Latest News

Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• End of Term

  Tue 30 Jun 2020 Mrs Lees

  Dear Parents/Carers,

   

  We have made the decision to close the school to all attending pupils on Friday July 10th. (We will continue to stay open for key worker children until Wednesday 15th July)

  This will allow us to offer a half day session to ALL pupils the following week.

  Parents will receive a letter with their child's report, inviting their child into school for a half day session with their new teacher for next year. As we won't have seen many of our children since mid-March, this appointment is crucial to help prepare your child for September. Please see your letter for more detail. We hope that due to the small numbers in school at any one time, all children will be able to attend.

  Monday 13th - the current Reception and Year 1 (either (9:30-12:00  or 13:00-15:30, your letter will tell you which time.)

  Tuesday 14th - the current Year 2 and Year 3 (either (9:30-12:00  or 13:00-15:30, your letter will tell you which time.)

  Wednesday 15th - the current Year 4 and Year 5 (either (9:30-12:00  or 13:00-15:30, your letter will tell you which time.)

• Phased Re-opening

  Mon 08 Jun 2020

  The Fab 50!

  We currently have 50 children who have returned to school, this is across Reception, Year 1, Year 6 and our key workers. The children have settled so well and we are delighted to have them all back and continuing with their learning.

   

  School is very different for the returning children, they have different teachers and different support staff; they may be in different classrooms and not have the same freedom to interact with their friends.

  What is the same, is a staff who care deeply for our children and a drive to give the children who return, the best day we possibly can. We will continue to set home learning on our website and via active learn for all children who are not in school.

   

  Bubble group

  Once we have confirmed the number of children attending, each child will be placed in a “bubble” This is a smaller group of children with 2 members of staff, this may not be their usual teacher. We are capping our bubbles to 10 children. 

   

  Arrival and collection

  We have put the following drop off and collection arrangements in place:

   

  Arrival time:                           Reception: 9:15 am, Year 1: 9:00am

  Collection time:                      Reception 12:00pm, Year 1 12:15pm

  This is for the first 2 weeks whilst all our youngest children settle into the new rules and systems. Due to the limited movement in class, we do not believe it will be healthy for children to arrive into 6 hours of formality.

  From w/c 29^th June children will leave at;

  Year R: 3:00pm, Year 1 3:15pm.

   

   

  Friday afternoons - school closed

  On Friday afternoons the school will close to all as it has done all year, apart from the children of key workers, to enable a deep clean.  During this time the teachers will be planning the work for the following week.

   

  Friday collection time:           Reception: 12.00pm, Year 1: 12:15pm

   

  One Way System and Social Distancing

  There will be a one way system which will start from the main gates. IN the morning, after a settling period, no parents will be allowed onto the playground. For home time collection, we will allow parents onto the playground but will not be opening the gates until the end of the day, this will reduce the gathering. Social distancing reminders will be on hand and staff will be there to guide you. 

  We kindly ask that only one adult drops and collects their child.  Please observe the 2 metre social distancing.  There are stickers on the ground to help with this. Please do not stop to talk to other parents on the site. Staff will not be able to answer questions at the door as it will stop the flow into the classroom.  If you have a question, please email the school office.

   

  Breaks & Lunchtimes

  We will have arranged a timetable which enables each bubble group to have a break and lunchtime, but not mix with any other bubble. 

  Universal free school meals will NOT be available to children until w/c 29^th June, when they return full time. From the 29^th June, the school kitchen will provide a packed lunch if required.  Unfortunately, we are unable to provide a hot dinner.  Children will take their packed lunch home with them on Fridays. 

   

  Prior to lunchtimes, all desks in the classroom will be cleaned as children will be eating their lunch inside.  They will then have a playtime outside and fun activities in the classroom during their lunch hour.

   

  If your child is entitled to a benefit based free school meal, the vouchers will continue for the first 2 weeks. If your child has returned to school, the vouchers will stop from 29^th June and your child will be provided with a packed lunch at school.

   

  School uniform

  The children are not required to come in normal school uniform. We require all children to come into school in sporting clothes. Jogging bottoms, leggings, shorts. Full length T-shirts and a warmer top if cold. NO JEANS or FASHION ITEMS. It is not non-uniform, it is a sporting focus. We ask that the children wear clean clothes every day, this reduces the contamination risk to your family and the children in school.

   

  PPE

  Children will not be permitted to bring disposable face masks into school. If a mask needs to be worn due to the use of public transport, the mask will be removed upon entry into the grounds and disposed of into the bin provided. Fabric masks should be removed and placed in a sealed bag. A different mask should be used for return journeys. The school cannot provide face masks for pupils who travel on public transport, our stocks are very limited and this is not something we can support.

   

  Curriculum

  The children will be learning the curriculum for the summer term.  We will be assessing the children to identify any catch up needed.  Priority will be given to phonics and reading in Reception and Year 1.  With a maximum of 10 in the family group, the children will have a really great experience.

   

  Equipment

  We will be providing every child with their own equipment, including a pencil, rubber and ruler which will be for their use only.  Please do NOT send any equipment into school. We DESPERATLEY need our reading books back, these will be collected and disinfected, no books will be going home.

   

  Water bottle and healthy snack

  Please send your child’s water bottle and ensure it is named.  They will have access to this on their desk throughout the day.  The children are welcome to bring in their own healthy snack. We will NOT have cups as we can’t guarantee they will be cleaned before another child tries to use them.

   

  Suntan lotion and caps

  Please apply suntan lotion to your child before coming to school and send them with a cap with their name in it.  

   

  Punctuality

  We have arranged specific window times for each bubble to arrive to ensure the smooth transition of children to their class and help with social distancing.  It is essential that children do not arrive earlier or later.  Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate children if they arrive late. 

   

   

   

  School Communication

  The school is closed to visitors, please contact the school office by email enquiry@brookfields.bham.sch.uk or phone 0121 675 1897 and the office staff will be happy to assist you. We will allow 1 parent into the office to collect FSM vouchers and pay dinner money, long conversations are not possible and an appointment will need to be booked.

   

  Maintaining a safe school environment

  I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the preventative measures the school has put in place in order to minimise the spread of infection.

   

  As per the advice from the government, the following actions for infection control remain in place:

   

  • Displaying coronavirus infection control measures information posters around the school

   

  • Encouraging good hygiene by promoting the importance of hand washing for at least 20 seconds with warm water and soap in the following circumstances:

   

  • Before leaving home
  • On arrival at school
  • After using the toilet
  • After breaks and sporting activities
  • Before eating any food, including snacks
  • Before leaving school
  • At regular intervals throughout the day

   

  • Ensuring pupils and staff understand that they must cover their cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue away and wash hands thoroughly using ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’.
  • Ensuring frequently touched objects and surfaces are cleaned and disinfected more regularly than usual.
  • Ensuring staff stay at home for a period of seven days if they develop symptoms of coronavirus and access a test as soon as possible.

   

  As an important part of our school community, I would ask that you continue to encourage good infection control practices, such as thorough hand washing, at home and keep your child informed about the things they can do to discourage the spread of infection.

  In line with the current NHS and government advice, you should keep your child at home if they develop coronavirus symptoms for a period of seven days.

  Where symptoms continue after seven days, or begin to worsen, you should call 111. If someone in your child’s household has symptoms, your child must self-isolate for 14 days from the day the other person’s symptoms started. This is because it can take 14 days for symptoms to appear. More information regarding symptoms and actions can be found on the NHS website (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/).

  If you think your child may have been exposed to or has coronavirus, or if your child receives a positive test result for coronavirus, please contact the school on 0121 675 1897 at the earliest opportunity.

  The main symptoms are:

   

  • High temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
  • New, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
  • Loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

   

  Most people with coronavirus have at least one of these symptoms.

   

  There are clear guidelines from Public Health England if there is a suspected case of coronavirus.

   

  What happens if a child becomes unwell at school?

   

  • If a child shows symptoms at school, they will go to the medical room, with appropriate supervison, and we will ring their parent and ask them to collect their child.
  • If it is a member of staff they will be asked to go home.
  • The child or teacher with the symptoms will be asked to go for a Covid 19 test.
  • If the test is positive we will inform all the parents of the children in that bubble and ask them to stay at home for the next 14 days.

   

  This week we have been preparing for the return of the children to ensure their wellbeing and give them the best possible education.  This has included a thorough risk assessment and staff receiving training on Covid-19 awareness

   

  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact school.

   

  Thank you for your continued support.

   

  Kind regards,

   

  Mrs. S. Lees

   

  Head Teacher