Latest News
Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
-
September 2020 – Plan for School Reopening - UPDATED
Sat 15 Aug 2020UPDATED
From Wednesday 2nd September 2020, school will be reopening fully, in-line with the latest Government Guidance and complete Covid-19 risk assessment. We have aimed to make the necessary changes whilst minimising the impact on routines and maximising the learning opportunities for all our children.
We recognise that, whatever we must put in place, may have an impact on our children’s families, and we have consciously tried to consider them in these decisions. Things cannot be as they once were and we must be very clear regarding our expectations of the children, their families and ourselves.
The things that we believe work well for our school will remain, if slightly adapted, whilst other things that do not have a positive impact on the safety, wellbeing and development of our children will be altered. Our vision, mission, ethos and values remain the same. They underpin our world view and approach to education, in every context.
Covid-Safety
If anyone is unwell, displaying symptoms of Covid-19, they should self-isolate and be tested without delay. If the test is returned positive, the self-isolation should be for at least 10 days. Please let the school office know. School will be liaising very closely with NHS Test and Trace, following their advice and guidance. In the event of a positive test, others within the appropriate "bubble" may be asked to self-isolate. Whilst maintaining confidentiality, we will act quickly and only communicate with those affected, putting further measures in place - including any home learning support as required.
If any of our children become unwell with Covid-19 symptoms within school, we will contact families immediately and expect that they will come to collect their child straight away. Whilst waiting, the child will be isolated away from other children - but always reassuringly supervised by a familiar member of our staff. It is, therefore, vital that we have your most up-to-date contact information and that you are available to be contacted throughout the day. We are sure that you will understand.
No parents may come into the building without an appointment. All communication must be by email, telephone, our school app or social media. We cannot chat at the doors whilst maintaining important distancing and strict timings. Sorry.
The only items allowed between home and school are:
- Coats
- Reading books
- Home-School Diaries (Early Years to Class 3 only)
- PE kit and small bag
- Packed lunches
- Musical instruments for peripatetic lessons
We must still minimise the sharing of equipment and resources. Therefore, all of the children will be provided with a personal set of stationary, but children in Classes 5 and 6 may bring in a pencil case etc, which must remain in school during term time.
All other belongings should remain at home.
Homework will be set online via our website from now on, so as to minimise the movement of resources between home and school.
Hand washing, good respiratory hygiene and regular cleaning continue to be the most effective ways to reduce the risk of virus transmission. Whilst we will be giving time to and expect all of the children to wash their hands regularly, we will begin the term with more hand sanitiser, especially in Early Years and Key Stage 1, until all are trained in thorough hand washing. This will help us establish the vital timings for routines more effectively.
The “Bubble” Principle
To reduce the potential spread of viruses, we must limit the mixing of the children. Therefore, Early Years and each class will remain in their own grouping, very similar to the bubbles we have been using during the summer term. This brings some challenges and so we will be reviewing our procedures very regularly.
Uniform
Our usual uniform expectations will continue. Every child should come to school dressed smartly and appropriately in clean uniform. They should not wear any jewellery (especially earrings), false nails, make-up, have sculpted or dyed hair. These are not allowed. If your child has had their ears pierced, please understand that earrings will need to be taken out for the first day back at school. Tape and plaster coverings will not be allowed as a solution. Thank you.
As we will be utilising the outdoor space even more than usual, please ensure that the children are always equipped with suitable outdoor clothing such as waterproof coat and sensible shoes. PE kits should include something warm for autumn and winter weather such as a navy jumper or hoodie and navy tracksuit bottoms.
Breakfast Club
Sadly, we cannot offer our usual Breakfast Club for the first 2 weeks of term. We know that this will prove difficult for some of our families but, until we have been able to minimise the mixing of children from different bubble classes, this is not possible. We will have our before-school provision up and running as soon as possible.
New Timings and One-Way System
To minimise the mixing of children and their families, the gate will only open at 8:40am and 3:10pm. All children from Years 1 to 6 should enter via the usual Pupil Gate. We encourage children in Classes 5 and 6 to be dropped off at the gate to minimise the number of people on site. Exit will be via the new side gate unless the step is an issue for those who need a completely flat surface. All children up to Year 4 must be accompanied by an adult with whom they must stay until the doors open. Bikes and scooters should be stored using the cycle racks and kept separate – any excess should be lined up against the fence. There can be no games or mixing before school. Adults must remain socially distanced whilst on school premises. Once the cloakroom doors are opened (see below for timings and images) all adults must leave the school site immediately via the side gate (unless accessibility is an issue.)
Early Years' families should keep to the St Bart’s side of the path leading up to the Early Years doors, keeping their distance until the doors open. Those dropping the children off should then exit up the middle of the path. This will give plenty of space for both schools to allow smooth hand-over of the children.
The gates will be locked at 9am and 3:40pm. Any late pupils must contact the school office and not come into the building until given permission by our office staff. Please do not be late!
Class Start times
Nursery and Reception: children drift into school from 8:45am until 8:55am. Formal activities start at 9am. Parents will drop their children off with Mrs Varty at the door. You cannot come into the cloakroom. Mrs Lisle and Mrs Heslop will be in the cloakroom to help the children before they wash their hands and enter the classroom, where Miss Wilson will be waiting to supervise them.
Classes 2, 4 and 6 will start at 8:45am. This earlier start allows 10 minutes for them to wash their hands and enter the classroom before the next class enters the building.
Classes 1, 3 and 5 start at 8:55am.
Each class will have their own break time and lunch time, so that they do not mix. We will utilise each outdoor space as much as possible
These morning breaks will be:
Early Years - outside when can
Class 3 - 10:00am
Classes 1 & 5 - 10:15am
Classes 2 & 4 - 10:30am
Class 6 - 10:45am
Lunch times (45 minutes):
Reception children will have use of the Dining Hall and Classes 1 to 6 will have their lunches served in their classrooms. The initial hot food menu is attached. Children may bring their own packed lunches, which will remain in their classroom. A healthy morning snack and a personal water bottle is also recommended.
Reception- 11:45 to 12:30pm
Yr1- 12:00 -12:45, lunch at 12pm; outside at 12:25
Yr2- 12:00 -12:45, outside at 12:00; lunch at 12:25
Yr3- 12:00 -12:45, lunch at 12pm; outside at 12:25
Yr4- 12:00 -12:45, outside at 12pm; lunch at 12:25
Yr5- 12:30 -1:15, lunch at 12:30pm; outside at 12:45
Yr6- 12:30 -1:15, lunch at 12:30; outside at 1pm
We understand that there have been some difficulties paying for lunches via Joinos. We have been assured that this system is just being updated and will be ready very soon. Please do not worry. Every child will be fed whilst in school and we will keep careful records.
Class Home times:
Again, to minimise the interaction and maintain social distancing, our gates will open at 3:10pm. Parents should wait near to the cloakroom doors, ready for the new home times.
Nursery - 11:45am
Reception - 3:25pm
Classes 1 and 4 - 3:15pm
Classes 2 and 3 - 3:25pm
Class 5 - 3:20pm
Class 6 - 3:30pm
All parents, once they have collected their children, must leave the site straight away via the side gate. We cannot allow any games or playing after school. All of the children must stay with their adult at all times.
Children in Classes 5 and 6 may walk home unaccompanied only once we have received this signed permission.
The gates will be locked at 3:40pm.
If you are unavoidably delayed, the children will remain in their classroom and you must contact the school office so that handover can be aranged.
Sadly, we cannot offer any after-school clubs initially.
We are hoping to be able to relax a lot of these restrictions as soon as is possible, but we appreciate your patience and understanding as we work things out together.
Thank you.
-
New signs and markings
Sat 06 Jun 2020When you arrive in school, here is some of the signage you may notice.
-
New classroom layouts and resources
Fri 05 Jun 2020There have been a few changes inside the building but we hope we still look like a school - just with more spacing! We'll provide the individual equipment and make sure everything is clean.
-
Reopening Drop-off and Pick-up
Thu 04 Jun 2020Staggered starts and end times for week beginning 8th June 2020
Start time
Finish time
Reception Bubble ‘A’
Monday and Tuesday only
9:15am
2pm
Reception Bubble ‘B’
Thursday and Friday only
9:15am
2pm
Class 1 Bubble
Monday to Thursday only
9:45am
2:30pm
Class 6 Bubble ‘A’
Monday to Thursday only10:15am
3pm
Class 6 Bubble ‘B’
Monday to Thursday only10:15am
3pm
Key Workers
Monday to Friday
8:45am
3:30pm
-
Wider Reopening: Summary Plan for Families
Thu 28 May 2020Rationale:
Once the Government’s tests have been met to allow for the gradual reopening of the school building to more pupils, our top priority remains keeping everyone safe. From the feedback received, there are many worried people who are concerned about the personal health impact of more children being on site. Although the health risks are said to be low, there is still a risk of infection with Covid-19. This is why we must introduce strict control measures to reduce the risk as far are possible.
Ultimately, until there is a vaccine, the virus will be within the population as a whole for a very long time and we must do all we can to find a way of being that will enable high quality learning to take place in a safe environment for all.
Covid-19 is caused by the specific coronavirus coming into contact with mucus membranes i.e. mouth, eyes and respiratory tract. This is mainly through small amounts of exhaled virus being breathed in, or by the virus coming into contact with surfaces (fomites) that is then transferred to mouth and eyes. As a virus is not a living thing, it cannot survive for long outside a living (host) cell. This virus also cannot infect people through their skin. As a piece of protein surrounded by a lipid (fatty) layer, it is easily killed using common detergents such as soap. This is why the two most effective ways of avoiding transmission are through careful cleaning and avoiding the inhalation of the virus from another person’s breath.
The main control measures will therefore include:
- regular handwashing, with soap and warm water
- cleaning of contact surfaces (e.g. door handles) that are touched often
- limiting the number of people each person comes into contact with
- keeping a limited distance from others so as to avoid breathing in the virus if the person is infected
As some people are asymptomatic (they display no symptoms) and also the fact that the virus that causes Covid-19 can be spread even before an infected person displays any symptoms, we must not take it for granted that anyone is virus free, or even immune.
With the vast majority of children being kept apart during the national lockdown, it is unlikely (although not impossible) that any will return to school with the virus. As lockdown is relaxed, the risk does increase. Therefore, all must be vigilant and closely follow all of our control measures. If someone displays Covid-19 symptoms or tests positive for the virus, isolation and tracing procedures will commence immediately.
The main ways we plan on reducing the risks are:
- All staff training will be updated, with 12 new people completing a paediatric first aid course allowing for wider deployment of groups, prioritising our ability to open in line with the Government’s aspirations.
- Children will be in small groups of between 8 and 15 (bubbles) and will not move between these groups.
- Hands will be washed often, and contact surfaces will be cleaned more regularly.
- Temperatures of all will be taken as they arrive on site (using infra-red forehead thermometers.) This does not involve any physical contact. Whilst this is not a certain way of identifying Covid-19, it can indicate a fever which must be dealt with outside of school by families. Therefore, any child showing signs of a fever will not be allowed in school and families will be asked to take their children home until they are well enough to return.
- Equipment, as far as possible, will not be shared.
- No items should move between home and school except clothing, a personalised water bottle and a packed lunch (if appropriate.)
- Staff will not necessarily routinely wear face masks or gloves etc, unless they are following specific guidance for a given situation e.g. administering first aid. Some PPE (personal protective equipment) is available in school for these times.
- Children will not be expected to wear face coverings unless the Government’s guidance changes.
- Young children cannot follow strict social distancing rules. Adults can. Staff will teach away from and above the children’s eye level, often at 2 meters. Desks will be distanced 2m apart. This will be a model for the children to follow and they will then be sensitively taught about the new rules.
- Children who are vulnerable for health reasons should not attend.
- Those who are shielding clinically extremely vulnerable family members should not currently attend.
Bubbles:
Each child will be allocated to a small group of their peers, of no more than 15. This is called a “Bubble.” They will not mix with any other bubble and will not be allowed to swap between bubbles. We do not expect the children to mix with other bubble members when they are out of school. Each bubble will be cared for and taught by one of our own members of staff, but this may not be their usual class teacher. Each bubble will have its own teaching day, including different starting and ending times to avoid unnecessary contact. They will only use their allocated classroom space and outdoor area. Movement will be very limited around the school site, with each bubble staying in their allocated classroom, outdoor space and toilets. Lunches will be eaten in their bubble space.
From the recent parents’ survey, bubbles have been created to meet the indication of demand for places. Once a bubble has been created its limit is set and new children will not be included. Although children may drop out of the bubble if requested, they may not then join another bubble. Due to limited space and staffing capacity, we have had to impose a limit on the number of bubbles that can be provided whilst aiming to meet the Government’s expectations. This will not include a Nursery bubble as we cannot provide a suitable environment that matches the children’s needs whilst also meeting the requirements for everyone’s health and safety.
Staggered Teaching Day Times:
Start time
Finish time
Reception Bubble ‘A’
Monday and Tuesday only
9:15am
2pm
Reception Bubble ‘B’
Thursday and Friday only
9:15am
2pm
Class 1 Bubble
Monday to Thursday only
9:45am
2:30pm
Class 6 Bubble ‘A’
Monday to Thursday only10:15am
3pm
Class 6 Bubble ‘B’
Monday to Thursday only10:15am
3pm
Key Workers
Monday to Friday
8:45am
3:30pm
Key Worker Provision:
We will continue to provide childcare for Key and Critical Workers, but this will become more formal. We would encourage the children, if appropriate, to move to a bubble with their peers but we recognise that, as the session timings are different, this may not suit family working patterns. Whichever bubble is chosen, this cannot change.
Curriculum:
With the new restraints on space and interaction, we cannot offer our usual curriculum. We will do our best to provide lessons which engage the children, but we believe that the content should initially focus on their wellbeing and any issues that they will be personally dealing with. Transition activities will then become the focus as we aim to prepare the children for the coming year. Again, this will be very different for our children, especially the youngest, as this is not what they are used to or how we know they learn best.
Limited Uniform Expectations:
The children must come to school in clean clothing. All items must not have been worn since being last washed. All children should wear a navy jumper/cardigan, white polo shirt and grey/black trousers. Shoes should be suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. There will be no changing of clothes for activities such as PE as we will be using the outdoor space as much as possible. A lightweight waterproof should suffice for any rainy conditions and should be brought each day. A hat and sun cream may also be necessary for particularly hot and sunny days.
Daily plan:
- All children should come dressed in line with our limited uniform expectations (see above.)
- Pupils must be brought promptly to school for their bubble start time, accompanied by a family member.
- All entry will be at the “Pupil Gate” (next to the cycle rack) which will remain locked until a member of staff come to collect the children.
- The car park will not be available to families – please walk to and from school if you can.
- The children and their family member will be asked to keep 2m apart whilst waiting outside the school gate. There will be a one-way system for drop-off and pick-up.
- Once the pupil gate is opened, the children’s temperatures will be taken. Any child with a high temperature will be asked to be taken home by the family member.
- The children will wait on the Key Stage 1 playground until all are admitted and the gate is then locked.
- Late arrivals must phone the office from outside school and, if it is safe to do so, will be met, temperature taken, and escorted to their bubble space. Due to the staggered starting and ending times, late pupils must wait away from queuing families from another bubble. We cannot guarantee late entry to the school building.
- No visitors will be allowed into school without an appointment, even to the main office.
- All communication must be via telephone or email.
- Pupils wash their hands as they enter the building. They should not touch the doors, which will be held open for them.
- They take their allocated seats, placing their coats on their chairs, water bottle and packed lunch on the floor.
- Personalised equipment packs will already be on their desks.
- Registration will be taken and then the teaching day will begin.
- Toilet breaks will be allocated.
- Packed lunches will be eaten at desks in the bubble spaces.
- At the end of the teaching day, the children will be escorted to the Pupil Gate. They will be handed over to the waiting family member and they should then leave for home straight away, following the arrow.
- There will be some limited floor markings and posters displayed but we expect that the school site will not be a place to stay and socialise.
Lunches:
All lunches will be packed lunches. These will continue to be free to children in Reception, Years 1 and 2 and those entitled to free school meals. If you would like to pay for a lunch, this can be done online in the usual way. Packed lunches brought from home must not contain any fizzy drinks and all packaging must be self-contained. We will not dispose of anything in school – it should be taken home for safe disposal.
Behaviour:
Our expectations for behaviour remain very high but, in light of this current situation, our policy has been amended and must now include some very strict consequences. Any child who cannot meet these expectations may struggle in school, and we would urge you to speak with senior staff in advance of any decision.
Classes from other Year Groups
There is an aspiration that other children can return to school before the summer break. We will await further information from the Government before sharing any details about this.
Home Learning Support
The current home learning support will continue, but in a more limited capacity. We hope to provide all we can, but our staff are now stretched even further, and we cannot promise a similar level of input.
Anyone with Covid-19 symptoms or a positive test
If, at any point, a child or adult has any symptom of Covid-19, they will be sent straight home, following the guidance for schools. It is vital that school has up-to-date contact information and, if you are contacted, you must come straight away. If a member of a bubble is tested positive for Covid-19, the whole bubble will have to remain at home and self-isolate for 14 days. Any Covid-19 symptoms that the children are exposed to outside of school should be communicated to senior staff straight away. At all times we expect all families to know and follow the Government’s expectations for dealing with this health crisis.
All aspects of this plan are open to continual review and modification so that everyone remains safe.
-
Home Learning Support
Mon 30 Mar 2020For all information about supporting the children whilst school is closed, please visit the Class Pages and Kids' Zone section under the Children menu. Other aspects of our site will become "live" when we are ready. -
Key Workers
Fri 20 Mar 2020This morning the Government supplied schools with a list of those occupations and community roles that would be deemed as Key/Critical Workers. Click here for the detail.
If you believe that you meet the criteria and you are unable to make arrangements to look after your children safely, we are hoping to provide childcare for you from Monday 23rd March 2020. This is not yet guaranteed as we need to check our capacity based on demand. Therefore, please complete this form with you details and we will aim to respond as soon as possible with whatever support we can offer.
With deep sadness, as of 3:25pm on Friday 20th March 2020, St Bart's building is closed as a school for all pupils as we move to an online home learning model - something which we will be developing over coming weeks.
Thank you for all of your patience, support and prayers. We are praying for you all.
See you soon!
-
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information - Update
Tue 17 Mar 2020As you will know, the Government introduced much tighter measures on Monday afternoon which will affect a lot of our lives. Schools, as an essential service, remain open and St. Bart's will continue to do this for as long as is necessary and practicable. We continue to monitor the developing situation and take all official advice for the safety and welfare of our children and staff.
To help minimise unnecessary contact, we have limited all but essential visitors to our school. This means that any clubs that are not run by our own staff have been cancelled for the moment. This includes judo, football, basketball, Son Seekers and peripatetic music lessons. Curriculum activities continue, including swimming, as these have been thoroughly assessed in light of the latest advice. Other visits out of school that involve public transport and spaces are being risk assessed once again and will potentially need postponing. The Year 5 visit to Kielder has been postponed. Please bear with us whilst we deal with the implications of these measures.
The advice as it stands is:
- all children should stay at home if they are unwell with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature to avoid spreading infection to others. Otherwise they should attend school as normal.
- if children become unwell in school with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature they will be sent home.
- we clean and disinfect regularly touched objects and surfaces more often than usual
- children are supervised to ensure they wash their hands for 20 seconds more often than usual with soap and water or hand sanitiser and catch coughs and sneezes in tissues
- once symptoms have been noticed, the whole household now should stay away from school for at least 14 days . See this guidance.
If school must close, we have plans in place to share resources with families, mainly via our website. More details of this will only be shared during partial or full closure of our school. I understand that any families who are away from school whilst we remain open may need support. Please contact us on our new, dedicated email address for these purposes: homelearning@stbartscofeschool.org.uk. These messages will be monitored by senior leaders who will then respond appropriately. Currently, teachers do not have the capacity to send individual work home but we will begin pointing classes towards helpful resources soon.
Thank you for your understanding and support.
-
The Week Ahead - w/b 16th March 2020
Fri 13 Mar 2020Clubs and activities for the week ahead Monday Y6 Booster Class 8:00am
Choir KS2 Lunchtime
Y6 Booster Class 3:30-4:30
Tuesday
Y6 Booster Class 8:00am
Son Seekers KS2 Lunchtime
Judo KS2 3:30 - 4:30
Wednesday
Y6 Booster Class 8:00am
Dodgeball Y3 Lunchtime
Thursday
Y6 Booster Class 8:00am
Computing Club Y6 Lunchtime
Basketball Y3 3:30-4:30
Y5 Maths Booster Class 3:30 - 4:30
Y6 Booster Class 3:30-4:30
Friday
Y6 Booster Class 8:00am
Sewing Club Y5 Lunchtime
Coding Club Yrs 4,5&6 3:30-4:30
-
The Week Ahead - w/b 9th March 2020
Fri 06 Mar 2020Clubs and activities for the week ahead Monday Y6 Booster Class 8:00am
Choir KS2 Lunchtime
Y6 Booster Class 3:30-4:30
Tuesday
Y6 Booster Class 8:00am
Son Seekers KS2 Lunchtime
Judo KS2 3:30 - 4:30
Wednesday
Y6 Booster Class 8:00am
Dodgeball Y3 Lunchtime
Thursday
Y6 Booster Class 8:00am
Computing Club Y6 Lunchtime
Basketball Y3 3:30-4:30
Y5 Maths Booster Class 3:30 - 4:30
Y6 Booster Class 3:30-4:30
Friday
Y6 Booster Class 8:00am
Sewing Club Y5 Lunchtime
Coding Club Yrs 4,5&6 3:30-4:30
