JANUARY UPDATE 2021
A message form Amanda Burnell, Headteacher – Tuesday 5th January 2021
It is with a deepening sense of sadness that I write to you this morning. Following the Prime Minister’s announcement last night, it is clear that we will not be welcoming many of you at the school gates or through our doors for many weeks. We once again find ourselves in a position of providing home learning to the vast majority of our children until February half term, at the earliest.
As a parent, teacher and headteacher, I am fully aware of the importance that school plays in an all-round education. The disruption to children’s learning is not what any of us would wish for – coming hard on the heels of last year. However, the reasons for the PM’s decision are apparent: the new variant of the virus; the increase in transmission; the rise in cases; the strain that all of these present to the NHS. We are forced, once again, into the mind set we found ourselves in last spring.
However, the last ten months have taught us that we can face any challenge with optimism, bravery and persistence. Our home learning has been adapted and we have aimed to retain the best of our practice whilst enhancing what is provided. Daily, remote learning will be sent to pupils via MS Teams. This enables teachers to upload videos of teaching and provides a platform for feedback. The most recent guidance from the DfE also demands an engagement from pupils that was not required in the spring lockdown. In essence, we expect every pupil to complete assignments that are set by teachers. This will be monitored by the leadership team. It is therefore essential that you are able to log onto MS Teams to access remote learning. Please see the link to the instructions for logging onto Teams that was sent out last term: Microsoft Teams Joining Instructions. Please make a note of your password when asked to change it – this helps you (and us) enormously.
As in Lockdown 1, daily home learning for years 1 to 6 will consist of English, maths and at least one other subject. It will follow the National Curriculum expectations, as if pupils were in school. Nursery and reception learning will be planned around the Early Years curriculum. If you have any requirements such as exercise books or pencils, please telephone or email the office and a time will be arranged for you to collect them. Wednesday singing assemblies will also be broadcast on MS Teams. We have also planned with our peripatetic music teachers for them to provide filmed music lessons on the same platform.
I anticipate that there will be teething problems, on both sides. Working with a new platform will take adjusting to. Our vastly increased numbers of key worker children requiring child care mean that many more teachers will be needed to supervise groups. These teachers are also planning for, providing and feeding back on pupils’ work. Now more than ever, our teachers at Sherington will be going above and beyond. In a time of great frustration, I ask that you exercise patience.
I shall keep in regular contact and ensure that any updates to school guidance from DfE are shared. Information on free school meals will be communicated when we have it. The office will be open from 8:30am to 4:00pm each day for phone calls.
This period of lockdown calls for us to dig deep. We once again have to exercise self-regulation, prudence and perspective in order to keep ourselves, our nearest and dearest, and our wider community safe.
Remote Education/Home Learning
Please click on the link for our Remote Education Policy.
Please click on the link for our Microsoft Teams Joining Instructions.
Risk Assessment
Our full risk assessment (which has been submitted to the local authority) is available to view below. It remains a working document and will be updated as required. You will probably be aware that advice and guidance can change, sometimes at short notice.
January Risk Assessment – Sherington
We must reiterate that the safety of our pupils and staff remains our priority and we have done our utmost to plan for a safe return. Attendance for pupils is now statutory.
If you need any advice or support, please contact the school office.
SEPTEMBER UPDATE 2020
Returning to school following any summer break is always an exciting and apprehensive time for parents and carers, pupils and staff too: different teachers, new classrooms and changed routines all play their part. This year, emotions might well be more diverse because for so many, the break from school has been an extremely long one and COVID-19 is still very much a part of our lives.
We have been preparing for this moment for some time now: a return to school for all pupils from nursey to year 6. We are all looking forward to welcoming your children into the building and providing them with the care and support they will need in order to reacquaint themselves with school and a broad and balanced curriculum. It must be acknowledged that this will not be school as we have experienced it in the past. However, the new routines will become the norm for the foreseeable future. Keeping everyone safe, and our school open, will take vigilance and cooperation from everyone in the school community.
The responsibility that lies with us to protect your children, our staff and the wider community continues to be uppermost in our minds. Our risk assessment has been revised for this term; we have drawn on the practices developed since the wider opening in June and the learning to date. Advice and recommendations from the Department for Education have been followed and measures are in place to make the school environment a safe place in which to learn and work. In order to maintain this, we would ask that you read the following and support us by adhering to these important measures:
In order to comply with advice, pupils will experience some changes to routines. These include (but are not limited to):
Our full risk assessment (which has been submitted to the local authority) is available to view below. It remains a working document and will be updated as required. You will probably be aware that advice and guidance can change, sometimes at short notice.
September Risk Assessment – Sherington
We must reiterate that the safety of our pupils and staff remains our priority and we have done our utmost to plan for a safe return. Attendance for pupils is now statutory.
If you need any advice or support, please contact the school office.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) catch-up premium
The catch-up premium is funded on a per pupil basis at £80 per pupil from the most vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds. This will be based on the previous year’s census and will not include nursery numbers, meaning we are predicting Sherington will be in receipt of £8,180.
The premium will be spent on staffing intervention for the targeted 1-1 support of reading to ensure access to the full curriculum offer.
Attainment outcomes at end of 2020-21 for identified children will be measured to show significant progress made from initial assessments in autumn 2020.
For more information on the catch-up premium, click here.
School events
All school events held on site are regrettably put on hold.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) update and advice
If you live with others, all other household members must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the household became ill or if they do not have symptoms, from the day their test was taken. If anyone else in the household starts displaying symptoms, they must stay at home for at least 10 days from when their symptoms appear, regardless of what day they are on in their original 14-day isolation period. The ending isolation section below has more information.
If you have symptoms, try and stay as far away from other members of your household as possible. It is especially important to stay away from anyone who is clinically vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable with whom you share a household.
Reduce the spread of infection in your home by washing your hands regularly for 20 seconds using soap and water, or use hand sanitiser, and cover coughs and sneezes.
Consider alerting people who you do not live with and have had close contact within the last 48 hours to let them know you have symptoms of COVID-19.
Following a positive test result, you will receive a request by text, email or phone to log into the NHS Test and Trace service website and provide information about recent close contacts.
If you feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home, or your condition gets worse, then use the NHS 111 online COVID-19 service. If you do not have internet access, call NHS 111. For a medical emergency dial 999.
If you develop COVID-19 symptoms again at any point after ending your first period of isolation (self or household) then you must follow the guidance on self-isolation again. The section below has further information.
Further information from the government can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-people-with-confirmed-or-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection.
Please call NHS 111 if your symptoms worsen. If you have a concern about your child’s health or need further information, you can also find advice from Department of Health and Public Health England here.
Symptoms
The most important symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of any of the following:
For most people, COVID-19 will be a mild illness. However, if you have any of the symptoms above you must stay at home and arrange to have a test to see if you have COVID-19 – go to testing to arrange.
Should there be any further guidance issued, we will update you. Please look out for texts and emails from us.
The helpline for questions about COVID-19 related to education:
Phone: 0800 046 8687
Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk
Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Mon to Fri)
Travel Guidance
This link below will help you understand how to travel safely during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in England. It provides guidance for walking, cycling, using private vehicles (for example cars and vans), and travelling by taxis and public transport (for example trains, buses, coaches and ferries).
You should avoid using public transport where possible. Instead try to walk, cycle, or drive. If you do travel, thinking carefully about the times, routes and ways you travel will mean we will all have more space to stay safe.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-safer-travel-guidance-for-passengers
Testing
Do not wait. Ask for the test as soon as you have symptoms.
You can ask for a test:
In England, you can ask for a test for a child who lives with you, whatever their age.
For more information on hoe to get tested, visit:
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-tests-and-testing-kits-for-coronavirus-covid-19-work