Latest News
Latest News
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Ambassadors
Fri 18 Sep 2020Well, I am absolutely delighted to announce the first Ambassadors of our new school year! I must admit that all of the children have been fabulous, and I am particularly impressed with our youngest learners, as they have shown great maturity and resilience when walking up the path!
18.9.2020
Archbishop Rowan Williams CiW Primary School
proudly present to you this week’s Ambassadors:
Ivy Phillips – On Tuesday, when the Firemen came, she was calm, sensible and helpful, and also she thanked them for coming to save our school!
Ava Luke- For making an excellent start in her new school! Well done and welcome!
Ava Gemson- For making an excellent start in her new school! Well done and welcome!
Charlie Purchase- For persevering when work has been hard and showing model behaviour! Well done!
Morgan Thomas – For persevering when work has been hard and showing model behaviour! Well done!
Yafes Khan– For persevering when work has been hard and showing model behaviour! Well done!
Thoran Thompson-Snape – For showing the school values through model behaviour, being responsible, and always being willing to help others…particularly with timings! Well done!
Lara Williams– For being a reflective learner and making some really good choices! Well done!
Esther Pridmore – For being a model pupil by setting herself high standards and seeking a challenge! Outstanding!
Aiden Preedy – For always being polite and showing model behaviour! Well done!
Freddie Lamb – For settling in to his new school so well and being a lovely friend. Welcome!
Niamh Rodway –For being an ambitious, capable learner
Perry Biddle- For settling into school so well and showing great maturity. A true Ambassador
Bella Stone- For being a superb role model to others. What a good girl!
Rueben Smith- For working hard and trying his very. Well done!
Sam Parker- For working very hard…a fantastic quality. Good boy!
Evie King- For demonstrating the school values by being kind, helpful and always following the school charter. Diolch!
Halle - For being so brave and coming into school with more and more confidence every day! We are very proud of you.
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Please see a clearer version of the new arrangements
Tue 08 Sep 2020
Dear Parents, Carers, Families,I have added an amended version of the arrangements for the end of the day to our Latest News page below.
I hope that this is clearer as the original version that I emailed to you had crossed wires with the possible options for future morning arrangements.
We will trial tomorrow evening first before we consider further changes.Apologies for any confusion,
kind regards,
Caroline Swann
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New end of day arrangements
Tue 08 Sep 2020Dear Parents/Carers/families,
Can I firstly say how fabulous it is to have our children back in school, and how proud you must be of the mature way that they have embraced and coped with leaving their families at the bottom gate.
I am so impressed with them all.
Can I also thank you for your patience as we trial systems with the whole school, as for many, there was a long wait for some at the end of the day while children and families were reunited.
I am very mindful of the wellbeing of children and families during this hand over, along with safety and also feel fortunate that we have had good weather so far this week.
As beautiful as Wales is, I feel sure that moving forwards, we are sure to have wet, dark, cold weather, which will make this ‘hand over’ even more challenging.
Therefore, I feel the need to adapt our plans starting from tomorrow evening (9.9.2020) so that families can have greater contact with class teachers, and have the satisfaction of seeing children into class.
The new system however, will rely on your cooperation regarding following a one way system and maintaining social distancing between other family groups.
End of day arrangements from 9.9.2020
· Arrive at school at the stipulated time
· Walk up the school path and into the school grounds through the ‘curved gate’ whilst maintaining social distancing.
· Make your way to your child’s external classroom door where an adult will be waiting to dismiss your child.
· Collect your child, then do not go back out of the ‘curved gate’. Instead, continue to follow the line of the school to the very end of the building by year 6. Please remember to maintain social distancing.
· At the end of the building, go left, and walk around the back of the school
· Continue along the driveway and back to the top car park, where you can continue to walk down to the bottom car park, exiting through the double car park gates. Traffic will be prohibited during this time for your safety.
· Year 2 families, when you arrive, you will need to continue to walk all the way to year 6, go left round the corner, continue around the outside of the building and go to your classroom door which is around the back of the school (this is different to the video Miss Heales did, but we think this is a better idea!)
If this seems a more successful system, we can consider the possibility of adapting the morning drop off.
Here are the timings for pupils. Please try to stick to them wherever possible, as it spreads out the number of people on site at any one time, and reduces congestion in the car park.
Please drive off promptly so that others can park.
Pick up times:
Time
Group
2:50 pm
Families
3.00-3.10 pm
Foundation Phase pupils
(Years R/1 and year 2)
3.10-3.20 pm
KS2 pupils
(Years 3, 4, 5 and 6)
3.25 pm
School Transport
Thank you for your support in these changes, and I am sorry that they are late in the day, however, I felt it was important to do so.
Kind regards
Caroline Swann
Caroline Swann
Headteacher
Archbishop Rowan Williams CiW Primary School
01291420526
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Welcome Back
Wed 02 Sep 2020Archbishop Rowan Williams Church in Wales VA Primary School
‘I can do all things through Him who strengthens me’
Philippians 4:13
Crick Road, Portskewett, Caldicot. Monmouthshire NP26 5UL
Tel: 01291 420526
www.arwprimaryschool.co.uk
2nd September 2020
Dear Parents/Carers/Families,
Well! We have had a jam packed couple of days here is school preparing for the full return of staff and children, and a number of additional aspects have been finalised. I will outline plans as clearly as possible, and share key information. As always, if you are unsure of any details, please do not hesitate to get on touch via our school email address which is: arwprimary@monmouthshire.gov.uk
I will start by outlining each day from the 3rd to the 8th September (which is the same information as the letter sent on the 27th July 2020), and will then share key messages, finishing with responses to some frequently asked questions.
Thursday 3rd September
- Reception transition visit- children will visit their class with an adult. (Arrival times-Mrs Hoare’s class- 9 a.m., Miss Burtons Class-10 a.m., Mrs Robertson’s class- 11 a.m.)
- Transition visit for identified pupils- these pupils will have been contacted directly with timings.
Friday 4th September
- Reception independent transition visit- children will visit their class without an adult. Adults for this week only can bring their child to the curved gate within the school grounds to drop off their children (Mrs Hoare’s class- 9 a.m., Miss Burtons Class-9.30 a.m., Mrs Robertson’s class- 10 a.m.)
- Transition visit for identified pupils- these pupils will have been contacted directly with timings.
Monday 7th September
- Half day transition visit- Year 2 to year 6. Timings have been sent during the holidays, but if you have not heard or are unsure, please contact the office.
- Year 1- arrive at 9.15 a.m. and stay for the day. The morning will be just year 1 children, and after dinner they will welcome the Reception pupils in their class. Year 1 pupils to bring a packed lunch please. Year 1 pupils will need collecting at 3.15 p.m.
- Reception pupils- arrive at 1 p.m. and need to be dropped at the curved gate for children to join their year 1 friends in class. Reception pupils will be collected from the bottom gate at the car park at 2.30 p.m., giving the children a practise run at walking down to meet their families.
Tuesday 8th September
- All pupils return, and will follow the staggered drop off and pick up times noted below. Staff will be on hand to welcome children and guide them to their classrooms.
Group
Drop Off
Collect
Year 2 and 3
9.00 a.m.
3.00 p.m.
Year 4,5 and 6
9.05 a.m.
3.05 p.m.
Families
9.10 a.m.
3.10 p.m.
Reception/ Year 1
9.15 a.m.
3.15 p.m.
- Please be punctual, as we are going for an aspirational 5 minute stagger. Drop your children off and vacate the car park as soon as you are able to, to enable the next group of learners to arrive. We can adapt these timings in the future if necessary.
- If your child is upset, you may need to park up to settle them for a short while. If there is not space to do this, please feel free to ‘go round the block’ and try again after a few minutes.
Key Messages
Class bubbles: Children will be in their ‘class bubble’ so that they have contact primarily with their usual teacher/Teaching Assistant, their peers and in their own classroom or the outdoors. Within the class bubble, children can mix with each other, but will need to maintain 2m distancing with staff where possible and practical. Hygiene will be explained and taught by staff so that all bubble members will be as safe as possible. Outdoor time is staggered so that again, each class maintains its bubble, and does not mix with other children/bubbles. When Breakfast and After School Clubs start, they will also be organised so that children have a designated area to maintain their class bubble.
Cleaning: The school uses cleaning and hygiene products that have been supplied by MCC as they meet their stringent requirements. Classrooms and high touch point surfaces are clean regularly, a minimum of 4 times a day, and all tissues and disposable cleaning cloths are disposed of in lidded bins.
Physical Exercise: will take place outside, weather permitting, including participation in the Daily Mile.
Attendance: Excellent attendance will be promoted as per usual. If your child is unwell, please contact the office on the first morning that your child is unable to attend. However, under no circumstance should learners or staff attend school if they;
- Feel unwell, have any of the identified COVID-19 symptoms (a new continuous cough, or a high temperature, or loss of or change to their sense of taste or smell) or have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 10 days.
- Live in a household with someone who has symptoms of COVID-19 or had tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days.
Contingency planning: It is our intention for all learners to return to school, however, there may be occasions where home learning is required e.g. if we experience localised outbreaks of COVID-19. Information will be communicated on the school website and via email if necessary. Information from the ‘Home Learning Survey’ will also guide our future plans, so thank you for taking the time to complete it.
P.E: On your child’s P.E day, please can they can wear their trainers, t-shirt and shorts, with their school sweatshirt/jumper and a pair of grey jogging bottoms over the top. This will be worn for the whole day and means that children do not need to store P.E kit in school.
Frequently asked questions
What does my child need to bring to school? Pupils only need to bring; a labelled water bottle to school (this is important), cap (if hot), coat (if cold or due to rain), lunch if not using the school ‘Grab and Go’ lunch made by the canteen (children can use a lunchbox {hard surfaced where possible} or throw away bag as preferred). These items can be brought in one bag that is easy to clean/wipe. Children can bring a healthy snack or fresh fruit/ vegetables for break time which needs to be put in its own pot/small bag, and not in the packed lunch if they are bringing one from home. Children do not need to bring in pencil cases.
Are you going to provide each child with their own pencil case? Children from Years 2 – 6 will be provided with a zippy wallet containing materials/stationary. Children in years R/1 will share materials, as their learning style is practical and varied, using different areas of their learning environment throughout the day. For these children, frequent handwashing will be encouraged and hand sanitiser will be placed around the room to be used prior to handling new equipment, and cleaning regimes are in place. As noted in Welsh Government publication Operational guidance for schools and settings from the autumn term (version 3)- How schools and other providers can make their sites safe for staff and learners, it states that ‘Classroom-based resources, such as books and games, can be used and shared within the contact group; these should be cleaned regularly, along with all frequently touched surfaces.’
Will there be school dinners? The school kitchen will be open and any pupils requiring a cold ‘Grab and Go’ meal can purchase through Parent Pay. Pupils are still able to bring their own packed lunch and children can bring a healthy snack or fresh fruit/ vegetables for break time.
Will there be Breakfast and After School Club? We are working very hard to get both clubs up and running as quickly as possible. As long as there are no new regulations, and that Risk Assessments are agreed, the aim is to open on the 14th September. We appreciate that this will be challenging for some parents for the first week, but we cannot take any risks in our preparation and planning.
Why are children having different transition days? The usual transition process has been completely disrupted this year as a result of school closure and covid-19 restrictions. Therefore, we are trying to provide some transition opportunity for children, whilst also getting them back into school as soon as possible. We have arranged for all children to have a half day to spend time with their new teacher and see their new room. This visit will be with half of their class so that the teacher can personalised the visit as much as possible to the learners. Additionally, some children have been offered an additional transition visit prior to the half day visit to enable them to engage more confidently in the half class transition visit.
Should we send in book bags? We are waiting for guidance from MCC as to the protocol for book bags, and we will update you when we have more information. Therefore, for the time being, no book bags/reading books to travel between home and school.
I hope that this covers most of your questions at this time, but please get in touch if have any further queries,
Kind regards,
Caroline Swann
Head teacher