Welcome to our guide for returning to school

Welcome to our guide for returning to school

On Thursday 28th May, the Prime Minister announced that the five tests that the government had set out to be met before changes to the Covid-19 response and lockdown have been met. Therefore, as the government had planned, children in Nursery (Pre-school), Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 will now start to be able to return to school from Monday 1st June, the start of Term 6.

We are looking forward to being able to welcome more children back to school, but safety remains our highest priority. Our Health & Safety experts have carried out a detailed Risk Assessment and have calculated the safe physical space in our classrooms and on our site. The Risk Assessment will be reviewed each week and the site will be inspected for compliance. We are following the government’s guidance about minimising risk using the ‘hierarchy of controls’ and social distancing principles.

As you know, following our safety guidance rigorously means that we have to limit the number of children that can safely come back into school. Our groups, or ‘bubbles’, will be smaller than usual classes and smaller than the maximum of 15 that the government guidance states. We will continue to provide full-time places for the children described as vulnerable and children of ‘critical workers’, at our school site. We will be able to have other children in school, from Early Years, Year 1 and later Year 6, limited by the total pupil number that can safely attend, the physical space, and available staff.

This guidance booklet includes information to help you prepare with your child for returning to school and how their learning will continue to be supported.

The first of the government’s five controls to minimise risk of infection is to minimise contact with anyone who has any coronavirus symptoms, or anyone who has someone in their household with symptoms. Therefore we want to stress that if your child has any of the symptoms (fever, a new cough, loss of smell/taste) they must not come to school. If anyone in your household has any of these symptoms, your child must not come to school.

Social distancing

We will try our best to maintain social distancing measures at school – this means keeping a distance of 2 metres between staff and children, as far as this is possible and for as much of the day as possible. Our teaching spaces/classrooms have been measured and set up with seats with 2m distance between each other and markings on the floor will help us to try to keep to this layout.

What is a ‘bubble’?

All children will be placed in small groups known as bubbles. The aim of these protective bubbles is to minimise contact with other children, and reduce the risk of spreading the COVID-19 infection. Each bubble of children and staff will be kept separate from all other bubbles in the learning space and throughout the day. The bubble will be taught and cared for by the same staff every day and will contain the same children every day. This will mean that your child may not be taught by their usual class teacher, but an educator from the Haywood Village Academy teaching team.

Bubbles of children will have separate breaks, outside learning and lunchtimes, and will have staggered times to use toilets during the day. The arrangements are to reduce contact between a wider group of children.

Early closure on Wednesdays

We would welcome the support of the community to seek alternative childcare on Wednesday afternoons from 1pm, with school collection between 1 – 1:20pm. Previously we shared that school would be closed for the whole day – we are now proposing a half-day closure.

If families cannot collect due to critical/key working arrangements, the school will accommodate. However, the school teaching team really need to prepare for Distance Learning and class learning and the school will require an additional enhanced mid-week clean and we thank you in advance for considering arrangements. Please collect your children from their classrooms between 1pm – 1:20 pm.

Please note: You no longer need to book places for your children on Tucasi.

Waiting list for key / critical workers

We currently do not have any spaces but if you are a key / critical worker and require a place for your child you will need to provide proof of your key / critical worker role. This can be done either by submitting, via email to [email protected] , a letter confirming your role or a copy of your ID badge (which details the company and role). We will then add your child/ren to our waiting list.

Cleaning

We had an enhanced clean at school before re- opening. We have introduced a range of measures to help keep our school clean. We will have daily enhanced cleaning and we will also ‘clean as we go’ all frequently touched surfaces.

We will ensure that all children and staff thoroughly wash their hands (for at least 20 seconds, with soap, under running water, and dry well, or use hand sanitiser) upon arrival and frequently

throughout the day, particularly before/after going to the toilet, eating, going outside or handling resources. Please reinforce this with your child at home and help them to get into the habit of thorough hand washing regularly.

Before arrival

In order to support us in our efforts to keep school safe and clean we would like you to follow these guidelines:

Social distancing

You will note the 2m markers as you enter the school site and we expect you to adhere to social distancing between children and parents.

Uniform

We do not expect the children to wear school uniform but they can. We would advise daily washing of clothes after being in the school. Children can use their regular PE kits for sports activities.

Equipment

Please do not bring pencil cases or equipment to school. The school will provide all the equipment. Children do not need to bring a rucksack. They can carry their water bottle and sun hat.

Please ensure that your child has everything with them when they come into school to reduce trips into school with forgotten items.

Arrival and collection routines – start and end of day

Arrival and collection at the start and end of the school day will be staggered to ensure as little crossover between our families as possible. Parents will not be allowed into the school building and all contact will need to be made via email or telephone. If you do need to come to the school office reception, the staff will aim to support you but the window will not be opened. If you notice another adult in the reception, please wait until the reception area is clear before you step in.

We request that drop off and collection is limited to one parent per family to limit the number of people congregating. To avoid large numbers in the playground drop off and collection will take place outside your child’s designated classroom.

Families can arrive between 8:45 am – 9:15 am arriving via the Pre-school entrances, or either school gate entrances. Members of the school’s senior Leadership team will be on the school entrances to guide families if they are uncertain of where the designated classroom is.

When parents are waiting to drop off or collect their child, social distancing should be maintained at all times. Only parents who are symptom free and/or have completed the required isolation periods will be able to drop off or collect their child.

We strongly advise that parents walk or cycle to school to avoid a build-up of cars and movement of people on the roads surrounding school. If you are going to arrive late you should phone school to let us know, and then you will need to wait until after the last arrival time slot to drop off your child.

Collection time is also staggered between 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm. Due to the proposed half-day closure on Wednesdays we would appreciate that, if possible, children could be collected between 1:00pm and 1:20pm on Wednesdays.

Learning environment

Please see example pictures below of how school currently looks. Clearly the environment is clear and spacious. We look forward to welcoming the children into their calm environment.

Each of our bubbles of children will be kept separate. When working in their ‘classrooms’, children will be encouraged at all times to maintain social distancing. We appreciate it will be very difficult for them, but children will be discouraged from having any physical contact with each other. Children will spend a large portion of their day sat at a table or within a learning space (EYFS) completing their learning or playing in isolation with equipment that can be cleaned. Children will be allocated their own set of equipment to use, they will not be allowed to share or bring in anything from home.

Lunch arrangements

At present we are providing a school packed lunch for all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, as well as those entitled to free school meals. Children in Pre-school, Year 3 and 4 will need to bring their own packed lunch. This will be reviewed regularly as we hope it will be possible to provide hot school meals.

The children will eat their lunch in their classroom alongside their educators. They will wash their hands thoroughly before eating. Lunches will be delivered to their room to avoid mixing between different bubbles.

Children should bring in their own water bottles (named). Please only provide your child with water and not juice.

First aid and illness

First Aid provision will remain in place at school. A qualified first aider will be on site at all times. Appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is available for first aid use.

What happens if my child shows symptoms of illness at school?

As usual, if your child becomes unwell at school they will be taken to an isolated area and you will be called to collect them. We would appreciate it if you could collect them as soon as you receive a call from us to help us keep all members of the school community safe and well. Staff will need to use PPE when helping your child in this instance. We will bring your child out to you to avoid you coming onto the school site.

If your child shows symptoms of coronavirus, even if you think they are actually struggling with another medical need such as hay fever or asthma, we will still need to send them home, following the government’s ‘hierarchy of controls’ measures to minimise the risk of infection.

If anyone at school (child or adult) shows symptoms of Covid-19, the government guidance encourages them to get tested for coronavirus. If this test shows to be positive, all children and adults within that child’s group will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days.

Further guidance

Further guidance from the Government is available here – reopening-schools-and- other-educational-settings-from-1-june

COVID-19

NHS.UK has the latest advice and general information about COVID-19. For more information visit: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

NHS 111

To check your symptoms, please visit: https://111.nhs.uk/service/COVID-19/ or call 111 to speak to an operator

FAQs

We are developing a frequently answered questions for parents. If you have any further questions please contact us at [email protected] or 01934 312720 .