Luddenham Recovery Plan
Current guidance
The Government guidance released on 28th August 2020 provided us with a context for their decision to request that schools open to all children from September and issued guidance for schools to adhere to and manage when opening.
At Luddenham we have been working hard on our plans for a full reopening ensuring that we:
• fulfil the expectations required of us;
• ensure that the safety of everyone is paramount in all our decisions and actions;
• continue to provide a high quality, well balanced curriculum to best support our pupils in their education.
Keeping children and staff safe
All schools must comply with health and safety law which requires them to assess risks and put in place proportionate control measures. Essential measures include:
• a requirement that people who are ill stay at home;
• robust hand and respiratory hygiene;
• enhanced cleaning arrangements;
• active engagement with NHS Test and Trace;
• formal consideration of how to reduce contacts and maximise distancing between those in school, wherever possible, and minimise potential for contamination so far as is reasonably practicable. All schools have been provided with a set of actions to ‘prevent’ and ‘respond to infection’ which are summarised below:
Prevention:
Response to any infection:
Class and phase ‘bubbles’
We will group each phase (Foundation, KS1, LKS2 and UKS2) into ‘bubbles’ which will remain consistent and separate from other ‘bubbles’.
For the majority of their time in school the children will be in their own class bubble with their own teacher and support staff, but at play times and lunch times they will be separated into phases that will only have limited contact with other phases.
This will ‘make 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’.
Attendance
All children will be welcomed back to school on Wednesday 3rd September.
We support the government here which notes:
Shielding children
Shielding advice for all adults and children will pause on 1st August. Where a pupil is unable to attend school because they are complying with clinical and/or public health advice, please contact a member of the SLT team and we will work with you to support your child the best possible way we can.
Before your child leaves home in the morning
Please check for any of the following symptoms
• a high temperature;
• a new, continuous cough;
• a loss of, or change to the sense of smell or taste.
If any of these symptoms are evident do not send them to school, contact our office on 01795 532061 or office@luddenham.kent.sch.uk. Government advice must be followed, it can be found on the government website.
Travel to and from school
Children and families should ensure they are following social distancing guidelines whilst travelling to and from school. Face coverings are required at all times on public transport (including for children, over the age of 11).
The school minibus will not be running for school collections
Morning drop off
This is normal time for our children. Gate opens at 8.30am and closes at 9am. All children should arrive between these times and go straight to their new classrooms. Support staff will be on hand to escort children to their new rooms. Parents are encouraged to kiss good bye to their children at the gate. Of course, will allow parents to support their children’s emotional need at the very beginning of term. New class R parents will have slightly different arrangements.
End of the day – Collection
Children will be sent out to car queue from their classrooms. School staff on duty and calling children from classes which will be quite a walk at the end of a tiring day. Please be swift with your collections of children so we can keep the queue moving. Please ensure you collect during your allotted time.
Year R: 3pm - 3.15pm
Years 1- 6: 3.15pm -3.45pm
All children must be off site by 4pm.
**Please note we will review the collection arrangements regularly in September to ensure they are working effectively and we are happy with the safety precautions in place. Please be aware we will make amendments to timings if we feel it is necessary.
Reception
Reception children and their parents have been invited to forestry sessions to meet their teacher in September 2020. Foundation children will start school on part time hours for the first week to ease transition to school. The children will begin their school year full time on Monday 21st September.
Arrangements in school
Children in EYFS (and Year One in the autumn term) will be following a free flow, play-based curriculum. Whole class teaching sessions will be short and all classrooms will be well ventilated. 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 during outside free flow and lunchtimes. Children will wash their hands often and surfaces and equipment will be regularly sanitised. Classrooms around the rest of the school will be set out as they normally would. Hygiene and sanitisation of hands and surfaces is a top priority and these will be done throughout the day.
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 and meticulously and always 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.
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 multiple classrooms on touchscreens.
We are keeping an open mind about Harvest, Diwali and Christmas productions but all should be aware that, even at this early stage, full-scale productions look unlikely in the autumn term.
Reading Books
Reading books can still be brought home, however on their return to school, they will be placed in a box and left for 72 hours before returning to the shelves. If your child has a reading book at home, please return it on the first day back in September.
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.
Coats and bags
As children have their own cloakroom facilities in their individual classrooms, coats and bags can be left in their normal places. Please keep items brought into school to a minimum as much as possible.
The importance of fresh air
Windows and doors will be left open as much as possible to aid ventilation. Teachers will plan many outdoor learning activities and therefore it is essential that the children come suitably dressed for all weather possibilities.
Activity clubs
There will be no outside providers for activity clubs in the autumn term. As we offer clubs to wide age groups, after school clubs will not be held during this time.
School office
School offices will remain closed to personal visitors. Parents should do all they can to ensure that children have all that they need for the day (e.g. packed lunches) at the start of the day and if there is an instance where their child needs to be collected at a different time, they should telephone the school to make arrangements. Senior staff will then arrange to meet parents with their child in the open air.
All other communication should be done by telephone or e-mail as far as possible.
Communication
Communication with parents is really important to us. Due to the current restrictions, we would request that meetings with members of staff are by prior arrangement only so that social distancing and safety precautions can be put in place. Please do this by emailing office@Luddenham.kent.sch.uk or telephoning the office 01795 532061 who will support you in making these arrangements.
Behaviour
An addendum to our behaviour policy was formulated in June 2020 when the first groups of children returned to school. We have put a new behaviour policy on the website to reflect the changes in how behaviour is tracked but the addendum remains at the end. In the addendum, we have had to change some of our expectations around pupils' behaviour and make these clear to all. In these times of heightened risk to our health, it is important that children and staff are aware that behaviour which jeopardises the health of others, is taken very seriously.
Our Luddenham values and ethos remain unchanged, and children are expected to uphold them.
Children will be made aware of the small changes and these are:
• Stay at least 1+ metres apart from each other wherever possible (with a common sense approach taken to EYFS and younger pupils);
• Use their own specific equipment (including resources) and not share any of these;
• Not share any food, drinks, cups or water bottles;
• Work, eat and play in our designated group and minimise contact with children from other groups (including in the playground, anywhere on the school site and on their way to and from school)
• Move around school as instructed by their teacher/adult and avoiding other people
• Never cough, sneeze or spit towards another person; catch all coughs and sneezes in a tissue and throw it away (catch it, bin it, kill it), then wash their hands
• Wash hands frequently (including whenever we are asked to), with soap and water for 20 seconds (e.g. by singing Happy Birthday twice) or with hand sanitiser.
It is essential that the children listen to and follow instructions at all times and adhere to the guidelines set by the government and the school. This is required inside school and outside during breaks and lunches. Any child who is unable to do this is risking the safety of themselves, other children and staff and we will ask parents to collect them immediately. A risk assessment will then be completed to determine whether is it safe to have the child back in school. If we deem a child to be unsafe to have in school, we will work with parents to arrange provision the child can access safely.
School lunches.
We intend to have a full school offer for hot lunches again from the 3rd September with a return to the normal payment arrangements via our Parent Pay Booking System.
Year 3 parents should be aware that universal free school dinners do not apply in KS2 and that payment for meals booked will be required.
If parents are unsure about whether they are entitled to free school meals and need to pay or not, they should contact the school office. We are aware that many families’ situations have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and therefore if you could now be entitled to free school meals and the pupil premium funding, please contact the school office and we will support you with this.
We have arrangements in place to ensure that during lunch time, separation between ‘bubbles’ is maintained. Children will always have the chance to wash their hands before eating.
Packed lunches
Please ensure your child has all the cutlery they need and their meal is easy for them to manage on their own. Lunch boxes will be stored in a cool area of the classroom.
Availability of water on site
All pupils should have their own school water bottle that is untouched by other children or staff. No water fountains are currently available at school. Water is available in school to refill children’s own water bottles. Disposable plastic cups may also be available that should be thrown away after use.
School uniform
It is an expectation that all children will wear the approved school uniform. We expect our children to take great pride in their school and this is reflected in the way they dress. As we are an active school, we encourage the children to come in their uniform every day and bring their PE kit to change into on PE days. Children can keep their PE kits stowed away in their PE bags on their peg. Our uniform is available at Forsters and Rivals. Please contact the office or LSFA if you require second hand uniform.
Curriculum for recovery
Whilst we are confident that many children will quickly ‘bounce back’ after the lockdown we are aware that there will be some children returning who have experienced a wide variety of anxieties and traumas. We will present a positive environment with staff who will support children’s wellbeing and worries. We will be focusing on giving children what they individually need and will do our very best to ensure children transition back to school routine.
A young person’s school career is typically 468 weeks long and most children have been out of school for 14 weeks, which represents below 3% of their total school career. Moreover, during that time many of our children have been working hard and producing good work and have benefited from time spent with their families, exploring and experiencing different opportunities to grow, learn and achieve in different contexts. Our staff will remain calm and measured in September knowing that whatever the situation, we have the staff with the best knowledge and experience of how to teach, support and help our children in ‘closing the gap’ where required. We will not make our children worry unnecessarily about school time missed. We will use our school values to discuss our next steps and positively moving our learning on.
Assessment
Our teachers will make adaptations establishing ‘what has to be learned’ rather than sticking rigidly to our usual long term plans. Class teachers will use their own expertise to establish starting points for each class in the autumn term and will likely have to take ‘a step back’ in order to help children then move forward with confidence but each child and class will be different. In schools, this way of assessing what should be taught next is known as ‘formative assessment’, that is the judgements teachers make on a day-to-day basis during class work which allow them to assess attainment and progress. To strengthen routines, relationships and resilience it is important that, in a measured supportive way, teachers and children get back to established ways of working rather than spending too long on a formal testing regime, especially when children’s confidence will be low. Children will be receiving immediate feedback on their work through pink and green highlights and verbal feedback from staff.
Spellings
All of our children will receive weekly spellings to practise on Spelling Shed. They will then be tested weekly in spelling books as usual. However, to limit how many items are taken home and brought back in, spelling books will remain in school. It will be out at Parents Evening for you to look at, should you wish to see their scores. To find the weekly spellings, please log onto Spelling Shed or find them on the class page on the website.
Broad and balanced curriculum
Although there are some restrictions in place (e.g. singing in large groups) we fully intend to continue with our normal ambitious and broad curriculum in all subjects from the start of the autumn term. We will make use of existing flexibilities to begin at appropriate starting points for all our children and this may mean that not all subjects are taught every term.
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 to ensure a smooth transition when returning to school. Mrs Mannings 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. Staff who are in close contact with individual children may wear PPE.
Children or staff suspected of having COVID-19
In line with DfE guidance, in the case of a suspected infection the school will:
• engage with the NHS Test and Trace process. We ask that parents and staff inform the school immediately of the outcome of any test;
• manage confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) amongst the school community. The school will text or email parents with a notification of a confirmed infection including which ‘bubble’ this may affect. We will not share the names or details of people suspected of having or conformed to have coronavirus;
• contain any outbreak by following local health protection team advice. For the avoidance of doubt, the new advice says that we ‘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’ now means:
• When a case is suspected in school, the child will be immediately isolated from other pupils and staff. Staff supervising these children should also try to ensure they remain two metres away while still aiming to provide the reassurance and care particularly young children will need. Enhanced PPE is available for these staff and older children may be offered a mask. The school will contact parents and request they collect their child from the school immediately.
• We ask that parents whose child has been identified as having a suspected case of COVID-19 should seek immediate medical advice. The guidance says ‘Anyone who displays symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) can and should get a test.’
If no test is undertaken then we expect children to self-isolate according to the Public Health England guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-homeguidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection
Households with a confirmed case of Coronavirus should follow the advice laid out by Public Health England here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stayat-home-guidance regarding isolation and should keep their school informed about their planned date of return following isolation.
In the event of a local authority wide lockdown, the school would revert to an enhanced version of the arrangements which were in place during the nationwide lockdown.
Wrap around care
After School and Breakfast Club support pupils across the whole school and in a bid to reduce bubbles crossing, we are unable to host Wrap around care. Once we have the term up and running we will be able to evaluate the current setting and make adjustments as needed.