Yesterday evening, the Prime Minister laid out the Government’s route map to take the country out of the current lockdown. As widely reported, schools are at the very top of the list. From the 8th March, Tweeddale Primary School will be reopening for all year groups and we cannot wait to see every child back in school. The period of lockdown has been lengthy. We will need to work together to support your child/children as they adjust back into usual ‘school’ habits.Over the coming weeks, please prepare them for the return to school by regularising sleeping habits and ensuring that they take part in as many learning activities as possible during the day. Also, it would help if you could fit in additional exercise. Walks around the local parks are great at this time of year, particularly with the improvement in the weather, longer days and spring flowers. These don’t need to be every day but our experience after the last long lockdown was that many children did not have the stamina for the longer school days and by half term some were really flagging.

Over the next two weeks, the staff will be busily preparing the school for all the children to return. Remote learning will continue as before however staff will also be planning for the last four weeks of term to ensure a smooth transition from remote to school based learning. In short, we can’t wait to have the children back!

However, it is not a return to normal. Most members of staff have not yet been vaccinated and certainly none of the children have which means that the risk of infection has not changed. All of the rules set up in September will be retained. Children will be hand washing/sanitizing throughout the day and break times will remain separate for different classes. Staff members are regularly testing themselves with Lateral Flow Device Tests so if there is any infection it can be caught quickly and impact kept to a minimum. Staff and adult visitors will also be wearing face coverings, as before in the Autumn term, in situations where social distancing between adults is more difficult (for example, when moving around in corridors, communal areas and at the gate). Pick-up and drop-off times will remain as before and we will ask you to continue to wear facemasks and leave the sites as quickly as possible once you have dropped off/collected your child/children. If we are careful and follow the school rules and Government guidance we can begin to rebuild our school community. As with the exit from the last lockdown, this is the most delicate part. More details will be shared closer to the 8th March.

Without doubt this has been an unprecedented year. With your support, the continued development of remote learning by the staff and enthusiasm from the children, we believe we have all worked together to make this as successful an experience as possible.

Thank you for your support.

The Tweeddale Team