Booker Avenue
Junior School
Best Always
Coronavirus Information and Updates
COVID-19 Risk Assessment
The risk assessment above was reviewed and agreed by the School's Full Governing Body 14.9.20
Information for Parents: What To Do If Your Child Has COVID-19 Symptoms
Dear Parent or Carer,
As we start our new school year, you will notice there are many changes in how we are operating as a school. We are following government guidance and putting several controls in place to minimise the risk of transmission of Covid-19. You can see a full copy of our Covid-19 risk assessment at the top of this page. We will regularly review our risk assessment as guidance from the government is updated.
Whilst the government have indicated that the prevalence of coronavirus (COVID-19) has decreased and the NHS Test and Trace system is up and running, it is important that our whole school community work together to protect each other.
We have organised our school to keep children in clear and consistent ‘bubbles’; each class constitutes a bubble. This will help us as a school to limit the number of contacts children have with different people whilst still delivering an effective curriculum. We have considered the age of our children and their curriculum needs as well as the logistics of our school site in order to determine the size of our ‘bubbles’. Every school will have had to do this, and each school will determine the best way to do this for their school community.
At Booker Juniors, classes will have slightly different start and end times for the school day. Please refer to the information at the end of this letter for details.
There is also some information about what your child will need to bring with them.
Since the lockdown started in March, each of us will have had different experiences and we ask that everyone in our school community is respectful of each other and their individual feelings. If you are dropping off or picking your child up from school, we ask that you respect other people and comply with social distancing guidance. We ask, if it is possible, that you walk your child to school to reduce congestion at the school gate.
How to stop COVID-19 spreading
There are things you and your children can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID-19
- wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
- use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
- wash your hands as soon as you get home
- cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
- put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards
Symptoms of COVID 19
The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:
- new continuous cough and/or
- high temperature and/or
- a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)
For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.
It is important that outside of school we all follow the government guidance around Covid-19, particularly the Stay at Home guidance below and do not bring your child into school.
If you do keep your child off school due to Covid-19 symptoms, please ensure that you let us know this when you register your child’s absence.
If your child presents Covid-19 symptoms in school we will take your child to a safe area and contact you immediately to pick them up. Please make sure that your emergency contact details are up to date and correct.
If your child does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from NHS 111 at
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
It is vitally important that anyone who presents with Covid-19 symptoms get tested as soon as possible.
If someone from within school is confirmed with Covid-19, we will get in touch with the parents and carers of any children who have been in close contact with this person. This is likely to be children from their class or ‘bubble’ or if they have been in close contact through other groups such as after school or breakfast club. These children will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days. Other members of the household do not need to self-isolate, unless your child also develops symptoms. Full details and instructions will be provided at the time. We will also send information to our wider school community as a reminder to our families of what actions you can take to reduce the spread of the virus.
I would like to close by reminding all of us that we have a role to play to ensure that our children and school community remain safe.
Thank you for your continued support and patience.
Yours Sincerely,
Mr R Thompson
Headteacher
Arrangements for the start of term from Wednesday 2nd September
- As mentioned above, we are going to be operating staggered start and finish times for the classes. There are also separate places for classes to line up and enter school. Parents must adhere to these times to ensure that we do not have too many people arriving on the school site at any one time. Please refer to the document below for the times of arrival and departure for your child's class.
- We also ask that parents do not congregate on the school grounds. Please drop your child off at the appropriate point indicated below and then leave the grounds as soon as possible via the indicated one-way system maintaining social distance.
- Children will need to attend wearing school uniform. On the days when they have PE lessons, they should attend wearing their PE kit.
- For the first part of term at least, we are asking that your child brings a packed lunch. If they are entitled to free school meals, a lunch will be provided for them.
- As from Tuesday 15th September, face coverings are essential for parents when dropping off or picking up their child.
Frequently asked Questions:
What will my child need to bring to school?
We are asking that children bring as little as possible. On day one, they will need:
- A packed lunch. All lunch boxes, containers etc will need to come home each day and be thoroughly washed. Children who are entitled to a free school meal, will be provided with one.
- A snack for mid morning if so desired. No sugary snacks please.
- A water bottle. This will also need to come home to be washed.
- A coat if the weather requires it.
Nothing else will be needed so children should not bring a bag. We will not be using cloakrooms to avoid contact between bubbles. Therefore your child will keep their belongings at their desk.
My child has school library books at home, should they bring those in on Wednesday?
No. We will be organising times for items such as these to be brought in and will let you know. This is because we will need to "quarantine" the books etc.
Will music tuition be taking place?
The initial answer is no. There is currently evolving guidance around this. Additionally, we have no spare space in school due to refurbishment work being carried out. We will be trying to organise ways for you to engage with the music tutors and will provide further information when we have it.
Will extra curricular clubs be taking place?
At first, no. We will be focussing on maintaining the class bubbles for the first part of term. When we are able to provide clubs, we will.
What will my child be learning?
The first couple of days will be about helping your child to adapt to their new classroom / school environment, the new rules and routines, ensuring they understand the importance of hygiene / hand washing and getting to know their new teacher. We will also carry out some PSHE / social and emotional work to help them feel safe and secure and deal with any issues that may have arisen over the last few months.
We will then be concentrating on assessing and addressing the gaps in knowledge and understanding that may be there as result of lockdown. There may be a strong focus for a while on English and Maths skills but will be delivering as wide a curriculum as possible over the course of the year.