Working Together to Keep Safe and Support Learning

I would like to remind all parents and carers that our staggered start and end of day drop off and collection times are staggered to allow for separation between bubbles of children. As the weather is getting colder and wetter, we appreciate that none of us wish to be in wet or cold weather for longer than is necessary and we are keen to get children into school as quickly as we can at the start of each day and handover swiftly at the end of each day.

A reminder that the drop off and collection times are spaced by 15 minutes for EYFS and Years 1-3 inclusive and by 10 minutes for Years 4-6 inclusive. This allows for parents and carers to drop off/collect children up to 10 or 15 minutes after the start time of their allocated drop off/collection slot.

When the weather is wet or very cold, we would ask that wherever possible, parents and carers consider bringing their children to school and arriving to collect children from school later in the start of their allocated slot.

I would also like to thank the vast majority of parents and carers who continue to observe social distancing and the wearing of face masks at drop off and collection times. I would urge all parents/carers/family members who come to school to follow this guidance in the best interests of everyone. I would also like to remind families that we ask for one adult only to drop off or collect children from school to help avoid unnecessary congestion on and around school site.

Thank you for your continued support with these important safety measures. To keep us all as safe as possible, please ensure you follow the guidance for parents and carers outlined below carefully.

As the weather becomes more Autumnal and changeable, we are asking children to make sure they bring coats in each day so they are able to enjoy their break times outside and wear them inside as necessary as our classroom windows are kept open for ventilation. Please can you ensure that your child has a named coat with them each day to assist with this. Thank you

Our school continues to move forward and I thank you for all of your support at the start of our busy year. I will continue to be available at the entrance gates before school and after school on most days if you wish to speak with me then. If not, please do not hesitate to contact me or our Deputy Head, Mrs Williams, by phone or email if you would like to discuss any school matter.

Mrs Jewitt

Headteacher

Drop off/collection times and zones

Year Group/Classes	Drop off/collection gate/door	Drop off time	Collection time
Reception – Oak and Elm classes	EYFS gate on Clydesdale - Parents and carers are asked to queue on Clydesdale in class order - Elm class at the front and Oak class at the rear - please follow the one way system through EYFS back on to Wyedale once you have collected/droppedoff your child.	8.30am	2.45pm
Year 1 – Beech and Ash classes	EYFS gate on Clydesdale - Parents and carers are asked to queue on Clydesdale in class order - Beech class at the front and Ash class at the rear. If you arrive before EYFS parents and carers have moved through EYFS, please use the non school side of the pavement to reach the back of the queue behind EYFS parents and carers.	8.45am	3.00pm
Year 2 – Fir and Cherry classes	Cherry class - S4YC gate on Clydesdale - please queue from this gate along the school field, keeping the car park and school path gateways clear. Fir class - Car park gate on Clydesdale - please wait in the entrance area of the car park (coned off) and leave via the same gate.	8.30am	2.45pm
Year 3 – Rowan and Poplar classes	Car park gate on Clydesdale - please wait in the entrance area of the car park (coned off) and leave via the same gate. If you arrive before Year 2 parents and carers have left the car park area, please use the non school side of the pavement to reach the back of the queue behind Year 2 Cherry class parents and carers.	8.45am	3.00pm
Year 4 – Holly and Cedar classes	Wyedale Entrance - please leave via the one way system across the playground to the Clydesdale exit.	8.30am	2.45pm
Year 5 – Sycamore and Willow classes	Wyedale Entrance - please leave via the one way system across the playground to the Clydesdale exit.	8.40am	2.55pm
Year 6 – Birch and Maple classes	Wyedale Entrance - please leave via the one way system across the playground to the Clydesdale exit.	8.50am	3.05pm

How Parents and Carers can help safety at drop off and collection times

We are all working hard to keep everyone as safe as possible both with regards to Coronavirus and safety at the start and end of the school day at drop off and collection times.

Whilst staff are focused on the safety of children arriving and leaving school site, we are dependent on parent and carers’ cooperation, help, patience and support in considering not just the safety of their own children and themselves but that of our wider school community.

We therefore ask that parents and carers:

DO NOT:

Congregate at gateways or collection points once their child is dropped off or collected.
Park on Wyedale or Clydesdale during drop off or pick up times.
Drive on these two roads during these times. Where this is unavoidable, consider and be mindful of children and adults regularly crossing.
Drop children off direct from cars onto roads and into the direct line of traffic.
Walk along the road unless it is to pass other parents or children and then only when it is safe to do so.

DO:

Ensure they are mindful of those around them and leave safe space between themselves and other parents and carers as they are waiting.
Wear face coverings where they are not able to maintain social distancing whilst they are waiting to drop off or collect – this will help to protect those around you.
Use the pavement on the non-school side of Clydesdale and Wyedale to walk to and from the gates or lines they need to access, crossing the road only when safe to do so.
Leave school site promptly once your child has been collected/dropped off.
Only have one adult accompanying any drop off or collection.
Follow direction from school staff when being asked to move to a safer area and work with school staff with regards to their requests for your cooperation – we have yours and all 400+ other children’s safety in mind.

Please note, for those parents who have more than one child to collect at the same time, please be assured that your child will be kept safe with their teacher until collected as we understand that you may be delayed circulating the one way system around school.

We ask that parents and carers continue to support us to keep everyone as safe as possible by continuing to observe the current social distancing guidance at all times both on and off school site so that contact with people beyond your households is limited to the current social distancing guidelines.

Bikes and scooters - Children in Years 4, 5 and 6 are welcome to travel to and from school by bike. We ask that the accompanying adult wheels the bike across the playground to the bike rack at Clydesdale as they drop their child off on the playground via the Wyedale entrance gate.

Children can also use scooters to travel to and from school. Children in Years 4, 5 and 6 can be stored in the scooter rack on the playground as above. For children in EYFS, Years 1, 2, 3, we ask that the accompanying adult takes the scooter home with them after drop off.

Permission to walk home from school alone - No child will be permitted to walk from school without an adult accompanying them without written permission (via one of our school letters) which has been sent out to Year 5 and 6 children only.

We ask that parents and carers who are using child minders or other relatives to collect or drop off their child/ren, support us by ensuring they update the person collecting/dropping off about the staggered drop off/pick ups and the need for promptness arriving and leaving school site.

Cheshire West and Chester have provided the following information regarding frequently asked questions regarding childcare provided by Grandparents and travelling to school by car:

Childcare Unless grandparents are part of a support bubble* they should maintain two metre social distancing where possible from their grandchildren. One household is permitted to visit another household indoors in England (unless local restrictions apply), but two metre social distancing should be maintained. It would be possible for childcare to be delivered before and after school in these circumstances if the grandchildren do not require any close contact as part of the childcare. If grandparents are part of a support bubble they can provide childcare and transport to and from school without having to maintain two metre social distancing.

Travelling by car - National guidance ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): safer travel guidance for passengers’ https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-safer-travel-guidance-for-passengers#private-cars-and-other-vehicles advises you should try not to share a vehicle with those outside your support bubble. If there is no-one within the household who can take your child to school you need to, try to:

share the transport with the same people each time – this means only using one grandparent to undertake all the journeys rather than rotating
keep to small groups of people at any one time – so only one grandparent and the grandchildren from one household should travel in the car
open windows for ventilation
travel side by side or behind other people, rather than facing them, where seating arrangements allow
face away from each other
consider seating arrangements to maximise distance between people in the vehicle
clean your car between journeys using standard cleaning products - make sure you clean door handles and other areas that people may touch
ask the driver and passengers to wear a face covering

It is important that you advise the driver of any arrangements your child’s school has made for car drop-offs and pick-ups.

*A support bubble is where people who live alone (or just with their children) meet people from one other household

WORKING TOGETHER TO KEEP EVERYONE IN OUR SCHOOL FAMILY SAFE AND WELL

COVID19 reminders

If a child/parent is unable to get a test within 3 days of developing symptoms, the following should happen:

The symptomatic child should remain absent from school for 10 days
Siblings from the same household who attend school should remain absent from school for 14 days
Any other household contacts should continue to self-isolate for 14 days

This is irrespective of whether a test is taken after 3 days.

To ensure we continue to prioritise the safety of children, staff and families by following all current guidance, we will be following this advice in school for all absences relating to COVID19 and we ask for parent and carers’ support and understanding with this.

It is important that if you’re child or family member becomes unwell with any of the COVID-19 symptoms listed below that they get tested and you ensure your child does not attend school:

a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

Please notify us that your child is self-isolating with other household members, arrange for them to get tested and continue to self-isolate as a household until the result comes back.

There is no need for members of a symptomatic person’s household to have a test, unless they are also symptomatic.

If your child or family member is tested for COVID19, we ask that parents/carers notify us of the test result (positive or negative) immediately via help@whitbyheath.cheshire.sch.uk This will allow us to take action quickly in the event of any positive tests within our school community moving forward.

If your child tests positive they should self-isolate and stay off school for 10 days. If the test comes back negative they can return to school if they no longer have symptoms and have been fever free for 48hrs. All other people who have had close contact with them will need to self-isolate for 14 days.

Should there be a positive test in our school community, we will identify any school contacts and notify them of the need to self-isolate. Where a pupil or staff member become a confirmed case, then we will directly contact those staff and pupils affected. If you are not contacted, you can be assured that you are not a direct or close contact and are not required to self-isolate. A guidance sheet for parents and carers from Cheshire West and Chester can be found at the bottom of this page.

Uniform and Resources

As we begin our new school year together, we will be reinstating our school uniform policy. All children will be expected to attend wearing school uniform each day. The Uniform Shop on Whitby Road now has an online shop with discounted uniform offers for school uniform. Visit www.theuniformshopwebsite.co.ukor call 0151 345 4656.

Everything your child requires for lessons will be provided in school – we therefore ask that children do not bring anything in from home at this time apart from their coat, reading bag, a packed lunch (these can be brought in named lunch bags or boxes) if they do not require a school lunch and a named water bottle.

It will be important for all children to have a jumper, cardigan and/or coat with them, even on sunny days as all classrooms will have windows and doors open to allow for maximum ventilation during lesson times so classrooms will be cooler than children are used to.

On sunny days, please provide a sun hat and apply sun lotion to your child before they leave the house as staff cannot apply lotion to any child at this time and we plan to be spending more time outdoors than we usually do.

PE Kits

From September, we ask that children come into school dressed in a full school PE kit on their PE days. They will remain in PE kit all day. We will NOT be storing PE kits in school.

Please refer to the class newsletter, from your child's class teacher, regarding your child's PE days.

PE kits must be school uniform only and in line with our current school policy, which can be found on our school website. A reminder of these requirements are listed here:

For PE all children need:

Black Pumps for indoor P.E.

Trainers for outdoor P.E.

Plain white t-shirt

Plain black shorts

Black, blue or grey tracksuit for outdoor

School Fleece (optional)

Lunches and Snacks

Menu Options

Mrs Bateman has been busy developing new, hot options for children to eat at lunch time as part of our ‘grab bag’ lunch menu whilst we are needing to maintain separation and staggered lunchtimes in school.

There will be two sandwich and one hot option each day for children to choose from. We will be operating a two week menu cycle.

Please find copies of the new menu on our school website.

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will continue to be eligible for Universal Infant Free School Meals.

If your child is in Key Stage 2 (Year 3, 4, 5 or 6), is not eligible for Free School Meals and requires a school meal, we ask that payment is made in advance on a weekly basis. This payment should be via our online system ParentPay. For the Autumn term, school meals will continue to be charged at £2.30 a day (£11.50 per week). From January 2021 the cost will increase to £2.35 per day (£11.75 per week).

We will not be providing a snack during the school day via our school kitchen but would ask that parents and carers do provide several healthy snacks for your child e.g. fruit, breadsticks, a cereal bar as we will be having increased break times across the school day as we are mindful that many children will find the structure of the school day and timetabled lunch breaks difficult to readjust to and may need further energy boosts across the school day.

CHILDREN STARTING RECEPTION SHOULD NOT BRING SNACKS FROM HOME. Snack will be provided in school at a cost of £40 per year (£10 to be paid at the start of each of the Autumn & Spring half terms or paid in full).

ParentPay

Thank you to everyone who has activated their ParentPay account. Moving forward, we will be using this system to send out letters via email and stopping handling of cash within the school for both dinners and trips.

If you do not have a bank account, payments can be made at any Pay Point outlet. If you require a Pay Point card, please contact the school office to request one.

We have had many of the data collection forms returned but we still have some of these which have not been returned – these forms are vital to ensure we have the most up to date information for children. Please ensure these are returned as soon as possible to ensure your child’s details are updated accordingly.

Attendance

In line with the Government’s guidance, school attendance will be mandatory again from the beginning of autumn term. This means that the usual rules on school attendance will apply. All children will be expected in school every day.

We will follow up any absences in the usual manner from September and we ask that you contact our school office by email or telephone if your child is absent for any reason or wish to discuss your child’s attendance with school staff.

‘Moving Forward Together With Hope’

For many people things are difficult right now, and that’s why we’re supporting the @NSPCC who are still there for children who need their support now more than ever.

Whether you want support and advice for adapting to family life in lockdown, or you’re worried about a child, the NSPCC are there to help.
Whether you’re juggling childcare with working from home, or your children are feeling anxious about the coronavirus, the NSPCC have got tips and advice for you.
Visit the NSPCC coronavirus hub for information and advice to support you and your children.
Home isn’t a safe place for every child. With schools closed and children spending more time at home, you might have spotted something that’s worrying you. If you’re worried, talk to the NSPCC. The helpline is free, and you don’t have to say who you are. The helpline is open 7 days a week.

If you’re worried about a child, please call their helpline on 0808 800 5000or you can email help@nspcc.org.uk

Barnardo’s ‘See Hear Respond’ service

See Hear Respond is a service provided across England by Barnardo’s and other national and local community-based organisations in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The programme has been created to help children and young people in England who are experiencing harm and increased adversity during this period by providing support to those who are not being seen by social care or other key agencies.

Working with its partners, Barnardo’s aims to reduce the likelihood of harm and ensure other support and protective networks are in place using:

online digital support, including advice and information, online counselling and a telephone helpline
face to face interventions, such as support for groups at risk outside the home and one to one support
reintegration into education, including assessments and the delivery of support pathways back to education

See Hear Respond accept referrals from any source either through the Freephone number 0800 151 7015 and via their online referral hub.

CWAC Safeguarding Chrildren Partnership - Queensberry AP (Click here)

Queensberry AP

"Queensberry AP has been born out of a combination of many things; our own experiences of mainstream and specialist education sectors, our previous successes working with extremely vulnerable students, recognising the need for an alternative for hard to reach students within Cheshire West and the importance of practical learning with achievable outcomes for disengaged students."

"With a combined experience of over 30 years working with some of the most vulnerable and difficult to engage young people and families, we are immensely passionate about the work that we undertake. With a wide breadth of experience across a number of sectors including SEBD schools, Social Care and as senior leaders within a Pupil Referral Unit setting and mainstream schools, the interventions we have developed are based upon our own personal experiences and support young people, families and professionals from a wide range of backgrounds."

"The partnership we have developed with Her Majesty’s Prison Service has helped to support with our model of early intervention and ensures that young people receive support and guidance from adults with real-life experience of the issues that our provision aims to challenge and combat."

NHS Track and Trace Scams

We have been informed by Cheshire West and Chester that there has been an increase in scam calls in relation to NHS Track and Trace where people are being asked to pay for a home testing kit etc.

NHS track and Trace Service will never ask you to pay for a test, ask for bank details, passwords or pin numbers. Never share personal details if you are not sure who you are talking to.

NHS Coronavirus Helpline

This is a 24 hour crisis line for all residents of Cheshire West, Cheshire East and Wirral - 0300 303 3972

Meals, Food Shopping and Other Practical Support

Foodbanks

Foodbanks are available in our area - call 0151 355 7730 or visit westcheshire.foodbank.org.uk to find out more about this support. Please see the document attached at the foot of this page for further information.

Cheshire West and Chester has a Community Response Group looking at access to food for vulnerable people across the area. A dedicated response for vulnerable groups at higher risk from serious complications as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. There is a dedicated helpline to provide advice and support, and where necessary make arrangements for food, medicines and social contact.

• Telephone: 0300 123 7031

• Opening hours: every day from 8am to 7pm

• Email: enquiries@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

Further support is available for families via the Live Well Cheshire website at: https://www.livewell.cheshirewestandcheshiter.gov.uk/Categories/4855

Free School Meals

Free School Meals does not include Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) where all government funded schools offer free school meals to pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. If your child was receiving UIFSM but you believe you may be eligible for Free School Meals please apply here https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/education-and-learning/school-meals.aspx

BEWARE - Scam around Free School Meals

We have been informed that some parents and carers of children in receipt of free school meals are being targeted by fraudsters. Fraudsters are targeting families, emailing parents and carers with messages such as ‘If your child is entitled to free school meals send your bank details to the school and they will help with funding while the school is closed’. The email contains links for the parents to follow if they want to receive this funding – these links are fake. This is a scam. Please be alert to this.

Police Helpdesk

To support the public to report concerns to the Police, Ellesmere Port Police are providing a daily helpdesk staffed by Police Officers who can provide immediate support to anyone who needs help. The Police Helpdesk will be open from 2pm - 3pm daily at Ellesmere Port Police Station.

Useful Internet Safety websites:

NSPCC - https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GEN_-_Safety_-_[BMM]&utm_term=internet_safety&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI06eznY

jt5wIVC7DtCh18VQfWEAAYASAAEgKhyfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Thinkyouknow - https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/ (advice from the National Crime Agency to stay safe online).

Internet Matters - https://www.internetmatters.org/

Parent Info - https://parentinfo.org/

ICON - Speak to someone if you need support such as your family, friends, Midwife, GP or Health Visitor about infant crying. Click on the ICON link to take you to the webpage.