Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to Ripley Nursery School

We are currently due to reopen school on Thursday 3^rd September, following the summer holidays. We understand that for some families returning to school this may be a worrying time. As a school we worked throughout the past academic year, including the spring and summer terms with clear guidelines to keep all staff and children safe.

We have planned for staff and children to continue to work within ‘bubbles’ as we understood that small children cannot socially distance and may need comfort and support from their keyworker during the school day.

We understand that the best way to keep safe is for staff and families to work together with clear routines and rules and to keep clear lines of communication open and well used.

Health & Safety measures in response to covid 19

Within school we have adapted our environment to allow for more frequent cleaning and have restricted the numbers of children and staff in contact with each other by dividing the school learning spaces, including the outside areas, into two distinct bubbles. We also support children to practise good hand hygiene throughout the school day.

To ensure a safe and smooth entry and exit into school we have staggered start/finish times and increased number of entrances. We understand that all local schools have taken the same approach to support social distancing, if you are struggling with the allotted timings please speak to myself; Kerry Hartwell or your keyworker and we will do our best to accommodate changes. We ask families to arrive on time, to keep a social distance of 2 m apart from other families and to leave the school site promptly following the clearly marked out routes.

Most importantly we ask you not to bring children to school who are ill or displaying any symptoms of covid 19. If anyone in your family has any symptoms of covid 19 apply then for a test and do not bring your child to school unless you have a negative result.

If your child falls ill at school we will care for them, alert you to collect them and take their temperature. All children and adults have access to prompt testing and we will ask you to apply for and administer a test on behalf of your child if they display symptoms of covid 19.

We ask you to sign a home school agreement to signify you understand and agree with all the guidance and rules we have put in place.

Starting school

We have a range of cohorts attending Ripley Nursery School during Autumn 2020. The children already registered with an established school place, for example those children and parents who already know our school and their keyworkers will return to school on Thursday 3^rd September (or the next day of their school placement).

We operate a gradual transition into school for any new starters in order to promote the wellbeing of all children. We appreciate that joining school is a huge step for children and their families and this year we have had to employ a different approach as we cannot invite parents into school. Therefore, all new parents and children, who have not visited school, will have a garden visit with their keyworker and an opportunity to find out about Ripley Nursery School. All families should now have a start date and a garden visit, where appropriate.

Staff in your child’s class are currently busy setting up the new exciting learning spaces and will be posting class videos to introduce themselves and show you what will be on offer for your child – please use these videos to help support your child before they start school.

Staff from your child’s class, their keyworkers, will be on the door to encourage children into school. Our staff are kind and caring and will work with you to support your child joining school. Your child can bring in a transitional object, for example their school mouse or other special toy, which will stay in their school bag. Please provide children with a spare change of clothes and a pair of slippers, labelled with their name, in a plastic bag or a fabric drawstring bag, which can stay in school.

We provide wet weather gear to allow children to work outside whatever the weather however, we often get wet socks from splashing in puddles - so please put extra socks and pants in their school bag too.

School Information

If your child is absent from school please telephone school by 9.15am /1.15pm and speak to Annabel Martin or Kerry Hartwell as we have a duty to record all absences. We ask you to attend school promptly to ensure the safety of all children and families and to ensure children receive full access to all the learning experiences available to them at Ripley Nursery School.

If your child has any medical requirements, including dietary, please notify your keyworkers or Kerry Hartwell prior to your child starting school.

You will have been sent a text message from ‘The School App’ which you will need to download to enable you to receive school messages and information including dates for your diary and school newsletters. If you have any problem or have not receive this message, please contact the school office.

On your garden visit you will be given a letter regarding parent pay. The letter will give you a username and password for your personal log in to parent pay. Please ensure you log into the system as this will enable you to pay for your parental contribution, lunches and any additional sessions or payments. The parental contribution is applicable to every child and is charged at £1.50 per week. This covers healthy snacks and drinks, baking ingredients and other provisions. 

We look forward to working with you and your child over the next academic year. We send information out through our school app to your mobile phone so please keep us informed of any changes to your personal details. You can also find a wealth of information about Ripley Nursery School on our website, including details about our sister organisation – Ripley Nursery School Childcare.

Your keyworkers from your child’s class will share your child’s progress and achievement through online learning journals and more information will be coming out to you in the near future.

Kind regards,

C.L. Bednal

Cathy Bednal and all the staff of Ripley Nursery School