School Update

Dear Parent/Carer,

On 10th May the Prime Minister announced a roadmap towards recovery, including plans for the phased return of some children to school from the week commencing 1 June.

Here, at The Link School, we are keen to assure parents and carers that we will do our best to ensure that all of our children and young people remain as safe as possible whilst attending school. This will include:

• Changing the timings of the school week to allow appropriate time to clean both sites adequately.
• Limiting the amount of contact between different groups of children (such as smaller class sizes with children to create a more spacious environment) – children will be in classes of six or less.
• Changing classroom layouts to promote the 2m social distancing rule.
• Removal of some toys and furnishings to reduce the risk of spread.
• Additional protective measures, such as increased cleaning and encouraging good hand and respiratory hygiene.
• There will be increased cleaning regimes in between lessons and staff have been issued PPE to use during their time in school. Some staff may be wearing face coverings – whilst we accept this may be unsettling for some of our children, we will work to support your child in understanding why this is happening.

We would like to thank all of our parents and carers who completed the school survey and also appreciate your honesty and feedback regarding your concerns and worries about sending your children back to school. This has allowed us to put together a provisional plan that we think will meet the needs of our Link School families whilst reducing the risks of infection from Covid – 19, however, please be aware that these plans could be subject to last minute changes due to information coming from the Government.

Opening Plan Timeline

The school will be open to pupils  in Reception, Y1, Y6 and Y10, Monday to Thursday from 9am – 2.30pm. This will allow time on Friday for a full deep clean of the school and for our staff to make home visits, phone calls, deliver food parcels and keep in touch with our families.

Monday 1^st June 2020 – the school will be closed to all pupils to allow staff health and safety training to take place at Springwell Dene and Pallion.

From Tuesday 2^nd June 2020 – Springwell Dene will be open to those pupils in Reception and Y1, as well as those children who are vulnerable or children of key workers. Staff will ring parents/carers on Monday 1^st June to confirm arrangements.

From Monday 8^th June 2020 – Springwell Dene will be open to those pupils in Y6, in addition to Reception, Y1 and those children who are vulnerable or children of key workers. Staff will ring parents/carers on Thursday 4th June to confirm arrangements.

From Monday 15^th June 2020 – Pallion will be open to those pupils in Y10. As there will be no outdoor education provision for the foreseeable future due to current Government restrictions, we are looking to offer a blended face to face and online learning approach. Staff will be in contact after half term to discuss the arrangements for this. To support this, we will be working with our families to ensure that your child has the appropriate ICT equipment to allow this to happen. Staff will ring parents/carers on Thursday 11th June to confirm arrangements.

Transport

For those pupils who are entitled to taxi transport, the school will arrange this with Paul Tomlin from transport and will be in touch to confirm arrangements.

Y11 Pupils

We are aware that our Y11 pupils have had an abrupt ending to their time at The Link School but we would like to celebrate their achievements as best we can in this current time. We are looking to hold a Celebration Event on Friday 25^th June 2020 for Y11 pupils and their families. Exact details of the event will be shared closer to the time.

Y2, Y3, Y4, Y5, Y7, Y8 and Y9 Pupils

We will continue to support those pupils not in school in the same way that we have done over the last 8 weeks, this will include providing home learning packs, online learning, phone calls, mindfulness calls and regularly keeping in touch. We are also aware that many of our Y9 pupils are concerned about their transitions into Y10. Once we have an idea of what the Government next steps are we will be back to discuss with you and your child what will happen next.

Free School Meals

We are continuing to use the Edenred Free School Voucher Scheme for those children who are entitled to free school meals. The Edenred scheme will not run over the May Half Term holiday but as a school we will provide you with a £15 voucher to cover this period.

Family Support and Well- Being

We are aware, that a number of our parents/carers have indicated that their children will not be returning, as they do not feel it is safe to do so and I want to assure you that we understand this and no formal attendance procedures will be brought against parents/carers at this time.

After May Half Term, we will still continue to offer breakfast packs and food packs regularly and you can request one of these during the phone calls that you receive, and anything else that you feel you need our help with.

Nicole and Claire continue to be available as part of our ‘mindfulness moments phone call sessions’ where our children and young people take some time to talk, for someone else to listen. They are available on the following numbers: Nicole – 07887588997.   Claire – 07500609717

If you have any concerns regarding these proposals or need to access more work for your child, please let our staff know when they ring you.

As a school, we will continue to support you and your families moving forward, don’t be afraid to ask – we are all in this together.

Please continue to stay safe and well.

Donna

HeadTeacher

Click here to read the school letter.PDF 

For more information click on the following links 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers/reopening-schools-and-other-educational-settings-from-1-june

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/help-secondary-school-children-continue-their-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19