Information for Parents RE: Covid-19
As you are aware, the Government has directed schools to make a plan for re-opening part of our school from early June. Each school has been directed to carry out a risk assessment to help them work out which additional children can be accommodated and how to ensure that the risk of infection is minimised. The Government directive states that schools must provide child care provision for the Key worker and vulnerable group first. Following on from this, schools must look to take Early Years (Reception), Year 1 and Year 6 children in that order. Any offer of wider opening should be to the whole of a year group not just a part.
Our risk assessment indicates that we have enough classroom space, staff and capacity to start welcoming back our Reception cohort alongside our Key worker and Vulnerable Children Group from June 8th 2020. It would stretch the capacity of our staffing too thin to accommodate opening to Nursery as well at this time.
The new guidelines from the Government states that children should be socially distanced by 2m. In order to accommodate this we have to split our Reception cohort over 6 classes. Each class has to have a teacher and TA present to set and support learning. More staff are needed to manage increased hygiene measures and toileting.
We are currently operating on approximately 60% of our teaching staff being available to work in school due to shielding and other vulnerabilities. This means that approximately 40% of our staff are unable to physically be in school and dramatically impacts on what we can offer in terms of wider opening.
All staff not able to be physically in school will be working at home to support remote online learning via See Saw / Tapestry for the children not in school.
From June 8th 2020, each year group will be set online remote learning as before but it may not be the child’s class teacher setting the learning. This is because all staff who can have been drafted into school to run the Reception classes alongside those running the increased Key Worker and Vulnerable Children’s Child Care Provision. Your child’s current class teacher will inform your child via See Saw / Tapestry if there is to be a change of teacher setting online learning from June 8th.
As you can clearly see, we do not have capacity to offer school to other year groups and be able to staff the children in the small groups required while the current Government guidelines stand. It may be that in the future the guidance changes and enables the school to increase the offer of provision more widely. We will of course keep our current arrangements under regular review and let you know if our situation changes and we are able to welcome more children back.
Please be assured that we miss all.
Useful Information:
Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy - Covid-19 Annex
Risk Assessment - Fishponds CE Academy
Behaviour Procedures - Covid-19
If you need specific advice on Covid 19 please phone the helpline.
The BCC COVID-19 advice hotline is accessible to BSL users and people who whose first language is not English. This is a free phone number available 7 days a week to increase access.
Phone line for advice: 0117 352 3011
Useful links:
Department of Education
For information about Distance Learning, please visit our 'For Pupils' tab.
