We were delighted to be able to welcome all year groups back to school full time from September 3rd 2020. Despite the government decision to close schools again from the 5th January 2021 other than for vulnerable children and those of critical workers, our day to day in-school operations remain largely unchanged, just with fewer pupils. There is more detail in the full site risk assessment which is included below.
Here is the most important information about our current safety measures and processes in the form of Frequently Asked Questions. If there are any changes to this information, we will update parents and carers via email and update this page as soon as possible afterwards.
We ask all parents and carers to maintain social distancing when dropping off or collecting children.
All staff have been trained to use the ‘Starving the Anxiety Gremlins’ books by Kate-Collins-Donnelly as part of a project commissioned by the Trust. These activities and approaches will be incorporated into the curriculum as required in the coming days, weeks and months.
In addition to this, for the first two full weeks of term teachers have based their English and wider curriculum planning around the book ‘Here We Are’ by Oliver Jeffers. Power of Pictures is an approach which we are embedding across our curriculum and the Power of Pictures team have written a set of planning for every primary school year group, specifically to address some of the potential challenges for children of transitioning back in to school post-lockdown.
We are also working with School of Meditation Rocks to support children with meditation, mindfulness and relaxation in class and draw upon previous work with the Anna Freud Inspire well-being project to provide in-class opportunities for relaxation and reflection.
Please be assured that whilst we will be looking to return to normal teaching as soon as the children have settled in, your child’s well-being will remain a priority as it has throughout this period and so we will ensure the transition is managed with care and compassion.
We will be considering each year group a ‘bubble’ and taking measures to ensure that children from different bubbles do not mix. This will include staggered playtimes, different play zones and where possible, separate toilets. Due to capacity, some year groups will have to share toilet facilities with the phase 2 toilets being used by class 7, year 4 and year 5, and class 8 sharing their toilets with year 6. However, to minimise the risk of transmission, the number of children in the space will be limited and sinks and cubicles will be labelled for children from different bubbles to use.
Guidance enables teachers to move from bubble to bubble, so on Wednesdays we will be welcoming back the usual team of coaches and specialists, albeit with a different structure to the day, and supply teachers will be able to be used again in the event of staff absence.
To support social distancing and avoid year groups mixing, we have staggered arrangements for the start and end of the day and also a timetable of staggered play and lunch time. This information is contained here:
Use of the hall is reserved for breakfast and after school club and small group use during the day so our only option at play and lunchtime is for the children to go outside.
If the weather is wet, we will insist the children wear their coat (please ensure they have a suitable waterproof coat in school) and will encourage them to play in the sheltered areas underneath the trees at the side of the field, under the stage and in the quiet garden. If the weather is extreme, we will keep the children inside for playtime but this will be a last resort as getting outside for fresh air (and a change of scenery) is so important at the moment.
You can access the full risk assessments below. Please be aware that this is very much a live document in school which we will be frequently reviewing and adapting so the version here may be slightly different.
As it is updated, the changes are highlighted in green for ease.
Full school risk assessment 3.9.20
Full school risk assessment 13.10.20
Full school risk assessment 8.1.21
Full school risk assessment 8.3.21
Start and End of Day Risk Assessment 4.9.20