Spa Academy Askern
Letter to Parents - 22nd May 2020
Friday 22nd May 2020
Dear Parent,
Since Monday 23rd March school has remained open, to the children of critical workers and vulnerable children, through the childcare provision based at Campsmount Academy and has been facilitated by staff from Spa. We have maintained robust hygiene rules and systems at all times. This letter outlines our current plan for starting to increase the numbers of children in school, as outlined by the Government on Sunday 10th May. As you are aware, the message from Government was that junior schools would welcome back children in year 6 from the 1st June 2020 at the earliest (followed later by children in other year groups), subject to government guidance and criteria around the rate of infection being met. Year 6 was chosen to return initially, in order to support transition to secondary school and to support mental health and wellbeing.
Leaders across the Trust have been setting out plans which would potentially allow pupils back safely in the phased way outlined above. As part of this process we have been contacting you and asking you to respond, in order to give us an indication of how you are feeling about the school reopening. Thank you to all of you who have responded via text and through Survey Monkey, as your comments have helped the planning process. We have taken the decision to take things slowly and follow the Government guidance as it continues to evolve.
Under recommendation by Doncaster Council, Spa Academy, along with the other academies within Leger Education Trust has taken the decision to delay opening the school until Monday 8th June, at the earliest. The safety of staff, children and families is paramount and our school needs sufficient time and resources to prepare to reopen and operate safely.
As we have communicated previously, we are also not going to be pressuring anyone to send their children to school, since you know your children and personal situation best. The government guidance states that pupils are ‘strongly encouraged’ to attend. However, the DfE have made it clear that parents will not be fined and schools will not be held to account for attendance figures during this period. Resources will still be provided for your child to continue learning at home (see ‘Home Learning’ below).
What will the school day look like?
More specific information for those pupils returning will be given in due course.
How are we making school safe?
Following guidance from the Department for Education as well as our own risk assessments, you will notice the following changes to ensure contact is minimised:
Home Learning
Pupils in other year groups will continue to access our Home Learning resources. We will continue to use a variety of ways for pupils to access work in order for you to select the style of learning that you have the easiest access to and suits you and your children.
- Online learning: Work will be set each Monday, using the Seesaw app or website. This learning is for them to work through during the week for Writing, Reading and Maths as well as more creative tasks linked to our topics and other areas of learning. Our school website will also continue to feature activities and provide links for resources that will support you with home learning.
- Learning Beyond the Classroom Booklet: For each subject activities cover academic learning, family activities, outdoor learning and watching and listening tasks. If you have not yet collected a booklet they are available to collect from Campsmount.
- Remote Learning: We will be developing resources where staff are using videos or narrated PowerPoints to support pupils learning. These will enable pupils to access learning from their own teachers in specific topics.
If you have concerns with any aspect of home learning please email us on admin@askernspa.doncaster.sch.uk or call the team at Campsmount on 01302 700002
A definite start date cannot yet be given as we need to wait further guidance from the Department for Education. However, this will not be before 8th June 2020 for any year group. I hope that the measures detailed provide you with a view of the plans and steps we are taking so that we can do our very best to ensure that the pupils and staff return and remain as safe as possible.
Emma Anderson
Headteacher