SUPPORTING LEARNING FROM HOME
coronavirus update
From September 2021 Rudgwick Primary School will be operating under the most recent DfE 'Schools COVID-19 operational guidance'.
We are very much looking forward to seeing everyone back in school.
Dear Parents and Carers,
We have reviewed our school Covid Risk Assessment and created an Outbreak Contingency Plan – based on the latest Government guidance which you can read by clicking on the following link https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/schools-covid-19-operational-guidance. Safety will remain paramount, but there are several welcome changes to school routines. You may find the following information useful at this point:
Class bubbles
Children are no longer required to be kept in class groups (bubbles). This means that they will have greater freedom to mix with pupils in other classes and meet together for assemblies etc.
Hygiene
Hand and face hygiene will remain high priority and our strict systems for managing this within the school day will remain in place.
Ventilation
This remains a vital part of the Covid safety requirements and doors and windows will be kept open wherever possible. Children will be allowed to wear extra layers if required.
Please do not send your child to school if…
They have any Covid symptoms, a Covid positive test result or any other reason requiring them to stay at home due to Covid 19 (e.g. they are required to quarantine).
Close Contacts
Whilst the government guidance no longer requires close contacts of a confirmed positive case to self-isolate, the school will require any child who is a close contact of someone who has tested positive (within their household), to take a PCR test and self-isolate until a negative result is received.
Contact Tracing
Schools no longer have a responsibility for contact tracing. This will now be done by the NHS if required.
Staggered starts and finishes to the school day
From September the gate will open at 8.30am and you may drop your child/ren off at any time between 8.30 – 8.50am, regardless of which house they are in. Please keep to the current one way system and say goodbye to your child at the entrance to the playground (as you have been doing). We will not be taking temperatures routinely but the children will be offered hand sanitiser on the way into school and will be washing their hands as soon as they get to their classrooms and routinely during the day.
The school day will finish at 3.15pm (R/KS1) and 3.20pm (KS2), and you may collect your child from the playground. Again, please use the one-way system currently in place, collect your child/ren and leave school premises promptly.
Wearing of face coverings
From September there will be no requirement for the wearing of face coverings on school premises unless there is an outbreak (see Contingency Plan), however anyone who wishes to wear a face covering should feel comfortable to do so and this should be respected by others.
Clubs
In September, we will be offering the same clubs as during the Summer term and the plan is to expand the range and number after the October half term.
P.E Kits
Please send these to school on the first day back. Please make sure they are named with a permanent marker.They will be kept in school for the children to use and then sent home for washing at half term.
Wellies
Please send these to school on the first day back. Please make sure they are named with a permanent marker.
Pencil Cases
We will be continuing to ask you to provide your child with a pencil case containing colouring pencils and felt-tips. All other writing implements (handwriting pens, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, rulers etc) will be provided by the school. For those eligible for Free School Meals, the school can help with providing a pencil case and contents – please ask a member of the SLT or office team.
Bookbags
Children in Yrs R, 1, 2 and 3 will need to bring their bookbag to school each day.
Water bottles
Your child will need a named water bottle in school each day.
Rucksacs
Wherever possible, please avoid sending your child to school with a rucksack. The cloakrooms are quite compact and there really is not room for bulky rucksacks, as well as coats, lunchboxes and PE kits.
Finally, thank you very much for all your support and understanding over the last year or so, for adhering to the school systems and for helping keep everyone safe.
Infection control
You must not, under any circumstances, send your child to school if they or anyone else in your household is unwell. If your child is poorly at school, you will be asked to collect them within 45 minutes of being informed. If your child is displaying symptoms of COVID-19, they will be isolated whilst being supervised by an adult who can maintain a 2 metre distance throughout. If there is a confirmed case in school, we will enact policies to test and/or isolate the rest of the staff and children in that class and all parents will be informed.
Everyone who attends the school (staff and pupils) will follow the protocols below that are designed using the government guidance and the ‘hierarchy’ of priorities for infection control:
● children will have to wash their hands regularly. We expect that this will be at least 5-6 times per day as recommended in government guidance. Your child may bring hand cream if they have sensitive skin;
● tissues will be available for every child to help promote the ‘Catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach;
● these can be disposed of in a swing bin which will be regularly emptied;
● surfaces will be wiped between sessions with antibacterial spray and wipes;
● surfaces will be washed thoroughly each day and wiped with antibacterial spray at regular intervals during the day;
● all regular contact points such as door handles are prioritised for cleaning each day by care-taking staff;
● for the most part, internal doors will be left propped open during the day to minimise surface contact; ● each class will have its own First Aid Kits
● each class will have their own dry wipe sanitation checklist- linked to the daily schedule so that we can ensure that routines are regularly followed;
● the sanitation checklist specifies 6 occasions during the day when everyone in each class must wash their hands and two occasions when surfaces and door handles must be sanitised.
Symptoms: Any child or member of staff who displays symptoms will be sent home.
● if the only symptom displayed has been a cough, we will send the child home and liaise with the parents to see if it persists. If there is a persistent cough and/or a temperature/loss of taste or smell, children will have to be tested and will not be able to return to school until they have been cleared or have gone through the subsequent isolation period;
● We would be grateful if parents and carers would share test outcomes directly with us before returning children to school;
● parents will be expected to ensure that there is never a time that there will not be an adult available to collect a child within 45 minutes of receiving a call from school;
● a coronavirus test can be booked here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
● essential workers in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland, can apply for priority testing through GOV.UK:
