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Letter sent 26/8/2020 please see Parentmail for full information
25th August 2020
Dear Parents and Carers
I hope that you and your families are keeping safe and well and have made the most of the fabulous weather over the summer break.
We are looking forward to welcoming you back to school on Monday 7th September for the start of the autumn term.
Please note if your child is joining us in Reception or Preschool this year their first day will be as per previous letter not Monday 7th.
The safety and well-being of children and staff is obviously paramount to us and therefore, following local and government guidance, we have completed rigorous risk assessments and made adaptations to our school day to ensure that school is a safe and welcoming environment for everyone.
The DFE have produced information and guidance for parents which can be accessed at: gov.uk/backtoschool
I have attached the reopening plan for you which outlines the key points including slightly amended start and finish times along with different entrances to the school.
We will endeavour to keep the school day as ‘normal’ as possible where all the children feel confident and happy to learn.
I hope you enjoy the last week of your holiday and look forward to seeing you all on Monday 7th September.
Many thanks for your continued support.
Kind regards
Karen Headland Sandra Thacker
Headteacher Chair of Governors
Letter from Mrs Headland
Dear Parents and Carers
It is hard to believe that we have come to the end of this, most unusual, academic year.
The staff have worked tirelessly to try to make sure that the children’s learning experiences were positive both at home and at school. It has been great to see the children on the class zoom meetings too, we have really missed the ones who have not been able to come back to school.
I would like to thank you all as parents for supporting us too, home educating your children in the midst of a pandemic, whilst continuing with your work from home is a great achievement, so hats off to you all.
The children have done really well both at home and at school, we are extremely proud of each and every one of them. We would usually have a big end of term celebration where we share these achievements but obviously, in the current situation, this is not possible. We have said a fond farewell to our Year 6 children who shared their memories of Cotton End Forest School with staff and their peers. Snowy days, residential trips and visiting owls were some of the ones that made us all smile. They are now moving onto their next stage of education as confident young people and we wish them every success for the future.
We are continuing to plan for a full reopening in September when all of the children will be expected to return to school. We will be following government guidance to ensure that we make school as safe as possible for your children. This will involve keeping children in their class or year group bubbles throughout the day, staggering lunch and playtimes. The beginning and end of the school day will be slightly staggered and we will confirm exact timings as soon as we are able to. We will be providing hot meals again in September, but there will be a limited menu to begin with to enable us to manage the flow of children without crossing bubbles.
It has been confirmed that Dawn until Dusk will be providing breakfast and after school care from September for those parents who require wrap around care. They have their own risk assessments available and you will need to book with them directly.
I will, of course, keep you updated with any new information over the summer break via parentmail so please check your emails regularly.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your lovely messages, cards and gifts, they are all very much appreciated.
I hope that you have a lovely summer, keep safe and I look forward to seeing you back at school on Monday 7th September 2020.
Kind regards
Karen Headland
Letter from Mrs Headland
24th April 2020
Dear Parents/Carers
I hope that you and your families are all staying safe and well and enjoyed the Easter break. We have been incredibly lucky with having some beautiful weather enabling us to make the most of being outside in our gardens where possible and taking our daily exercise.
We are missing everyone greatly, the school is a very quiet place at present with only a few children attending on a daily basis. Thank you very much for all your lovely messages that have been sent in over the last few weeks, it helps to brighten our days!
The staff have been working tirelessly from home to provide work and activities for your children to complete during this lockdown period. Whilst at home, please encourage your child to continue their learning through the information sent out by class teachers. The tasks set are consolidating previous learning and therefore most can be completed independently. We do also appreciate that many of you are trying to juggle working from home yourselves whilst home-schooling your children. Please do not put yourselves under any more pressure, just do what you can. Any work that is sent through to the class pages will be acknowledged by the class teacher as soon as possible. These are unprecedented and challenging times but we are committed to supporting your child’s education through the activities we provide and through caring for those who will continue to attend school.
You may have seen in the national press that the Government have provided vouchers for families eligible for free school meals but there have been lots of issues and a considerable backlog around downloading and issuing these. Mrs Coe has overcome lots of challenges and managed to provide those families with their entitlements-Thank you Mrs Coe for your hard work and perseverance.
The staff have all put together a message and video for the children which has been uploaded to our Facebook page-please share it with them-I hope they enjoy it!
As soon as we have any further information about schools reopening I will be in contact with you. In the meantime, please stay at home and stay safe.
Yours sincerely,
Karen Headland
Headteacher
Letter being sent via Parentmail please read
Dear Parents and Carers
Thank you for your many messages today and apologies for not responding to you all on an individual basis, as you can appreciate, it is a very busy and challenging time for everyone.
As always and as previously stated, my priority is the health and safety of the pupils and staff in our school. Now, more than ever, this remains our primary focus.
We are following official advice from the Department for Education, Bedford Borough and the NHS. This official advice underpins all the actions we take.
Therefore, as stated by the DFE: ‘the most recent scientific advice on how to further limit the spread of COVID-19 is clear. If children can stay safely at home, they should, to limit the chance of the virus spreading.’
That is why the government has asked parents to keep their children at home, wherever possible, and asked schools to remain open only for those children who absolutely need to attend.
It is important to underline that schools, colleges and other educational establishments remain safe places for children. But the fewer children making the journey to school, and the fewer children in educational settings, the lower the risk that the virus can spread and infect vulnerable individuals in wider society.
We have been advised to ask parents to provide evidence that they are ‘critical for continuation of essential services’. (Please let us have this by Monday).Many parents working in these sectors may be able to ensure their child is kept at home. And every child who can be safely cared for at home should be’.-this includes anyone working from home or with other family members who are able to safely care for your children.
If you are one of the identified families, we will have contacted you for your child to attend on Monday, otherwise please keep your child at home.
Many thanks for your continued support.
Kind regards
Letter 16/3/2020
16th March 2020
Dear Parents and Carers
As I am sure you will appreciate, we are currently dealing with a complex and rapidly changing situation. My priority will always be the health and safety of the pupils and staff in our school. Now, more than ever, this remains our primary focus.
Already in school we have, following NHS guidance:
- Provided hand sanitiser in our reception area
- Increased hand washing routines for children and staff
- Increased the rigour of cleaning and disinfecting across the school including door handles, light switches and hard surfaces.
We are following official advice from the Department for Education, Bedford Borough and the NHS. This official advice underpins all the actions we take.
Whilst I appreciate that there will be a wide range of different views about how we should be responding and what action should be taken, I am duty bound to follow this official advice.
I will of course keep you updated with any changes as soon as I am aware of them. In the meantime, if you have any concerns around your child’s health please use the NHS 111 service for advice.
We have made the decision to go ahead with our trips to Wimpole Farm this week with Reception and Year 1 classes. A preliminary visit has been carried out this weekend and the farm has multiple hand sanitiser stations around the venue with toilets and handwashing facilities also readily available. The children are going to be outside for the majority of the day and not in confined spaces. We have also spoken to the bus company who will be transporting the children and they too have increased their cleaning routines by sanitising door handles and touch points between journeys.
I am sure the children will have a lovely day and a fantastic experience at the farm.
Many thanks for your continued support.
Kind regards
Karen Headland
office@cottonendforestschool.co.uk
(01234) 740100