The following Guidance has been sent to all parents via post with a letter from the Headteacher. Our comprehensive Risk Assessment for the return of all children to Oaklands on Tuesday 1st September can be found on the website here.
Guidance for Parents/Carers about the New Academic Year
When will children be able to return to school?
We plan to open the school to all children on Tuesday 1st September, following Government Guidance.
What will the transport arrangements be for my child?
We have been liaising closely with LA transport team to ensure that children are safe at all times from leaving your house to returning at the end of the day. We have arranged for staggered start and finish times to the school day:
If your child is in Willow or Cherry Pathways (Frogs, Hedgehogs, Stoats, Robins or Squirrels, Dormice, Hares, Deer, Rabbits) they will be collected to arrive for an 8.45am-9am start and leave at 2.30pm
If your child is in Chestnut Pathway (Badgers, Beavers, Owls), they will be collected to arrive at school for 9.00-9.15am and will leave school at 2.40pm.
For parents/carers dropping off your child, please arrive at the same time as listed above for your child’s class. If you come by car, please do not leave your vehicle. A member of staff will come to collect your child and bring them out to you again at the end of the day.
These staggered start and finish times will prevent children mixing in the car park/entrance areas at the start and finish of the school day. It is possible that your child’s usual transport may look different e.g. they may travel by taxi rather than by bus, and may have a different driver/escort. Children will be transported only with other children in their pathway. Where buses are used for another journey during the day, they are cleaned thoroughly between each journey.
How will the school keep my child safe?
Your child will stay within their pathway ‘bubble’. This ‘bubble’ will stay the same for the full academic year. The children in that bubble will have designated spaces and resources, including playground areas that only they will use. The staff in school will also stay within a pathway ‘bubble’ and will not mix. This will minimise any risks by reducing contacts.
Children will be encouraged and supported to wash their hands regularly, in particular on arrival at school, before and after playtimes, when using the toilets, before and after eating, and before going home.
There will be a one-way system used in the school to prevent contacts in corridors. Movement around the school during the day will be kept to a minimum.
All equipment used by children will be thoroughly cleaned each day after school.
Does my child need to wear a school uniform?
Yes. We feel that it is important for all children to wear their school uniform to understand that they are coming to school and to help them get back into a routine.
What equipment will my child need to bring to school?
Please do not send children in to school with any objects from home, including book bags. On the first day back, we will send each child home with a plastic wallet which we can easily wipe down each day. However, if you usually send in nappies and/or a packed lunch please send these still.
Chestnut and Cherry pathway children will need to bring in a PE kit, and this will be kept on site (Badgers, Beavers, Owls, Dormice, Hares, Deer, Rabbits)
Willow pathway children will initially be learning to change their own shoes for PE, so please send in a change of trainers/pumps to be kept in school (Frogs, Hedgehogs, Stoats, Squirrels, Robins)
Please avoid sending your child in to school with a coat until the weather turns cooler
Will my child be able to have a school dinner?
The school will be extremely careful around snack times and lunch times to ensure that children and staff are kept safe. This may mean some adjustment to the menu on offer. However, we will work closely with the catering team to ensure that we can provide the healthiest option possible. School dinners will still be available.
What will happen if my child or someone in my child’s bubble displays Covid 19 symptoms?
As you will understand, we need to be extremely vigilant to keep everyone safe. We will consider all children who are ill a potential risk. If you notice that your child may be ill, e.g. they demonstrate unusual behaviour, feel hot, have been sick overnight, you MUST keep them at home.
If a pupil or member of staff displays symptoms of Covid 19 in school, they will be removed from the bubble immediately and taken to a dedicated isolation room. Pupils will be supervised by a member of staff wearing full PPE.
If your child is displaying symptoms, you will be contacted and asked to pick your child up as quickly as possible. Please ensure that you have made arrangements to be able to do this, or that you have someone available who could collect your child if this should happen. As you will appreciate, it will be important that your child is collected as soon as possible to prevent any risk to others on site. It is vital that we have two working contact numbers for every child. Please update us immediately if any of your numbers change.
You should then arrange for them to have a Covid 19 tests. You must do this within 5 days of the symptoms showing. You can apply for a test via the NHS website https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test We ask that you inform us of the results as soon as possible.
If your child’s test result is negative, they can return to school. However, you must have spoken to the Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher first. If the test result is positive, your child would need to stay at home for 10 days. All other family members would need to self-isolate for 14 days.
If someone else in your child’s bubble displays symptoms and is sent home, we will advise you of this. Your child can continue to attend school as long as they do not develop symptoms.
What are the symptoms of Covid 19?
The main symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are:
a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
Reports also identify that a rash is be an additional symptom in children. Please see the NHS website for further advice https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/coronavirus-in-children/
What should I do if my child or someone else in our household has a cough, temperature or a loss of taste or smell?
Do not send your child in to school. Please let the school know as soon as possible if anyone in your household has symptoms of Covid 19 or tests positive for the disease.
Who should I contact if I have other questions or concerns?
You can see our full Risk Assessment on the website in the Parents section under the ‘Coronavirus’ heading. This follows Government Guidance and is based on the Leicester Local Authority model policy. If, after reading this, you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us on office@oaklands.leicester.sch.uk or call the school office (0116 2415921) from week beginning 24th August to speak to a member of the senior leadership team.