Phased Return – 15th March

Dear Parent/Carer,

As we approach the next stage of our phased return, it is a good time to share with you how we plan to welcome the pupils back into school. The 15^th March will see all Primary return and S4 return in full also. S1, S2 and S3 will be in school 5 days out of 10, over the next 2 weeks; learning from home on the days not in school. Parents of these groups will have received an email indicating which days their child is in school.  This timetable maximises the time pupils will be in school, whilst prioritising the S4 class.

In BJHS, we understand that Health & Wellbeing (HWB) underpins everything – if the pupils are not secure in their wellbeing, they are not in a position to learn. That is why we will have a real focus on HWB as more pupils begin to return next week. So what does this mean?

We know that all pupils will not have had the same experience learning from home since Christmas. This may add to pupil anxiety coming back and some may be apprehensive about what they have missed or what others have achieved. The school message is clear – try not to worry about it, we have time on our side. We know that time in school is incredibly valuable and every day the pupils are back within school, we gain a better understanding of the needs of our pupils. And as we do so, we will understand where any targeted support should go. That support could be in many forms; access to a dedicated member of staff, additional homework club sessions, lunchtime/after school clubs, soft starts/ends, breakfast clubs, the Seasons For Growth programme, the School Counselling Service, Enhanced Transition, GIRFEC (Getting It Right For Every Child) and several others.

So our priority is to ensure our pupils are able to reconnect with each other, with staff and with learning. This first 2 week period (before the Easter holidays) will focus on HWB activities that promote opportunities for being together with their friends, being outside (weather permitting!), listening to pupils’ concerns/ideas and having fun with their classmates and the wider school staff. This will allow the school to develop plans on how we recover and how we build resilience – in our pupils and our staff.

This past year is something that none of us have ever experienced before and our only way through it is to support each other; pupils, parents and staff. We are incredibly lucky to stay in a community where we are very good at supporting each other and this is the time for us all to work together.

The school staff are incredibly excited to see the pupils back in next week and we look forward to working with you between now and Summer. If anyone has any concerns, questions or worries about this next stage of return, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Best wishes,

Paul Thomson

Head Teacher