“We are currently working within the realms of Government guidance”
COVID – 19 UPDATE: 11.6.20
HEADTEACHER UPDATE
REOPENING SCHOOLS INFORMATIVE PARENT LETTER
Dear SWPS Family
On the 9th of June 2019, the Local Authority announced that all maintained schools are to prepare for re-opening schools to Y6 pupils from Monday 15th June 2020.
I am writing to confirm, that from next Monday 22nd June 2020, WE NOW WILL begin our gradual reopening of Snape Wood Primary School, starting with Year 6. Nottingham City, have issued a letter of statement. I have uploaded this on the website.
On Monday 15th June, SWPS will be shut to all pupils, including keyworker pupils, in order to have a whole school emergency inset day. I will be briefing all staff on the numerous measures that will need to be consistently put in place, across the entire school, to ensure we are doing our utmost to protect the safety and wellbeing of all individuals, which continues to be our number one priority. We will also make all final, practical preparations in our new bubbles, each of which will be in new, set locations across the school.
KEY POINTS FOR PARENT INFORMATION
VERY IMPORTANT - PLEASE CONTACT US BY 11AM ON WEDNESDAY 17TH JUNE IF:
If you think you NOW REQUIRE a NEW KEYWORKER PRIORITY PLACE at our school. (Your child may be any year group.). Please either call school on 0115 9159146 or email us at admin@snapewood.nottingham.sch.uk - and we will be happy to offer your child a place. We will require proof from your employer stating your job and requirement for you to return to work. Your work schedule or rota. The current critical government keyworker list still stands. If your child currently attends SWPS Keyworker School, there is no need to contact us, your place is guaranteed
If you are a parent of a Year 6 pupil, who has not already booked a place in a new Year 6 bubble, BUT, NOW WISHES FOR YOUR CHILD TO RETURN TO SCHOOL; we will do our best to fit them in to one of our 4 planned Year 6 bubbles from Monday 22nd June 2020. A detailed letter outlining the provision will be sent out by Monday 15th June 2020. Preview slots (20 mins) can be booked on Thursday 18th June 2020 – 9:30 – 11:30. Please ring the school office to book a slot if you are unsure of whether to send your child into school or not, and need to see the provision before deciding. We will upload a video virtual tour of the school to enable the children to become familiar with the changes.
INFORMATION ABOUT Y6 TRANSITION
We have had, understandably, many of our Year 6 parents ask about transition arrangements. Out of our current Y6 cohort, we have pupils going to approx. 6 different secondary schools across Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire! Miss Brown has spoken to these schools, about each pupil, as an individual regarding their: academic abilities, personal attributes and character.
Sadly, secondary schools cannot offer any specific transition arrangements for us to deliver to our Year 6 pupils. All information including: virtual tours, contact email addresses and important information is available to access on each individual secondary schools website.
I feel it is important to continue to be as honest and transparent with you as parents; what we can offer our current Year 6 pupils regarding transition preparation is sadly very limited. I know this will, for many Y6 parents, be a key factor in terms of your decision as to whether or not you send your child back to SWPS, as we gradually reopen from Monday 22nd June 2020.
INFORMATION ABOUT Y6 – END OF YEAR TRADITIONS
It is with deepest regret that we need to share with you that we are unable to do the vast majority of our normal Y6 Leavers Traditions. The only options we feel we can safely continue, following the current social distancing guidelines at this time, are:
*To ensure all Y6 pupils receive their Leavers end of year gifts
*Miss Brown is in the process of organising a virtual leavers session or a recorded message from each pupil to compile as a video of remembrance – this is TBC
We too, are so saddened, that we are unable to safely commit to anything else. Our Year 6’s will, alongside the rest of school, soon receive their individual end of year reports which all clearly demonstrate the love, care and respect we have for each one of them and our best wishes going forward.
As always, our school will completely respect your decision as parent, we just now need this information in order to prepare final ‘groupings of pupils’ in to their NEW ‘bubbles’ from Monday 22nd June. Our priority within each bubble is to ensure, for the children’s emotional well-being that they are with SOME of their friends – hence us needing to know Y6 numbers by Wednesday 17th June 2020 - 11AM.
Thank you to everyone in F2 that has already let us know if they would like a place (through welfare calls). If you are an F2 or Y1 parent and have not yet informed us, or have changed your mind, please can:
Myself, Miss Williams, (Acting Deputy Head) Mrs Howarth and Miss Brown, - SWPS Leadership Team - continue to be in the school on a regular basis. Mrs Stafford is in the office on a daily basis to assist with your enquiries. We always welcome your calls and questions – please know that your questions and opinions are important to us, so please do get in touch – we are here for you!
I hope this helps to clarify our plans/dates/year groups for the gradual, reopening of Snape Wood Primary School beginning on Monday 22nd June 2020.
Take care and stay safe
Mrs Shewley Choudhury – Headteacher
COVID 19 UPDATE 22.05.20
UPDATE: Friday 22nd May 2020
A message to our Dear Snape Wood Families:
We know you have seen in the news that schools may reopen from 1st June to Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils if the government thinks it is safe at that time. We would like you to know that we want nothing more than to have all of our children back with us in school. However, the safety of our children, their families and our staff is our number one priority, so we have been working extremely hard to consider how we can do this appropriately. It is a very unsettling time for us all, but you can rest assured that we are doing everything we can to make sure we are ready to receive these year groups if it’s safe for our school to reopen in the coming weeks.
The government’s proposals to re-open primary schools to more pupils from Monday 1st June is still conditional, and the reopening of schools will only happen if the five key tests set out by the government have been met.
We have read the government guidance on the re-opening of schools. I have read plenty more in addition to this so that we can do our very best to ensure our school is the best prepared it can be for re-opening in this situation.
Every school setting, staff and environment is unique and what we will aim to do at Snape Wood is a gradual and phased re-opening which builds staff, parent and pupil confidence as we go along. Our skeleton school provision will continue as usual till the end of term. You MUST be on the skeleton school register to access this provision.
Our first priority is the safety and well-being of the children and staff, and in order to re-open safely we will need to make significant changes to the school day and ‘normal’ routines.
We will NOT be opening on the 1st June 2020 for Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils. We are awaiting an announcement on Thursday, 28th May which will tell us whether the government still believes that it is safe for schools to re-open. If, after that, the government still wishes children to return to school, the school will need further time to prepare staff, buildings and resources to do this.
Each school is unique, and we are all planning slightly different approaches depending on what our risk assessments determine to be right for each setting.
We will only do what we feel is safe for us all, which means we may not be able to invite as many children into school as the government might want us to. Similarly, no family should feel pressurized to send their children to school; the choice lies with you and we will respect your choice completely.
We have been overwhelmed by the support you have given our schools during this time of crisis, and we are extremely grateful for this. We feel confident that when this situation is resolved, we will emerge even stronger and more ready to work with you all together.
Kind Regards
Mrs Shewley Choudhury
(Headteacher)
SNAPE WOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL DAILY UPDATES ON THE CORONAVIRUS
Snape Wood Primary and Nursery school are following guidance updates from the Government, that is set out for all schools nationally. We are also following updates and advice from the Local Authority as well as the Nottingham Schools Trust - This is to ensure that we are providing the best provision for our Snape Wood families.
For any parent, for whom English is an additional language, here is a useful link of information in a variety of other languages.
https://www.doctorsoftheworld.org.uk/coronavirus-information/
MONDAY 11TH MAY 2020 - HEADTEACHER UPDATE
MONDAY 11TH MAY – HEADTEACHER UPDATE
Good Evening Everyone - SWPS Family
Following the Prime Minister’s broadcast last night, I wanted to reassure you all, our amazing Snape Wood Community, that at the moment, for us a school, there is no change to the guidance. We will continue to provide care for those parents whose work is critical to the COVID-19 response. The message is still that it is safer to stay at home.
We have not yet received any information from the government to support us with this new plan of phased reopening of some year groups. When we do, as always, the approach will be well measured, strategic, carefully considered and communicated well in advance for you as parents to make an informed decision that we will respect as a school. When we do gradually reopen, our highest priority will be: pupil, parent and staff safety, and, pupil, parent and staff wellbeing. This has to and will always come first in any informed decision that we make as a school.
In the meantime, please continue to do what you have been doing at home. You are doing a fantastic job of keeping your children safe and educating them at home. Activities for the children are on the home learning page of the school website:
https://www.snapewood.nottingham.sch.uk/swps-home-learning/
https://www.snapewood.nottingham.sch.uk/parent-learning-project-for-children-covid-19/
https://www.snapewood.nottingham.sch.uk/class-pages/
Please do keep sending in the work they have been doing or activities you have undertaken as a family! (The expectation is still to contact your child’s teacher via Class Dojo.) It would be fantastic to hear from you all and see the faces of your children who we miss so much!
I will be in touch again during the week, as more information is released to schools from the government.
Stay safe and well. Please give your children a great big hug from all of us here at SWPS and make sure that you take care of each other - and stay home. Remember! Anyone can catch it and anyone can spread it! Together we can fight the battle against COVID-19.
Mrs Choudhury