Dear Parents

We look forward to welcoming pupils back on Monday 7^th September.

Based on more recent information, we have made some changes to our COVID risk assessment which we believe will make the school as safe as possible, but make the learning experience for our pupils as normal as possible. The current assessment is based on a low risk of infection, which currently exists in the Croydon area, but may change if infection numbers increase.

The full risk assessment and strategies in place can be found here, but some key areas we are addressing are as follows:

1. Hygiene

• Frequent handwashing and sanitisation
• Deep cleaning of school on a daily basis
• Fortnightly treating all hard surfaces with a long term anti viral sanitiser that remains active for up to 28 days.
• WeDuc electronic communication to replace Home School contact books.
• Children will be expected to wear school uniform which should be regularly cleaned.

 

2. Social Distancing

Whilst maintaining social distancing with our children is not practically achievable, we are making some changes to reduce prolonged contact between different groups of children:

• Staff to staff contact minimised by use of additional staff areas.
• Distancing in place (where possible) between staff.
• Assemblies streamed virtually to classes hosted in a different class each time.

 

3. Protecting the School Bubble

• All visitors to the school to be checked and vetted on entry, providing contact details for Track and Trace.
• All visiting professionals required to provide risk assessment of their activity and have necessary controls in place.
• Parents bringing children in to school maintaining social distancing and children collected outside from the access path towards the bottom of Reedham Drive.

 

4. Rapid response to possible outbreaks.

• If a child or adult displays symptoms of Covid-19 they must be kept at home for 10 days unless a negative test result is obtained.
• If they display symptoms in school they will be isolated by staff using PPE and must be collected immediately and tested, or isolate for 10 days.
• If a positive result is obtained, the school must be informed so that Track and Trace procedures can be implemented.

We are not using face masks routinely, but they will be used when dealing with any symptomatic individual, and may be used by staff outside the classroom where social distancing cannot be maintained. We have based this assessment on the fact that it is very important for our children to see facial expressions and feel that they are in a normal learning environment.

As we are now using WeDuc as our principle means of communication with parents, and please ensure you have downloaded the app and set it up using the email sent by the office.

Kind Regards

Nick Dry

Headteacher

Our fantastic new soft play room has been installed and we’re very pleased with it.  Unfortunately, due to current guidance we will not be able to open it to children until September 2020 but we’re sure they are going to love it!  It has a chill-out den for children who need it, 2 slides, lots of places to climb, squeeze through, hang on, and peek through.  It will offer a great additional learning space where the younger children especially will be able to learn through play in a fun and motivating way.

Thanks to Soft Play Solutions who came all the way from Bristol to complete this for us under difficult circumstances and who have done a great job!

 

 

 

 

Click the link below to read Mr Dry’s latest update:

Parent letter July 2020

Please see our most recent newsletter here

11^th June 2020

Dear Parents

We are so far very pleased with the way children have come back to school, following the arrangements outlined in previous emails. We look forward to inviting more pupils back on 22^nd June.

We anticipate that most re-joining children will be able to go back in their usual class. However some pupils may need to join other classes to keep the numbers below 8 pupils per class. We will not know this until we know the numbers of pupils returning.

If your child has not yet returned and you would like them to have 2 days a week from 22^nd June, please respond to the text being sent out today. Please do this even if you have already discussed it with you class teacher, and  reply by midday Friday 12^th June.

Kind Regards

Nick Dry

Headteacher

Gaynor and Graham are running an online Parent Support Clinic this month, along with the Educational Psychologists Katie and Kate. Please see the poster below for more information.

Dear Parents

We look forward to welcoming rotas of pupils back to school starting this Thursday. If your child is returning you should know which days are being offered from the previous post.

If you requested that your child return to school and they receive transport, this has been arranged for the days their class is in. Transport have tried to ensure that children are in their class bubbles whilst on the bus; we are very grateful for this as it helps ensure the risks are kept as low as possible. Transport are making contact with parents; if you need to contact them because of any problems please email them at passenger.transport@croydon.sch.uk.

Parents who are bringing children to school themselves will need to bring them through the new pedestrian entrance, which is just up from the flats at the bottom of Reedham Drive. The gate will be open from 8:40am, if you arrive early you will need to wait on the path on the opposite side of the road.  Do not bring your child to the vehicle entrance as there will be a significant amount of vehicle movement. Once the gate is open please walk up and wait at 2m distances on the marked lines on the path ; your child will then be collected by staff.

Children should not bring any personal items apart from packed lunch boxes. This includes book bags, toys or home school contact book. Contact will be made using phone, text or email. Please ensure your child has clean clothes on each day they come in.

We will be using newly installed hand sanitiser dispensers at the entrances to the building and staff will supervise children to use this before they enter the school.

If a child is sick whilst in school, we will isolate them and require someone to collect them as soon as we have phoned. They will also need to be tested if they are showing symptoms of Covid-19, and we need to know the results of this test as soon as you recieve it. In the event of a positive test from anyone in school there is likely to be further temporary closure of the school based on advice from the Local Authority. There should also be track and trace measures in place, so you should also be contacted about recent contacts within your family.

If you change your mind about returning to school, please let us know. We are looking to increase numbers from 22nd June if conditions allow, so will include any additional children from this date only, but you must let us know beforehand if you want your child to start back.

Similarly, if you do not want your child to return, please let us and transport know. As mentioned before, there are no attendance penalties in place at the current time.

Please check this web site for updates. Unfortunately there was a problem with some internet providers blocking our previous emails, so any information will now be posted here and a text sent.

This is a short summary of the measures we need you to take to keep all members of the school community as safe as possible – you can read the full risk under the previous post.

Thanks you for your patience and support, we hope this will be the start of a return to normality.

Kind Regards

Nick Dry

Headteacher

Click here to read the latest update about the return to school: Return to school letter for parents FINAL

Click here to find the school’s Coronavirus risk assessment: School Policies

Click here to find the children’s social story about the new school building: 

The staff have sent a video message to our pupils! Watch it on our home learning page (scroll down to videos if you are viewing this on a smartphone)

 

Oak National Academy are providing online video lessons specifically catered to children with SEN and parents supporting children with SEN. We have had a look and they seem very well suited to lots of our pupils and there’s activities to support with maths, literacy, communication, speech and language, creativity and life skills.

Click here to take a look.