Coronavirus Guidance
We are continuing to follow advice provided by the Department for Education and Public Health England, in addition to the daily updates we receive from the Cheshire West & Chester Council.
School closed to most pupils with effect from the end of school day on Friday, 20th March. Provision has been made during the school day for children of parents/carers who are considered to be key workers.
Reopening School for Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 Classes on 8th June
Whilst we will do our utmost to provide as safe an environment for pupils as we can, we remain in an unprecedented situation.We aim to be very clear and honest about what provision will look like to support families in making an informed choice about their child returning to school.
Organisation
Children attending school will be organised into groups. Group size will depend on the numbers of children who choose to return to school. However, we will endeavour to remain below or in line with the maximum group size of fifteen pupils recommended by Department for Education guidance.
Children will remain in the same group throughout the school day, including during lunchtimes. Groups will be organised by staff who know your children but there is no guarantee that your child will be grouped with classmates they are friendly with. As far as possible, children will not mix with other pupils based in different groups.
Once children are organised into the groups, there will not be opportunity to change groups under any circumstances.
Within groups, we will encourage hand hygiene and positive hygiene practices. We will organise classrooms with desks spaced out appropriately, reinforce key messages and work hard to maintain appropriate distances between pupils.
Staffing
It is highly probable that your child will not be placed with their class teacher.
Staff may choose to wear protective equipment such as face masks, gloves and aprons.
Curriculum & Learning
Groups may not be located in their usual classrooms as we will be spacing groups out across the largest rooms we have available.
Children will be allocated individual desks distanced within the classroom space. We will avoid activities were children are seated on the carpet in larger groups.
Children will be allocated a bank of personal equipment to avoid the sharing of resources such as pencils and rulers. The use of apparatus in activities linked to subject such as mathematics will be limited. Learning activities will focus on basic skills in reading, writing, phonics, spelling and mathematics.
The resources that are available within the classroom will be cleaned on a daily basis. Desks will be cleaned on an ongoing basis throughout the day.
Staff will endeavour to meet children's needs as best they can but you will appreciate that the limitations of resources and the classroom set up will impact on this and will feel very strange
Uniform
Pupils will not be required to wear school uniform or bring a PE kit into school. This is so clothing worn during the day can be washed immediately when your child returns home. We ask that children dress appropriately for school so that they do not need to change for outdoor activities, for example, leggings, shorts, jogging bottoms, t-shirts, sweatshirts, pumps, trainers etc
Lunchtimes
A packed lunch will be provided for all pupils. Children are welcome to bring a packed lunch from home if preferred, but we would ask that they do not bring this in their usual lunchbox. Parents/carers will be asked to send their child's packed lunch in a recyclable paper bag that can be disposed of once they have finished.
Children will remain in their groups for lunch in their class bases and access some outdoor play in zoned areas. A staggered lunch timetable will be in operation to manage the volume of children accessing outdoor areas at any time.
Unless your child is eligible for free school meals or in Reception or Key Stage 1, dinner monies will be paid using our online payment system as no cash will be accepted by the School Office. The Administration team will be happy to help with setting up the online payment system if needed.
Start and End of the Day Procedures
Children will have a staggered start and end to the school day.
We will respectfully ask parents/carers not to go past a certain point on the school site when dropping and collecting their children. Staff will direct children to the gate or entrance they need to go through in order to meet their group.
Breakfast Club & After School Provision
There will be no Breakfast Club or After School Provision.
Attendance
At the present time, the Department for Education has advised that fines will not be applied where parents/carers choose not to send their children back to school from 1st June.
Home Learning
We will continue to sustain home learning via the school website for those children who are either unable to or choose not to attend. Whilst this may be slightly different to the way we have managed this during the school closure for some year groups, we will endeavour to support families with as much as we can.
Further notes for children in Reception Classes
Reception children will be asked to arrive at school at 8.30am. Their school day will end at 3.00pm.
With children of Reception age, you will appreciate that enforcing social distancing is not feasible. However, as far as possible, children will not mix with other pupils based in different groups.
You will be aware that the Early Years curriculum is very much play based with children acquiring social skills and early learning skills by engaging in a range of activities within a lively and vibrant classroom.
The classroom environment will feel very different to normal as we have had to reduce the resources available for pupils to engage with. This may feel very different to normal, when we have an array of toys, craft equipment and books for children to access. The resources that are available within the classroom will be cleaned on a daily basis.
Staff will endeavour to drive the Early Years curriculum as best they can but you will appreciate that the limitations of resources will significantly impact on this.
Further notes for children in Year 1
Year 1 children will be asked to arrive at school at 8.45am. Their school day will end at 3.15pm.
Year 1 children will be grouped into the larger classrooms in school so will not be in their usual class bases.
The classroom environment will feel very different to normal as we have had to reduce the resources available for pupils to engage with. This will be strange for children who are used to their familiar classrooms and access to an array of resources, toys, equipment and books.
Children will be allocated individual desks distanced within the classroom space. We will avoid activities were children are seated on the carpet in larger groups.
Further notes for children in Year 6
Year 6 children will be asked to arrive at school at 9am. Their school day will end at 3.30pm.
Transition
Miss Rennocks and Mrs Stirk have been in contact with secondary schools to pass on information regarding the pupils joining them at some point in the future. This process would usually be done on a face-to-face model but staff are engaging with the schools online to ensure that they have all of the relevant information they require to secure as smooth a transition as possible at the present time.
End of Term
We are genuinely so sorry that your children and your families will not experience the normal end of primary school celebrations. There will be no shirt signing excitement, end of year production or church service.
As soon as possible in the future, we will arrange a suitable event to thank your children for their contribution and to celebrate their achievements at Hoole. We cannot guarantee when this will be, but we will certainly not forget.
Working from home
Work is available daily from 10am on the class homework pages on the school website. Children will need to log in with their username and password which they have been given.
Should you have any questions regarding the work set, you will be able to contact staff for advice on the following email addresses:
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Year group |
Email address |
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Year R |
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Year 1 |
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Year 2 |
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Year 3 |
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Year 4 |
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Year 5 |
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Year 6 |
These addresses will be accessed by staff within that year group between 9am and 3pm each day. If you email out of these times, staff will respond the following day
You will be aware that Public Health England have published advice for anyone with a new continuous cough or high temperature to stay at home for 14 days.
This will help protect others in your community whilst they are infectious. Please plan ahead and ask others for help so that your child can stay at home. Please see the Public Health England website for more information:
https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/01/23/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-what-you-need-to-know/
Free School Meals
The guidance, including new information and frequently asked questions about the National Free School Meal Voucher Scheme can be found from the DfE website via the following link. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance
The Free School Meal voucher does not include Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) where all government funded schools to 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
NHS Links:
Government Links:
Information for Parents/Carers regarding the closure of school (FAQs)
Local assistance:
