Dear Parents and Carers,

Extreme Temperatures on Monday and Tuesday

As many of you may be aware from news reports and the weather forecast, we are warned to expect extreme temperatures on Monday 18^th and Tuesday 19^th July with  the Met Office upgrading their weather warning from amber to red.

Children cannot control their body temperature as efficiently as adults during hot weather because they do not sweat as much and so can be at risk of ill-health from heat. Heat-related illness can range from mild heat stress to more serious heatstroke. The main risk from heat is dehydration (not having enough water in the body. With this in mind, we wanted to give you information in relation to how we will work to manage the weather conditions as best as possible in school at the start of next week.

On Monday and Tuesday, we are implementing the following measures:

·       Children should come into school in PE clothes that are lightweight and loose fitting.

·       Sun cream should be applied to the children before they come into school.

·       All children must wear a hat/sunhat to protect them from the heat.

·       Every child must bring into school a water bottle filled with cool water. Children will be encouraged to drink often during the day and can refill bottles in the classroom.

·       Children will not undertake PE activities or physical activities at break time and lunchtime.

·       Time outside will be limited and where temperatures are above 30 degrees the children will not go outside unless they are able to be under a canopy or sun shade.

·       Although Orchards and Fielders will be open as normal, clubs which involve physical activity e.g. morning or afternoon Dance Club or Football will be cancelled.

We are also offering parents of children in Reception to Year 6 the option to collect your child early, if you wish to.  School is not closing early but to manage the heat in school as effectively as possible, we are allowing parents to collect early.  To enable your child to be collected early you will need to complete the form using the link below by 9:00am on Monday 18^th July. It must be completed by this time as we will need to make arrangements with the kitchen for lunches and for us to have time to prepare for those going home.

https://forms.office.com/r/UzkypsD892

Where you have more than one child, all children will be ready for whichever would be the earliest collection time for your year groups. E.g. If you have a child in Year 3 and Year 6 both children can be collected between 12:15pm and 12:25pm.

Please come to the main Meadow Reception entrance to collect the children.

Nursery children can attend their usual three-hour session. However, if you choose to keep your child at home, please notify us using the normal absence reporting arrangements.

If your child is being collected early and usually attends Orchards or Fielders in the afternoon, please email Mrs Chakmak by 9:00am on Monday 18^th July. As club remains open, if you choose to collect your child early, we will not be able to provide a refund.

Where children are in school all day, we would also ask that parents do not arrive at school more than a couple of minutes before school and that as soon as children have been dismissed they are taken straight home to reduce the amount of sun exposure.

We are aware that the Year 6 Leavers’ Disco is due to take place on Tuesday 19^th July. We are giving consideration to this event more specifically and will update Year 6 parents with any necessary information regarding this. There is also the Year 6 trip to Inflatanation on Wednesday. However, the most recent weather forecast shows that temperatures will be back in the mid-20s on Wednesday and so at the moment the trip will go ahead unaffected.

As you will appreciate, the predicted temperatures on Monday and Tuesday are exceptional and so we have tried to take appropriate measures to keep our children safe.

Thank you for your continued support.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Chamberlain                  Mrs Gray

Head Teacher                      Deputy Head Teacher