Our Back to School Guide for Thursday September 2^nd 2021  

We are very much looking forward to welcoming you all back next week and hope you have all had a lovely summer holiday.

When does school return?

School will be open for all children on Thursday 2^nd September, 2021 (school office is open via email or telephone on Wednesday 1^st September for any queries).

Does my child need to wear uniform?

• Yes. The government guidance is clear that where schools normally have a uniform then children should return to school wearing that uniform. 
• If you do want to purchase uniform with the logo on, Emblematic will still only take orders directly from you due to the pandemic.  This link will take you to the website:

Emblematic

• Please note the school uniform policy is as listed below:
  • • School uniform is grey or black skirt/trousers, white polo top and burgundy jumper/cardigan (these can be bought from any supermarket, you do not have to buy them from the uniform supplier). 
    • Wearing leggings is not permitted apart from in Nursery and pre-school
    • Footwear: trainers (trainers would be great for returning to school so children can enjoy physical activity daily)
    • No jewellery apart from a watch.  
    • No earrings for boys or girls for safety reasons (safety of themselves and other children).  If your child wears earrings for school then we would have to limit what they can take part in during PE lessons and break times (Association for Physical Education guidance to schools)
    • Long hair must be tied back to help avoid the spread of head lice

What can my child bring to school and take home?

• Children will be able to bring a water bottle, a coat and a bag (to carry their packed lunch if needed, their reading book and any letters).  They can also bring their own hand gel and hand cream if preferred.
• Children will take their water bottle home with them every day as this will stay on their tables during the day (we would recommend they are washed when they are brought home to continue to prevent spread of the virus)
• Children will not need to bring pencil cases as we will provide individual stationery kits for all children.  They can bring them if they wish but they won’t be using them in lessons.
• We have footballs and other yard equipment for children so it is not necessary for children to bring in footballs from home.  If your child has their own skipping rope, they can bring this in for their own use.
• Children should not bring toys to school.
• Mobile phones – these are not permitted in school for any children.

My child has medical needs or takes medication, what do I do?

• If your child needs to take medication in school, please contact us directly on office@fordleyprimary.org.uk about this and we will advise you further (or ring us on 2502207 on Wednesday 1^st September as there will be someone in the office to take your call)
• If your child has medical needs and we need to update their plan with you, please contact us and we will arrange a meeting as soon as possible
• If your child has new medical needs, we will need to know about these.  Please email or ring and we will arrange a meeting with you. 

Do I, or the adult who drops off and picks up my child, need to wear a face mask?

• Face masks are no longer required by law, however if you would still feel more comfortable wearing a face mask outside on our school site that is absolutely fine
• If you need to come into our main reception for any reason, we will still need to you to wear a face mask for the protection of our school staff

When will my child do PE? 

• Next week (when your child returns to school) we will send a reminder of PE days for each class and year group
• On the days children do PE we will be asking them to come to school in their PE kit (including tracksuit bottoms and school jumper for warmth) so that they do not need to get changed in school. 
• PE kit is white T-shirt and black shorts

Which children will be going swimming? 

• Year 4 children in Mr Stewart’s class will be going swimming on Tuesdays (beginning Tuesday 7^th September).  They will need a swimming kit (swimming trunks or full costume, a towel, no earrings and £1 voluntary contribution towards transport costs).  More information will be sent out next week.
• Year 4 children in Mrs Buchan’s class will be going swimming in the Spring term (the swimming pool have requested we take fewer children for safety reasons)
• Any children who did not achieve their 25 metres badge in Y5 or Y6 will be able to go swimming in the summer term.

What will the start of the school day look like?

For the first term, at least, we will continue with the same arrangements for the start and end of the school day as last term.

• All gates (apart from the main car park gates) will be open and children can come into the school yard from any of them.
• All children can arrive at school between 8:30 and 8:50am (this is to prevent any families and children waiting on the yard as children will not be lining up).  New class teachers will be on the yard to welcome the children on the first three days back to help ease any worries.
• Children will need to go to their allocated drop off points (same as in the Summer Term)
  • • Reception will go to the Reception decking area
    • Y1 and Y2 will enter via the KS1 main door
    • Y3-Y6 will enter via the KS2 entrance
• Only use the path past Nursery and Reception if you need to, as this is a narrow path
• A limited morning snack will be available for children, should they want it, between 8:30-8:45
• Calm activities will be available in classrooms until the official start of the school day at 8:50am
• Members of the school’s leadership team (myself, Mr Maule, Mrs Pringle and Mrs Watson) will be on the yard to support and guide you throughout this drop off time, along with other school adults to encourage your child into school if they are worried. 
• Parents and carers will still not be allowed into the school building at this time, unless it is for a prearranged appointment, as we anticipate infection rates will rise on the return to school (as they have done in Scotland) and we would like to prevent any impact on children, families and our school staff  

What will the end of the school day look like?

• All gates (apart from the main car park gates) will be open and parents/carers will need to come and collect their child from their allocated collection point (same as in the Summer Term)
• Again we will be on the yard to support you
• STAGGERED COLLECTION TIMES – we have staggered the times to prevent too many families arriving before 3pm or having to wait on the yard for too long. 
  • Fordley Flyers and Nursery – Between 3-3:15pm at normal exit gates
  • Reception – 3:00pm-3:10pm
  • KS1 – 3:00-3:10pm
  • All of 3/4 – 3:10pm
  • All of 5/6 – 3:15pm
• If you have more than 1 child, please collect at the time for your oldest child (this is because the younger ones can wait in the classroom until collected from their door)
• Only Y6 will be permitted to walk home without an adult, but we ask that you email office@fordleyprimary.org.uk to let us know that you give permission.  Please note – no children are allowed mobile phones.

Before School and Afterschool Childcare

• At this time, Before School Childcare and After School Childcare will continue to be only for parents or carers who need the wraparound care for work reasons
• Places are limited and must be booked by emailing office@fordleyprimary.org.uk
• More information can be found by following this link: Before School and After School Childcare

What will happen at lunchtime?

• We have planned for all children to be able to have their lunch in the hall, with staggered lunchtimes.
• Children can bring their own packed lunch or they can have a hot school lunch – an up to date menu will be shared next week
• Please remember we are a ‘nut free’ school and there should be no items with nuts in packed lunches (we have children in school with life threatening allergies to nuts)

Rewards and Celebrations

• We will be returning to our Friday Star of the Week assemblies in the school hall (split into KS1 and KS2 initially, with Reception joining in after half term).
• We will have a weekly theme linking in with our school core values of:
  • R – Resilience
  • E – Empathy
  • S – Self-aware
  • P – Positivity
  • E – Excellence
  • C – Communication
  • T – Teamwork
• We will also have a weekly assembly for KS1 and a separate one for KS2, with a daily act of reflection in class

Fordley Flyers and Nursery

• If you are a new starter this term and have not had a phone call from Miss Gilfillan or Mrs McArdle with your start date, please email school and they will contact you on Wednesday 1^st September directly.  We must have an up to date phone number
• There will be staggered entries for new starters as normal as it is so important that we get to know your child very well and help them to settle in.

Communication with Parents and Carers

You know how much we value our Fordley Family and the relationships we have with you all as part of our school community.  We are looking forward to being able to re-introduce some family events in school but, at this time, we still need to be cautious.  However we will be arranging family reading workshops this half term (more information will be sent out soon).

If you do need to speak to your child’s class teacher, or need a message passed to them, please email school at office@fordleyprimary.org.uk or ring the school office on our new number 0191 2502207

The message will be emailed to the class teacher and they will contact you that day if you need to speak to them directly.

We will share any key school letters, announcements and information via these methods:

• Our website (all of our announcements are posted on ‘Latest News’)
• Seesaw – many of you are now signed up to receive notifications
• Facebook and Twitter – we share links to our website and celebrate successes and good news on here

If you need to come into the main school office for an urgent reason, please make sure you are wearing a face mask for the safety of everyone (unless you are exempt for medical reasons)

How will you continue to keep my child safe?

• We have additional hand washing procedures and resources
• We have extra cleaning materials in every classroom
• Children will be able to go to the toilet whenever they need to, but will be reminded to wash their hands
• Additional cleaning of toilets and all common surfaces will take place throughout the school day
• Should any child or adult display symptoms and have a positive test result, Public Health England will support school directly to manage this swiftly for everyone’s safety
• We no longer have to close classes for 1 positive case of COVID-19.  However we will now have an outbreak management plan should there be several cases of this within a class.  This is normal procedure for all schools in case of outbreaks of any disease.

What happens if my child shows symptoms?

• AT HOME – if your child shows symptoms, please book a test and let us know.  If they test positive, Test and Trace will support you on what to do next.
• AT SCHOOL - If your child shows symptoms, we will contact you so that you can come and collect them and book a test.

How can you help us this term?

You, our Fordley Family, are simply an amazing support to us and we love being at the heart of our fantastic community.  You can continue to help us by:

• PARKING - Avoid parking on Dudley Drive where possible (North Tyneside Council are asking ALL SCHOOLS to avoid parking outside of school gates) – too many cars cause dangerous issues for children and families and will make social distancing impossible.  If you live within walking distance, please walk with your child to school as this is a much healthier option. 
• DOGS - Do not bring dogs onto the school yard, or tie them up next to school gates (as much as I love dogs, not everyone does and many people are scared of them)
• Packed lunches – as we will be working to help all children’s physical and mental health we ask that any packed lunches are as healthy as possible (e.g. do not just contain sweets or chocolate bars)