Dear Parents,
Thank you for your patience during this unprecedented time. We have been busy getting everything ready for September and within this letter it will show you what measures we have set out. We are very much looking forward to being able to offer childcare to a wider number of children and hopefully in a more normal environment.
Groups:
You may have heard the term ‘bubbles’ being used in the media regarding childcare settings. We have now had the go ahead to create a year group or setting bubble. This will mean that all children and staff will be classed as one big bubble. However, to ensure that not everyone is arriving at once we have had to adapt our time slots for arrivals and departures.
| Arrival time | Departure time |
All day slot 1 | 8:40 | 14:40 |
All day slot 2 | 8:50 | 14:50 |
Morning session | 8:40 | 11:40 |
Morning and Lunch session | 8:50 | 12:30 |
Lunch and Afternoon session | 11:40 | 14:40 |
Afternoon session | 12:30 | 14:50 |
We will be in contact to tell you which time slots your child will be in. It is extremely important that you keep to these timings.
Early Starts:
In line with the school, we are not offering an early start for the first two weeks. We are only offering an early start to the parents who need this due to starting work early. Please could you identify if you need an early start, so that we can put plans in place.
Important Site information:
- The school site will be closed to all cars (other than staff cars), bikes and scooters. We ask that you park nearby and walk into the school site.
- No adults (except staff) are allowed into the building.
- Pre-school children will not have access to after school provision.
Entrances:
In order to facilitate social distancing, the school have assigned entrances for each group. Our designated entrance and exit point is different from our usual entrance. When families drop off – you will see that an exclusion zone has been created around the doorways – we ask that no adult crosses this line. There are also social distancing queuing spots (or equivalent) where we think queues may build – please use these to protect everyone.
Our entrance and exit point is the Right hand side gate of the staff car park (near our pre-school garden). There will be a one-way system for you to access this gate. You will need to walk up the staff car park on the right-hand side (nearest the Infants school) and walk back down the left-hand side (nearest the Junior school).
Staff from each school will be positioned at the designated entrances to meet the children.
Once again, in line with Government guidance there must be only one adult/carer per family to drop off or pick up their child(ren).
Please see the attached map for an overview of the one-way system but rest assured there will be clear signs and members of staff will also be on site to direct you.
The one-way system will operate as follows – Blue = in and Yellow = Out:
At the end of the day children will be brought out to the relevant gates and handed over to you. Please ensure that once you have collected your child you move away from the pick-up point to allow other parents to collect their children and we respectfully ask that you do not linger inside the school grounds or around the school gates.
Please ensure that you arrive at the correct times in order to avoid unnecessary congestion as intended. We ask for your co-operation to follow this new procedure, as the one-way system is to limit contact between groups and so that we can maintain social distancing.
Things to bring each day:
- Please apply sun cream to your child BEFORE they come into pre-school.
- Clearly labelled lunch box (please only use a plastic one lunchbox as these are easily cleaned) – don’t forget to put an ice pack in your child’s lunchbox to keep things cool, we do not have access to a large refrigerator and lunchboxes are placed on a trolley on our patio.
- Clearly labelled drinks bottle
- Own sunhat
- Coat or jacket
Things to bring in at the start to be left at pre-school:
- 1 change of clothes in a clearly labelled plastic bag (no fabric bags allowed) please include: jumper, t-shirt, trousers/shorts, pants, socks and a pair of shoes
- 1 pack nappies and wipes (if your child is still using them)
We ask that your child be able to carry their own stuff into the pre-school and place them into an induvial storage box which will be located on the patio.
On arrival:
Please be aware that we will not be able to talk in detail to you at the drop off points, if you need to pass on any information then either phone us (after 9am), send a text or an email.
Please note: If your child is extremely distressed and not willing to walk into the pre-school room with us then you will be asked to take them home again, due to social distancing guidelines we will not be able to take them off of you and carry them in.
When your child comes into the pre-school room, they will be encouraged to put their own belongs into an individual storage box and to wash their hands.
Taking temperatures:
We will be continuing to take every child and staff’s temperature (forehead reading) when they arrive at pre-school, and throughout the day. We will be taking the first temperature of the day, when the children have been received onto our patio from the gate.
Please note: If your child has a temperature you will be asked to take them home and follow the Government advice.
If someone has a temperature:
We will be regularly checking the children’s and staff’s temperature and monitoring them for any symptoms relating to Covid-19. If your child does develop any symptoms then we will follow the procedures in place to safeguard everyone.
Children: Parents will be contacted for immediate pick up and the pupil will be sent to the isolation room with a supervising member of staff using additional PPE equipment as advised by the Government.
Staff: Will be expected to leave pre-school immediately and apply for the key worker testing immediately. If positive, they must self-isolate.
What are the arrangements for lunchtime?
Due to there being more children on site within the Infants school, we have made the decision to only allow lunchboxes until further notice, no hot dinners from school will be allowed.
Please ensure that your child’s lunchbox is clearly named and where possible be a plastic lunchbox (not a fabric one). Please ensure that your child has their own water bottle which is clearly labelled.
General lunchtime practice:
- In order to reduce the number of children sat around one table, more tables will be used and the children will be spaced out according to guidelines.
- All surfaces will be wiped down with antibacterial wipes before and after lunch.
- Children will wash their hands before and after eating.
- Children will need to be able to open their own lunchboxes and packets where possible.
- All plates, cups and cutlery will be washed thoroughly after each use, put to soak in Milton for a minimum of 15 minutes and then air dried.
Toys:
Please do not allow your child to bring in any toys or comforters from home.
Departure:
Please follow the same procedure as when you dropped your child to pre-school. When you arrive at the gate a staff member will be there, they will radio to the staff members within the room which parent is there and they will send out your child and their belongings.
Accidents and medication book:
If your child has an accident and hurts themselves at pre-school, or needs their medication we will fill out the accident/medicine book as normal, however we will send home a slip with details of what happened/when medicine was administered and sign the book on your behalf.
Risk assessments and policies:
We have to follow government guidelines and have created a risk assessment to help us deal with this situation, the risk assessment is regularly reviewed and updated when necessary.
We are still following our pre-school policies and will adapt any if needed to help with the current situation.
What measures do you have in place for handwashing/sanitising?
Hand washing remains the most effective deterrent in this crisis and staff will continue to ensure good hand washing routines for all children as follows:
- On arrival at pre-school
- When visibly dirty
- After using the toilet
- After coughing or sneezing into a hand, elbow or tissue
- When coming in from the garden
- Before food (snack & lunch)
- After lunch
- Other times as deemed necessary by the adults
We have also purchased antibacterial products, such as alcohol-based hand gel. These products will be used by adults and children throughout the day (adult supervision at all times).
What additional cleaning measures are in place?
We Milton or Dettol spray the toys and equipment throughout the day, and will be continuing this in September. We will conduct a ‘deeper’ clean at the end of each day, where we will be wiping down doors, taps, cupboards etc. The cleaners will be in each day to carry out their cleaning process. The chemicals that they are using both clean and sanitise the school environment.
Our staff will be regularly cleaning the children’s toilets throughout the day, and bins will be emptied twice a day: once in the middle of the day and once again at the end of the day.
What are the rules on clothing?
Children and staff must come into pre-school wearing clean clothes each day, this is to minimise the risk of cross-contamination between home and school.
What if my child is exhibiting symptoms?
If your child is showing any symptoms below your family must self-isolate as per the government advice for 14 days and obtain a test for the coronavirus.
- A new, continuous cough
- A high temperature above 37.7 degrees
- A loss or change to sense of smell or taste
Before your child is allowed back into pre-school you will need to contact us to discuss readmittance.
What if a child or staff member develops symptoms during the day?
Children: Parents will be contacted for immediate pick up and the pupil will be sent to the isolation area (the pergola in the pre-school garden) with a supervising member of staff using additional PPE equipment as advised by the Government.
Staff: Will be expected to leave pre-school immediately and apply a coronavirus test immediately. If positive, they must self-isolate.
Parents will be informed that a suspected case has been identified within the setting, and will be kept informed if the test comes back positive. If a test is positive then the pre-school will then activate the ‘coronavirus procedure’.
What happens if there is a confirmed case of coronavirus in the school or pre-school?
Where a child, young person or staff member tests positive within our setting, the rest of our group will be sent home and advised to self-isolate. The other household members of that wider class or group do not need to self-isolate unless the child, young person or staff member they live with in that group subsequently develops symptoms.
As part of the national test and trace programme, if other cases are detected within the cohort or in the wider setting, Public Health England’s local health protection teams will conduct a rapid investigation and will advise schools and other settings on the most appropriate action to take. In some cases, a larger number of other children, may be asked to self-isolate at home as a precautionary measure – perhaps the whole school or whole site (all 3 settings). Where settings are observing guidance on infection prevention and control, which will reduce risk of transmission, closure of the whole setting will not generally be necessary.
Will PPE be mandatory for staff and/or children?
The COVID 19: Implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings states that:
Wearing a face covering or face mask in schools or other education settings is not recommended.
The majority of staff in education settings will not require PPE beyond what they would normally need for their work, even if they are not always able to maintain a distance of 2 metres from others. PPE is only needed in a very small number of cases.
Parents are asked NOT to provide their child with a face mask as the correct viral control management of these is too complex to operate in a school.
What Social Distancing / Cross Contamination Measures are in place?
- Movement around the school is restricted and pre-school are only allowed to use; the pre-school room, patio and their own garden.
- The pre-school bubble will not be able to mix with other bubbles from the school environment.
- Pre-school will have its own entrance and exit.
- Children and staff will follow strict hand washing regime (as stated above).
- Staff will follow strict cleaning and sanitising procedures.
How will you implement social distancing and restrict interaction between children?
The government accepts that it is almost impossible to maintain social distancing in an Early Years environment, and the children are unlikely to understand social distancing, therefore it is unreasonable to expect them to follow the new rules. However, staff will make every endeavour to adapt their practice accordingly, e.g. limiting the number of chairs at an activity, splitting the children into smaller groups and spreading out within our permitted areas.
Will parents and visitors be allowed on site?
Visitors on site will be strictly limited to those deemed essential, including but not limited to, our maintenance contractors who will need to continue to ensure that the site is safe and well maintained. Any essential visitors will need to self-declare of being asymptomatic, have their temperature checked and use antibacterial hand gel before gaining entry to the school. Parents cannot be allowed to enter the preschool or school building at any time and must observing social distancing protocols at all times.
Can you still administer medication to my child?
- If your child is feeling unwell during this period they MUST NOT BE IN SCHOOL.
- However, for all other routine conditions where medication is required, please bring the medication and our medicine book must be filled out.
Helping your child to prepare:
- Please share the photos within your settling in pack with your child and talk about the pre-school, the staff and their key person (New starters)
- Different entrance into pre-school (Returning children).
- Staying 2 meters apart to stop the germs whilst in the car park.
- Continue to teach them how to wash their hands and encourage this after sneezing, coughing, before and after food etc.
- Catching a sneeze or a cough (preferably in the elbow).
- Ask them to tell an adult if they are not feeling well.
- Talk to the about the virus, there are a few social stories online which can help with this.
Stories - https://www.elsa-support.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Coronavirus-Story-in-English.pdf
We are really looking forward to meeting all our new children and welcoming back our existing children. Please note that the government guidelines and advice could change, which could mean that we need to amend our procedures, if this does happen, we will send you updates via email.
With very best wishes,
Jill and the pre-school team.