Coronavirus

18TH SEPTEMBER - UPDATED TO REFLECT LOCAL LOCKDOWN RESTRICTIONS: As of one minute past minute midnight on the 18th September, Northumberland entered into local lockdown restrictions. This means that households in Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Gateshead, Sunderland and County Durham should not socialise with other people outside of their household or support bubble.

• Do I need to wear a mask on school grounds? - UPDATE: 18th September - Everyone over the age of eleven must wear a mask when on school premises as a precautionary measure to aid social distancing. Parents will, also need to wear a mask when visiting the main offices at each site. Please be patient with our office staff as the number of adults allowed in the office has been reduced to enable social distancing. 
• I travel to school on public transport, is this okay? - Pupils and staff are encouraged to drive, walk or cycle to school or be dropped off by a member of their household. If you travel to school using public transport, please let us know as we may be able to help with access to breakfast or after school clubs to help avoid congested times. UPDATE: 18th September - During the period of local lockdown, two households must not travel to school in the same car.

• Has the ALP implemented staggered start and finish times? - All start, finish, break and lunch times have been staggered to maintain bubbles and reduce staff/adult mixing. Details of start and finish times have been shared with all parents. Please contact the school office if you have any queries regarding start or finish times.  
• How will I know how to navigate the site? - One-way systems are in place and clearly signposted. Please ensure that you stick to them and maintain social distancing when accessing and leaving the site. Staff will be on hand to ensure that all parents are confident about drop off and pick up logistics. 
• Can I speak to my child’s class teacher at drop off and pick up times? - We appreciate that many of you may wish to speak to your child’s class teacher, unfortunately to maintain the integrity of bubbles, this will not be possible at drop off or pick up times. The easiest way to contact school is to email using the contact us link on the school website. Please state your name and your child’s class so that your email can be directed to the correct person. Where possible we will contact you by phone. If you are invited to school for a meeting you will need to wear a mask. Meetings will be strictly by appointment only as designated areas for meetings are allocated with strict cleaning protocols.  
• How will classrooms be organised? - Children will stay with their class teacher and designated support team. Windows and doors will be opened to ventilate rooms. Air conditioning units will not be used. Pupils in Year 1-6 will sit in rows of two facing the front. Pupils will work at their designated desk. Pupils in EYFS will sit in rows during carpet time. Bags and coats will be stored on the back of children’s chairs rather than in shared porches. 
• Does my child need to bring any stationery to school? - All pupils from Y1-Y6 will be provided with their own stationery to use. Your child does not need to bring any stationery to school but will need to bring a clearly labelled water bottle. 
• Will my child still bring a reading book home? - Pupils will continue to change their reading book(s). All returned books will be kept within a zipped wallet for a minimum of 48 hrs before being cleaned and returned to the main storage. 
• Can my child bring their own favoured hand sanitiser? - Yes, but they will be responsible for its safety and use in school and must not share it or allow it to be handled by others. The school has sufficient sanitiser.
• How will social distancing be maintained? - Staff will use the repeated mantra - ‘Be Smart. Stand Apart’ with pupils. Social distancing markers are posted in corridors to remind pupils. Pupils will be supervised when making any transition within the site to ensure social distancing is maintained.  Pupils will be taught what social distancing means and why it is important. 
• Will my child still be able to access Thrive? - We have appointed additional Thrive practitioners to support pupils who may be anxious about returning to school or who benefit from a Thrive plan, this way we can still deliver Thrive provision while minimising wider contact.
• What hygiene measures are in place?
• Staff will teach children about social distancing / personal hygiene etc on their first day back.
• Pupils will clean their hands regularly, including when they arrive at school, return from breaks, change rooms, before and after eating, after sneezing etc.  Pupils will wash their hands thoroughly for 20 seconds with soap and water and/or use sanitiser. 
• Ensuring good respiratory hygiene will be promoted through the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach or catch in the crease of your arm. Disposable tissues are provided in classrooms.  
• Children will be taught that we care about each other and therefore we are keeping a social distance ‘Be smart - stand apart’. Children will be taught what this means and why it is important in an age appropriate way.
• Class readers are planned to share lockdown experiences, make sense of our new world and share thoughts and feelings. 
• Children will have Thrive class time with activities planned to help them understand the current situation and how to manage/seek support for any anxieties they may have. 
• What sanctions are in place for pupils who do not adhere to social distancing? - Some changes have been made to the ALP’s behaviour policy to reflect COVID-19.  Deliberately coughing on another pupil or using COVID-19 as a means of name-calling will not be tolerated and carry a red or greater sanction. Pupils will be expected to respect social distancing protocols: significant time will be invested in ensuring that all children understand these expectations. Children with additional needs will have a bespoke plan to support their understanding in a stage appropriate way. 
• Will assemblies still take place? - As we are not able to have whole school assemblies, we will be launching our own ALP radio station. This way we can still celebrate our weekly achievements, hand out certificates in class and enjoy the success of our school community. Our theme this half term is 80s feel good pop. As children are currently not allowed to sing in school, pupils in EYFS will share how the music makes them feel and perhaps learn some new dance moves while pupils in Y1-Y6 will have a music journal to record their thoughts, feelings and favourite lyrics. 
• Where will pupils have their lunch? - All children will remain in their class bubble for their lunch. Children will have lunch in their classrooms, delivered to their classroom. A designated mid-day supervisor or a member of support staff (who already works with them) will stay with the class. 
• How will yards be organised during break and lunchtimes? - Year groups will access the yard; however, the yard will be split into designated class bubbles. The integrity of bubbles will be maintained with one-way systems in place to access toilets and return to the yard. Staff are designated to key spots on the yard to supervise. Play equipment is allocated for each class bubble and will be cleaned at the end of each session. 
• How will toilets operate? - Designated toilets are in place. Children will be shown which toilet and basin to use. Designated support staff attached to bubbles will escort children to the toilet during lesson times (if needed) while they learn new habits. Toilets are supervised by staff throughout break and lunchtime. 
• Will staff be wearing personal protective equipment? - All staff have been issued with a visor to wear, if appropriate, when working with pupils.  Gloves, tissues, hand sanitiser and wipes are available in all classrooms. Each classroom and entrance door has been fitted with a hand sanitiser station. Full PPE will be worn by staff for first aid/intimate care/symptomatic pupils.
• Will my child be able to wear a face mask in school? - In line with government guidance for primary schools, pupils and staff will be asked to remove face coverings when they arrive at school. A plastic bag will be provided for pupils to store their masks 
• How will cleaning arrangements work? - Additional cleaners have been appointed with full-time cleaning support at all sites throughout the school day. All resources which are difficult to clean such as soft furnishings have been removed from classrooms. A red/green signage system ensures that staff are aware of when rooms have been deep cleaned and are able to signpost additional resources to be cleaned. In addition, all classrooms will be cleaned at the end of each day. All PE specialist equipment and play equipment will be cleaned in between uses. 
• How will fire evacuations work with social distancing? - We will practice a socially distanced fire evacuation with each individual class and ensure that all children hear the sound of the fire bell within their first week back. We will only undertake a full evacuation in the case of a fire. 
• Does my child need to wear full school uniform? - Pupils are required to wear their full uniform; however, we understand that there have been some issues with Emblematic sourcing uniform, please let us know via email if this is an issue for your child. 
• Uniform reminder: Children will bring their trainers in to school each day for class PE. They do not need to bring their PE kit. All children will be provided with their own individual set of equipment (pencils, rubber, pens, etc.), which they will not share with others. Please provide a clearly named water bottle.
• Do I need to wash my child’s clothes every day? - Staff and parents are advised to wash the clothes worn at the end of every day where possible. Wash items in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Use the warmest water setting and dry items completely. Dirty laundry that has been in contact with an unwell person can be washed with other people’s items. Do not shake dirty laundry, this minimises the possibility of dispersing virus through the air.
• Will I be fined for keeping my child off school? - School attendance is compulsory. The ALP will work with parents during these challenging times to support a return to school for all pupils. Fines will continue to be actioned for holidays taken during term time, in line with current procedures. 
• Will ALP support with remote learning if my child is absent from school? - ALP will support remote learning in the following circumstances: 
• Full or partial lockdown of school.
• A child having to self-isolate for a short period of time due to potential COVID symptoms.
• A child having exceptional medical needs where lead professionals consider them to be extremely clinically vulnerable and unable to attend school.
• Remote learning for all pupils through typical homework activities will continue, details of which will follow. 

Additional Information:

• Staff Meetings and Briefings - Typically we meet as a staff team each Monday morning for a weekly briefing and then again after school each Wednesday for a staff meeting. Staff meetings and briefings will still take place via virtual calls or in small year group team groups. 
• External visitors to school - Will be limited to essential visits only during the school day, with contractor activities taking place outside of normal pupil school hours. All visitors will be recorded using the NHS track and trace system, this includes noting any parents who visit the sites for meetings, etc. 
• External lettings - Normally we have a number of community groups who use our sites after hours, we have suspended all external use for the Autumn term to ensure that additional strains are not placed on cleaning regimes.