COVID-19 Information

We are proud to be open, following government guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic, and are delighted to welcome back all our pupils. During lockdown, with the wider opening, we opened for all year groups (not just key workers, vulnerable children, Foundation Stage, Year 1 and Year 6). In the Summer Term 2020, 85% of the whole school was in attendance.

Extremists Exploiting COVID-19

 

Extremists are using COVID-19 to promote disinformation, misinformation and conspiracy theories. There are three main radicalisation risks for young people during this pandemic:

 

Exposed to Misleading and Hateful Content

Young people may have been exposed to fake stories or conspiracy theories about COVID-19, which attribute blame to minority groups.

 

Engaged with Extremist Individuals

Young people may have become exposed to, or engaged with, extremist organisations or individuals, especially online.

 

Increased Vulnerability to Radicalisation

COVID-19 may have increased vulnerability to radicalisation as children and young people may feel isolated, anxious, frustrated and angry. This could increase the resonance of intolerant messaging and the appeal of extremist groups or individuals offering explanations for the crisis.

Potential Lockdown Planning

 

In the event of any future lockdown, we would strongly encourage all eligible pupils to attend school. Primary schools are in the fourth tier of any plan which means they will be last to be closed, except for key workers and vulnerable children.

 

We are also looking at including more digital learning where possible. This would need to fit in to the school's capacity to teach classes in school as a priority and incorporating digital learning where possible.

 

In addition, we have applied and been approved for the DfE scheme to supply laptops to schools to support eligible families in the event of a local lockdown.

Key Worker Definition

 

Health and social Care

This includes, but is not limited to, doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers; the support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector; those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributors of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.

 

Education and Childcare

This includes childcare support and teaching staff, social workers, specialist education professionals who must remain active during the coronavirus (COVID-19) response to deliver this approach.

 

Key Public Services

This includes those essential to the running of the justice system, religious, staff charities and workers delivering key frontline services those responsible for the management of the deceased, journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting.

 

Local and National Government

This only includes those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the coronavirus (COVID-19) response or delivering essential public services, such as the payment of benefits, including in government agencies and arms-length bodies.

 

Food and Other Necessary Goods

This includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery

as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary medicines).

 

Public Safety and National Security

This includes police and support staff, Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces personnel (those critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to the response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak), fire and rescue service employees (including support staff).

 

National Crime Agency Staff

Those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas.

 

Transport

This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the coronavirus (COVID-19) response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.

 

Utilities, Communication and Financial Services

This includes staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure), the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage),information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the coronavirus

(COVID-19) response, key staff working in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but not limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services), postal services and delivery, payments providers, waste disposal sectors.

Tiers of Restrictions

 

Tier 1

The default position for areas in national government intervention is that education and childcare settings will remain open. An area moving into national intervention with restrictions short of education and childcare closure is described as ‘tier 1’. There are no changes to childcare, and the only difference in education settings is that where pupils in year 7 and above are educated, face coverings should be worn by adults and pupils when moving around the premises, outside of classrooms, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing cannot easily be maintained. All nurseries, childminders, schools, colleges and other educational establishments should remain open and continue to allow all their children and young people to attend, on site, with no other restrictions in place.

 

Tier 2

Early years settings, primary schools and alternative provision (AP) providers, special schools and other specialist settings will continue to allow all children/pupils to attend on site. Secondary schools move to a rota model, combining on-site provision with remote education. They continue to allow full-time attendance on site to vulnerable children and young people and the children of critical workers. All other pupils should not attend on site except for their rota time. Further education (FE) providers should adopt similar principles with discretion to decide on a model that limits numbers on site but works for each individual setting. In all areas of national government intervention, education settings where pupils in year 7 and above are educated, face coverings should be worn by adults and pupils when moving around the premises, outside of classrooms, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing cannot easily be maintained.

 

Tier 3

Childcare, nurseries, primary schools, AP, special schools and other specialist settings will continue to allow all children/pupils to attend on site. Secondary schools, FE colleges and other educational establishments would allow full-time on-site provision only to vulnerable children, the children of critical workers and selected year groups (to be identified by Department for Education). Other pupils should not attend on site. Remote education to be provided for all other pupils. In all areas of national government intervention, education settings where pupils in year 7 and above are educated, face coverings should be worn by adults and pupils when moving around the premises, outside of classrooms, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing cannot easily be maintained.

 

Tier 4

All nurseries, childminders, mainstream schools, colleges and other educational establishments allow full-time attendance on site only to our priority groups: vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. All other pupils should not attend on site. AP, special schools and other specialist settings will allow for full-time on-site attendance of all pupils. Remote education to be provided for all other pupils. In all areas of national government intervention, education settings where pupils in year 7 and above are educated, face coverings should be worn by adults and pupils when moving around the premises, outside of classrooms, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing cannot easily be maintained.