14 September 2020

 

Dear Parents/Carers

 

We have received a number of questions, queries and concerns over the weekend about our move to the whole school starting at 9am and finishing together at 3pm and the removal of the staggered start and finish times. I am writing to answer those queries and also hopefully address some of the concerns that some parents have.

Firstly, it was always our intention to get all pupils safely back to school full time as soon as practically possible.  As a result of running the school with all pupils back last week and the exemplary way the children have behaved, we decided to remove the staggered start and finish times from today.  All pupils will start at 9am and will go straight in to period 1, this removes form time as per government guidance.

From 7 September 2020, we have had five different entrance and exit points for each year group bubble as well as five different social spaces.  A number of staff are in these areas to supervise the children and ensure social distancing between year groups is maintained at all times.  At the end of the school day, year groups will leave school through their own exit between 2.50pm and 3pm to ensure the year groups do not mix and adhere to social distancing especially over the bridge.

Operationally, there are challenges to the way we are working in school at the moment.  It is a very dynamic situation and as a leadership team, we are responding to these challenges and making necessary changes as appropriate.

As ever, we appreciate all your feedback, questions and for voicing your concerns.  It is only with this that we can work together to support our young people in the most difficult of circumstances.

Yours faithfully

Ms C Hayes

Headteacher

 

We are continually monitoring and reviewing the approaches that we have put in place.  After reviewing our first full day back in school it was decided that from Monday 14th September, staggered starts and finishes will be removed and all pupils will attend every day from 9am until 3pm.

Reopening Checklist for Parents

• Years 7 and 11 back to school from Thursday 3 September 2020.

Year 119.00am

Year 7 9.40am

 

• All year groups back Monday 7 September 2020

 

• Staggered start times:

Year 11 9.00am

Year 10 9.10am

Year 9 9.20am

Year 8 9.30am

Year 7 9.40am

 

• If pupils arrive earlier than their start time, they wait in the basket-ball court area at the back of the school.  This will allow for social distancing.

 

• Break time for Years 9 to 11 only: 10.40am – 11.00am.  No food available to purchase on site.  Pupils need to bring their own snacks and water for the day.

 

• The school has now gone cashless.  Money for lunches needs to be put on your child’s account through ParentPay.  No hot food will be available at lunchtimes for the time being.  ‘Grab Bags’ will be available to purchase.

 

• Please provide a suitable coat for your child to wear outside.  Your child will be spending some of their social time outside in what could be bad weather conditions.

 

• Your child will be required to wear a mask on public transport and as they move around the school.  Masks should be the blue, surgical type or a black mask.  No other masks will be permitted.  On removal and when not in use, masks need to be stored in a plastic bag (school can provide these if necessary).

 

• Staggered finish times - 

 

Year 7 2.50pm

Year 82.20pm

Year 9 2.30pm

Year 102.40pm

Year 11 3.00pm

 

• Your child can wait for the school bus on the basket-ball courts at the back of school

Letter to parents

RETURNING TO SCHOOL IN SEPTEMBER

Dear parents and carers,

Firstly, I would like to personally thank you for your patience, understanding and cooperation during what has certainly been an incredibly difficult and unprecedented time.

I know that this has been a challenging period for everyone, with families being impacted by the coronavirus situation in many ways.

The majority of our schools remained open throughout the pandemic, for vulnerable children and those of key workers. Many welcomed back Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils in June.

However many of you have needed to support your child's education at home over the last few months. I know that this hasn't been easy, so thank you for your commitment to doing this.

I now want to make sure that you know that we have been working hard for a while now to get our schools ready to reopen in September. The government is very clear that all children, in all year groups, are expected to return to school in September, and it is our firm intention to achieve this, as long as it is safe to do so.

Unfortunately many pupils will not have attended school for several months and I know that some families may have concerns about their children going back. I want to reassure you about the safety measures that will be put in place for when your child goes back to school in September.

The safety and wellbeing of both our pupils and our staff is our highest priority. Every school will be undertaking comprehensive health and safety risk assessments as part of their planning for all pupils to return, to make sure that everyone is safe in school.

Schools will look and feel different when the new term starts because of some of the measures we have had to put in place to manage the risks that remain from coronavirus.

Schools, colleges and settings are being encouraged to communicate with families to outline the changes that they are introducing to keep staff, children and young people safe. We would encourage you to carefully read any communication you receive about new arrangements and to contact them directly if you have any questions.

Children and young people across all ages and stages will be required to remain within specified separate groups at all times. Staff are required to generally maintain a distance of 2 metres from pupils and spend a maximum of 15 minutes at a distance of 1metre from them. Safe distancing expectations will apply whilst within the education establishment and when travelling to and from schools or settings.

The government’s guidance recognises that younger children may not be able to maintain social distancing so it is likely that for younger children the emphasis will be on separating groups, and for older children, it will be on distancing. Your school will set out how this will work.

Your child’s school may also introduce new processes for drop off and collection. If they do this, it will be to help keep groups apart as they arrive and leave school and will not reduce the amount of time that is spent teaching.

New hygiene arrangements  will be introduced and schools will ensure that all children wash their hands immediately when they arrive and frequently during the school day. You can support this by:

·         ensuring that anyone who has coronavirus symptoms, or has someone in their household who does, does not attend school. This means if your child, or someone in your household, has symptoms you should not send them to school

·         engaging with the NHS Test and Trace process so that cases can be identified and action taken. This means if your child develops symptoms, you should arrange for them to get a test and you should inform your school of the results of that test.

We are incredibly grateful for the commitment and dedication that staff in schools and settings have shown over the last few months and we know that they are really looking forward to welcoming back all children and young people in September.

Schools and settings have worked really hard to put new arrangements in place so children and young people can return safely and we would ask you to support them by observing any new measures that they introduce.

Regular attendance at school or other places of learning is vital for not only for the education of children and young people but also for their wellbeing and wider development. We know that across the age ranges pupils have missed being with their friends and teachers and will be looking forward to their returning to schools and settings in September.

For more information you can look at your school's / setting's  website or for updates on support available, visit the schools information on our website.

Yours sincerely

County Councillor Phillippa Williamson
Cabinet member for children, young people and schools

16 July 2020

Dear Parents and Carers

It is usual at this time of year for me to write to you highlighting successes of the academic year and formally bringing the year to a close.  This year has been more than unusual and has made for a rather extraordinary Diamond Jubilee year at Fisher More.  Thinking back to November, when we had a wonderful Diamond Jubilee celebration Mass with Bishop John, it does seem a lifetime ago.  After Christmas we had our visit from Ofsted and their report that showcased all that is good here at Fisher More.  Soon after, we had the partial closure of the school as a result of a global pandemic as well as leaks on the railway bridge.  What we have been through together as a community, especially recently, has once again tried and tested but certainly not defeated us.