Information for parents (Click here)

Bubbles

A bubble is a small group, no bigger than 15 children, which is kept together for the duration of the school day. (The bubble may be less than 15 children depending on room sizes.) Once your child is placed in a Bubble they will not be able to transfer to a different bubble. Children in different bubbles will not be allowed to mix. We appreciate that this very different from how school once was, but we are committed to keeping children as safe as possible.

We have now reviewed our risk assessments based on the number of parents who have indicated that their child will be returning to school. It may be that circumstances change and a child who at this point is unable to return to school, later is able to do so. If this is the case, please contact school so that we can allocate your chid a place within a bubble if there is space to do so - based on the current risk assessment and the numbers of staff available we would not have capacity for all of year 6 to return, places are limited. If you have indicated your child would be returning but do not now intend to take up the place you must notify the school.

When will year 6 children start returning to school?

We are aiming for Thursday 25th June. We will confirm this date by text message next week.

Staggered start and finish times

So that we don’t have too many children arriving at the same time, we will stagger the start and finish times for year 6 bubbles. The earliest start will be 8.30am, the latest start will be at 9.15am. Your child will also be asked to arrive by either the Berners Road or the Duncombe Road North entrance. It is important that your child keeps to entrance / exit assigned to them so as to reduce the number of children entering or leaving the building at any one time. (For the avoidance of doubt the arrangements for children in the key workers bubbles is unchanged.)

	Start time	Finish time	Finish time Wednesday:	Entrance / Exit
Bubble 3	8.30am	2.45pm	12.30pm	Berners Road
Bubble 4	8.45am	3pm	12.45pm	Duncombe Road
Bubble 5	9am	3.15pm	1pm	Berners Road
Bubble 6	9.15am	3.30pm	1.15pm	Duncombe Road

To allow for deep cleaning and preparation the school will close to all children, except those of keyworkers, after children have eaten lunch on Wednesday afternoon at the times shown above.

My child is in year 6 and is currently in the Keyworker bubble, will they be able to join their year 6 classmates?

Yes, when school reopens to year 6 children your child will become part of the year 6 bubble. They will remain with that bubble and will not be able to re-join the Keyworker bubble.

My child is in year 6 and they have a sibling in the Keyworker bubble, what will happen on Wednesday afternoon as school is closing after lunch for year 6 children?

Year 6 children who this affects will not be able to rejoin the Key worker bubble, but will instead be looked after separately until the end of the day for the Keyworker bubble.

If you would like to collect you children earlier than this, please come to the school office to collect them.

How will I know which Bubble my child is in?

On Tuesday we will send a text message letting you know which Bubble your child is in. We will also ask you to confirm that you have read, and discussed with your child, our Behaviour Policy Appendix which has been drawn up in light of COVID 19.

Will my child have their usual class teacher and will they be in their usual classroom?

Once in a bubble your child will have the same class teacher and teaching assistant/s, this will not necessarily be their usual class teacher or classroom.

Does my child need to wear a school uniform?

As with those accessing childcare for key workers and vulnerable children, your child will not need to wear school uniform for the remainder of the summer term. We would ask that the any clothes that your child wears are suitable for the daily activity of school life.

My child usually has sensory interventions, will these be running?

No, due to the need to restrict contact with soft furnishings, it will not be possible for these to take place.

Will Breakfast and After School Clubs be running?

No, in line with guidance, there will not be breakfast or after school provision.

What will happen when my child arrives at school?

Depending on which entrance / exit your child arrives at, they will have their temperature checked and be asked to stand on a marked place on the playground. These markings are to ensure that children remain 2 metres apart where possible.

What will classrooms be like?

Classrooms have been set out with desks that are 2 metres apart. Your child will sit at their own desk and have a plastic wallet which will have all the stationary etc that they will need. Your child should not bring in their own pencil case etc. Once your child is assigned a table, they will stay at that table for the remainder of the day.

What should I do if my child feels unwell before school?

If your child is unwell, please do not send them to school.

What happens is my child becomes unwell during the day?

If your child becomes unwell during the school day they will be placed in an isolation room and you will be called to collect them.

What are the symptoms of COVID19 Coronavirus?

High temperature / fever (37.8 degrees)
New continuous cough
Breathing difficulties

Loss of sense of smell / taste

The above four symptoms are the only listed symptoms listed on the NHS site. Other reported symptoms include:

Sore throat
Headaches
Flu like aches and pains

Fatigue
Abdominal pains / diarrhoea
Severe vomiting
Rash - signs of toxic shock
Persistent chest pain or trouble breathing

New confusion
Blue lips or face

The NHS also state that “Trust your instincts” with children - if you suspect a problem get in touch with the NHS via telephone on 111, or 999 for more serious issues.

What will happen my child is unwell and demonstrating COVID-19 symptoms?

If your child becomes unwell during the school day they will be placed in an isolation room and you will be called to collect them and their siblings. You will be asked to telephone 119 to request a test. All children in that bubble will be sent home and will be required to isolate for 14 days unless they are otherwise notified.

What should my child bring to school?

Please send your child to school with a clearly labelled water bottle. Water fountains will be switched off in school, water bottles can be filled during the day. For safety/hygiene reasons your child should not bring their book bag / school bag or equipment.

Due to the hot weather we would also ask that children bring suntan lotion, a cap / hat (They can also bring sunglasses if they wish.)

If your child requires medication please send this into school as usual, it is important that your child takes this home at the end of each day.

What will children have for lunch and where will they eat it?

During this period we will only be serving packed lunches, dinner money is payable for school meals. Your child may bring a packed lunch if preferred, this should be brought in a disposable bag. Children will eat their lunch in their classroom.

Will children still have PE with Mr Hussin?

No, as we aim to keep to a minimum the number of adults your child interacts with. Though your child will still enjoy regular P.E sessions.

Will music lessons still be running?

No, as we aim to keep to a minimum the number of adults your child interacts with.

My child is unable to return to school, what learning provision will be made for them?

When Year 6 children return, we understand that there are children who are unable to return to school. So that remote learning can take place we are going to use a digital platform called Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams is a platform which will allow a more structured approach to remote learning.

The Mircosoft Teams platform is new to the school so there may well be “Bumps along the road” and we will welcome your feedback as we refine how the platform works. On Monday we will share short tutorial videos showing you how to log in and how to navigate Microsoft Teams.

What happens next?

If your child is unable to return to school they will be assigned a username and password for Microsoft Teams. We will share this information shortly.

School reports:

This year all school reports will be sent via email. We will use the email address that is registered on the school text and email system. If you are not sure whether the school has your most up to date email address, please contact the office:

admin@gilmourjuniors.com

Reports will be sent to you via email on the following dates:

Year 3 and Year 4: 9/07/20

Year 5 and Year 6: 10/07/20

I am due to apply for a place for child at a secondary school...

The advice to parents at the moment would be to continually check with the schools concerned for updates regarding assessments and exams.

The Local Authority are waiting on updates from the Department from Education. We will share more information as we have it.