Gwersyllt CP

Dear Keyworker parents,

There has been a lot of information flying around over the last few days but the following is pertinent to those pupils of Keyworkers.

As you may be aware, the school is only allowed to accommodate a maximum of one third of the pupils at any point in the day when school reopens. This number includes the Keyworker provision who, from the 29^th of June, will be based in the hall and the playmates area.

Because of this, it is particularly important that we have a good understanding of the numbers over the four week period and that the provision is accessed only by those with no other options of child care.

This being the case, can I request that parents inform us as soon as possible about the dates they will require for the provision and have paperwork (letter or rota) for the adults a the home to show these requirements. This advice has been given by County in order to allow all pupils to receive check in sessions.

Secondly, there has been regional discussion about the keyworker group and whether they will be able to access the class groups when it is their turn. There have been a mix of answers varying from no to yes and everything inbetween. One of the options is that the parents will have the choice of the class group or the keyworker group for that week but will not be allowed to access both. We will let you know when we have a more definitive answer.

Thank you, it has been a pleasure being in the company of your children for much of this long period.

Mr J Moore

Dear Parents/ Guardians,

Thank you for the questions and queries that are coming through with further information that is being released. I will do my best where possible to answer it. I am sure you understand that we are asking questions of the county provisions as well as the wider Welsh government to get the answers that we require.

From the information I sent out yesterday a few questions sprung up. The final point will hopefully answer the query that we have had most.

• Lunch- We are awaiting a decision on catering for lunch provision. Some counties in wales have stated that all children will be provided a lunch on site and pupils are not to bring anything in. Other counties have requested all pupils bring in lunch as it will not be provided on site. I promise as soon as we know more we will let you know.
• Siblings- It has become clear that many parents would like their children, where possible to come in on the same day. We will try our best to accommodate this. However, this will come with its only problems, we have been told to stagger start times for classes. This could lead to one child being dropped off at 9.15am and another child of the same family being dropped off at 10am. Unfortunately, this scenario is out of our control and safety must come first over convenience.
• IMPORTANTLY- Breakfast club, Playmates and Little Chicks will not be available to any pupils coming into their class group. These wrap around provisions are only available to those pupils in the Keyworker group. The pupils who are re-entering school for their block of three days will be given a drop off and pick up time which must be adhered to. They will then remain in their small group for the whole day. To allow wrap around provision either side of the school day would cause cross contamination with several other groups and negate the point of this. Please note that I have been informed that unfortunately Little Chicks provision has had to temporarily close for the next three weeks. Also, I must impress that these 3 days allocated are for a check in for the pupils and the teacher. I understand the frustration but this is the advice we have been given.

These are not easy messages to relay but I hope you understand our reason for them. I have no doubt that they will raise more questions, which I will attempt to answer in due course. We are hoping to get the times of the scheduled sessions out to parents by the middle of next week. After which we will give you more information about the expectations upon return.

Many thanks,

Mr J Moore

Dear Parents Guardians,

I hope you are all well during this very difficult time. Last week I wrote to you with the details that the Education Minister, Kirsty Williams had announced the reopening of Schools for a ‘Check in, Catch up, Prepare for Summer and September.’

The full guidance will be out in the middle of this week that will help school plan and prepare for this next phase. However, I write to you now asking you to make a very difficult decision for you and your child by the end of this week.

Before I ask this of you I think it is right to inform you, best that we currently can, how school will be for your child upon their proposed return. At least with the following information you will feel more confident making a partially informed decision.

1. It has been made clear that school should have no more than one third of the pupils in at any one time. This includes the Keyworker group that provision has previously been arranged for. This, along with social distancing, well limit class sizes and therefore the amount of time your child will have in school. It is extremely likely that your child will only have a block of 3 or 4 days schooling prior to the end of the summer term.
2. Online learning platforms will continue to be the main form of learning. The pupils time with the teacher will not necessarily be curriculum based and will focus largely on the wellbeing of the child.
3. The classrooms will be set up for social distancing and therefore will look very different to normal. Staff will be at the front and will not be able to approach the children.
4. Though it is likely that pupils will be with a small amount of their class it will not be a given that they will be with their friends for the short period of time in school. There will be no interaction between classes and the children will remain with the same group in the same class for the sessions they are in school.
5. Break times and lunch times will provide some opportunity to go outside but again small numbers and social distancing will be expected. Lunch will be taken in the class room.
6. School will likely be open for four days of the week, with one day being put aside to deep clean classes in preparation for the next set of sessions. The school times will be staggered (e.g. 9.10am to 2.50pm) and classes will be given a very small window to drop off and pick up their children. If this window is missed they will have to wait until the all other classes are finished to pick up or drop off.
7. Movement around school will be kept to a minimum (for example toileting) and visitors will only be allowed by prior appointment. Further information regarding travelling around the site will be communicated nearer the time.
8. SOCIAL DISTANCING- The school will do all it reasonably can to ensure social distancing. However, it is very clear that many pupils, particularly younger pupils, understandably struggle to adhere to social distancing and will interact with friends at less than 2m despite reminders.

The guidance for schools will not be out until Wednesday, after which I hope we will be able to obtain a clearer picture of the set up moving forward. It is important to remember that the choice on whether your child should return to school is yours. The Welsh Government have said that they will respect this decision (as will the school).

However, in order to plan the timetable for pupils to return and the logistics of pupil numbers and classrooms we do now need to ask you to contact the school to let us know if you wish your child to be allocated a place prior to the Summer break. We require this information by Friday 12^th June 3pm via the school phone or email (mailbox@gwersyllt-pri.wrexham.sch). Please be aware that if the answer is no or we do not get a response before 3pm on Friday we will not be able to allocate a place to your child for the four week period. We will not be able to make exceptions for this.

My most sincerest apologies for asking you to make this decision, for the sparse information that I can currently give you and for the short timeframe. In order to ensure safety as much as possible we need to rigorously look at timetables and pupil/staff numbers.

Once we know that you wish your child to be allocated a place to return to school we will endeavour to work out the timetable over the four week period and communicate this to you as soon as possible.

Many thanks for your understanding.

Mr J Moore

Firstly, can I thank you for your on-going efforts with home schooling since 20 March when schools closed for educational purposes. I understand the pressures that families are under and the importance of ensuring that children are able to return to school when it is safe to do.
On Wednesday 3 June, Kirsty Williams, Minister for Education, announced that schools will be reopening on Monday 29 June 2020 and will remain open until Friday 24 July 2020. The purpose of reopening is to provide pupils with an opportunity to “Check in, Catch up and Prepare for Summer and September” whilst emphasising that not all pupils will attend everyday, that there will be no more than up to one-third of pupils in a school at any one time and that depending on the context of the school, it could take schools some time to reach this level. This is to ensure that the health and safety and well being of pupils and staff are protected.
Welsh Government will next week be providing guidance to schools on implementing the reopening, and schools will consider this guidance to ensure as smooth and safe return to school for the pupils as possible. In addition, risk assessments are being carried
out in all schools across the Borough.
Each school will be assessing its own situation and it may be that there will not be an uniform approach across all schools and that not all schools are able to offer the same level of provision, due to factors such as building capacity and also staffing availability. In all considerations, the main principle will be to keep children and school staff safe as
possible.
Our schools have already started to plan on which days your children will able to attend school. Please bear with your school whilst they develop the arrangements.
Please be assured that your child’s school will contact you to notify you of the arrangements with sufficient notice ahead of 29 June. There is no need for you to contact the school at this point.
In addition, you will be provided with information in respect of home to school transport for qualifying pupils and school dinner arrangements as soon as possible.
Can I thank you for your efforts and perseverance in continuing to provide home
schooling to your children.

Your Sincerely Ian Roberts

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I hope you are all well and have had the opportunity to enjoy the lovely weather we had over the half term week (even if there was a limit to where you could go and what you could do).

You will probably be aware that, currently, there is no official statement on the return of schools in Wales and what that phasing in process will look like. Therefore, as things stand, the school will continue to provide provision for those that require it and cannot access any other child care. Again, thank you for understanding that we are endeavouring to keep numbers as low as possible for the safety of all involved and that this provision is provided as a last resort.

The staff at Gwersyllt will continue to spend their working time between staffing the school provision and providing work for the majority of pupils at home. Because of the nature of these rotas, teachers are sometimes not available for the days they are staffing the school provision to aid with questions or feedback on work.

Hard copies for all year groups have, again, been made available for the next two weeks (some of these came out prior to half term) and the next pack will be out on Friday 12^th June. These packs are for those that are struggling to access the content that is being made available on digital platforms and hopefully gives those families an opportunity to work through some sessions at a pace that suits them.

Just a quick reminder that much of the work for pupils will be made available on the many different digital platforms such as – Google Classroom, My maths, Hwb and See Saw. Your child’s teachers will be able to point you towards which platform (s) are being used and what is available. Mrs Jones is also using the Facebook page to point families towards ideas and activities that are less subject based but equally as important.

You can also access work on websites such as White rose maths, BBC bitesize, the create PE webpage (please see post on school webpage for more on this) etc.

Finally, school reports will start being made available as of tomorrow. The reports are due to come out on Friday 3^rd July. However, with the situation being as it is we will be staggering the weeks in which they become available. You will receive a text when your child’s class is ready for pick up. There is no expectation to pick them up from the reception and those that remain in school will be kept safe and given to the pupils to take home on their return to education.

I will hopefully be in touch soon with some further information about the school moving forward. Until then stay safe.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

What would have been the first half of the summer term is coming to an end. I hope all of you are well and that you have a safe half term.

I am writing to remind you that next week is the Half term holidays, and though we are providing work up until the 22nd May, please take the opportunity where possible to relax and enjoy the family. There is no expectation for any work to be completed and is being provided as an option for those who families that would prefer to continue a routine they may have established. The staff at the school will be available for contact from June 1st onwards.

Looking into next half term, there is still an expectation for a report to be made available for pupils. We have made the decision to keep it as similar as possible. The main difference being that the data will be taken from March/April rather than later in the year as it usually would. Normally, we would look to get the reports out en mass at the end of June/start of July. However, with the situation being as it is we will be making the reports available on a class by class basis and staggering when they are available. This will make the dissemination of the reports easier prior to Summer. We will send separate texts out to the classes as and when they become available from June 1st onwards.

Once again, thank you for your understanding and your patience, we know that this is a difficult time. It goes without saying, if anything changes we will let you know as soon as possible.

Good morning,

Our Internet Safety Special edition activity book is out now!

This is our third in a series for children and young people. https://schoolbeat.cymru/en/news/activity-books/

All activities are based on familiar lessons for the children delivered by School Community Police Officers in schools and are carefully designed to reinforce SchoolBeat’s most important key safeguarding Internet safety messages

This edition  book is suitable for 9-11 year olds and available in Welsh and English.

We would like to see photos of you completing the activities and of your finished work. Ask you parents or carers to upload them on our SchoolBeat Twitter,Facebook or Instagram pages.

Good luck with the activities and enjoy!

Firstly, and once again,, I would like to say a big thank you to all parents and guardians for your understanding and response to the constantly evolving and changing situation the country, the community and the school have found itself in. As a school we are trying got get information out as and when we receive it. Currently there has been very little definitive information to pass on.

Of course much of the informal discussion is around the new ‘normal’ and, for us, when school will commence phasing back.  Currently, as things stand in Wales, there is no change, and the Ministers announcement last week that school will not reopen on June the 1^st is still the most current update we have. As Wales is devolved on this front from England, what is heard through the news there does not apply to the Welsh schools. I appreciate how misguiding this can feel at times but, rest assured, we will update you as soon as we hear any official news. Again, the patience, good will and understanding shown by all has made a difficult situation much easier to negotiate.

I will just reiterate my message last week that you and your families wellbeing is paramount. It is easy to feel that working, teaching at home and keeping on top of all of life’s admin is an impossible task. Again, we understand and sympathise, We will continue to provide as we have been doing, but please feel free to do what you can and prioritise other aspects of family life when possible. It will be different for everyone of us. 

This short term is nearing its end. As we move forward the school is continuing to provide care for those that need it most and will continue to do so over the half term break and beyond if necessary. Half term will commence for a week starting on Monday, May 25^th. For this week we will provide holiday club for those eligible only. Some staff  will be in school to ensure this provision continues. However, as with Easter, I must stress for those staff that are not in school during these days that the half term break will provide a much needed opportunity to have family time and take a break from school work. As I am sure many of you will know this is increasingly difficult when working from home as those lines become a little blurred. With this being the case can I ask that there is no expectation for teaching staff to reply or respond to queries or questions about work or other aspects of school life during this time. Staff will be available again from 1st June and onwards.

We will be providing some work in the lead up to half term for those that may feel the routine is welcome and wish to continue doing a little. However, this is in no way a requirement and we hope this week will be an opportunity to focus on other aspects where possible.

Again, a huge thank you for adhering to the Welsh Assembly Government instructions and only bringing your child to school when there are absolutely no other safe alternatives. It really does help us provide an environment that’s keeps all as safe as possible.

Finally, can I wish you all a positive and, most importantly, safe two weeks. Our thoughts are with you all during this difficult time. We miss having the pupils in school but understand that this is all part of something bigger than those daily routines. A text will come out in due time regarding the school provision after half term and how to contact the school. We will also keep you updated with any changes.

Many thanks and stay safe