Phased Reopening Update – 01/06/2020

As families will know, due to various concerns, Gateshead schools made a collective decision to delay the wider reopening of schools beyond the priority children until Monday 8th June, at the earliest.  With the current information coming out at the end of last week, it very much appears that this had been an appropriate decision to make, particularly because of the national and local infection rates still being high.

At this point, we have plans in place to open from Monday 8th June although we will take a more cautious approach by limiting the number of Year Groups we will return each week.  Every choice we make to increase pupil numbers will be made by evaluating the national and local data as well as what is happening in school.  Although we will aim to implement the plan we have, parents/carers must understand that we will change or withdraw the plan if we believe the safety of children, staff or the community is being compromised.

It is essential for parents/carers to remember that they have the choice to keep their child at home and that by potentially extending our offer does not mean that we are requesting that all children return.

The plan for each Year Group can be seen in the table below.  From Monday 8th June, we will be moving into a different phase of organisation in which all children will be set up into smaller consistent groups (bubbles) with one teacher (and a TA where appropriate); these groups will not cross/mix with one another.  The numbers of children coming into school will be limited greatly due to the need to keep 2m distancing in place.  This will mean that classes will have no more than 12 in each (14 in nursery).

Before each Year Group is permitted to return, parents/carers will receive a letter with information about school organisation (general organisation, group teacher, staggered entry/exit times, entry/exit points, rules/expectations, parents/carers on site policy).  This should hopefully answer any major questions that parents/carers or children may have.  There will also be a presentation on our website that parents carers should use with their children before they return so that children get a sense of the changes that are in school so that they do not worry before they come back.

With all staff in school from Monday 8th June, the timetable will change.  Each Friday, the school will close in the afternoon (beginning Friday 12th June) and all parents/carers must collect their child at the allotted time for their Year Group (between 1.00pm and 1.30pm).  The timings will be shared with the information provided before return.