06 Jul Letter from the Headteacher
Dear Parents
I am writing to update you on the COVID situation. The government announced today that many of the COVID restrictions will be relaxed on 19th July. This is during the final week of the summer term.
At Pooles Park we will continue with our existing precautions until the end of term. This means that bubbles, face masks and social distancing will all remain the same.
I am taking this decision because we have been very successful in keeping COVID at bay. We have had only one case of the virus in the school during the whole pandemic.This is due to strict rules in school, great support from parents and probably a little bit of luck. Another way of putting this, is that children have had more days of education at Pooles Park than those in almost any other school in Islington.
It is too early to say how things will be in September. The government has been forced to change its policy at short notice on several occasions during the last few months. Cases of COVID in Islington are rising rapidly and many schools have sent children home. The current wave is predicted to peak in late August. I will make a decision in the final week of August as to whether we need bubbles or not, based on the latest government guidance. I hope that we can start the new term without bubbles and will inform you before the term starts.
If the bubbles go, there will be no need for the staggered finish. I know that this is inconvenient to many families and I will return to a fixed finish time when it is safe to do so.
Next term, the school will continue to close on Friday lunchtimes. The amount of teaching time has been increased by cutting down on assemblies. Teaching time is the same in the current timetable as it was when we were open on Friday afternoons. Working parents and those with any other need will still be able to send children to school on Friday afternoons.
Friday afternoons are most importantly, additional time for children to develop their online learning skills. This additional time is essential to help children catch up on missed learning. Children who are engaging fully with the work set on a Friday are rapidly catching up on missed learning. Please ensure that they complete any set work.
It has been a difficult year. I hope we can get through to the end of term without any significant disruption. Thank you again for all your support.
Greg Crawford
Headteacher