Dear Parents/Carers                                                                                                                        Tuesday 25^th August

I hope you have all had a good Summer, under the circumstances, and enjoyed the Great British weather!

I wanted to update you all on next week and to hopefully reassure you that all Government Guidance has been followed and all possible safety measures have been put in place so that we can welcome the children back next week.

There was much on the news yesterday and there will be this week, about coming back to school and how safe it is. There are still many mixed messages and as parents you are left with the decisions to make.

I have been honest with you throughout all of this and I will continue to be.

I do believe the children can be back in Sugar Hill and that you can be reassured that we will do all that we can to make them as safe as possible. There is no 100% guarantee but with measures in place and cooperation from all involved, I do feel that they will be as safe as anywhere could be.

I hope that you fully understand why the measures in place have to be there and they will be under constant review.

The drop off and pick up plans work on paper but we will not know how they work in practice until we start! I hope they do, it has taken hours of time!!

All information is on the website but these are the key points:

• All children from YN to Y4 must be brought to school and picked up by an adult or older sibling (16+). Children in Y5 and Y6 will be able to walk home alone by prior arrangement. Please email or ring school from Wednesday 3^rd September to let us know. All children need to be brought to school by an adult so that the children are supervised prior to coming into school.
• One adult only please with each child. Please ensure the children stay with you as they wait to come in and do not run around and please follow the social distance signs in place.
• Please do not arrive too early either at drop off or pick up times. Please arrive as close to your times as possible to avoid large groups of parents/carers gathering.
• All children to wear school uniform. On PE days they will be allowed to come in school PE kit so they are not getting changed in school
• The children must not bring anything with them into school on their first day, apart from packed lunch if needed. They will be given a plastic bag and planners on their first day. These can then be used each day for planners and reading books only.
• Parents/carers must not come into school unless by prior appointment. Please ring or email with all questions or enquiries.
• Teachers will not be able to speak to parents/carers at the school gates, either morning or afternoon. Please use planners for all communication or request a phone call.
• A one-way system will be in place for Nursery and KS1 parents. Staff will be on hand to show how this will work on your child’s first day
• Please inform school if your child is going to be absent for any reason. Attendance is once again reportable so please ensure this happens.
• If you are going to be late you must ring the office to arrange a time to bring your child. Please do not just bring them to the office. It is vital that the drop off times are adhered to as all entrances are being used at various times.
• If you feel your child has any COVID symptoms at all, they must be tested and school informed immediately. We will be sending information on this at the start of term.

Please look at your child’s Year group Page on the website for more information on their start dates and arrangements.

I really hope we see all of the children back next week; we are all looking forward to seeing them following the successful transition days. I’m sure you are all ready for a little bit of our new normal.

Please do not hesitate to email school at sugarhill@durhamlearning.net if you have any questions at all.

There will be no one in the office to answer phone calls until Wednesday 2^nd September.

Thank you again for your continued support           

  Mrs Paula O’Rourke