The outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) led to the closure of schools in England from 20 March 2020. As we reopen our school there are a number of new measures in place to keep the children, parents, staff and wider community as safe as possible.
What safety measures are in place to protect my child?
The DfE guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings recognises that for children of primary age they ‘cannot be expected to remain 2 metres apart from each other and staff’. We will be discouraging contact between children. However, for first aid or for some children with intimate care needs close contact will be necessary.
However, we will ensure that:
- Children and staff avoid contact with anyone with symptoms
- We promote frequent hand washing and good hygiene e.g. blowing nose into a tissue and disposing of it into a separate bin with a lid
- Regular cleaning of rooms and equipment and a touch point and toilet clean in the middle of the day
- We minimise the contact and mixing between groups of children.
A copy of our latest risk assessment and reopening plans are here:
UPDATED RISK ASSESSMENT 2020:
Fishburn COVID19 Risk Assessment Updated December 2020.doc
Fishburn COVID19 Risk Assessment Updated November 2020.doc
UPDATED RISK ASSESSMENT SEPTEMBER 2020
September Risk Assessment 2020
September 2020 Reopening letter
Reopening June 2020 Risk Assessment
Please find attached a story that you could share with your children to discuss with them what coming back to school in a bubble group might be like:
Coming back to school in a bubble story
Arrival at school:
On arrival at school it is important that you follow the signs around the building and take note of the social distancing tape as you drop off and pick up your child each day. It is very important that only one adult accompanies a child/siblings to and from school, regardless of their age, so that social distancing can be maintained. We will also be operating a staggered drop off and pick up system.
What will my child wear?
We are asking parents to dress their children in clean uniform every day to help them understand that school is still a little bit normal. This is following current guidance. Children are not permitted to bring pencil cases or bags to school, apart from packed lunch boxes / bags if required. They must also bring a water bottle with their name clearly marked. If needed, they should also bring sun cream which they can apply themselves, again clearly marked as we anticipate spending a lot of time outside taking part in a range of activities. The children will keep their things with them at their allocated space in their bubble group.
Where will my child be in school and who will teach them??
The children will be allocated in a bubble and they will remain in their classroom bubble and allocated outdoor space for the duration of the day. All surfaces will be wiped down regularly during the day and at the end of the day, including door handles, switches, toilet handles, taps etc. We will do all we can to maintain a safe and clean school site and building.
For the older children, we have distanced the desks to help promote social distancing. Equipment and soft furnishings including rugs have been removed from classrooms. This is to aid with cleaning the rooms each day. As well as surfaces and equipment being cleaned daily, each week, classrooms will be deep cleaned. This increased amount of cleaning we feel is necessary to ensure that we are doing all we can to keep children and adults safe.
We have additional space available in the hall if necessary. All groups will also be spending a significant amount of time outside, making full use of our extensive grounds but they will be kept in their own groups.
What will be the focus of lessons and home learning?
The main focus on our return to school will be on well being, ensuring pupils feel safe, happy and comfortable. Children will begin to be taught the wider curriculum once again as the new school year starts. You can continue to access our home learning via our google drive account which can be found here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1WwM0nca01fHn-85NDAcPD37DYJNaKNxe
What about lunchtimes?
Your children will eat their lunches in their bubble groups.
…Anything else?
We know that you may have questions or concerns but it is important that you make an appointment to speak to staff if you need to. This will help keep everyone safe. However, if there are any issues requiring a prompt response, please call the school office or email us at fishburn@durhamlearning.net. As a school we have always encouraged face-to-face communication and have always had an open door policy, however, at this time, we are asking parents and carers to communicate via email or phone whenever possible to minimise the need for physical interactions unless this is necessary. We do not want you to feel that we are trying to distance ourselves, we just want to minimise risk where this is possible. We ask for your understanding at this time.
If there is anything else that you want to discuss with me then please do not hesitate to get in touch and I will do my best to help.
Miss Ferguson and all of the Fishburn Staff.
