School status: open to specific pupils

Phase 3 – ‘Bubble Provision’ (22nd June 2020 – present)

Overview:

• the ‘Bubble Provision’ will be based in our Early Years Reception building.
• we will use two class rooms, each divided in half, offering four ‘bubbles’ in total.
• there will be one pupil and one member of staff per bubble.
• ‘Bubbles’ will be isolated from each other to try to ensure any risk of infection/cross-contamination is kept to a minimum.
• Hand washing, cleaning and hygiene routines will be a priority and we’re following all government and health and safety guidance.
• PPE will be available to all staff, inc. face masks, gloves, face visors, aprons, and hand sanitiser.

Phase 2 – ‘Pods Provision’ (15th June 2020 – present)

Consultation: detailed risk assessments were approved by the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), which includes Trade Union representatives, on Monday 1st June. As always, our duty of care for our pupils, their families and our staff remains central to our planning. As such, the pre-existing Public Health England-informed Risk Assessment will be used to determine whether it’s safe for an individual to be offered a place, or not.

Overview:

• the ‘Pods Provision’ will be based on the top floor.
• there will be four Pods, each based in a different class room, with at least one empty class room between pods – to ensure social distancing.
• there will be three pupils and three staff (a teacher and two support staff) in each Pod.
• each Pod will be entirely self-sufficient in terms of resources and staff, and will use the BSAT recovery curriculum to guide planning and practice.
• rooms will be cleared of resources, inc. soft furnishings, and desks will be set up with two metres between them.
• there will be no mixing of staff or pupils between Pods; and no mixing between the Care Provision and the Pod Provision.
• a designated Isolation Room has been setup on the top floor.
• the school day for the Pod Provision will be from 9:30 to 12:30. This will enable most staff to travel outside of peak times.
• the shortened day will ensure that there is sufficient time to effectively clean all spaces.
• a one-way system will be supported by signage and regular two metre markers.
• physical alterations have already been made to the building to support a one-way system.
• communal spaces which have a form of ‘bottle neck’ won’t be in use.
• no visitors, inc. parents, will be allowed inside the school building.
• PPE will be available to all staff, inc. face masks, gloves, face visors, aprons, and hand sanitiser.
• pupils will have their temperature taken at the very beginning of each day and throughout the morning as necessary.
• playground and swimming pool slots will be timetabled so that Pods do not mix.

Phase 1 (20th March 2020 – present)

Distance learning offer: individualised learning packs sent home to every pupil. These are full of printed resources – worksheets, pens, pencils, and communication guides.

Family support and wellbeing: weekly phone calls to all families by members of the Senior Leadership Team to offer support and strategies on dealing with behaviour, promoting pupil wellbeing, and home learning.

Care provision for vulnerable children and those whose parents are essential key workers, led by members of the Senior Leadership Team.

Playground and swimming provision: timetabled use of the playground and swimming pool for and supervised by families (and the school swimming teacher/lifeguard), inc. time to clean and clear before the next session

Online learning offer:

• Home-School Link Letters containing activities and messages for parents and pupils.
• class e-mail addresses setup and shared to allow easy communication between families and class staff.
• whole school access to e-learning platforms such as 2Simple Purple Mash, Espresso, Reading Eggs, and Math Seeds.
• web-based platform setup, offering links to select, quality assured resources such as games/activities for curriculum subjects and themes, inc. Yoga and other physical education videos, literacy read-along videos, and maths matching activities.
• creation of staff YouTube videos covering a broad range of subjects and themes, and allowing pupils to still see their class teams.

Multi-Agency Support Team (MAST) support:

• therapy equipment loaned to families: such as trampolines, peanut balls, and sensory toys, some of which were funded by the Jason Roberts Foundation – thank you.
• supervised play sessions focussed on allowing specific pupils the opportunity to play and interact with others while adhering to social distancing measures.
• SaLT, OT, and Behaviour e-mail addresses setup and shared to allow easy communication between families and MAST, and facilitate the requesting of resources and additional support.
• creation of bespoke resources and personalised activity suggestions to support with many areas, e.g. understanding, expressive communication, writing, self-regulation, behaviour, speech intelligibility, community outings, learning, toileting, wellbeing and mental health, play/leisure, eating, etc.
• creation of documents designed to inform/support all families, inc. a coronavirus social story, coronavirus communication board, coronavirus signed video about school closure, handout explaining visual support, communication boards, handout explaining the sensory systems and strategies to support regulation, handout suggesting activities to develop core strength, and a handout explaining the Zones of Regulation curriculum.
• creation of guidance on challenging behaviour, sleep, and toileting, supported by staff via telephone conversations, and the creation of bespoke behaviour plans for home.
• continued support of parent referrals for/with external agencies, such as disability allowance, housing, and social care/workers.
• creation of an online training session on ‘Blank’s Levels of Questioning’, and all associated resources.
• regular contact between Class Teachers and their assigned SaLT and OT to support with queries from families coming to Class Teachers via their class emails and content of weekly home learning letters.
• Thrive check-ins with pupils and sharing of Thrive resources online.

Communications & IT Team support:

• updating of the school website and social media accounts, inc. the formatting and uploading of all online learning resources.
• regular updates sent to parents and staff via e-mail and short message service (SMS/txt), ensuring stakeholders are kept informed about our offer and plans.
• planning, creation, and maintenance of all online learning platforms.
• creation and promotion of the school YouTube channel.
• e-mail technical support for families and staff remote working.
• setup and maintenance of secure systems to support staff remote working.
• creation of IT training guides, remote working guidance, data protection guidance, and formatting guidance.
• creation of online training videos and walkthroughs for staff and parents.
• on-site technical support to ensure that all IT is working as required for the care provision, resource creation centres, and administrative areas.