August 2020
Dear Parent / Carer,
Further to a group call you should have received and in response to the latest Scottish Government and West Lothian Council Guidance, arrangements have been made for a phased return to school from, Wednesday, 12th August 2020. We would like to thank you for your patience in receiving this information.
PHASED RETURN DATES: Wednesday 12th – Friday 14th August
New Primary 1 pupils should attend in the mornings only for the first week. Pupils should arrive at the infant
playground for a 9am start, where they will be met by a member of staff and be escorted to their class.
Unfortunately parents/carers are unable to access the classrooms at this time.
On the first morning, the staff member will distribute an individual location number to the parent of each child
in Primary 1, Primary 2/1 and Primary 2.
This is the pick –up area within the infant playground where parents will wait to collect their children at
the end of the school day. For the Primary 1 children pick up time will be will be 12.20pm, each day, for the
first week. On the weeks thereafter, children will be in school for a full day and will be escorted to meet their parent/carer a class at a time.. This will be P2 followed by P1 then P1/2.
- Wednesday 12th August P1 (am only,) Primary 2 – 4 pupils to attend (full day)
- Thursday 13th August P1 (am only,) Primary 5 – 7 pupils to attend (full day)
- Friday 14th August All P1—7 pupils to attend for full morning
On Wednesday 12th August and Thursday 13th August, pupils who are not in attendance at school will be provided with home learning by their teacher. For P5-7 this will be on Glow Teams and children should log on as they did before the summer break. For P2-4, teachers will provide work for the children when they are in school on Wednesday 12th.
Parents are not allowed in the playground at drop off time. Staff will be in the playground to direct and support children.
To maintain 2 metres distance from other adults, only one person may collect the child. Parents MUST stand at the playground markers. Where possible, P3—7 parents are advised to arrange a drop off / pick up point out with the school grounds to pick up their child so that there is no congestion around the school gates at entrance / exit points.
Please adhere strictly to your drop off and pick up times and do not wait at the gates. As far as it is safe to do so, children and parents/carers are encouraged to travel to school on foot, bike, scooter or park and stride. Parents should park in Gateside Road as there is no parking for parents in front of the school. Please do not park in the school grounds or staff car park as it presents a significant threat to the safety of our pupils and prevents school transport from moving safely within the grounds. There are designated parking bays for people with disabled permits.
Risk Assessment
Please be assured that the safety and health and wellbeing of our pupils and staff is our key priority and we will adhere strictly to advice from the Scottish Government and WL Council to ensure that everyone is safe and well.
The new risk assessment will include essential public health measures such as:
- enhanced hygiene and environmental cleaning arrangements;
- minimising contact with others and physical distancing for adults;
- wearing appropriate personal protective equipment where necessary;
- a requirement that people who are ill, to stay at home; and
- active engagement with Test and Protect.
Please note that there is no requirement for children to wear a face covering or for physical distancing between children in a primary school.
Anyone with a high temperature, new continuous cough, loss of (or change in) sense of smell or taste, or who has had contact with a family/community member with symptoms, should not attend school. If a child begins to display these symptoms when in school they will be isolated and will be asked to return home thereafter parents should arrange testing. Information on Track and Trace procedures will be given when the child is collected.
Information on groups of children within the school, and on school transport and the adults that each child is in contact with is being collected to support Track and Trace procedures. This may mean the sharing of names with official public health contact tracers.
Recovery Planning
Our recovery plan reinforces the importance of literacy, numeracy and wellbeing. Supporting social and emotional needs will be a priority. We recognise that some children will need additional time and support to re-adjust to the school environment.
School Transport
If your child is entitled to travel to school on the school bus, this will be regarded as an extension of the school estate and it is not necessary to maintain distance between children and young people of all ages (subject to continued low levels of infection within Scotland). Face coverings are not necessary on dedicated school transport. Maintaining distance between pupils on dedicated school transport is not necessary. Mitigations will be put in place including hygiene, ventilation, improved cleaning regimes involving regular and thorough cleaning of surfaces.
School Meals / Breakfast club / Playtime
- Breakfast Club will resume on 12th August and pupils can have breakfast at the start of the day between
8.15am and 8.40am. Pupils should enter through the upper playground gate then go to the right hand door as
they normally would
- Lunch service will resume from the school servery. Pupils may bring packed lunches from home, for their
own consumption
- Staggered breaks and lunch times will also be implemented to minimise contact between groups of pupils
FAQs
Should children wear school uniform in August?
Pupils should wear school uniform as normal.
PE kit consists of
- black / dark coloured shorts / jogging bottoms / leggings
- white T shirt or polo shirt
- plimsoll or plain trainers for outdoors PE (please do not send expensive trainers)
We will use the outdoor area for PE as much as we possibly can so please take this into account and ensure your child has appropriate PE kit / sun cream for outdoor PE.
Your child’s teacher will let you know when the PE days are once we have returned to school and new timetables are in place.
As a safety measure, please send your child to school wearing their PE kit with a school jumper on top on PE days until further notice so that they do not have to change clothes in school.
Please ensure your child is appropriately dressed for the weather every day as children will participate more in outdoor learning activities, as well as going outside for PE, breaks and lunch time. If the weather is good, please ensure your child is wearing sun cream. If you need support with uniform, PE kit, waterproofs or outdoor clothing, please contact the school office.
Where will my child go on the first day?
There are signs displayed around the school which show the entrance door / lining up area for all classes. Staff will be present to support pupils to locate their area and entrance. Please not that P1 and P1/2 parents and children should enter using the car park gate, follow the one way system and ensure they maintain 2 metres distance from other adults. P3-7 pupils should use the upper playground gate. Staff will also be available to help the children in the mornings and at home time.
Please remember that P3—P7 parents should not enter the school grounds but should arrange a drop off pick up point out with the school grounds. As far as it is safe to do so, children are encouraged to travel the final part of the journey to and from the school gate alone to meet a member of staff or parent.
If you would like to speak to a member of staff, please call the school to book an appointment. Parents should not enter the school building unless they have an appointment.
What should my child bring to school?
- Your child should only bring essential items to school. Every child will be given their own pack of writing and
coloured pencils from the school, along with other items of stationery, so there is no need to bring their own.
- Children may bring a packed lunch to school
- Please do not allow your child to bring toys or other non -essential items to school
- Snack for playtime ( this will be eaten in class, after cleaning hands, before or after break)
- Children can bring hand sanitiser if they wish. Please write their name on the container.
Please continue to check the app for further updates over this last week of the holiday. I am sure you will understand that this is a developing situation and things can change at short notice according to national and local guidance. You can also see a ‘Back to School’ animation on the WL Council website
https://westlothian.gov.uk/back-to-school.
We are all looking forward to seeing our children next week. The safety of our pupils, parents and staff is of prime concern to us and we will follow guidelines to ensure we keep everyone safe. We understand that you may be anxious about the new arrangements and may have questions. Please use the school email or answer service to contact us and we will work with you to answer any questions. Thank you for your continued support. Please take care and stay safe!
Frances Burns
Mrs F Burns
Head Teacher
