Latest News | Alexander First School

School Dinners

Fri 23 Oct 2020

The last day that packed lunches will be served by Caterlink will be Friday 23rd October 2020. From Monday 02nd November, the first day back after

half-term, hot school dinners will again be back on the menu. The dinners will be provided in the take away style boxes. The new menu will be uploaded onto the SCOPAY system for parents to order in the usual way.

Applying for a Reception Place at Alexander First School (Sept 2021)

Fri 09 Oct 2020

If your child is due to start Reception in September 2021 and you would like them to come to Alexander First School, you can make your application online at https://www.rbwm.gov.uk from Wednesday 11^th November 2020 (online applications close on 15^th January 2021). This applies even if your child is already registered in our nursery. The link is on the School Admissions page on the RBWM website under ‘Applying for a Primary, Infant or Junior School’.

For your information, online applicants will be sent an email informing them of the result of their application on Friday 16^th April 2021 (National Offer Day). Otherwise letters will be posted by first class mail for on-time applicants who apply on a paper form.

Year 4 - Planned Return 6th-17th July!

Fri 12 Jun 2020

Alexander First School has made the decision to welcome back Year 4 pupils for the last 2 weeks of the term (Monday 6^thJuly to Friday 17^thJuly) to provide an opportunity for closure and have a meaningful goodbye.

Please note, this is not in collaboration with the Middle Schools, rather a choice we have made and, as such, transitional work will be undertaken but not linked to Year 5, more focused on reflecting on past achievements and successes. The children will spend the majority of the time outside (hence the dates chosen) to ensure we are able to follow governmental guidance. Further details will follow shortly.

Reopening Nursery, Reception & Year 1: How will it work?

Fri 22 May 2020

Dear Parents and Carers,

The resilience shown by you and your children over the last few weeks and months has been truly remarkable. The collaborative effort of parents/carers and teachers has enabled pupils to continue to access learning in novel and innovative ways, including classrooms on kitchen tables and in gardens.

You will all be aware of the announcement made by government on Sunday 10th May that schools are to reopen with a phased return from 1st June for Nursery, Reception and Year 1 pupils.

I know that this will have been an extremely unsettling period for you and your children and you will all be keen for a return to a normal routine. Everyone has total commitment to ensuring that the return to school is handled as well as possible, with the safety of pupils, parents and staff at the centre of all decisions.

The guidance provided to schools sets out specific procedures. Inevitably, school life will be different and include a number of changes as we begin the ‘new normal’. As per government guidance, I can confirm the following changes will take place at Alexander First School:

To help with contact tracing, pupils will be taught in ‘bubbles’. Once children are in their allocated ‘bubble’, teachers or pupils are not permitted to move to different groups or interact (play etc.) with other children outside of their ‘bubble’.
Areas (playground, corridors, washing areas etc.) and classrooms will be measured and taped out to facilitate social distancing.
Desks will be set apart with pupils stationed at one specific place for their use only. Younger pupils (Nursery & Reception) will be allocated a mat or station for activities. However, we cannot guarantee pupils will maintain social distancing measures.
If a child or adult within a ‘bubble’ develops COVID-19 symptoms, all members of the ‘bubble’ must self-isolate for 14 days or until tested negative and results shared with the school.
Class sizes will be reduced; therefore, your child may not be with their usual teacher; support staff will be taking groups.
Pupils to wear their own clothes with all items washed at the end of each day. The expectation is clean clothes are worn daily.

Home learning and school activities will be the same; there will be no difference to provisions at school than home learning.
Classrooms will be cleared of soft toys, soft furnishing and other items difficult to sanitise (e.g. jigsaw puzzles etc.).

Children cannot share equipment or toys between ‘bubbles’. Each ‘bubble’ will be allocatedresources for their use only.
Pupils must only bring a water bottle and coat to school.
The transference of items to and from school is not permitted (we cannot send resources home such as reading books and brain builders).
No parent/carer or visitor will be allowed on site. The school office will be closed to all adults. Should you wish to speak to a member of staff, please contact the school office on: 01753 852894 or alexander@rbwm.org.uk or contact teachers via Class Dojo messaging service.
We will operate a one-way system throughout the school (corridors, playground) as well as a drop off and collection point outside of the school gates (details to follow). We will create and share a video to explain this to pupils.

Government guidance states that PPE (Personal Protective Equipment- gloves, face mask, face shield) must be used by staff who are providing intimate care (changing nappies/soiled clothing, providing First Aid etc.). PPE has not been provided to the school and staff are attempting to source items; in the event we are unable to acquire this prior to 1st June, parents/carers will need to collect their child to provide intimate care at home.

Staggered drop-off times will be as follows:

Morning session drop-off:
Group A pupils start at 8.30am
Group B pupils start at 8.45am
If a parent misses or is late for their allocated time, pupils will not be admitted- ‘bubbles’ would nolonger be maintained.

Morning session collection:
Group A pupils collected at 11am
Group B pupils collected at 11.15am
If a parent misses or is late for their allocated time, pupils will not be admitted- ‘bubbles’ would no longer be maintained.

Afternoon session drop-off:

Group A pupils start at 12.30pm
Group B pupils start at 12.45pm
If a parent misses or is late for their allocated time, pupils will not be admitted- ‘bubbles’ would nolonger be maintained.

Afternoon session collection:
Group A pupils collected at 3pm
Group B pupils collected at 3.15pm
If a parent is consistently late to collect their child and so causing cross-mixing of ‘bubbles’, it will be at the Governing Body’s discretion as to the continuation of provision.

Between the morning and afternoon session (11.30am-12.30pm), teachers and support staff will clean and disinfect (wiping down desks/mats, toys, resources/equipment, toilet areas and door handles) ready to begin again.

We are only able to offer this very different and changeable form of school at this moment. We understand this continues to be a difficult time for you all. In regards to other year groups, we will continue to support pupils remaining at home during this difficult time and await further direction from the government.

Parents/carers will be asked to maintain social distancing between one another when dropping off and collecting pupils. This includes only one adult attending the school site for collection/drop off.

Additionally, PPE must be worn in the event of a pupil or staff member becoming unwell on site and they must remain in a quarantined area and be collected immediately (please ensure you can be contacted).

On Monday 1st June 2020 Alexander First School will begin Nursery, Reception and Year 1 pupils returning for a morning or afternoon session, with each session separated into 2 ‘bubble’ groups- Group A or Group B.

As previously explained, the government has stated there will be no penalty should your child remain at home- this will be your decision. We will continue to provide Home Learning resources/activities with details to follow.

As government public servants, we cannot give our personal opinion on the opening of schools; this is hard for us as we have always endeavored to be honest, truthful and make decisions in the best interest of your child/children. As I have said to those who have contacted the school already, it is for you to decide whether you feel it is safe to return your child to school; I cannot guarantee that they would be safe from the risk of infection. A full risk assessment is available on the school website.

You will receive a questionnaire to identify whether or not you would be taking up this provision and so allowing us to finalise groups and staffing. We will then notify you with the specific details relevant to your child.

In the coming weeks things will continue to develop and change. We will work through this together and ensure you are informed.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding.

Kind regards,

Miss Khokar

Reopening: What are the school's plans?

Fri 15 May 2020

We are currently in a very detailed planning process working alongside the Borough, unions and other settings to see what we can safely re-open from the 1st June 2020. As already communicated, the government would like schools to begin the process by opening nurseries, Reception classes and Year 1 classes.

It is our aim to very carefully communicate with you when we have confirmed the details and plans. We will also create some videos and images for children so they know what to expect. The school will undergo certain changes to ensure the safety of everyone, these may include:

changes to the physical layout and place of classrooms
changes to the size of classes (pupils are expected to be separated into smaller groups)
the allocation of teachers/staff (groups may be covered by adults outside of the normal staffing)
restricted movement around the school
changes to use of resources and equipment
not being able to offer lunchtime or breakfast/after school clubs

These will be communicated clearly and concisely with you as soon as possible.

In response to the concerns I have received regarding the return to school, the government has stated there will be no penalty should your child remain at home- this will be your decision. We will continue to provide Home Learning resources/activities.

Additionally, in response to queries: if your child is clinically extremely vulnerable, or living with someone who is in this group, they should not come back to school and should continue home learning. If your child is clinically vulnerable (but not clinically extremely vulnerable), you should follow medical advice to decide if they should come back to school. Please refer to Government guidance for further details of these groups.

We are aiming to get a more detailed communication out to you by the end of next week.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding.

Miss Khokar, Headteacher

Support for Key Workers & Vulnerable Children

Thu 19 Mar 2020

Dear Parents and Carers,

The government expects schools to offer support (i.e. childcare places during school closures) to children of key workers and vulnerable children. This currently means a single parent family or a family where both parents work in the NHS, police or if they are a delivery driver for a supermarket.

Please, however, let us know if you believe that your profession may also count, e.g. if you work in a care home, or within medical research in a relevant area. If we can meet your needs we will do so, although we will need to follow government advice.

If you meet the above category, please email alexander@rbwm.org.uk by 3pm today (Thursday 19th March 2020).

Please could you let us know:

If you will require a childcare place during school closures
If you need your child to attend, please can you be specific on what days you are likely to need
What your Key Worker job is (we believe we will need to ask for proof of this but are awaiting further guidance)

We are trying to collate this information and formulate a plan. Unfortunately, more guidance is due today and tomorrow so we may not be able to let you know our plans at Alexander First School by Friday 20th March, but will aim to as soon as we can.

Kind regards,

Miss Khokar

SCHOOL CLOSURE UPDATE

Wed 18 Mar 2020

Dear parents/carers,

At this time, there are no known cases of Coronavirus amongst our pupils or staff in school. However, owing to self-isolation requirements we are now significantly short staffed. Given this, Alexander First School will be CLOSED from THURSDAY 19th MARCH.

Due to the governmental guidelines requiring a minimum of 14 days isolation, we will not be able to reopen until after the scheduled Easter holiday (Monday 6th April to Monday 20th April). During this period we will follow Governmental guidelines and keep you updated.

If your child has not received their Home Learning Pack today, this will be emailed to you.

Thank you to the many parents and carers who have supported our staff during this challenging time.

Kind regards,

Miss Khokar

Sponsor your Child on World Book Day!

Wed 26 Feb 2020

World Book Day & Sponsored Read-a-thon

LAST YEAR WE HAD AN AMAZING RESPONSE TO OUR SPONSORED READ-A-THON ON WORLD BOOK DAY. LET’S SEE IF WE CAN BEAT 2019! FUNDS RAISED WILL BE PUT TOWARDS PURCHASING RESOURCES REQUESTED BY THE SCHOOL COUNCIL.

Please bring completed sponsorship forms to school before Tuesday 3rd March.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Nursery Taster Sessions - Sign Up Now!

Thu 13 Feb 2020

Valentine's Disco - Tickets on Sale Now!

Tue 11 Feb 2020