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Coronavirus Frequently Asked Questions

Thursday 19 March 2020

When School is Open

1)   Where can I get guidance on COVID-19?

The following websites provide useful guides to families: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home- guidance-for-people-with-confirmed-or-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

and

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-social-distancing-and-for- vulnerable-people/guidance-on-social-distancing-for-everyone-in-the-uk-and-protecting-older- people-and-vulnerable-adults

and

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Furthermore, contacting 111, your local GP surgery or specialist consultants (where appropriate) should be your starting points for advice.

2)   Should I bring my child to school?

If your child is not presenting with symptoms of COVID-19, then the current government advice is to continue to attend school. The NHS website (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ ) details COVID-19 symptoms as:

  • A high temperature – you feel hot to touch on your chest or
  • A new, continuous cough – this means you’ve started coughing

3)  My child is poorly and I am not sure if they should come into school?

If your child is not presenting COVID-19 symptoms but is presenting symptoms of other illnesses, please contact 111 or your local GP to confirm the symptoms and diagnosis. Please then let us know as you usually would. We expect you to monitor their symptoms, treat as medically advised and return your child to school when they are well again.

4)  What is the school doing to reduce spread of infections?

  • Routines for regular handwashing, including when pupils enter
  • Reminders to staff and pupils on the importance of washing
  • Sharing the social story of COVID-19 with children helping them to understand what the virus is and how they may feel at this unusual time https://tinyurl.com/ugxyafm
  • Increasing social distancing measures. These include:
    • No whole school
    • Staggered times drop-off in the morning (between 8:45 – 9:00 am) directly to classroom entering school site by either
    • Staggered times for collection after school (between 3:10 – 3:25 pm) directly to classroom entering school site by either
    • Playtimes to include MUGA and ‘Long playground’.
    • Increased distances between tables at
    • Very limited parental engagement opportunities into school e.g. workshops and assemblies.
  • Our cleaning company are maintaining high standards and our school staff are supporting additional cleaning of commonly touched furniture (door handles).
  • Some pupils having own stationery and reducing sharing of

5)   If I, as a parent, have underlying medical health conditions, should my child attend school?

We recommend that you seek medical advice via your GP, specialist doctors or 111. They will be best placed to advise on the risks to your own health if your child continues to attend school.

6)    If a member of my extended family, who does not live with us, has underlying medical health conditions, should my child attend school?

We recommend that they seek medical advice via their GP, specialist doctors or 111. They will be best placed to advise on the risks to their own health if your child continues to attend school.

7)   Can I come to the school office and meet with staff in school?

Yes. If you are not presenting with symptoms of COVID-19 and not self-isolating, then we can continue to meet. However, we would prefer that most communications are via telephone or email where possible.

8)   Should I inform school if my child or a member of our family is self-isolating?

Yes. Please call the school office (01934 312720) or email the school ([email protected]). The guidance states that the whole household self- isolates.

9)   Will I be informed if a child or staff member in my child’s class or the school has COVID-19 and is self- isolating?

No. We would not be able to share this information due to General Data Protection Regulations. Parents should remain respectful and considerate if they notice a member of staff is absent. The staff may be self-isolating; they may be supporting a family member who is self-isolating or they may be absent for an entirely different reason related to COVID-19.

10)   Will my child be able to have learning resources from school during self-isolation?

Yes. We have the following link to a Sharepoint available for our school: https://tinyurl.com/wx62oka Once finalised, you will find year group folders with opportunities for year groups set up. In addition, you can access your child’s class webpage to engage in online learning material through webpages.

11)   If families are self-isolating, are there resources I can use to help my child understand this?

Yes. Class teachers will use the video ‘What does self-isolation mean?’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/51204456 when there is a need to discuss this in class. The video will be supported by teacher explanations. However, families can of course revisit this.

12)   Can my child wear a facemask in school?

Whilst we could not ban these, we would encourage you to watch the following video to support your decision-making:            https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/health-51881555/coronavirus-do-face-masks- actually-work

13)   Will the school contact me if we are closing?

We will communicate via our usual methods, which is the text service from teachers2parents and letters, which are sent out and posted on the website https://haywoodvillageacademy.clf.uk/. In addition, we will endeavour to contact families.

14)   Will Breakfast Club and Parachutes After-school Club continue to run?

We will apply the same approaches to this provision as the school day. However, should food supplies become a concern or be in short supply, we will endeavour to communicate this with you. We expect that there will be changes to meals and snack options depending on supply and we thank you in advance for understanding this.

15)   Will school trips and swimming take place this term?

The school has taken the decision to not plan any school trips at the present time. We have followed the guidance from Public Health who have informed the Pool Water Treatment Advisory Group (PWTAG), which has in turn informed the provision of our local leisure centre. We will continue to take the children swimming. https://www.pwtag.org/novel-coronavirus-covid-19-latest-information-2/

During Closure

1)   How will I be informed if there is a closure?

We will communicate via our usual methods, which is the text service from teachers2parents and letters, which are sent out and posted on the website https://haywoodvillageacademy.clf.uk/. We ask that you contact the school office to ensure your details are up to date.

2)   Will the school fully close or partially close?

We have indicated previously that depending on staff capacity (i.e. our staff’s own health and their family’s health needs), we may find ourselves in a position whereby only some year groups remain open. In addition, we may consider closing the school but only opening year groups on certain days or times. Depending on the wellbeing of the staff or government guidance, we may close the whole school for a period of time.

3)   Will the school provide teaching and learning materials?

Yes. Please see answer to question 10 in ‘When school is open’ section. However during a partial or full closure, planning and learning resources will change to be much more accessible for families as the teaching team will have greater capacity to support home learning.

In addition, you can access your child’s class webpage to engage in online learning material through webpages. We will also be sending home a physical pack of learning opportunities, including assessment materials that can be used as example to recreate further practice questions.

4)   Can I keep in touch with the school or will the school keep in touch with me?

The school will regularly update social media. We will welcome communication from families and we have set up class email accounts linked to teachers for families to send in questions about learning or share outcomes. These email accounts will be texted to families. It is likely that families will be contacted by members of staff during closure and we expect families to be mindful that they may receive calls from a withheld number, as staff use their own mobiles to check in on pupils.

5)   How will I be informed of the school’s end to the closure?

Please see answer 1) in ‘During closure’ section.