Welcome back to school

We hope that everyone has had a lovely summer break – despite the very strange weather that we have had. Please note, as the restrictions are being lifted, we have a number of operational changes for this academic year.

Timings of the day

‘Bubbles’ are no more in schools and children are able to mix again. This means that we have removed the staggered start and end times to the school day. The school gates now open to all children at 8.45 a.m. and close promptly at 9.00 a.m. All children must be in school by 9 a.m. at the very latest or they will be marked as ‘late’ on the register. We are continuing the ‘soft start’ to the school day meaning that children will come through the gate and go straight to their classrooms rather than waiting in the playground for their teachers.

The school day ends at 3.15 p.m. where parents collect their children from the usual places (EYFS/KS1 at the classroom gate and KS2 from the playground). As restrictions have been lifted, we now allow children to be collected by contacts, who are on our system and who are 13 years or older (Year 9 or above). We will never allow a child to go home with someone that we do not know, so please ensure that you let the office know if someone new is going to be collecting your child.

School Lunches

The new catering company are ready to go with school lunches tomorrow. Please find all of the information on our website here - https://www.johnperryn.ealing.sch.uk/information/school-meals Please note, if we have not received the ‘Special Diet Referral Form’, the kitchen staff will be unable to provide your child with a hot meal.

School Visits

As the regulations around Covid have changed, we will be able to take the children on educational visits this year to supplement their learning. We will be asking for a voluntary contribution of £30 per child to cover these visits. We will send out further details with specific ways to pay but, please be advised that we may be forced to cancel visits if we do not receive sufficient funds to cover costs.

Wrap-around Care

Breakfast Club has resumed from 7.30 a.m. Please ensure that you follow the usual procedures to book your child a place. Autumn Term clubs will begin the week beginning 20th September and again, places must be reserved as we can only cater for limited numbers. Please ask at the office if you are interested in a particular club. Information can also be found on the school website here - https://www.johnperryn.ealing.sch.uk/information/clubs

Our after extended schools provision will be provided by ‘Fit for Sport’, which will begin on Monday 4th October. All of the information, including an introductory letter and information of a free taster session, can also be found on our website here - https://www.johnperryn.ealing.sch.uk/learning/extended-schools

Covid-19

The DfE have provided some useful information about what parents and carers need to know. This can be read here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak

The key messages in this guidance are –

• attendance is mandatory at school

• the overwhelming majority of children still have no symptoms or very mild illness only

• school will no longer trace close contacts - close contacts will still be identified via NHS Test and Trace

• children, who have been identified as a close contact, should continue to attend school as normal

• your child does not need to remain in a consistent group (‘bubble’)

• the government is removing the requirement to wear face coverings in law but expects and recommends that they are worn in enclosed and crowded spaces where you may come into contact with people you don’t normally meet

As a school, we will no longer ask parents to wear a face covering when dropping or collecting children; however, we respect people’s choice if they choose to wear a face covering.

Please remember that children, who test positive or who show Covid symptoms, must not attend school and should book a PCR test immediately.