Information on current school arrangements, including how school is organised, and what pupils should bring.

Information updated on 26/2/21 and describe life in school from Monday 8th March. 

Updates are shown in red. 

 

See below for information on:

• Attendance
• Class organisation
• Preparing for the return to school
• School Timings
• Preventing viral transmission
• Engaging with the NHS Test and Trace process
• The curriculum
• Things to bring in
• Lunches/snacks
• Music teachers, PE teachers and other visitors
• Wild Wood Club
• Other clubs

 

Attendance

The government expects all primary school pupils to return to school on the 8^th March and we have been asked to explain that the usual rules on school attendance apply, including a parents’ legal duty to ensure their child regularly attends school.

For a small number of pupils a staggered start or reduced timetable has been agreed with Mrs Stagg, Mrs Exton or Miss Philp, in order to support those individual pupils to transition back to normal schooling. 

 

Class organisation

Pupils will return to their normal classes from 8th March and we are planning for pupils to be with their usual staff. 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. 

Where we can social distance we will, but when we can't, the important thing is that we keep different 'groups' as separate as possible.  In order to keep groups separate we run a timetable with different breaks and lunchtimes for different class groups.  Groups are not be allowed to mix in the playground, lunch hall, for assemblies etc.   We run assemblies through zoom, in order to bring classes together.

 

Preparing for the return to school

We would like families to bring back school exercise books and resources that have been lent, such as chrome books, iPads, whiteboards, scissors on Thursday or Friday next week.  We can then leave them for 72 hours before using them again in school after the 9^th March. 

Mapledurham Hall will be open at the following times:

Thursday 4^th March 9:30am-2:30pm

Friday 5^th March 9:30am-12:30pm

Each class will have a table set up in the hall for you to leave resources.  When doing this, please maintain social distancing. 

We know that for families that have been at home over lockdown you will have developed your own family routines over this time.  We suggest that you help prepare your child and your family over the next week by:

• Setting up a regular bedtime routine so that that children have enough sleep
• Begin getting up at the time that you would normally in term time
• Checking that uniform, PE kits and other resources your child needs are ready to go before 8^th March
• Talking to your child about their return to school and addressing any questions or concerns they might have
• Discussing your route to school and maybe practicing the journey
• Encouraging your child to attend the class zooms next week when they will be discussing the return to school

Please contact your child’s teacher through their year group email or by contacting the office if you have any specific questions. 

 

School timings

The guidance states that if we can, we should continue to have pupils arriving and leaving schools at different times in order to reduce the number of parents on site.

Gates open at 8:55am and  3:05pm.

 

 

Families need to continue to maintain social distancing and avoid unnecessary contact with others.  Each class has a 5-minute window to drop off children, which means that families who have to go to different at the same times can move around the school site. 

Please try to arrive no earlier than 2 minutes before your class opens, otherwise you will get mixed up with another group.

 

Our key rules for drop off and pick up times are: 

• Follow the footprint one way system around school
• Keep the footprint walkway clear for families moving around the site, and the classroom doors clear for pupils to enter.
• Adults must wear a mask or face covering when on the school grounds unless they are not able to wear a covering.  

There is no need for all families to be here exactly as the doors open as this blocks up the playground. The car park will remain closed to parents. Please park away from Spurcroft Road and Fyfield Road wherever possible.

 

Preventing viral transmission

All of our existing control measures will continue and will be recorded in detail on our updated Risk Assessment. This will be available on our COVID-19 webpages from the middle of next week. https://www.spurcroft.w-berks.sch.uk/covid-19-school-arrangements/

People with symptoms

• Pupils, staff and visitors cannot come into the school if they have coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms, or need to self-isolate having tested positive.
• Anyone developing those symptoms during the school day will be sent home.

Limiting contact between people

We will need to continue to minimise contact wherever possible. 

• We will continue to have a staggered start and end times for pupils (timings below)
• We require families to follow the one-way system around the school and stand in a socially distanced manner in the playground
• Classes will work in individual bubbles, keeping apart from other groups where possible.
• Pupils are encouraged to keep their distance from staff and each other within groups.
• We will limit the sharing of rooms and social spaces between groups as much as possible.
• Classrooms are organised to minimise the movement of pupils and staff. This means that in Year 2 - Year 6 pupils sit in rows facing the front of the classroom
• Staff will continue to maintain distance from pupils, and other staff, as much as possible
• Parents, carers and other visitors can only come into school when agreed.  Where possible we maintain contact through phone calls, texts, emails and zoom.  

Hygiene

Pupils will be supported to maintain good hygiene measures including:

• Handwashing on entering and leaving school as well as regular use of handwashing or 70% alcohol hand sanitiser throughout the day
• Using the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ routine for coughs and sneezes
• Cleaning continues to be of a high standard and done regularly

Face coverings

Staff are required in the new guidance to wear face coverings in shared areas such as corridors and staffrooms.  We have been informed that primary aged pupils should not wear facemasks in school.

Visitors will be asked to wear face coverings on site wherever possible.  This includes parents and carers at drop off and pick up times. 

Rapid Testing

Staff will continue to use Lateral Flow Device tests twice a week in order to identify adults in school who have the virus but are not showing symptoms.  If a test comes back positive, we will follow advice from West Berkshire Council and Public Health and will close bubbles when needed to reduce transmission of the virus. 

Ventilation

Classrooms need to be well ventilated.  Pupils can bring in an extra jumper if they feel that they need to. 

 

Engaging with the NHS Test and Trace process

Staff members, parents and carers will need to:

• book a test if they or their child has symptoms - the main symptoms are:
  • a high temperature
  • a new continuous cough
  • a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
• self-isolate immediately and not come to school if:
  • they develop symptoms
  • they have been in close contact with someone who tests positive for coronavirus (COVID-19)
  • anyone in their household or support or childcare bubble develops symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19)
  • they are required to do so having recently travelled from certain other countries
  • they have been advised to isolate by NHS test and trace or the PHE local health protection team, which is a legal obligation 24
• provide details of anyone they have been in close contact with, if they test positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) or if asked by NHS Test and Trace

 

The curriculum

The focus of the first few days will be on supporting children to transition back into normal school life.  We will be considering the personal, social and emotional needs of children as well as their physical wellbeing.  Over the next few weeks we will be supporting children to build up stamina, resilience and independence in their learning. 

We will be following our normal curriculum which is in line with year group expectations. 

We will continue to have the weekly planners and learning resources on the website so that children self-isolating can complete work at home, in order to avoid falling behind.  Pupils at home should send in at least one piece of writing per week in order to be given feedback from teachers.

When pupils have PE they can come into school dressed in their PE clothes..

 

Things to bring in

We would like to make as much use as we can of our school grounds, so that pupils have lots of space to move about.  All pupils should bring in a pair of wellies or old trainers and keep these in a bag on their peg. 

Children in Year 1 upwards can bring in a personal pencil case. 

Children in Year 3 upwards will need to bring in a healthy break time snack. This can be a piece of fruit, a snack labelled ‘one of your 5 a day’ or a more filling low fat snack, such as a sugar free cereal bar.  

 

Lunches/snacks

From the 8^th March:

• Children in Early Years will be offered fruit and milk as normal.
• A break time fruit snack will be offered to children in Year 1 & 2.
• The kitchen will be open as normal from 8^th March providing high quality meals.
• Children in Reception will eat lunch at 11:45am
• Years 1 & 2 will eat at 12:00pm
• Years 3, 4, 5 & 6 will eat at 12:30pm.

 

Music teachers, PE teachers and other visitors

The new guidance allows for visits from professionals such as supply teachers, music teachers, sports coaches, speech therapists, social workers and psychologists. We support these visitors to follow our risk assessment and control measures. 

 

Wild Wood Club

The Government guidance says we can allow mixing in wider groups for wraparound care where this provision is necessary to support parents to work, attend education and access medical care, and to support pupil’s wider education and training. Vulnerable children can attend these settings regardless of circumstance.

The guidance accepts that when we run wrap-around care pupils will be moving into a different ‘group’ for that part of the day.  We will have Wild Wood Club open for up to 30 pupils per session. The timings are 7:30ams until school starts, and school end until 6:00pm.

Wild Wood Club follows the school COVID-19 Risk Assessment and we track which pupils attend so that we can trace who staff and children have come into contact with.

 

If you want more information or would like to request a place, please email our manager Anna on WWCbookings@spurcroft.w-berks.sch.uk 

 

Clubs

We are hoping to begin running clubs again after the Easter holiday.