for shorter periods and over fewer days, possibly with staggered start, end and break times.

Schools, classrooms and playrooms will also look somewhat different to before, with fewer pupils, group learning, outdoor and alternative classrooms, enhanced hand hygiene and cleaning routines and step by step guidance to help maintain physical distancing.

We know this will be challenging for some young people. Physical distancing is difficult for everyone, but especially children and we will have signage and practical help in place to make sure your child is supported.

Our facilities management team is busy preparing our schools and centres for this. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for teachers, early learning and childcare and support staff may be required for some early learning and support settings where close contact with children is required. There is no requirement for children and young people to wear PPE as a general rule.

We know that you will have a lot of questions around how schools and centres will operate, as well as issues including school transport, practical considerations for ASN pupils and future SQA exams. You will understand that this is a complex and fast-moving situation and we are working as hard as possible to finalise the details. We assure you that we will update all parents and pupils as soon as we can.

Childcare support will also be important to you as some parents and carers start to return to work and we are exploring complementary options for families of key workers and support for vulnerable young people.

You and your child’s health and wellbeing is of the utmost importance. We hope you have been able to access some of the support resources available if you need it. You can find out more about them in the ‘advice for parents’ section at www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/coronavirus.

We also have a support helpline for parents and pupils which can be accessed by phoning 01236 812 380 during the hours of 10am until 3pm, Monday to Friday.

We will be in touch soon with more details about the return to school. We look forward to welcoming your children back to a safe learning environment in August and thank you again for your patience and perseverance throughout this period.

Regards,
Councillor Frank McNally
Convener
Education and Families

Please find below an important letter from Derek Brown, Executive Director, in respect of NLC’s recovery plans for returning to school.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank many of our parents/ carers who have supported their children in digital learning and as you will read from the information below, digital learning will continue to play a large part in children’s education for the foreseeable future. All of the staff at St Bartholomew’s are very much looking forward to seeing all of our pupils, families and wider school community in August. You will be informed on specific details regarding the days that your child is to attend school as soon as we can. You will also be in receipt of end of year reports over a period of a week or so. Reports will be emailed to you this year, from the details that you have our clerical staff with. Thank you again to all of our parents and carers who have provided appropriate details as digital communication is crucial at this time. Should this information remain outstanding, please contact Mrs Dunn in our school office and she will be delighted to help you.

As always, please do not hesitate to  contact me should you require further information and may you and your families continue to remain safe and well.

Kind regards,

Deirdre Bolland,

Head Teacher

Dear Parent/Carer

I am pleased to have the opportunity to write to you to outline the progress we have made in planning for the return of children to school from August 11 onwards. It is anticipated that we will clarify arrangements in more detail in June, but what follows is an outline of our planning and a description of the steps we are taking to consult with various groups of stakeholders.
Planning Assumptions
In August, we have to plan, first and foremost, on the basis of safety. We need to ensure that your child and the staff in schools are as safe as possible and that the opportunity for viral transmission is reduced as far as possible.
In addition, due to government stipulations on physical distancing (2 metres squared, being used as a basic stipulation for schools, and anticipated guidance on smaller groupings in early years settings) it is likely that the capacity of settings to welcome children and young people will be between 40%-50% of current volumes.
We also have a reduction in staff capacity due to the continued need (under Scottish Government guidance) for staff who are part of the shielding programme to continue to work from home, as has been the case during the emergency lockdown period. It is difficult to quantify this absolutely at present, but the service is planning on the availability of 80-85% staff being able to attend work as a basic assumption.
Therefore, as Scottish Government advice makes clear, there will need to be models deployed in local authorities and in private settings which incorporate what the First Minister has called, ‘partial delivery’ and ‘blended learning.’
Opening Schools
It likely that all young people, with the exception of the children of key workers and designated vulnerable groups will receive between 40%-50% of pre-lockdown education and childcare provision in the recovery period.
While this is enormously challenging for staff in schools and settings, as well as for the young people and those who care for them, it is an absolute requirement if Scotland is to
recover its services fully in a way that prioritises health and safety and minimises viral transmission.

In schools, most pupils will experience a partial in-school timetable, equivalent to a minimum two days most weeks, supplemented by an enhanced online digital learning offering and the potential for wider community based support. In primary, the priority will be to take a family- centred approach, overseen by head teachers. In secondary, due to the need to align the senior phase with the offering of key partners, such as New College Lanarkshire, there will be a focus on key year groups attending on particular days.
Importantly, further consultation on how this will operate in practice will take place in June, and the precise detail will be clarified before the end of the school session, in plenty of time for August.
Early Years
In Early Years, the Scottish Government decision to pause the roll out of the 1140 Hours Expansion programme, due to the need to reduce staff:child ratios, means that it will be likely that most parents will receive 600 hours, which they are entitled to by statute.
This is based entirely on the prioritisation of critical child care for the children of key workers and vulnerable children as set out by the Scottish Government. Where local authorities make a critical childcare offer to key worker families and vulnerable families, this should be free at the point of access during the emergency response period.
To ensure settings are as safe as possible for children and staff, there is an expectation that all settings will put in place arrangements to accommodate physical distancing. This will also potentially reduce capacity within individual settings.
How this all works in the recovery period will depend on further advice and guidance from Scottish Government, due to be published on 15 June on arrangements for early years’ settings, including private funded providers. Following this, further dialogue will take place with partner providers regarding how they can adapt their settings to comply with guidance and draw down funding from the framework and further communication will take place with parents and carers.
Consultation and Communications
We hope to enlist the support of the members our representative parent groups for the approach we are advocating, which is grounded in clear national guidance and the professional advice of our own central officer teams.
Any plans being brought forward are being done with reference to existing council policy and we will continue to communicate with you as things develop.
We understand you will have questions, many of which we are unable to answer at this point. We are working as hard as possible to manage all of the details and we will keep you updated by letter and at www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/schoolplans.
Yours sincerely
Derek Brown
Executive Director, Education and Families

Please find a letter below from Derek Brown in respect of plans for June and beyond. This letter has been emailed to parents and for those who do not have access to email, a text has been sent, signposting you to this site. Thank you for your continued support and patience and we all appreciate how challenging these unprecedented times have been for our entire school comminity. We look forward to welcoming back our  primary 7  pupils, and indeed,our new Primary 1 pupils in June.

Dear Parent/Carer,

Firstly we would like to thank you and all our children and young people for being so patient, understanding and accommodating during this unparalleled health emergency.

We do not underestimate the challenges faced by young people, who have been unable to see their friends and who have had their routines disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Equally, we understand that, for parents and carers, the challenges of supporting children with learning at home while managing other changes brought about by coronavirus may have been very difficult.

We would also like to pay tribute to all our teachers and other education staff who are working hard to provide digital learning and many of whom have also been involved in keeping our community hubs open so that the children of key workers and vulnerable groups can be looked after.

Understandably you may be feeling anxious about how your child will access education following the summer break and we wanted to outline our plans. We aim to ensure that all our children and young people are fully supported and we have been working hard to make plans across early years, primary, secondary and additional support needs schools.

As you are aware, all schools and nursery classes in Scotland have been closed since 24 March as part of the national lockdown arrangements and we have been ensuring continuity of education provision through home and online learning. We know that schools and centres have been making great efforts to stay in contact with parents, carers and pupils over the last two months and we appreciate that this has been challenging.

The Scottish Government recently announced that children and young people will return to school and early learning and childcare settings on 11 August as long as it is safe to do so.

Teachers and other education staff will return to schools and early learning and childcare settings in June to prepare and plan for the forthcoming academic year. Access for those pupils who are transitioning to Primary 1 and Secondary 1 will be arranged, albeit in small groups and with their families, from 15 June. Head teachers and heads of centres at individual schools/centres will be in contact with parents and carers of transitioning children to confirm arrangements.

We are working hard on recovery plans to deliver a blended learning model from August 11, incorporating a mix of in-classroom teaching with home and online learning. This mixed model of learning is needed because the need to have physical distancing measures in schools and early learning and childcare settings means we are not able to accommodate the normal number of children every day. We have already been putting measures in place to assist pupils who require access to digital devices and schools will be in direct contact with those affected.

Health and safety sits at the heart of our plans, with risk assessments and infection prevention and control measures in place. We are working on a range of options which may include smaller groups of pupils being in school for shorter periods and over fewer days, possibly with staggered start, end and break times.

Schools, classrooms and playrooms will also look somewhat different to before, with fewer pupils, group learning, outdoor and alternative classrooms, enhanced hand hygiene and cleaning routines and step by step guidance to help maintain physical distancing.

We know this will be challenging for some young people. Physical distancing is difficult for everyone, but especially children and we will have signage and practical help in place to make sure your child is supported.

Our facilities management team is busy preparing our schools and centres for this. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for teachers, early learning and childcare and support staff may be required for some early learning and support settings where close contact with children is required. There is no requirement for children and young people to wear PPE as a general rule.

We know that you will have a lot of questions around how schools and centres will operate, as well as issues including school transport, practical considerations for ASN pupils and future SQA exams. You will understand that this is a complex and fast-moving situation and we are working as hard as possible to finalise the details. We assure you that we will update all parents and pupils as soon as we can.

Childcare support will also be important to you as some parents and carers start to return to work and we are exploring complementary options for families of key workers and support for vulnerable young people.

You and your child’s health and wellbeing is of the utmost importance. We hope you have been able to access some of the support resources available if you need it. You can find out more about them in the ‘advice for parents’ section at www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/coronavirus.

We also have a support helpline for parents and pupils which can be accessed by phoning 01236 812 380 during the hours of 10am until 3pm, Monday to Friday.

We will be in touch soon with more details about the return to school. We look forward to welcoming your children back to a safe learning environment in August and thank you again for your patience and perseverance throughout this period.

Regards,

Councillor Frank McNally Convener Education and Families

Derek Brown Executive Director Education and Families

Dear parents and carers,

Theses are unprecedented times and safety is our number one priority and as such, please see the letter below from our Head of Education. I have arranged for this letter to be sent out to our parents who have access to email at around 8am on Monday morning. If you are a key worker and have decided to bring your your child to school, our staff will ask you to complete a pro forma. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this very important matter.

Deirdre Bolland

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