Dear Parents and Carers

Following the national relaxation of Covid restrictions over the summer and continued low cases during the first couple of weeks of term, we are now confident to take the next steps in returning to ‘normal’ in school. We will be moving away from the bubbles that we have previously had and allowing more mixing of the children. However, we must all remain vigilant and ensure testing of any children showing symptoms. Should cases in school rise, we may need to bring back some of the measures that we propose to relax. Links to our Outbreak Management Plan can be found  below, along with our Covid Risk Assessment.

Start of the School Day

• We will be keeping the current arrangements for the start of the school day, (ie Rec/KS1 dropping off at the classroom door and KS2 lining up) with an alteration to the time when the gates are open.

• We will be returning to pre-pandemic timings so all children should arrive at school between 8.40am and 8.47am ready to be in their classroom for 8.50 am when the register is taken. Children arriving in the classroom after 8.50am will be recorded as late. 

• Key Stage Two will return to using the cloakrooms. Our cloakrooms are tight for space and as we have learned over the pandemic, children often bring unnecessary things to school! Whilst we will be encouraging children not to bring lots of belongings with them, we will be allowing school bags to be brought once again. However, these must be a Ridge ‘school rucksack’ (the appropriate size and structure to maximise space) or school book bag. Rucksacks are available from the school office and cost £9.50. Reading books and reading records should be brought in every day from now on.

PE Kit

• On PE days the children will continue to come to school in their PE kit (blue shorts/PE skirt/ joggers, white tee or polo shirt and trainers) They  should also wear their school cardigan or sweatshirt (not a tracksuit or jogging top – see below)

• The children’s pump bags will remain in school. These must contain their pumps, a plain blue jogging top/track suit top and spare underwear (pants and socks).

Lunchtime

• The children will have 50 minutes for their lunchtime and this will be staggered as it was before the pandemic. We will return to a full menu with all children eating their lunch in the hall. Reception children will complete an online order and all other children will order on the day in the classroom.

• Food in school – a reminder please that we have children with potentially life threatening allergies. Nuts and nut products must not be brought in to school.

• In Key stage 1 the children are given fresh fruit at break time. Key Stage 2 children may bring fruit from home but this is the only snack that is acceptable.
  
  
• Lunch boxes should not contain chocolate bars. ( a chocolate coated biscuit - e.g. a kitkat is acceptable)

End of the School Day

We will continue to operate a staggered departure and you are asked to exit the site using the current routes. Times will be as follows

• Children in Reception will be collected from their classroom from 3.05pm – 3.15pm
• Year 1 - 3.10pm from the Ruby Garden
• Year 2 - 3.10pm from the main door
• Year 3 - 3.15 pm from the main door
• Year 4 - 3.20pm from the main door
• Year 5 – 3.15pm from the playground door at the top of the ramp
• Year 6 – 3.20pm from the playground door at the top of the ramp

As children are being released from the door, please walk up to the steps to meet your child.

Children must not play on the fixed equipment whilst waiting for their siblings.

OSCAR

• OSCAR will return to its pre-pandemic arrangements.
• The breakfast session will run from 8.00am to 8.40am with breakfast served for children attending between 8.00am and 8.20am
• The after school session will run until 6.00pm
• Oscar charges will return to the pre-pandemic fees:
  Breakfast £4.50
  After School (first hour) £5.25
  After School (full session) £8.25
  
  

Whilst we are all no doubt delighted to see these changes, Covid has not gone away and we still need to take steps to mitigate against its spread. We will continue to practice enhanced hygiene and ventilate classrooms. We will also keep visitors into school to a minimum. Thank you for your support and understanding.

Forest School

We are delighted that we offering Forest School again this year. Over the course of the year, each class will have an opportunity for a block of sessions and further information will be sent nearer the time.

Peter Yates, our Forest School Leader, is looking for volunteers for a working party on the morning of Tuesday 21^st September to get the site ready.  If you can help, please let Mrs Davenport know.

Peter is also building a mud-kitchen for the children to use in forest school sessions.  He would welcome any donations of saucepans, pots, frying pans or kitchen utensils made of metal rather than plastic. Enamelware or camping utensils would be especially welcome. 

We are proud of the way that the children have settled into the new academic year and hope that they will enjoy the new freedoms that they will soon see.

Kind regards

Mrs D A Hudson

Headteacher

Links to our:

Outbreak Management Plan - https://theridge.sch.life/Files/Download/2e7b2938-6f80-4e30-8102-c8223e30b6e3/f15d3ca9-6e81-4d79-a708-00354222d02f/Outbreak%20Management%20Plan%20%20%20Aug%202021.pdf 

COVID Risk Assessment - https://theridge.sch.life/Files/Download/7e411844-4afc-4f68-a0ea-402749876c7a/3f1c237a-cdf6-44e9-ad1c-3118f7835841/Sept%202021%20%20%20The%20Ridge%20Covid%20Risk%20Assessment.pdf