Dear Parents,

Although there is no significant change at the moment regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) with regard to school I thought it would be useful just to update you with what our plans may be over the coming weeks.

Firstly we will follow the advice of DFE and Public Health England. At the moment we are getting daily updates. It seems likely that at some point in time there will be an escalation of response to the threat of COVID-19 and there will be a move to the next phase of the Government action plan (contain and delay spread of infection). The emphasis at the moment is on contain and research phase.

 Whilst we are not thinking that a school closure will happen or that it is imminent there is a possibility that this may happen and we are making plans for this eventuality. This will not be a school initiated decision but one we will take following advice from DFE.

 What might this look like practically?

 We will notify you by text should there be a need to close. I expect that we would notify you at the earliest point and we would be closed from the next day. Please make sure we have your up to date contacts for the text messaging service.

 We use the school website keep you updated on closure information.

 The staff will be looking at their planning and what they would have covered within lessons. From this they will be adapting these plans and setting work which can be done by the children at home. As there will be no direct teaching this work will include a list of project based activities, practice of basic skills and some ideas the children can extend and explore.

 We will also direct you to any websites with activities appropriate to the year group. If for any reason the work seems too hard or too easy you could always access the activities from the year group above or below.

We may also send home an additional reading book.

 We will be working hard on making further activities available to you throughout any closure via our website.

 School Trips

 I have sought further advice with the Local Authority Health and Safety about our trips planned (Cadbury World Y6) and London (Y5). At the moment the advice is that we don’t need to alter our plans and that these can go ahead.

Cadbury World today have said that it is currently “business as usual” but there are extra hand sanitizer stations and washing stations in place.

 The usual reminders regarding hygiene are to be reinforced and monitoring that this is being done eg. washing hands.

 We will continue to check with the school travel company regarding the London trip and are making some back up plans in the event of closures of any of the places we plan to visit. We will keep parents of Y5 children informed at regular times throughout the visit.

 We would like parents to feel comfortable with our arrangements but it is ultimately your decision on whether you are happy to allow your child to go on the planned trips at this time. If you decide that your child should not go on the trip please send them to school as normal and inform the office staff that they will not be going.

 Within School- Education

 We will continue to have a measured and appropriate message to our children around basic hygiene as well as providing any reassurance that may be needed.

 We will be talking about the Catch it, Bin it, Kill it approach to all things coughs and colds related symptoms as normal.

 We do have hand sanitizer gel stations within the hall and we will be reminding children to use them as well as washing their hands.

 I am sure that some children may become anxious with what they hear in the news and from discussions at home (and indeed with their peers within school). We will provide calm reassurance but answer any of their questions as best we can. We will also encourage children to be responsible and calm should they be caught up in the speculation at this time.

 We have recently employed a cleaner who works throughout the school day. At the moment she is ensuring that all frequently touched surfaces (door handles/ push plates) are cleaned throughout the day.

 If your child is ill

 If your child is ill then the usual arrangements are in place ie.48 hours off from last bout of sickness.

If your child is running a temperature then they are unwell and need to stay off school.

 Further Information

 If you require further information then I am sure there is a wealth of sources on the internet but the link below would be a useful reference.

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-action-plan

 We will keep you posted but at this point in time there are no significant changes to our daily routines within school provision.

A. Buckley