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Posted on: July 14th 2020

A Message from Mr Nation

Dear Parents/Carers,                                                                                                  

 

Welcome to the final letter for this academic year. And what a year it has been! 

 

I would like to reiterate my thanks to the staff team at Castle Primary School for their sustained efforts and unwavering support for the children and our community that we serve. My thanks to you as parents for your patience and understanding with the challenges the school has faced and supporting us as we have navigated our way through a sea of guidance and guidelines. Finally, my thanks to all the children who have shown such commitment and determination to their learning. We are very fortunate to have such an outstanding group of children! 

 

Castle Primary School will open to all children in September 2020. However, we must maintain certain measures that we’ve established this term to continue to keep the children and adults safe. In this letter, you will find further detail around these arrangements. 

 

If your child is in Reception or Year 1, a separate letter accompanies this to give details on the phased transition from September. 

 

What time will my child/children start and finish school? 

 

All children will enter and exit the school via the main playground gate or side gate. We will continue with staggered start and end times. Unfortunately, no parents will be allowed on site unless there is a pre- arranged appointment / meeting. Please continue to contact the school via phone or email. 

 

Nursery: AM session 0900 - 12:00 / PM session 12:00 - 15:00 (including lunch). Nursery times will be confirmed according to parent requirements.

 

Class

Nursery

Drogo (Year R / 1)

Corfe (Year 2)

Totnes (Year 3/4

Dunster (Year 4/5)

Tintagel (Year 6)

Start/ end time

Entrance/Exit

Main PG gate

08:55 – 3:00

Main PG gate

8:50 – 3:10

Main PG gate

8:50 – 3:10

Blue Door

8:45 – 3:05

Side gate (via Office gate)

8:45 – 3:05

Side gate (via Office gate)

8:55 – 3:15

 

Breakfast Club/After School Club arrangements will be communicated with those parents who have replied to the previous request for interest in this provision. 

 

 

 

What happens if I’m late dropping off / collecting my child? 

 

If you are late dropping your child off, this will have a ‘knock on’ to the other children being brought to school. Please ensure that you arrive punctually to avoid congestion and crucially, so that teaching sessions can commence on time and registers submitted. 

 

If you are going to be late collecting your child please contact the office in advance so that we know and can make the necessary arrangements. We understand that in rare cases, there are emergencies which are unavoidable but these should be few and far between. 

 

What happens if I have children in different classes? 

 

We understand that parents do not wish to wait for great lengths of time for siblings to be released / welcomed into school. If you have children in different classes and there is a significant time gap that causes issues, please get in touch with the school office. Please be understanding if you have to wait for 5 minutes for a sibling as we’re trying to minimise the number of children on and off the school site in one time slot. 

 

What must my child wear?

 

All children are expected to return in full school uniform and follow the agreed attire. No elaborate hair bands, nail varnish etc. in keeping with our school policy. 

 

What will my child need to bring? 

 

We are minimising the items brought to and from school. Please ensure your child has the following items on the school site at all times

 

  • Wellington boots (or other outdoor footwear). We will be using the school field daily and making more use of the outdoor space. It is vital your child/children has the correct footwear for outdoors everyday
  • Waterproof coat 
  • PE kit (school PE kit - no branded sports clothing) 

 

Your child/children must not bring other items to school such as pencil cases, toys, teddies etc. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Will my child take part in PE and Forest School? 

 

We have arranged for trained professionals to provide additional PE for all children. In addition, we have organised Forest School sessions to take place once a week. Details and a timetable for this will follow in September. 

 

What will the classrooms look like? 

 

All children in Year 2 and up will sit facing the front of the class. Wherever possible, we are ensuring that classes have their own resources. 

 

How often will the school be cleaned? 

 

The school will have a deep clean over the summer holidays. It will be thoroughly cleaned every day and key areas / resources will be wiped half way through the school day. 

Please note, there are significant works being carried out on the school site over the summer holidays. In September, these works will continue but will not impact the children’s learning/classroom environments. 

 

What will my child be taught? 

 

We will follow the full national curriculum and have deployed support staff so that we can focus on precision teaching and learning. 

 

Will the school close if there is a confirmed case of Covid 19?

 

We have organised the school into ‘bubbles’ so that we minimise the impact on children (and therefore parents) if we have a confirmed case. We have a clear set of procedures to follow if this happens and you will be notified at the earliest opportunity. 

 

I wish you all a wonderful summer holiday and look forward to seeing the children in September refreshed and ready for a new school year. As always, should you have any queries, please feel free to contact me via the school office.

 

Mr G Nation

Head of School

 

 

 

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