Adaptations to school provision for Covid-19
Educational Offer
Full return to school from September 2020
We are now in a position to update you on the planning for the Autumn term 2020. As per Government guidance, the children will remain in class ‘bubbles’ for the first half of the autumn term at least. These bubbles will consist of their teacher and the teaching assistant or other staff that make up the bubble. This is as per the guidance for schools which states:
‘Consistent groups reduce the risk of transmission by limiting the number of pupils and staff in contact with each other to only those within the group. They have been used in schools in the summer term in recognition that children, and especially the youngest children, cannot socially distance from staff or from each other and this provides an additional protective measure. Maintaining distinct groups or ‘bubbles’ that do not mix makes it quicker and easier in the event of a positive case to identify those who may need to self-isolate, and keep that number as small as possible.’
Please read all the following information carefully and thoroughly.
Dates of school term
The school term will start on Monday 7th September for all Year 1 and Year 2 children in their designated class bubble group (please see later for timings). These children will not be in school on Thursday 3rd September or Friday 4th September.
We will be welcoming our Little Forest Friends and new Reception children in small groups with their parents on Thursday 3rd September and Friday 4th September. This is for stay and play sessions and to meet the teachers and staff that will working in these bubble groups. Little Forest Friends and new Reception parents and carers were contacted last week with a day and time to attend.
Attendance
The expectation is that all children will return to school unless they are extremely clinically vulnerable and have been advised by a specialist not to do so. These children will be offered online learning and support. We will be expecting to see all other children return into their bubble group.
Staggered start and finished times
In line with the Government guidance to reduce transmission between individuals, we will be organising staggered start and finish times for each bubble. Each class will have up to five hours on the school site.
Little Forest Friends will return to the Eco Lodge in September now that the heating has been fixed. This will allow children a full forest school environment. The sessions will run as they have this year with half sessions picking up or dropping at 12:00 noon.
Drop off timings:
Bubble 1 – Rainbow 1 8:55 to 9:05am Rainbow 1 Classroom
Bubble 2 – Rainbow 2 9:10 to 9:20am Rainbow 2 Classroom
Bubble 3 – Sunshine 1 9:20 to 9:30am Sunshine 1 Classroom
Bubble 4 – Sunshine 2 9:30 to 9:40am Sunshine 2 Classroom
Bubble 5 – Sky 1 9:40 to 9:50am Sky 1 Classroom
Bubble 6 – Sky 2 9:50 to 10:00am Sky 2 Classroom
Little Forest Friends am 9:00 to 9:10 am Eco Lodge
Little Forest Friends pm 12:00 to 12:10pm Eco Lodge
Pick up timings:
Bubble 1 2:00 to 2:10pm
Bubble 2 2:10 to 2:20pm
Bubble 3 2:20 to 2:30pm
Bubble 4 2.30 to 2:40pm
Bubble 5 2:40 to 2:50pm
Bubble 6 2:50 to 3:00pm
Little Forest Friends am 11:50am to 12:00pm
Little Forest Friends pm 2:50pm to 3:00pm
We realise that there may be some difficulties for families who have siblings at school. If this does affect you and your pick and up drop off time is unmanageable please get in touch.
We are in the unique situation of having the church path entrance and so have had to create more prescriptive staggered times.
One way system in operation to reduce transmission and avoid large gatherings of people
The system will alter slightly to the one that is currently in operation and the churchyard path will be used in a one-way system:
Coming to school: Enter via the churchyard path, use the gate next to Rainbows (on the right of the main building) and then drop your child at the outside door of their bubble group. Parents and carers will then continue in the same direction, past the other classrooms and follow the path on the inside of the orange netting down the side of the school drive and exit via the main staff car park entrance/exit.
Collecting from school: This will be a reverse of dropping off. Parents and carers will enter via the driveway and follow the path inside the orange netting at the side of the school driveway, pick up their child from outside their bubble group classroom, continue past the other classrooms and out of the gate next to Rainbows and then exit via the churchyard. This will ensure that children only use the churchyard path and not the school driveway.
Classroom set up – Key Stage 1
We will keep the circular tables that we have now but use them in the semi-circle format with two children per table sat side by side and facing the class teacher. The teacher will teach from the front of the classroom. Key Stage 1 children will not sit on the carpet as there will not be enough space.
Classroom set up – Early Years
EYFS will use the continuous provision in their own classroom. There will be timetabled sessions for using the covered area and field space. Each class will have access to outside space every day. Little Forest Friends will use their own space in the Eco Lodge. The children will have a set carpet space. Rainbow 1 will use the cloakroom area to hang their coats. Rainbow 2 will use the middle classroom as their cloakroom area to hang their coats. The shared area will not be used as a teaching space. Little Forest Friends will eat lunch in the Eco Lodge.
Happy Hedgehogs
Due to staff being unable to cross bubble groups and to mitigate the risks of bubble groups closing down, we will not be offering a full wraparound care service from the 7th September. However, we can support parents with an hour of childcare after school each day in each bubble group. This will be charged at £5.00 for the hour. The children will stay in their bubble group classroom with a member of staff from their bubble. Please see below for the hours that we are able to offer for each bubble group:
Happy Hedgehogs pick up timings (to include additional hour):
Bubble 1 3:00pm
Bubble 2 3:10pm
Bubble 3 3:20pm
Bubble 4 3.30pm
Bubble 5 3:40pm
Bubble 6 3:50pm
Little Forest Friends 4:00 pm
Please let us know as soon as possible if you would like to take up this offer by emailing happyhedgehogs@haddenham-st-marys.bucks.sch.uk. It does not have to be every day.
Staffing
Mrs Richardson will be increasing her leadership hours from September and Mrs Emily Roads will now be teaching in Sky 1 on Thursday and Friday, with Mrs Allison on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
I can now confirm the teaching assistants that will be working in each class. This will be consistent so that each bubble will be self-contained and avoid any staff working across bubbles.
Rainbow 1 Mrs Howse working with Mrs Mehta.
Rainbow 2 Mrs Ladyman and Mrs Tombs-Gallagher working with Mrs Smith.
Sunshine 1 Miss Booth, Mrs Kirby and Mrs Lewis working with Mr Williams and Mrs Williams.
Sunshine 2 Mrs Aziz working with Mrs Nickless.
Sky 1 Miss Hawes and Mrs Butler working with Mrs Allison and Mrs Roads.
Sky 2 Mrs Brown and Mrs Eccles working with Mrs Gilbert-Scott.
We are also pleased that Miss Hawes will be completing her SCITT teacher training programme next year.
Forest School
There will be no forest school sessions offered in the first half of the Autumn term for any class. Mrs Roads cannot work across two bubbles and she is our only qualified Forest School teacher. We hope that these sessions might resume in the second half of the Autumn term but will depend on the Government guidance.
After school clubs
No after school clubs will be offered in the first half of the Autumn term. Again, this is due to reducing transmission and to avoid mixing of bubble groups.
PE days
Children should wear leisure or comfortable clothes on their PE day. This will avoid children bringing PE kit into school and the need to change clothing. The PE days for each class are as follows:
Tuesday Sky 1 and Sky 2
Wednesday Sunshine 1
Thursday Sunshine 2
Friday Rainbow 1 and Rainbow 2
Uniform
All children will be expected to return to school in full school uniform and the relaxation of the rules will be lifted, however we are again understanding of financial situations and if you are facing difficulty with purchasing uniform please get in touch.
Lunchtime
The kitchen will resume with hot lunches for all children. Children in Sunshine and Sky bubbles will eat at their table in their classroom. The lunches will be delivered by trolley and served by the kitchen staff at a social distance.
Rainbow children will eat their lunch in the hall at designated tables. Both Rainbow bubbles will be staggered giving them time to eat in their class bubble group.
Handwashing and hygiene
Children will continue to wash hands upon entry to school, during regular sessions throughout the day and before lunch and eating. All staff and pupils will continue to observe good hand washing protocols in addition to using hand sanitiser. Staff will continue to disinfect high touch areas and touch points throughout the day.
Belongings
Children will not be required to bring a book bag, water bottle or any other personal belongings into school. Children’s reading books and reading records will not be moved from home to school. We will give you more information in September about how our reading records will work.
Stationery
From September we will provide each child in Year 1 and Year 2 with a designated pencil case and their own equipment, this will avoid children sharing equipment. Equipment such as paintbrushes and clipboards will be provided in school and disinfected and isolated between bubble group use. We are asking parents and carers to contribute £5.00 towards this stationery which will be payable via ParentPay. We are sorry to have to ask for contributions, however COVID – 19 has greatly affected our school financially. We have currently lost £72,500 to date.
Snacks and water
Children in all year groups can continue to bring a high calorie snack for each day. Please send the snack in a lidded box labelled with your child’s name on a Monday and provide a snack for each day of the week. Do not provide any snacks that require refrigeration such as cheese or yogurt. As per our school policy, no food should contain nuts. Children will be given their own named cup for water.
Contingency planning for lockdown
In the event of a full or partial lockdown of school or a bubble group we will offer more remote home learning opportunities from September. More information about this will follow at the start of the school year.
Catch up plans
We will resume a full curriculum from September. As we will not be having the usual lunch times and Happy Hedgehogs hours, all staff currently in these provisions will be redeployed to work in classrooms as learning support. Maths, English and phonics will be the priority in the first half term. Children will be learning outside as much as possible.
We will identify the most important knowledge and skills missed in the last term of the previous year group and plan to cover these ‘non-negotiables’ intensively in the first half term. Children will be given the chance to catch up. The children will then move onto the planned year group curriculum.
Each class will have a weekly circle time/PSHE lesson in the Autumn term where emotional wellbeing will be a huge focus. Nurture groups will continue in class for those that need this extra support.
RE will continue to be alternate weeks in Key Stage 1, and there will be music one week and RE the next. Phonics in Key Stage 1 will not be taught in mixed groups across the year – this will be done within each bubble. We will use a carousel during the day so that the teacher or TA can focus on differentiated groups. Children will have five phonic sessions a week in EYFS and four sessions in Key Stage 1 in addition to class spelling.
School office
The school office will remain closed to staff and visitors from September without prior appointment. Please use the telephone and email for contact.
Junior School drop off
We have worked with Haddenham Junior School to co-ordinate drop off and pick times to try to negate disruption for parents.
Free School Meals
Please get in touch if you are eligible for free school meals and need help with purchasing uniform. Pencil cases for children eligible for Free School Meals will be purchased through pupil premium funds.
Parental agreement
Please find the parental agreement for September here: September Parent – School Agreement
All parents and carers of children in Little Forest Friends, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are required to read, agree and adhere to the new requirements which come into place from the start of the Autumn term. Please ensure that the agreement is signed by Tuesday 1st September. The agreement form can be accessed here:
https://forms.gle/hNzHeTYbQgrzjX7q8
Updated policies and ammendums for Covid-19
Please follow the links:
2020 HSM Behaviour Policy Covid-19 addendum
2020 website HSM Child Protection Policy Annexe Covid-19
Please find our full risks assessment here: HSM and LFF Risk Assessment for COVID-19 8th June 2020 website
HSM Protective measures risk assessment June 2020 website
Home learning provision
In the event of bubble group closure or full or partial lockdown, please use the home learning email address if you have any specific queries that will be directed to your child’s class teacher.
These are as follows:
lffteaching@haddenham-st-marys.bucks.sch.uk
rainbow1@haddenham-st-marys.bucks.sch.uk
rainbow2@haddenham-st-marys.bucks.sch.uk
sunshine1@haddenham-st-marys.bucks.sch.uk
sunshine2@haddenham-st-marys.bucks.sch.uk
sky1@haddenham-st-marys.bucks.sch.uk
sky2@haddenham-st-marys.bucks.sch.uk
