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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. 

What do I do if my child is ill? 

The current guidance states: 

  1. If your child is displaying any of the following symptoms: 

    - A consistently raised temperature

    - A persistent new cough

    - A loss of, or change to, sense of taste or smell

    ...they should self-isolate for 10 days from the day symptoms began. All members of the household should self-isolate for 14 days from the day symptoms began. 
  2. If your child is displaying one or more of these symptoms alongside other symptoms (eg a cold), the same steps should be taken. 
  3. Please arrange for a test as soon as possible. If the test results are negative, your child(ren) can return to school immediately, provided they feel well enough to do so.
  4. All absences due to covid-19 symptoms are recorded as such and will be authorised.

Please refer to this government guidance for more information.

Click here for a handy guide for parents produced by B&NES Public Health Team.  

Please be assured we are being as proportionate as possible and will only phone you to collect your child from school if they are displaying one of the three covid-19 symptoms shown above or, like always, we feel they are too unwell to be in school. 

Does the school have tests available? 

Staff who are working in school have access to optional twice weekly lateral flow testing. These are strictly for staff use only.

Can I do the school run if I am self-isolating? 

If your child's 10 day period of self-isolation is over but yours is continuing, please try to arrange for a friend or family member to collect them from the door to bring them to school.

Can I pop into school to speak with a member of staff?  

We are continuing to minimise the number of visitors into school. However, maintaining open communication with you is really important to us  so please email or phone us whenever possible, or leave a message with the member of staff on one of the gates. If a face to face meeting is required, please phone the office to book, although these are currently only possible in exceptional circumstances. If you have an arranged meeting with a member of staff, we must ask you to limit attendees to just one person plus the staff member and ask you to please wear a face covering throughout.

Do I need to wear a face covering when dropping off or collecting my child from school?

Unless exempt, we are asking all adults to wear face coverings when waiting to drop off or collect children inside the school grounds. We would also prefer face coverings to be worn in the surrounding roads to reduce the risk of transmission between people passing in the road or on the pavement.

We ask all parents and carers to maintain social distancing when dropping off or collecting children.

How is the school supporting my child's mental well-being?  

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.   

How is contact between groups of children minimised?  

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.   

What happens if there is a confirmed case within a year group 'bubble'?

In the event that a member of staff or child test positive for Covid-19, we will seek advice from the local health protection team and a likely outcome will be closing the bubble. In this event, all children and adults in that bubble will be required to self-isolate for 14 days. Provided the teachers are well, teaching will resume via Teams. 
 
UPDATE: With the introduction of routine Lateral Flow Testing for all school-based staff, we will now be able to detect any asymptomatic cases. In the event of a positive test result, we will immediately close the affected year group and parents will be contacted. All vulnerable children and those of critical workers will move to online learning via Teams from home.

How is the school day organised? 

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:

Organisational Information 4.9.20

Will the children still be mixing in the hall at lunchtime?

All lunches will be eaten in classrooms, and Edwards and Ward have created a specially adapted menu to enable this, which will include hot meal options from Term 2. These will be prepared fresh in school, will be delivered to the classrooms and can be ordered in the usual way via Parentpay. We are working with Edwards and Ward to ensure packaging is recyclable and we will be using the usual school cutlery rather than a single use alternative.

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. 

Are Breakfast and After School Care Clubs still running?  

Government guidance allows for children from different bubbles to mix at our Breakfast and After School Care Clubs and following risk assessment, this provision opened on the 7th September. The hall is zoned into year group spaces, each year group has its own set of equipment, and food is prepared in the kitchen and children are individually served. Booking for both clubs is via Parentpay. 

Is PE still taking place?  

PE is timetabled to take place outside. If the weather requires indoor PE to take place, the activities will be static and low intensity (eg yoga) to prevent transmission via sweat or increased breathing. Contact sports will be avoided. Children will not be getting changed into their PE kits, but should bring PE shoes to school with them to get changed into. 
 
On ‘Wonderful Wednesdays’, when the teachers receive planning, preparation and assessment time away from class, the children can come to school wearing PE kit if it is their PE day. To check whether it is their PE day click here.

How are PPA days ('Wonderful Wednesdays) for years 1-6 organised?  

All teachers receive one day a fortnight out of class for planning, preparation and assessment time. Prior to Covid restrictions being in place, the children would have been taught by four different specialists in a day, and enjoyed sessions in Music, PHSE/French, PE and also theatre/drama skills. 
 
To avoid adults moving between year group bubbles this term, each year group now stays with the same subject for the whole day, enabling the children to cover more and go into more depth in the subject. To see the timetable for this term and see when your child will be doing the different activities, click here. On PE days, your child should come to school in PE kit. If the weather is wet or cold, please make sure they have a coat as going outside for PE is the only option at the moment!

Are out of school enrichment clubs running?  

We are currently unable to run our usual selection of enrichment clubs due to restrictions around changing, mixing year groups and changing facilities. We are working hard to consider possible solutions and are hoping to be able to launch some clubs in the spring provided it is safe to do so. 

How are good levels of hygiene and cleanliness being maintained?  

The children have access to soap and water and hand sanitiser, and routinely use them whenever entering or leaving the classroom and regularly in between. Classroom equipment is either organised into an individual set for each child, wiped down after use or sterilised overnight. No equipment is transferred between year group bubbles, including PE equipment.
 
Alongside our usual programme of cleaning, there are additional cleans of shared areas, including light switches and door handles, periodically throughout the day.

Can I read the full risk assessments?

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

 

 
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