Whilst we hope and pray that all will be well, we must also plan for what would happen if one of our school community became ill with Covid-19.  We have such plans in place, so here is what you need to know and should expect.

School should be informed as soon as possible of any positive test result, either directly from the family or via Public Health.  Please ring the school office straight away if you receive a positive test result.  School will then carry out a risk assessment to ascertain who has been in close, recent contact with the ill person and, in consultation with Public Health, decide on next steps.

It is likely that groups of staff and children would be asked to self-isolate immediately.  Parents and carers of those directly affected will be contacted and the children must be collected from school in our orderly, safe way.  It is only those who have come into close contact who should self-isolate, not their family members unless Covid symptoms become evident.

We must have your current phone number, and you must be able to answer it during the school day.  If necessary, your child may need to be collected from school straight away.  We know that this will not always be possible, but we must be able to contact you.

When groups or classes of children are self-isolating, school will continue to provide for their education.  We will not be asking you to take that responsibility in the way that you had to in the summer.  We aim to continue our own curriculum, with some daily input from our own staff team using the "Home Learning" sections of our Class Pages.

Here is the overview of the current plan:

• Each day, from Monday to Thursday, the teachers will set some English, Maths and other activities for the children to complete.  This will have an element of differentiation - where the children will be able to access the learning that is appropriate for them.
• There will be occasional video instruction from us, for anything that is new for the children.
• Any completed work can be uploaded or emailed to a *new class address.
• Twice each day, the teachers will check the email and uploads, offering clarification and further support.
• We will make phone calls during the week, especially if we have not heard from the children.
• There will be the opportunity to use Zoom as a class, at least once per week.
• Fridays will be spent giving personal feedback to the children.

The expectation is that, whilst away from school, both children and teachers will have the closest thing to classroom activities as possible, continuing to meet the needs of our children as best we can with remote learning.

We understand that some families may struggle with technology.  It may be possible to offer a limited paper alternative, guidance and risk assessment permitting.

This is the basic detail for everyone.  If a group of children need to learn from home, more specific information will be shared with them.

*Please do not try and use the new class email addresses or contact forms, as these will only be monitored when a class needs to be away from school for an extended period.