Returning to school on 8th March 2021

Dear Parents,

I am so grateful that we can open our doors to everyone on Monday. We will welcome students to a newly decorated hall, a new EYFS quiet space and a freshly decorated Room 11.

Today our SLT met to plan the minutiae of the return. Sorry about this list of rules, but we want to stay open safely. We would rather avoid another lockdown, so are following guidance closely.

We have updated our risk assessment in line with new regulations, and will be reviewing this frequently.

For those in Nursery up to year 6 the systems will be similar to they were in September. Children will stay in their ‘bubbles’ and be taught mostly in one place. They should wear PE clothes on PE days, and keep their personal belongings with them. They should minimise what they bring to school and home, limiting it to lunch and their book bag/ school bag.

Children from year 1 up should bring personal hand gel, and should use their own pens and pencils (especially younger children who might put them in their mouths) but other classroom resources will be shared in bubbles.

For those in year 7 and above, the above apply. In addition, they are required to wear a mask when inside the building, unless they fall in the guidelines for exemption, as follows:
children under the age of 11 (Public Health England does not recommend face coverings for children under the age of 3 for health and safety reasons)
people who cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability
where putting on, wearing or removing a face covering will cause you severe distress
if you are speaking to or providing assistance to someone who relies on lip reading, clear sound or facial expressions to communicate
to avoid harm or injury, or the risk of harm or injury, to yourself or others ‒ including if it would negatively impact on your ability to exercise or participate in a strenuous activity

If you think your child fits the criteria for exemption, please let the relevant head of department know. This will be Mr Moon for Middle School, Mr Prothero for Upper School, Mrs Horton for DSP.

We will incorporate mask breaks during the day, when we take the students outside and let them remove the masks for a short while. We may also ask them to remove masks when they are 2m apart, or when they are speaking to a teacher in a lesson.

Any ball games will be limited to PE lessons until further notice. Please keep balls at home.

We will not be providing toast or lunches for the remainder of this term – children will need to provide a packed lunch and a morning snack.

All upper school students will remain in school all day until shops are open for more than essential food shopping.

Please wait for a member of staff to be on gate duty before leaving children at the gate to the playground. This will be at around 8:45am.

All students should enter school via the relevant playground and not the main entrance door.

On Monday we will start the day with wellbeing sessions across school. We will not start with lessons immediately but will have time to talk, pray and spend time face to face with each other. Student mental health is high on our list of priorities.

And finally, we have been in Covid time for a year now, and we still have avoided any community transmission in school. We are praying that we maintain this, and I want to thank all who pray for us, and all who follow what might seem like draconian rules. We realise school is different but each staff member is trying hard to retain a sense of normality.

Thanks to the staff for keeping the momentum going for the past eight weeks, for still prioritising quality Christian education, and for setting and assessing work. Thanks to parents for making it happen in your homes. I am sure you can breathe a sigh of relief as we take the job off you again.

Jane Prothero
Head Teacher
Bradford Christian School