INFORMATION FOR RECEPTION PARENTS ABOUT THE RE-OPENING OF SCHOOL (updated 19/6/20)

Following recent changes in national and then local guidance, we are very happy to be able to welcome Reception children back to school from Wednesday 24th June.  I'm sure you will agree, with the Reception year in full swing, it was a great shame that school was forced to close in March due to Coronavirus.  However, I have enormous belief in both the resilience of children and the skill and dedication of our team, so we are ready to make the very best of a difficult situation in these final four weeks of the school year.  School will be a little bit different in some ways, as I will explain, but the children will still have the chance to be close to their friends, re-tune to learning and begin to make up for the time they have unfortunately lost from this school year.  Much has been made in the press of the 'damage' that has been done by this gap and there is no doubt, every child in the country has missed out on important learning, but we believe these four weeks will be a very significant step to getting back up to speed with the children's learning journey.

I have included some photos below to show you some of the differences you will see, so they are not a shock to you next week.  The most important priority for us is the safety of your child, the parents and our staff.  Although the risk of Coronavirus is now very low, we must remember that there is still a risk wherever we go, including school, which means that we need to make a few adjustments to the children's memory of 'normal'.

It is recognised by the government and everyone in the profession that it is an unreasonable expectation to enforce social distancing with children so young.  Therefore children in Reception will NOT be kept at a 2 metre distance from each other.  Instead, they will be taught in groups of no more than 15 children, called 'bubbles'.

At this stage, we do not know exactly how many children we will have back from Wednesday and this number may go up or down over the next few weeks.  If 15 or less children come back to school next week, they will form one bubble with one teacher.  If more than 15 children return, which we anticipate will happen, the children will be split into two groups, chosen by Miss Gold, Miss Ashley and the EY team, in the best interest of the children.

If the class are split into two bubbles, as we expect, some of the children will be in the Reception classroom and some will be in the Nursery classroom.  This means that the children will be separated as the government guidance dictates, but will still be able to see each other through the glass divide.  They will not be able to share the outdoor space at the same time.  The children will be taught and looked after by Early Years staff who they are all familiar with, including Nursery staff.

Arriving at School

When you arrive with your child in the morning, different age groups will need to use different entrances.  Because we have to stay apart, we can't all come through one narrow gate, so Reception parents and children have their own gate near to the Christ Church car park, coming straight onto the Early Years playground.  Miss Gold and other members of staff will open the gate at 8:50.  If you arrive a bit earlier, please remember that you need to stand at least 2m apart from other children and their parents.  We will put some tape on the fencing to remind you if queuing by the fence.  If it is raining, we will open a little earlier and bring the children straight in one by one.

Please come onto the playground with your child and stand apart from other parents and children while you wait for the children to be called into class at 8:55am.  The first bubble will be called for and go into the Reception classroom through the Reception door under the white shelter in the outdoor area.  The second bubble will then be called for an go into the Nursery classroom through their door.  Parents should then leave one-by-one through the gate, respecting 2m social distancing.

In the classroom

I would like to reassure parents that the familiar Reception and Nursery classrooms are set up in essentially the same way as the children will remember.  The only real difference is that soft furnishings (cushions, fabrics) have been removed according to pubic health advice.  We are sure that your child will feel relaxed and 'at home', even if he or she is in the Nursery classroom.  Please try not to worry about this, the team will ensure that the children get the support they need to feel comfortable and have fun.

Around school

You will see from the pictures below, moving around school will be a bit different.  The corridors have tape and arrows on the floor to remind children (and staff) to walk on the left hand side and not bump into people or get too close.  In the dinner hall, children will be sat a little further apart than usual to prevent any unnecessary spread of germs whilst eating.  Our experience with the Early Years children who have been in the hub during the last few weeks has been that they find it quite good fun!

Transition to Year 1

Reception is an incredibly important year for children's development, as they all are.  It is recognised that the children will not be as ready for Y1 as they would have been had they been in school all year.  During these four weeks, the teachers will be adapting teaching to the children's needs, focusing on helping them back into the rhythm of learning, exploring and playing together.

Please don't worry about Year 1 - the teachers in all year groups will be working closely together to make sure the time missed is made up in the Autumn Term next year.  Time and care will be taken to adapt to the children's developmental needs.

Lunches

As the government keeps telling us, there is less chance of spreading germs and viruses if we are outside.  That means that we will also be eating outside as often as we can.  If your child usually has a school dinner, that's fine, Angie will often be making lunches that can be eaten outside or in the classroom like a picnic.  Children who have packed lunches can continue to do so.  If we do need to have lunch in the hall, children will sit together but bubbles will be kept apart on different tables. 

For parents who have been receiving Free School Meal vouchers, if your child is coming back into school, your voucher will stop until the end of term, but then start again in the summer holidays.  

Attendance

If your child is coming back to school, it is important to get back into the regular routine.  We expect full attendance, every day, on time at 8:55 as normal.  Children who are late will not be able to come in through the new Reception gate and we will need to ask a member of staff to come out to meet your child.  This could feel quite strange for your child so please make sure you arrive on time.

Uniform

As some people may have grown out of some uniform, we are not insisting on strict uniform.  We want to make things as easy as possible for parents and the most important thing is that children come to school every day in fresh, clean clothes.  Please make sure your child has sensible footwear on: no open-toe sandals and please don't wear expensive new clothes that will get dirty.

We are really looking forward to welcoming the Reception children back on Wednesday.  Please make sure your child is back into a good sleeping routine over the coming days so that you can get up bright and early for school.  Have a lovely weekend.

From Mr. Simpson

In the event of school closure or self-isolation

We will be using the website to provide activities and practical work for Reception children to access if they are to stay at home. In the Early Years, learning is done through play and real experiences. 

Below there will be some links to: phonics, reading, maths, handwriting and just some fun things to do when not at school....

* Your child will know the phonics group they are in and it would be useful if you could ask them to read the words for that 'Phase'. 

* If your child could also practise writing their name and also 0-20 every day, correcting their formation if necessary! 

* I will attach a home recipe for making playdoh too (it is very easy!) as with this your child can practise their fine motor skills, needed for things such as handwriting.

please sign up for Oxford Owl as it is a free resource that will allow your child to read books at home. 

It is free to sign up ~ here are the instructions

Oxford Owl For Home

Free ebooks for 3-11

Levels

Book Band

Your child with either be a 'Pink' or 'Red' Book band!

Happy reading 

Welcome to our Reception Class

In our Reception class you will find the teachers called Miss Gold and the Learning Support Assistants are Miss Ashley and Miss Sarah. We are very excited to get to know the Reception class and continuing our Learning Journey!

Please look at the Reception door, the website and Twitter for updates that you may need. 

* Please don't forget your £1 snack/baking money every week.

* Please remember to bring in book bags every day.

Welcome to Reception in Norman Pannell Primary School where we love to learn both indoors and outdoors. We have lots of opportunities to learn through active play, investigations, stories and visits. 

We strive to ignite children's curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, building capacity, to learn, build relationships and thrive. Below is an outline of what your child will be learning in Reception over the year. Please note that these can change depending on the interests of the children! 

If you have any questions, news or worries then please do not hesitate to speak to one of the Reception Team.