Below is a range of information that will help you get a better understanding of what a return to school or our remote learning offer will look like this January. We will outline the measures we are putting in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of pupils, staff and our whole school community.
Dates for pupils returning
Tuesday 5th January
Start and End of the School Day
Entering school Pupils will enter school through the usual pedestrian gate entrance. We ask that parents leave children at the main gates and do not enter the school premises. The gate will be monitored by staff and additional staff members will monitor the playground.
Timings have been staggered so that not everyone is trying to enter the site at the same time and so minimising contact between parents, staff and children. Children are able to enter school between 8:50 and 9:10 am. We ask that parents do not arrive at school too early but try to arrive within the time allocation and to leave children at the gates.
Leaving school The pedestrian gate will be opened at 3:00 pm, this will ensure that the footpath outside of school does not become over congested. Parents should enter the school grounds via the pedestrian gate and wait on the rear playground. Children can be collected between 3:05 and 3:20. Only one parent should collect children. Masks should be worn and parents should maintain a 2m social distance when on the playground. Staff will bring your child to you.
YR children will be collected from the reception class side door – we ask that parents stand away from the footpath to allow others to access the rear playground. They will move onto the rear yard and exit via the car park gate.
Once children have been collected we ask that everyone leaves the school site as quickly as possible by the car park exit.
These procedures will be monitored and reviewed regularly. We ask for parents support in making sure arrival and collection times are as smooth and safe as possible.
Breakfast and After School Club
Wrap around care is available. We are following Government Guidance for schools and after school providers. Space in our school is limited and because of this fact we need to keep numbers in breakfast and after school club as low as possible in order
to keep children and staff as safe as possible. Places in breakfast club and after school care need to be booked. Breakfast Club will start at 8:00 but will run until 9:15. After school care will end at 5:30. Children will be kept in their class groups and they will share items only with their class members. Activities have been altered to enable children to work on a table top.
Bookings:
Please contact: · Mrs Stobbs via Class Dojo · Email school on tofthill@durhamlearning.net marking your email ‘breakfast club or after school care’ or by telephoning the school office on 01388 832393
Payment:
Accounts are now managed by the school office. Payment can be via Parent Pay or if you prefer to use cash, it must be sent to the school office in a sealed envelope, clearly labelled.
Arrival at breakfast club
Children can enter school through the main office. Ring the buzzer and staff will release the door for children to enter. Parents are requested not to enter school. Please ensure children arrive before 8:30.
Collection from After School Care
Children can be collected from the main office. Ring the buzzer to alert staff. Children will be brought out to parents. Parents are requested not to enter school. There will no longer be any need to sign on collection.
Please note: We are unable to put uncollected children into after school care
Uniform and Equipment
We would like to see children return to school in school uniform. The order form to buy Toft Hill Primary jade green polo shirts and red sweatshirts/cardigans embroidered with the school logo can be found here. A white/jade green polo shirt and plain sweatshirt bought from a supermarket is perfectly acceptable.
Footwear – Children are still unable to get changed for PE lessons. We ask that shoes are sensible: no heels, with good grips (trainers are a sensible choice) and easy for children to manage. (Children need to be able to tie their own shoe laces. If they cannot do this the Velcro fasteners will be best).
School will provide all equipment that children will require. We ask that children only bring:
o A water bottle
o A packed lunch (in a wipe clean bag/container or disposable packaging)
o Coat (weather dependent but remember this is Toft Hill and we have our own weather system which is often different to the surrounding area).
Lunches
Packed Lunches All lunches will now be eaten in the hall. This will be on a rota system. Different classes have different tables which are thoroughly cleaned between uses.
Hygiene
Hand hygiene All children will be encouraged to wash their hands at regular intervals throughout the day for example, on entry to school, before lunch and after using equipment such as iPads and play equipment. Three hand gel dispensers have been purchased and are positioned outside of the main entrances. Hand gel and hand wipes are also available and these will be used under supervision of class teacher or teaching assistant. When the weather improves, the mobile handwashing kits can be brought back into use.
Cleaning Additional cleaning will occur throughout the day. Our cleaner Ms Gibson will also complete spot cleaning during the lunch period e.g. toilets, door handles, light switches etc
First Aid/Illness
First Aid We have four paediatric trained first aiders in school:
o Mrs Lynne Tully
o Mrs Joanne Stones
o Mrs Gemma Jones
o Mrs Janice Bedford
All staff are trained in First Aid at Work (including lunchtime supervisors). Mrs Tully and Mrs Stones are the designated first aiders.
If the injury is minor e.g. a scrap or small cut, then the child will be supervised to clean the injury with an antiseptic wipe and apply a sticking plaster. Where a child requires close contact first aid staff can wear whatever PPE they feel comfortable with. First Aid kits are available throughout the school and these contain: gloves, plastic aprons, facemasks, visors and eye protection. A spillage kit for when vomit or other bodily fluids are present is available (this also contains a range of PPE). For more serious accidents or illness, you may be contacted to take your child home.
Suspected COVID 19
We ask that your child does not come to school if they are ill or are displaying any symptoms of COVID 19. The symptoms are:
o a high temperature
o a new, continuous cough
o a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
To protect others, keep your child at home and inform school as soon as possible.
If your child takes ill when at school with suspected COVID 19 they will be isolated in the Group Room until a parent can arrive to take them home. Parents will then be expected to follow government self-isolation guidance and seek a test to ascertain a diagnosis. What if there are confirmed cases of COVID 19
Follow government guidance and isolate for 10 days.
The rest of the family should also isolate for 10 days.
Inform school.
Risk Assessment
Our risk assessment, which has been agreed by staff and Governors, is shared below.
January 18 Whole School Update
Remote Learning
Remote learning is learning that happens outside of the classroom when the teacher is not in the same location as the pupil. During lockdown periods many of our children are learning in the home environment through activities set by their class teacher and delivered through Class Dojo.
Our remote learning plan uses a variety of approaches to deliver learning. More details of these can be found in the attached documents.
Toft Hill Primary School Remote Learning
The aim of our teaching whether remotely or face to face is the same, for pupils to know more and remember more. Teachers are using the same curriculum that was in place last year. Children in school (children of critical workers) and children learning at home receive the same learning opportunities. The government has suggested that our youngest pupils are provided with approximately 3 hours of learning a day increasing to 4 hours for the oldest pupils. This will be predominantly phonics/reading, English and maths with some additional work in other subjects e.g. history, geography and science.
Teachers will continue to support through the use of Zoom meetings (whole class, group, individual) to ensure children are keeping up with the pace of learning. Teachers and teaching assistants will also make telephone calls to parents and children to discuss any issues or concerns or to check on welfare of their pupils. Staff will deliver any resources, including reading books, that children may need in addition to their online learning.
Contacting school
Unfortunately, parents will not be able to speak to teachers in person or call into the school office (it only has the capacity for one person at a time). We ask that parents phone, email our use Class Dojo message facility if they wish to contact school.
We have put extensive measures in place to make is both safe and enjoyable for pupils returning to school. If you have an queries please contact me at tofthill@durhamlearning.net.
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