Covid-19 Information
The full guidance for schools can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools
As we welcome back all of our pupils, there are still differences in how we operate in order to ensure safety for all our children, families and staff. This webpage will be updated as necessary to ensure we communicate these operations effectively.
There are 9 actions set out by the DfE that the school must take:
Prevention:
1) minimise contact with individuals who are unwell by ensuring that those who have coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms, or who have someone in their household who does, do not attend school
2) clean hands thoroughly more often than usual
3) ensure good respiratory hygiene by promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach
4) introduce enhanced cleaning, including cleaning frequently touched surfaces often, using standard products such as detergents and bleach
5) minimise contact between individuals and maintain social distancing wherever possible
6) where necessary, wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)
Numbers 1 to 4 must be in place in all schools, all the time.
Number 5 must be properly considered and schools must put in place measures that suit their particular circumstances.
Number 6 applies in specific circumstances.
Response to any infection:
7) engage with the NHS Test and Trace process
8) manage confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) amongst the school community
9) contain any outbreak by following local health protection team advice
Numbers 7 to 9 must be followed in every case where they are relevant.
We will talk to all children about the need for good hygiene, such as washing hands more regularly and 'catch it, bin it, kill it' to ensure good respiratory hygiene.
New Arrangements from 8th March 2021
All schools open fully from Monday 8th March. We are delighted to be welcoming all pupils back and supporting their return to school. All the usual systems of control are in place to keep pupils safe such as increased ventilation, additional hand sanitising, good respiratory hygiene, enhanced cleaning and keeping pupils in year group bubbles.
Staff are now testing twice weekly using lateral flow tests to pick up any asymptomatic cases which provides further protection.
Pupils should wear school uniform and bring in a named water bottle.
When dropping off and collecting pupils we request that, if able to, parents wear a face mask on site, where social distancing between adults isn’t always possible, as supported by government guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-in-education. Can only 1 adult from each family be on site at these times. Additionally, if parents could leave the school site and the area around the school gates immediately after drop-off or collection this will support social distancing and keeping our pupils safe.
From 8th March there will be 2 entry and exit points.
| Year Group | Entrance/Exit | Drop-off | Collection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butterflies | EYFS Gate | 8:30am | 3:00pm |
| Ladybirds | EYFS Gate | 8:40am | 3:10pm |
| Year 1 & 2 | Normal entrance into playground | 8:30am | 3:00pm |
| Year 3 & 4 | Normal entrance into playground | 8:40am | 3:10pm |
| Year 5 & 6 | Entrance through gate into field, then through Nurture garden up steps into the class via the balcony | 8:30am | 3:00pm |
If pupils bring younger siblings with them, enter school via the main school gate next to the car park.
Pupils will still be expected to wear PE kit into school on the days they have PE.
The school lunch on Monday 8th March is week 3: Mild chicken curry and rice, cauliflower and chickpea curry with rice or jacket potato.
We will review all covid measures as new government guidance is available. Thank you for your patience and support during these extraordinary times.
PE Changing Policy
On the 2 days per week that your child has a PE lesson, we would like you to send your child to school wearing their PE kit, which they will then keep on all day. This change has been made in order to:
- Remove the need for pupils to gather and get changed in the smaller changing spaces
- Remove the need for pupils to use shared areas for changing
- Enable pupils to still wear clothing that is comfortable and safe for their PE lessons
On any day when your child does not have a PE lesson, they will be expected to wear their normal school uniform following the usual policy. On PE days when they are expected to wear PE kit, this kit MUST follow the PE policy guidelines (stated below) and only the school PE kit should be worn, not non-uniform or any club sports wear (no football kits etc.). Pupils should wear their school jumpers on ALL days, even when they are wearing PE kit- their jumper should be worn over their PE t-shirt or polo shirt.
| Class | PE Day 1 | PE Day 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ladybirds | Friday | |
| Butterflies | Friday | |
| Squirrels | Tuesday | Thursday |
| Hedgehogs | Monday | Wednesday |
| Otters | Tuesday | Wednesday |
| Foxes | Monday | Tuesday |
| Woodpeckers | Tuesday | Wedneday |
| Kingfishers | Tuesday | Thursday |
| Owls | Monday | Friday |
| Kestrels | Monday | Friday |
| Cedar | Monday | Thursday |
| Willow | Wednesday | Thursday |
| Mulberry | Wednesday | Friday |
| Oak | Thursday | Friday |
Suspected or Confirmed Cases of Pupils
1) What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
- high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
- loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
2) What should I do if my child displays these symptoms?
If your child displays any of the above symptoms, then you must keep them off school notifying the school of your child's absence and the reasons why. All of the household should also self-isolate, so any siblings should also be kept off school. You should then order a test from the NHS, the link is here:
https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test
3) What if my child is unwell with other symptoms?
If your child does not display any of the above symptoms but has other symptoms, e.g. a sort throat then they should only be kept off school if they are not well enough to attend and for the minimum period possible.
4) What happens if my child displays these symptoms in school?
Your child will be isolated from the rest of their bubble immediately. We have an isolation room set aside on the ground floor specifically for this purpose, they will stay with a member of staff who will be wearing PPE if necessary. They will also have access to a toilet which is only used for children who are in isolation. Once collected, a test from the NHS should be ordered immediately by the parent to confirm whether your child has the virus.
5) What if the test is negative?
If the test is negative, then your child can return to school when they feel well enough (unless they have already been asked to self-isolate because of being in close contact with a confirmed case, see question 8); please notify the school that you have done the test and that it is negative. The rest of the household can also stop self-isolating so any siblings should also return to school immediately.
6) What if the test is positive?
If someone tests positive, they should follow the guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection and must continue to self-isolate for at least 10 days from the onset of their symptoms and then return to school only if they do not have symptoms other than cough or loss of sense of smell/taste. This is because a cough or anosmia can last for several weeks once the infection has gone. The 10-day period starts from the day when they first became ill. If they still have a high temperature, they should keep self-isolating until their temperature returns to normal. Other members of their household should continue self-isolating for the full 14 days.
The school should be informed immediately that there is a positive test. We will then contact the local health protection team.
The health protection team will carry out a rapid risk assessment to confirm who has been in close contact with the person during the period that they were infectious, and ensure they are asked to self-isolate.
The health protection team will work with schools in this situation to guide them through the actions they need to take. Based on the advice from the health protection team, schools must send home those people who have been in close contact with the person who has tested positive, advising them to self-isolate for 14 days since they were last in close contact with that person when they were infectious. Close contact means:
direct close contacts - face to face contact with an infected individual for any length of time, within 1 metre, including being coughed on, a face to face conversation, or unprotected physical contact (skin-to-skin)
proximity contacts - extended close contact (within 1 to 2 metres for more than 15 minutes) with an infected individual
travelling in a small vehicle, like a car, with an infected person
The health protection team will provide definitive advice on who must be sent home. This will be based on the school's information of the close contact that has occurred.
A template letter will be provided to schools, on the advice of the health protection team, to send to parents and staff if needed.
7) If my child is sent home to self isolate because of a confirmed case they have been in close contact with, does my household have to self-isolate too?
Household members of those contacts who are sent home do not need to self-isolate themselves unless the child, young person or staff member who is self-isolating subsequently develops symptoms. If someone in a class or group that has been asked to self-isolate develops symptoms themselves within their 14-day isolation period they should follow guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. They should get a test, and if the test result is positive, they should inform the Monty office immediately, and should isolate for at least 10 days from the onset of their symptoms (which could mean the self-isolation ends before or after the original 14-day isolation period). Their household should self-isolate for at least 14 days from when the symptomatic person first had symptoms, following guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.
8) My child has been sent home as they have been in close contact with a confirmed case and they then developed symptoms. I have done a test and it is negative, can they return before the end of the 14 day period?
No. The child could still contract coronavirus within the remaining days.
9) Is it true that the whole school could be closed if there is an outbreak?
If schools have two or more confirmed cases within 14 days, or an overall rise in sickness absence where coronavirus (COVID-19) is suspected, they may have an outbreak and must continue to work with their local health protection team who will be able to advise if additional action is required.
In some cases, health protection teams may recommend that a larger number of other pupils self-isolate at home as a precautionary measure – perhaps the whole site or year group. If schools are implementing controls from this list, addressing the risks they have identified and therefore reducing transmission risks, whole school closure based on cases within the school will not generally be necessary, and should not be considered except on the advice of health protection teams.
In consultation with the local Director of Public Health, where an outbreak in a school is confirmed, a mobile testing unit may be dispatched to test others who may have been in contact with the person who has tested positive. Testing will first focus on the person’s class, followed by their year group, then the whole school if necessary, in line with routine public health outbreak control practice.
10) I'm very nervous about sending my child back to school. What should I do?
We understand that there may be some apprehension about sending your child back to school. We would encourage you to contact us about your concerns so that we can help to address them. However, the government have been clear that education is compulsory for all children apart from a tiny minority of children who are medically exempt.
11) My child has to self-isolate, will the school set work for them?
Yes, this will be done via class Dojo and the Remote Learning activities on the website. The work will link to what the rest of the class would have been doing during this time.
At any stage, if you are unsure what to do please contact the school office for assistance.
Risk Assessment
The risk assessment is a dynamic document which will continue to be updated to reflect changes in the operation of the school or government advice.
Please click on the link below to read the most up to date version:
