We hope you have had a lovely break over the summer.

There is a lot to look forward to in the forthcoming year, and we especially welcome all our new starters in EYFS Butterfly and Bumblebee classes. We will be sending out regular news in our weekly newsletters and we encourage parents to follow us on Twitter for quick updates, pictures and videos of the many exciting activities that are happening regularly around school.

Please see below a few reminders of the practicalities of coming in to school well prepared to make the most of the learning day. 

Operational plan

Please read the current operational plan which includes details about daily routines for playtimes, lunchtimes, equipment use and communication with school. 

If we are required by the government to change any aspects of this plan, parents will be contacted directly by the school, either by text or email. You may wish to read this summary of our contingency plans which shows where a reintroduction of further safety procedures might be required in the event of escalating cases of Covid.

At-a-glance

The operational plan is summarised in this at-a-glance sheet which highlights where procedures will be changing from last term and where they will be staying the same.

Drop-off and pick-up routines

This guide to dropping off and picking up your child/ren contains lots of detail about daily routines and routes to and from school. We are aiming to minimise congestion around the school site as we head into the autumn/winter months so please do check the relevant page for your child's class.

Please note: children must be in their classrooms by 8.50am. School ends at 3.15pm for Years 1 – 6 and 3.10pm for Reception classes.

Reception families have been contacted individually with starting and ending times for their introductory transition sessions.

Swimming

We're delighted to be offering swimming lessons in September. Please see full current swimming information here.

Class information

The classes page of the website contains all the class-related information you need from September. This includes information on the term's topics, homework, swimming and PE arrangements. Classes are now known by their tree names. 

School lunches

The menu for the autumn term is already available here. Please see our Office section for information on costs, how to pay and how to order your child's lunches.

Uniform

Please check all uniform requirements here, including how to purchase uniform and PE wear bearing the school logo.

Covid guidance for parents

Our news item 'Covid guidance for parents' contains useful up-to-date information and links for parents regarding procedures that apply in the event of a Covid case in our school community.

Swimming for term 1 will start week commencing 13^th September for all years except Reception. The current timetable is here .

Helpers needed for this activity

Volunteers are essential to support this activity and we would be very grateful if you could consider if you are able to help.  All volunteers are required to hold a school DBS certificate.  Anyone who has helped with this activity previously does not need to reapply for a DBS, but if you do not hold a current DBS with this establishment, it needs to be organised prior to your volunteering.  If this applies to you, please contact the school office for further information as soon as possible.

If you are signed up to help, or are wondering what is involved with regard to safety, please read the current guidelines for swimming helpers here. 

Electronic sign-up and privacy

There is an electronic sign-up sheet for each class which shows the number of helpers required and how many spaces are available.  This uses a volunteer sign up website  https://volunteersignup.org which our PTA has used previously for sign up to help with fundraising for school events. When you offer to help you will be asked for your first and last name, email address and phone number. You cannot proceed without this. Personal details are not used for anything other than running the site. The website’s privacy notice is available here: volunteersignup.org/legal/privacy

Quick links to helper sign-up sheets

CE Apple Class: Tues 10.30–12noon https://volunteersignup.org/M88RK  

RH/SEH Pear Class: Tues 1.30–3pm https://volunteersignup.org/CK478 

NJ Palm Class: Tues 9.00–10.30am https://volunteersignup.org/3Q9B7 

MN Cherry Class: Weds 9.00–10.30am https://volunteersignup.org/KJQC8 

CM Sycamore Class: Mon 1.30–3.00pm https://volunteersignup.org/PPJPX  

ES/MFB Lime Class: Thurs 1.30–3.00pm https://volunteersignup.org/LED8K

RJ Maple Class: Thurs 10.30–12 noon https://volunteersignup.org/CYQXF 

PN Willow Class: Thurs 9.00–10.30am https://volunteersignup.org/7MJYF 

JSB Elm Class: Fri 9.00–10.30am https://volunteersignup.org/7KMJ9 

AB Horse Chestnut Class: Fri 10.30–12 noon https://volunteersignup.org/FX7D4 

NS Ash Class: Mon 10.30–12.00 noon https://volunteersignup.org/YJBDQ 

JG Oak Class: Mon 9.00–10.30am https://volunteersignup.org/R3X98 

Please read on for information about procedures that will apply in the event of a confirmed case or an outbreak of Covid-19 in our school community. This information has been updated for September 2021.

Please see the Remote education news item for full information about how remote education will be offered for any Saltford School children who are required to remain at home because of Covid-19.

For the latest government information and guidance for parents and carers of children attending early years settings, schools and colleges during the coronavirus pandemic, please see: 'What parents and carers need to know about early years providers, schools and colleges'. For all government information about Covid-19 please see www.gov.uk/coronavirus.

Any updates in the form of letters to parents will be posted here.

• At-a-glance operational plan summary from September 2021
• the current operational plan with details about daily routines for playtimes, lunchtimes, equipment use and communication with school
• a summary of our contingency plans for a Covid-19 outbreak

In the case of illness, suspected or confirmed Covid-19

If your child is unwell and unable to attend school, please ensure you telephone and leave a message on the absence line before 8:45am on the first day your child will not be in school. If your child has symptoms of Covid-19, please keep them home and get them tested.

You need to inform us if a child has tested positive for Covid-19: 

• If you receive a positive test result during school hours (8am - 4pm on school days) then please telephone the school office and speak to one of the team. 01225 872185.
• If you receive a positive test result outside of school hours, please report it using this online form and Mrs Sage or one of the office team will contact you. The form is here: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=FU48tNJMtUmhKRQyRYFNOtF6I-R52W5EtxGo7hDZii5UNlNYV1lITFpSNlE0RlZGQ1YxWUxWSEg2OC4u
  

You will be asked the date your child was last in school as Test and Trace then trace close contacts in the previous 48 hours. This will help us to support track and trace to identify close contacts and ensure the class teacher is alerted that your child is self-isolating for ten days and will be in touch to set school-work - in this case we will know your child is absent for ten days and you would not need to ring in every day as noted above.

Please refer to this quick guide for parents and carers which is a helpful chart of what actions to take in different situations and how to judge when your child should return to school.

Changes to contact tracing in the new school year

One of the main changes for this new school year is that school will not be involved with contact tracing. Now NHS Test and Trace will work with the positive case to identify close contacts. From 16th August 2021, children under the age of 18 years old will no longer be required to self-isolate if they are contacted by NHS Test and Trace as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case. Instead, Test and Trace will work with parents, carers or guardians to inform the child that they have been in close contact with a positive case and advise a PCR test is taken. 

New self-isolation rules

There is no self-isolation unless you have confirmed Covid-19; if a member of staff or a pupil is identified as a Close Contact of someone with Covid-19, they do not need to self isolate, as long as they are either under 18 / double vaccinated / do not have symptoms of Covid.

If you live with someone who develops symptoms or who tests positive, you do not need to self isolate, as long as you are either under 18 / double vaccinated / do not have symptoms of covid. This means that children do not have to stay at home if a parent or sibling has symptoms or a positive result, and staff do not need to stay at home if the people they live with have symptoms or a positive result.

In all the above cases, NHS Test and Trace will contact you to tell you that you are a Close Contact, and they will advise you to take a PCR tests as soon as possible and advise that you:

• Wear a mask in enclosed spaces (school staff, primary aged pupils not compulsory)
• Limit contact with clinically extremely vulnerable people
• Take lateral flow tests twice a week (adults and older children)

As long as you don’t develop symptoms or test positive, you should observe these measures for 10 days after your last contact with the covid case, but you may continue to attend school, even while waiting for your PCR test result. Close Contacts are people who have “mixed closely” with the person who has covid. This could mean:

• In the same class
• A friendship group at break time or lunch time
• A sports team
• An after-school club group

Contingency plan in case of a Covid outbreak

Please see this summary of our contingency plans that will be put into place in the event of a Covid-19 outbreak. It shows what the response will be to escalating numbers of Covid cases within school.

If my child usually has a free school meal

1. School plans to support children who would normally receive a benefit-related free school meal. Individual families will be contacted by the school where this is applicable.
2. Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 who receive a 'universal free school meal' will unfortunately not be eligible for extra support.

If my child is self-isolating and it is difficult for me to get other children to school

1. Parents, carers and guardians are responsible for ensuring regular attendance and that includes making sure that their children can still get to school. This case is treated the same as a sibling being ill under normal circumstances.
2. If you are having difficulties, please contact the school to discuss your circumstances.
3. Work will be provided only for the child who is self-isolating. See the Remote education news item for full information. Siblings are required to attend school as normal to access their education.

Thank you

We would like thank families for their understanding and continuing support. Throughout the planning process the safety of children and adults has been our overriding concern.

All our planning has been done in conjunction with the other primary schools in our partnership and we have followed the Futura Learning Partnership's risk assessment process in doing so. Our risk assessment has been reviewed and approved by the partnership board.

During periods of self-isolation or national lockdown, it is important that children have support to continue their education while they are at home, as long as they are well enough to do so. 

For full details of our remote education offer please see the following:

• Visual overview of the whole remote learning provision PDF document
• Our commitment for remote and blended learning PDF document
• Our plan for individual, whole class or whole school remote learning provision PDF document  
• Detailed remote learning plan for 2021 – 22 PDF document
• Q&A document here for more detailed information about what parents and carers can expect from remote education if government restrictions require entire cohorts to remain at home.

Please follow the links below to find three daily lessons to support your child's learning at home. Children can then share what they do via Tapestry or Seesaw. The login details remain the same as before. Please contact us if there are any issues with this.

Microsoft Teams

Please see communications sent to parents/carers with regard to our use of Microsoft Teams for live meet ups.  Instruction document can be found here. 

Oak National Academy

Schedules by year group from the Oak National Academy

These are free online lessons across a variety of UK school curriculum subjects. Please choose the appropriate year group and then select the day of the week.

BBC TV and Bitesize online

The BBC has added curriculum-based television programming to its online offering to support families during the latest lockdown. Programming for primary aged children will be on CBBC between 9am and 12pm every weekday. The Bitesize daily lessons will also be shown on the Red Button service on TV.

Please see the following links for how to access the online BBC content:

What is Seesaw?

We are very pleased to have Seesaw as an important tool for us to provide education for our children when remote learning is required.

Seesaw is a secure online learning environment for children that provides a platform for communication between children, parents and school. It supports creative learning by enabling use of photos, videos, drawing and notes.

All families will have received an introductory letter that outlines what teachers and parents can expect from this new platform, how to get started and how any privacy and safeguarding concerns are covered.

How does it work?

When you first activate your account, you should see your child in their current class. Your teacher will respond to anything you post with a like or a comment. Please be aware teachers are all in school teaching during school hours so will not be able to respond straight away. Any work needed will be assigned to your child for them to complete and submit. Seesaw tasks may include special projects and different challenges.

We will suggest ways to respond but if you work in a different way, please do submit your work in this format. We appreciate not everyone will have access to/want to work on devices all the time.

Don't forget that, in addition, we still have paid subscriptions to Doodle Maths and English and TTRockstars and Numbots which are excellent resources to keep your learning going.

Help for parents

You can see an introductory guide for parents here and watch the video that Miss Davis has made to help parents through using Seesaw for the first time: