Information about School Life and Routines
There are lots of things to remember about school life.
Please see the following tabs to give you all the up to date information on things such as school uniform, lunch menus etc
If you ever have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us!
Please find below all the information sent out on Parentmail regarding returning in September. We will send any updates to this via Parentmail.
Dear Mrs Grimster, Ellesmere Port Christ Church CE Primary School has sent you a message
September at Christ Church
Dear Parents,
We understand that returning to school may cause some families concern especially where there have been family members shielding. We want to work together and if you have concerns please contact me to go through what we can do to help your child get the most out of their education. Below this brief letter you will find the plans we have for a safe return for all children in September.
If you have any questions over the summer break please do not hesitate to contact me head@christchurchpri.cheshire.sch.uk, whilst the school will be closed during this period we will be continuing to prepare for September and I will check my emails regularly.
If anything changes to this plan we will be in touch with all families by emailing any adaptations!
It hasn’t been an easy year for many reasons – different for each one of us. However we are very proud of how the whole school family have supported each other and got to where we are now.
We are incredibly excited to see everyone back in September, full of their summer holiday stories!
Yours Sincerely,
Helen friend
(Executive headteacher)
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.
The following document is to support the full return to school for members of staff, children and their families. It provides the school’s response bearing in mind its context to the government’s systems of control.
At a time when information and guidance is changing rapidly, it is likely that there will be a number of revisions to this information.
All information is being shared in this document (some aspects of the document are more or less relevant, depending on your role) so that staff and families can each see their own responsibilities and how they correlate and support those of other groups to ensure the safety of the school for all members.
Please also refer to Government advice at:
and
Attendance
The government has asked all schools to prepare for ALL pupils to return to school in September. Government guidance states “attendance will again be mandatory from the beginning of the new academic year. For parents and carers of children of compulsory school age, this means that the legal duty on parents to send children to school regularly will apply.”
Illness
No-one with symptoms of COVID-19 should attend school for any reason. The school policy for all other illnesses and conditions also continue to apply, including the 48-hour rule for sickness/diarrhoea. If anyone develops any illnesses whilst at school, parents will be contacted in the normal way and school will expect children to be collected and taken from the premises with the minimum delay.
The school will use a space as an isolation area where any staff member or child who has symptoms will be asked to move to until they can be collected or can go home.
It is the responsibility of parents and staff to ensure that members of the school community are well enough to come into school each day. Government guidance should be followed to check if anyone has symptoms of COVID-19, including temperature checks where applicable. Members of staff, whilst most are trained in first aid, are not medical practitioners. Diagnoses will not be made by school staff, but parents will be asked to come to school if there are any concerns over a child’s health.
Where symptoms of COVID-19 are suspected, members of staff and children should arrange for a test as soon as possible. No member of the school community should return to school until the period of self-isolation has been completed, symptoms have disappeared and medical advice sought. Where someone who has attended school has tested positive for a test, the guidance states:
“Schools must take swift action when they become aware that someone who has attended has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19). Schools should contact the local health protection team. This team will also contact schools directly if they become aware that someone who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) attended the school – as identified by NHS Test and Trace. 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.”
Living with a shielded, clinically vulnerable person or extremely clinically vulnerable person
Shielding advice for all adults and children will pause on 1 August. This means that shielding pupils can return to school, as can those who have family members who are shielding.
A child, young person or a member of staff living with someone who is clinically vulnerable or who is extremely clinically vulnerable can return to school.
School Uniform and Other Equipment
Children are expected to wear school uniform when they return to school. Clothes worn should be washed regularly.
Children should not bring any unnecessary equipment or belongings into school. This includes leaving pencil cases at home, unnecessary bags etc. Children will attend school in their PE kit on the day they have PE lessons.
In reality, children will only need: a filled (named) water bottle – these can be refilled in school throughout the day, healthy snack, a packed lunch (unless they are having a school lunch) and their book bag containing their reading book and reading diary and homework where applicable.
Bubbles/Classes
The clear advice is that children should be taught in distinct groups in order to minimise the wider spread of any infection.
During the summer term, where we have had less children in school, we have kept pupils in small group bubbles with consistent adults. In September, when all pupils are back, we will need staff to work across different classes however this will be minimised as much as possible.
Most of the time, children will be only with their class and adults will, wherever possible, only work within that class. One reason an adult would work within a different phase would be in an emergency - for example a first aid situation or if there were extensive staff absences.
Children will see friends from other classes at break times outside - although the playground will be zoned and they will remain in a specified area for their class.
Children will eat in their classroom with their classmates. School dinners will remain on the menu that has been recently in place as it allows for meals to be delivered to the classrooms. We will let parents know when we are able to resume the full meal choice with children collecting their meals from the school kitchen.
Before & After School Care
S4YC wrap around care and Nursery will be operating their own procedures that follow schools as closely as possible including the separation of children by phases.
Timing of the school day, arrival and departure.
We will continue to use our one way system for entering and leaving the school site – enter through the gate closest to school and exit by the one furthest away.
Times for drop off and pick are:
Start
8.45 – Years R, 2, 3, 6
8.55 – Years 1, 4, 5
Finish
3.10 – Years R, 2, 3, 6
3.20 – Years 1, 4, 5
Parents will be allowed onto the school site, but we rely on parents to social distance. We need parents to avoid congregating outside the school gates. Please keep any siblings with you and prevent them from running around and/or using the school’s play equipment at the end of the day.
Children should come into school via the usual entrances and go straight to their classroom. With the exception of Reception class, parents should not come onto site in the morning.
Please can only one parent attend at drop off and pick up to keep numbers down.
KS1 Children should be collected from their classroom door, KS2 children will be brought around to the playground.
Any children who are late to school should be brought to the main entrance where you will be met by a member of the office team who will let your child into school.
Classrooms and Staffing
Children will be taught in their ‘new’ classrooms. Windows will be opened to promote air flow. Doors will be propped open to prevent contact points, but measures will also be in place to maintain the security of the building for the safeguarding of children and to maintain fire regulations. External doors will be closed when children and staff leave the room.
Classrooms will be organised so that tables are positioned to balance hygiene requirements with the social needs of the children. This may mean that in some cases tables are positioned in rows, but not necessarily, as it will depend on the activities, space and needs of the class.
Each child will be issued with some equipment that is for their use only (e.g. pens, pencils, etc). At the end of each day, each work place will be cleaned ready for the next day. Other equipment may be shared by table groups at times, e.g. science equipment, and cleaned between use.
Children will be making full use of the school grounds and teachers will discuss with colleagues the spaces available to each bubble. It is recognised that being outside lessens the spread of the virus due to the amount of free-flowing air and greater distances possible. Please ensure that children have coats in school/sun cream applied each morning/hats/etc (dependent on the daily weather forecast).
We will be keeping the ‘ready, respectful and safe’ rules as being key to our behaviour management in school as these remain crucial and have helped everyone over recent weeks. We will be moving recording our reward system (proud cloud points) on Class dojo and in September Mrs Grimster will be sending a letter out explaining how this will work – we will still be having our own clothes Friday!!!
The Government guidance also states we must not gather children together so for the foreseeable future our daily acts of worship (assemblies) will be held in class. Hopefully the clergy will be able to deliver zoom worship and our weekly Prayer and Praise (Celebration) assembly will be via zoom!
Hygiene
It is widely recognised that one of the best ways to reduce the spread of the disease is through good personal hygiene, notably hand washing. Due to the nature of the virus, a simple detergent (soap) and the action of washing hands is the best way to wash the virus off the skin and down the drain.
It is a requirement that all members of the school wash their hands in warm/soapy water for at least 20 seconds:
• Upon arrival at school
• After using the toilet
• Before/after break times and lunchtimes
• Before leaving school
• As frequent hand washing can cause irritation to the skin, especially if you suffer from skin conditions, alcohol gel is also available in the school to be used between these hand washing times
• Tissues are available in all classrooms in case of need
• Coughing and sneezing should be done into the sleeve (into the ‘elbow pit’) or into a tissue. If a tissue is used, this should be disposed of immediately and hands should be washed – ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’
• We will remind pupils to try and avoid touching their face if possible
Social Distancing
Children will have minimal movement around the school; when this is needed, it will be done in small groups/individually or whole class movement will be supervised by staff.
It is also noted that it is very difficult to ensure that all children social distance – as we have said previously, we believe that it is virtually impossible with young children.
Children will be encouraged as far as possible not to be close to others’ faces and to have good hygiene practice.
Use of Toilets
Reception have their own class toilets, years 1 and 2 share their toilets. KS2 children will share the junior toilets. In all cases (with the exception of reception) only 1 child will be allowed to go to the toilet at a time in order to minimise the numbers of children gathering.
Everyone will be expected to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds after using the toilet.
If intimate care is needed – e.g. soiling, this will be done wearing PPE and following our usual intimate care policy.
First Aid
Activities during the school day will be planned to minimise risk and therefore the need for first aid; however, accidents happen and staff have a duty of care for the children (as well as there being a duty of care for the staff by the school). Medical emergencies outweigh any other risks to health. Staff will use PPE to ensure that they are protected from harm, but all casualties will receive first aid as required. Where there is a minor injury, staff will work with children in a caring and supportive way, comforting and giving medical treatment whilst also protecting themselves.
School will maintain the levels of First Aiders (First Aid at Work Qualified and Paediatric First Aid trained). Additionally, all staff are trained in Emergency First Aid. Where possible, the member of staff who is working within the class bubble will be giving the first aid – first aid kits are in all classrooms and PPE levels should be maintained. In the event of support needed or a more severe injury that needs a fully qualified first aider (for example a head injury), priority is given to the medical need rather than maintaining the bubble.
Our usual procedures will apply regarding when and how to contact parents in these circumstances.
Use of School Equipment
Children will be given their own equipment (pens/pencils/etc) and these will be kept in named pencil cases – provided by school. Staff will use their own computer/device and stationery. Where any school laptops/iPads are shared, these will be cleaned before use and after use.
In classrooms, such as Reception, where school equipment forms a large part of the learning experiences, the teachers have made some reductions to what is available to use as a measure to control the spread of any virus and to facilitate cleaning. Frequently used equipment and resources will be washed.
Reading books that go home and come back will be left for a period of 24 hours before they are allocated to other pupils.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
It is acknowledged that changing habits, cleaning and hygiene are the most effective measures in controlling the spread of the virus. Although DfE guidance states the use of PPE in schools is not necessary with social distancing and personal hygiene most important, we believe that for some instances, its availability and use provides increased reassurance.
• Suitable PPE (disposable gloves and facemasks) will be used when dealing with first aid
• PPE (disposable gloves, mask and disposable apron) will be used where any intimate care is required, for example: children soiling themselves and requiring support in being cleaned, where parents are not immediately available to support this
• PPE (disposable gloves, mask and disposable apron) will be used to clean any bodily fluids (urine, faeces, vomit, blood, etc)
• PPE (disposable gloves, masks) will be worn in the event of having to isolate a child and they need direct personal care before they can return home
• Face coverings, whilst not recommended in primary schools, may be worn by staff and a small number of children, where their use has been medically advised. For children, this will mean school staff, health professionals and family writing an agreed temporary care plan.
Office/admin enquiries
The office will be fully staffed from September. Due to the small space by the office, parents and visitors will only be allowed into school in exceptional circumstances. In these exceptional cases, we will operate a one-in-one-out system with only one parent/visitor on the premises at any time.
Please make all queries by phone or email - which will be monitored regularly during office hours.
Parent Helpers
While we greatly value the support that parent helpers give us in school, regrettably, we will not be allowing any additional adults into school in the immediate future.
Outside agencies (for example learning support, speech/language) and contractors
Where any outside agencies need to work with school staff or children, this will happen remotely where possible. If an outside agency needs to come into school, measures will be in place to protect the safety of the children and the building as noted in this document (social distancing, hygiene, etc).
Peripatetic music teachers will return to school to support our broad and balanced curriculum offer. Again, these staff will follow the measures outlined in this document.
Contractors will be encouraged to visit the school site before and after school hours or in the school holidays. All contractors will be inducted onto the site and be made fully aware of the measures that they must adhere to. It is recognised that contractors will need access to the site due to the maintenance of essential services (fire alarms, gas supply, heating systems, etc), where these can’t be postponed to the school holidays, and also in emergency call out situations. Wherever possible, contractors will attend outside of regular school hours.