Letter to Parents
Dear Parents and Carers,
As we reach the end of the academic year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your on-going support and understanding over this very challenging time. Our staff have worked incredibly hard to ensure that children are looked after, that families have had support through Key Worker places and food vouchers or parcels and that we have continued to offer a quality education for all children. The safety and well-being of our whole school community has been our priority, and this has sometimes led to us having to make difficult decisions but the positive feedback, support and encouragement from families had made this manageable.
This will most likely be our last letter of the term so I would like to take the opportunity to wish those children and adults who are moving on to pastures new the very best. At the end of the term we would be celebrating our Year 6 children’s time in school and wishing them well on the next stage of their educational journey. This class has made a positive impact on the school during their time in year 6. They have worked hard and have been fantastic role models for the younger children in school. We will miss each and every one of them and I know that staff, Governors and the Trust would want to join me in wishing them every success and luck in the future.
We will also be saying farewell to Miss Corbett, who is leaving to take up a University place to pursue a career in Nursing and to Mrs Hollis, who is taking a break from her career as a Teaching Assistant. Both have made a positive impact on school life and their care and hard work has supported children and families across the school for many years. Again, we would like to wish them well in the future and hope they will achieve happiness and success.
Returning to school is going to look very different in September and there are a number of changes to the way school will be organised which we need to put in place to ensure that we continue to make the health and well-being of everyone who uses our school a priority. I sincerely hope that parents and families will continue to support school in these changes as we move forward so that we can work together to achieve the very best for every member of our community. I have enclosed a guidance leaflet with this letter for those children who will be returning in September. Please make sure you read it carefully and follow the guidance so we can all stay safe.
Lastly, I would like to wish you all a happy and safe summer. School will close on Friday 17th July and will remain closed to children until the 2nd September. There will not be anyone in the office during this time. Urgent communications can be made via admin@wilfredowen.shropshire.sch.uk, however this email will not be monitored on a daily basis so responses may take up to a week. I will send out a further letter in the last week of the holidays to update you on any changes to the new term.
Take care and stay safe.
Yours sincerely,
Kerry Lynch
Headteacher
Guidance on all pupils returning to school from 2nd September 2020
Please read the following guidance carefully and make sure you follow it. This is to ensure the
safety of all children, staff and families across the school.
• It is expected that ALL CHILDREN in Key Stage One or Two will return to school on the 2nd
September. The Government have made clear that any children who do not return to
school will be dealt with by Educational Welfare Officers, in line with our attendance
policy. If your child is absent, you need to contact the office before 9.30am and give a
reason for absence. Mrs Lynch will then either authorise or unauthorise the absence.
Fines and Court action will be taken in the case of children who are absent without
authorisation.
• Children in Early Years (Haughmond / Clee) will start school from the 7th September. The
first week will be used for home visits and transition events. You will receive information
with timings on from Miss Dyer, the EYFS Lead.
• We will be staggering the start and finish times for all classes in school. Some classes will
start at 8.50am and the remainder at 9.10am. It is important you arrive on time (Please do
not arrive early as this will impact on other class groups and reduce the ability to socially
distance) and maintain social distancing of 2 metres whilst dropping your children off.
Finish times will be 3.00pm or 3.15pm. Please see the table below to confirm your times
for drop off and pick up.
• Registers in each class will be closed at 9.00am for the early start group and 9.20am for the
later group. Any child arriving after these times will be marked as an unauthorised late and
will be referred to the Educational Welfare Officer. If you have children in classes with
different start and finish times you may drop them off at the earliest time. Classes starting
at 9.10am will be open but your child will be given an activity to do which does not require
adult support as teachers will be setting up for the day ahead. You will need to pick both
children up at the later finish time where they are in different classes with different end
times.
• No one other than the children will be able to enter the school building or classrooms. 2M
markings are located at each gate and door into school. Please do not enter these
markings. An adult will meet your child at the classroom gate and escort them into class.
At the end of the day an adult will supervise your child coming out to meet you by the gate.
• In reception there is a post box and a desk with reply slips and envelopes for money or
letters. Please deposit all money in this box, clearly marked with your child’s name, what
the money is for and how much is included. Only one person at a time should be in the
entrance hall.
• Children cannot be dropped off or picked up at the main entrance to school. We are also
unable to take anything from parents up to class such as lunch or PE kits. Please make sure
your child attends school with everything they need.
• All children will need a water bottle from home to bring into school. These will be emptied
and washed in school each day. Water fountains will only be available to fill water bottles,
not to drink from directly.
• Children will need to attend school wearing full uniform, including school shoes. No
jewellery, badges or other items should be worn. Hair should be a normal colour and
uniform should be appropriate for school. Trainers can only be worn for PE or clubs.
• Children in Key Stage 2 will need to bring a PE Kit. In Early Years and Key Stage One
children will just need to bring a drawstring bag with a pair of pumps or trainers. They will
only change their footwear for PE sessions.
• Please do not send your children in with bags (Other than a drawstring bag for PE), toys or
items from home. There will be no show and tell activities. Things brought from home will
be handed back to parents at the classroom gate – this will cause upset for your child, so it
is best to leave things at home to avoid this.
• Children will be provided with stationary such as pencils, pens, rubbers and glue in school.
Children should not bring in pencil cases from home.
• Where possible, children should walk or bike to school. If being brought to school by car,
please drop off in the lower car park unless you hold a blue disabled badge. Due to social
distancing and staggered drop off times we need to limit the number of cars using the oneway
system outside school.
• Children should not come to school if they are unwell or are showing any signs of Covid-19.
This includes a high temperature, new and persistent cough and loss of taste or smell.
Anyone who has been notified by track and trace that they have been in contact with
someone who has tested positive should isolate. Any member of the school showing
symptoms must be tested and the results shared with school as soon as possible.
• Children will remain in their class groups at all times. We will not be holding any
assemblies or large gathering of more than one class. Break times and lunchtimes will be
staggered. Play equipment at breaktimes will be limited to the individual classes. Children
should not use the wooden play equipment outside as this cannot be cleaned sufficiently.
• We will not be offering breakfast club for the first week back. We will review breakfast
club when we have everyone back in school and settled into the new systems that will be
in place.
• First Aid treatment will be offered to children who hurt themselves. It is likely that staff
will be wearing PPE to deal with first aid. Please talk to your child about this.
• It is important that we have up to date emergency contact details. If you have changed
address, phone number or email address please notify the office as soon as possible. We
will then update our systems. Communication from September will most likely be via
email. Please provide school with an email address if we have not got one listed for you. It
is advisable that parents set up a free email with a provider such as Google or Microsoft so
that you can be kept up to date.
• Children will have their temperature checked daily. Anyone with a temperature of 38.5
will be isolated and monitored. Children showing a temperature of 38.8 and above will be
sent home immediately.
• All children with entitlement to Free School Meals will receive their last voucher by the end
of the first week of the holidays. There will be no further vouchers for any child who has
free school meals in September as we expect them to be in school and having a meal.
Haughmond Class | Nursery | EYFS | Drop off 8.50am | Pick up 3.00pm |
Clee Class | Reception | EYFS | Drop off 9.10am | Pick up 3.15pm |
Stiperstones | Year One | Key stage 1 | Drop off 8.50am | Pick up 3.00pm |
Wrekin | Year Two | Key stage 1 | Drop off 9.10am | Pick up 3.15pm |
Long Mynd | Year Three | Key stage 2 | Drop off 8.50am | Pick up 3.00pm |
Hawkstone | Year Four | Key stage 2 | Drop off 9.10am | Pick up 3.15pm |
Caradoc | Year Five | Key stage 2 | Drop off 8.50am | Pick up 3.00pm |
Grinshill | Year Six | Key stage 2 | Drop off 9.10am | Pick up 3.15pm |