As promised last week, you will have seen our practical guide for Year 10 and 12 students returning to limited schooling last evening. This evening we are able to provide a comprehensive Risk Assessment, based on the model Risk Assessment provided for schools by Worcestershire Children First. The approach and therefore content of these documents will inevitably change over time, but we hope that their detail and depth will give confidence in the detailed plans that have been put in place to ensure that students and staff are safe on their return.
The situation has also changed with regard to vulnerable children and the children of Key Workers. From the early stages of this lockdown Bewdley Primary School have kindly accommodated our very small numbers of children needing daytime provision, together with one of our teachers. Mrs Kent, our Attendance Officer, is coordinating this provision, so if you require a place please contact her. Please also note that whilst the government have encouraged a wider range of work places to return to work, they have not changed the definition of a Key Worker. We would like to thank Mrs Woakes and all at Bewdley Primary for the excellent support they have given to us.
Schedules including days/dates, rooms and teachers will be sent out to all year 10 and 12 students for the 7 week period by the end of this week. It is important to emphasize that we will only be able to accommodate students who are invited in on that day, as very specific social distancing arrangements will have been designed for them. Please bear in mind that although the target start date is 1 June, the government may well change this in response to the conditions that they have set and ongoing negotiations.
In terms of transport, indications are that the vast majority of students will be finding their own way to school. For parents who are bringing their children in, please note that the drop off is the leisure centre and children are to walk along Stourport Road to the school gate. This is imperative as Bewdley Primary year 1 pupils will be entering via our carpark at 9am each morning, by which time all of our own students should be in lessons (8.50 onwards). Any overlap might compromise social distancing.
We are also working closely with school transport and at present only have 6 students who have indicated they will be travelling by bus. If you plan to use the bus service but have yet to complete our online questionnaire (https://tinyurl.com/y9shkebt), which is now open again until 9am on Friday, please do so as soon as possible. Parents who now have a clearer view on school attendance may also revisit the questionnaire, as we will take the most recent response as representative of views.
We look forward to welcoming small groups of year 10 and 12 students back into school in June, and in the meantime enjoy the sunshine and stay safe.