What will happen inside school in September
There is no doubt that during the times when school has been closed to most of our children, they will have had a range of experiences.
- Some children will have had a wealth of learning opportunities and come back to school with new knowledge, skills and confidence.
Some children may be returning who have experienced bereavements amongst friends or family or who have experienced anxiety or stress during this time.
Some children, whose parents may have been working from home and struggling juggling that with home schooling, may have found themselves in front of a screen more often than any of us would wish
However, there are two things we can be certain of in September
• Firstly our children will return to us with a range of needs both educationally, emotionally and socially.
• Secondly, over the years our staff have already proven their dedication, skill and commitment to ensuring that all our children achieve their BEST. They are skilled in “ordinary magic”
Curriculum
In the first two weeks of term, teachers will be getting to know their children so that they can plan the very best curriculum for the next year.
They will
• identify the key knowledge, concepts and understanding that children have lost from the previous year that are vital for their future success.
• Identify the key knowledge, concepts and understanding that are vital from the current year
• Blend both of these into a more focussed curriculum
• Maintain a record of what’s been put aside so that over time it can be regained
They will
• Teach an ambitious and broad curriculum in all subjects from the start of the autumn term, but make use of existing flexibilities to create time to cover the most important missed content
• Prioritise teaching time in the first two terms to address significant gaps in pupils’ knowledge (with the aim of returning to the school’s normal curriculum content by no later than summer term 2021.)
• Plan to ensure education continues in the case of localised or national school closures.
Pupils with additional needs
We are aware that for some children with additional needs, returning to school after lockdown may cause additional anxiety or stress. Children with additional needs will be supported by the school pastoral team to ensure a smooth transition when returning to school. Mrs Gaskell has been working with our families to support children in their transition back into school. In some cases, children with additional needs may require a risk assessment to be completed.
Staff will continue to be responsive to the needs of individual pupils and additional support will be provided where necessary. Small group or 1:1 support may take a different form in the autumn term so that adults and children remain safe, for example, sitting side by side, staff and pupils working at a greater distance from each other, and working in different parts of the school building.
Arrangements in school
Children in EYFS (and Year One in the autumn term) will be following a play-based curriculum. It will not be possible, nor is it required, to enforce social distancing measures with children in EYFS. This means that children will come into contact with all the children in their class and they are likely to come into contact with all the children in the year group during outside free flow and lunchtimes. Children will wash their hands often and surfaces and equipment will be regularly sanitised.
Classrooms must be arranged to allow enough room for adults to distance from children From Y2 onwards, children will sit in rows facing the teacher.
Learning resources
For individual and very frequently used equipment, such as pencils and pens, staff and pupils will have their own items that are not shared. Classroom based resources, such as books and games, can be used and shared within the class bubble; these will be cleaned regularly, along with all frequently touched surfaces. In KS1 and KS2, resources that are shared between classes or bubbles, such as sports, art and science equipment will be cleaned frequently between bubbles, or rotated to allow them to be left unused and out of reach for a period of 48 hours (72 hours for plastics) between use by different bubbles.
Reading Books
Reading books can still be brought home, however on their return to school, they need to be quarantined for 72 hours before returning to the shelves.
What this means in practice is that books will be sent home on Monday and returned to school each Friday
Other things to consider
Assemblies
There will be no traditional whole school or key stage assemblies during the first part of the autumn term and these will be replaced by a Virtual Celebration Assembly, which will be watched by children in their classroom. A video of this, including the names of children receiving awards will be shared on our Facebook and website .
We are keeping an open mind regarding Christmas productions but all should be aware that, even at this early stage, full-scale productions look unlikely.
The importance of fresh air
Windows and doors will be left open as much as possible to aid ventilation. Therefore it is essential that the children come suitably dressed for all weather possibilities.
Please make sure your child has a PE kit that is suitable for outdoor PE in school everyday- even on drizzly, windy days
Enhanced cleaning regimes
Since lockdown and opening for keyworker children, our school has had enhanced cleaning systems in place and has also been regularly deep cleaned. We have adjusted our cleaning rotas with our site team to ensure that more regular cleaning goes on during the school day – with particular attention paid to those surfaces that are frequently touched like door handles. School staff not normally involved in these duties like teachers and support staff have also been helpful in keeping their own classrooms clean and extra materials have been provided for this purpose. We anticipate these arrangements will stay in place until further notice.
