Student Expectations Whilst in School (Update 26th May 2020)

With an increase in the number of students attending the provision at St Edmund’s Catholic School, I wanted to write to outline our expectations that we require all students to follow during the Covid-19 in-school learning. Children who have been written to and classed as clinically extremely vulnerable must not attend school.

School Day

The school day will start at 8.45am and end at 3pm.  Students can arrive from 8.30am onwards.

Registration

Students will be registered in the School Hall with desks spaced apart to ensure compliance with social distancing measures.  Students will be asked to sit at the same designated desk and these will be wiped clean daily. Registration will continue to involve our daily act of prayer and worship.

Attendance

The school has a duty of care to safeguard all of its students. It is crucial that we are informed of the number of students attending in advance so we can ensure in advance who is attending and measures in place for groupings for the day.   If your son/daughter will not be attending on any particular day please contact the school in advance on (023) 9282 3766 or email keyworker@saintedmunds.org.uk

Lunch

Break and lunchtimes will be staggered throughout the day.

Students will continue to receive a FREE breakfast and a lunch comprising of a sandwich/fruit/cake.  Students need to consider where the best place to each their lunch will be to ensure social distancing.  Where possible students will be encouraged to take their own waste home. We will not be continuing with the break time snack so students will be required to bring in any additional snacks and a drink they will need for the rest of the day.

Uniform

Students can continue to wear non-school uniform (please note the school will continue to review this).

Equipment

All students will be required to bring in full equipment and a pair of wired headphones.  This is compulsory for students when attending the online learning seminars. Equipment checks will take place each week.

Social Distancing

Wherever possible students must comply with social distancing and recommended gap of 2m.  One-way systems around the school have been implemented to comply with social-distancing requirements which has been clearly marked with tape/barriers/signs and all students must ensure that these are followed to limit bumping into other people. 

Personal Hygiene

Students should wash/shower prior to attending school.  Upon returning home students should change and shower.  Clothes should be washed prior to re-wearing. Hand gel will be provided within the school to be used frequently.  Hands should be washed thoroughly for 20 seconds with running water. Hand gel will be provided through the dispensers in the toilets. Students must not try to touch their eyes, nose or mouth, especially if they haven’t washed their hands.

Students who do not have a tissue should sneeze or cough into their elbow, not their hands. The school will ensure that there are tissues available.

Ensure good respiratory hygiene by the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach.

Behaviour Expectations

Students must comply the Governor’s Behaviour for Learning Policy. Any poor behaviour will result in the student being removed and spending time to work in our Inclusion Room supervised by our Inclusions Manager. 

Any student not conforming to the school’s expectations on Health & Safety groups or refusal to follow any instructions may be excluded for a fixed period of time. This will include any student found intentionally coughing/sneezing/spitting at another student or member of school staff or causing damage to school property.  A copy of this policy can be found on our school website.

Students must:

• Follow the instructions on hygiene, such as handwashing and sanitising.
• Follow instructions on who to socialise with at school.
• Adhere to the movement around the school guidelines i.e. one-way systems, queueing.
• Inform a member of staff if they are experiencing symptoms of Cornavirus.
• Not share any equipment or other items including drinking bottles.
• Avoid touching mouth, nose and eyes with hands.
• Follow the school’s expectations about break and lunchtime play ensuring social distancing measures are conformed to.

Illness

Anyone showing signs of Covid-19 should not attend school and refer onto a testing centre at Tipner. The school must be informed accordingly and self-isolate and their fellow household members until the test results are received. The Coronavirus (Covid-19) causes a fever, cough, loss of sense of smell and taste and trouble breathing. Some people have a sore throat. Symptoms are a bit like those people have with a cold or the flu. The virus can be more serious in some people, especially if they are sick or have health problems.

If the test is negative then the student can return to the school provision and the fellow household members can end their self-isolation.  Where the child tests positive they would need to self-isolate for 14 days. The school must be informed at all stages.

As and when further guidance is received the school will ensure that appropriate measures are put in place as the safety of our staff and students is at the forefront of our minds.   Where staff are concerned about the health of a student in relation to Covid-19 they will be isolated and parents requested to collect and follow the above procedure.

Click here for details of how to go for a Covid-19 test

Key Worker Child Educational Provision

Following recent Government changes this has meant that the school has seen an increase over the last few weeks in the number of vulnerable/key worker students attending St Edmund’s Catholic School.

To enable the groups to be managed effectively it would be helpful if you could kindly complete the attached form and indicate the days during the three weeks shown that you would like your son/daughter to have school provision. This should be completed by Friday 22^nd May 2020. The school has a duty of care to safeguard all of its students so it is crucial that we are informed of the number of students attending in advance for this reason.

I would kindly also ask that you inform the school in advance should your son/daughter not be attending school on any particular day that you may have already indicated they would be. Reception can be contacted on 023 9282 3766 from 8.30am until 3pm or email keyworker@saintedmunds.org.uk

Advance notice that the school will be closed for all students on Monday 25^th May 2020 as this is a bank holiday.

Changes from the 1^st June

As I wrote within my recent update, from the 1^st June the school will be moving to online lessons with a staff setting within the school.  For the next few weeks students attending school will complete these lessons within school.  Then receive additional learning in-between.  We will look at staggering breaks and lunch throughout the day.  Students can continue to wear non school uniform and to bring in their own equipment to ensure they are prepared for learning.  There will be a change in the school day from 8.45am until 3pm.  They must bring in their own headphones which should be wired.

There have recently been some poor behaviour/silly behaviour by students resulting in some in-school damage. Please be aware we will be returning to our removal from lesson protocol and students will be placed in Inclusion.    

To date we have provided students with a free breakfast, free break time snack and a free sandwich lunch and for a couple of weeks a full cooked lunch was offered. From the 1^st June we will continue with the free breakfast and a sandwich/fruit/cake for lunch, however, students will be required to bring in their own drink and any additional snacks they will require throughout the day as no break time snack will now be available.