COVID-19 Information
Remote Learning Information
The documents below give key information for parents and carers, detailing our remote education and support offers for Nursery, Early Years, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 whilst children are learning at home due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Opening Decoy Community Primary School to All Children September 2021
We are excited to welcome all of the children back to school after the Summer holidays and cannot wait to see them and start working with them all again. We are also pleased to inform you that we have planned to return to many of the previous school routines and procedures (before the pandemic). However, we are aware that there are still certain guidelines that we must follow as a school and that we continue to have a responsibility to keep our school community safe. Therefore, we will still have to adhere to certain safety measures which are outlined in this document.
Devon and the neighbouring authorities Torbay, Plymouth, Cornwall have now been designated as an ‘enhanced response area’ by the government because COVID-19 case rates are so high. Public Health England continue to promote the following 5 key principles for educational settings.
Ensure good hygiene for everyone
· Hand hygiene - Frequent and thorough hand cleaning is now regular practice in school. We shall continue to ensure that pupils clean their hands regularly. This can be done with soap and water or hand sanitiser.
· Respiratory hygiene- The ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach continues to be very important.
Maintain appropriate cleaning regimes
We shall continue to put in place and maintain an appropriate cleaning schedule. This will include regular cleaning of areas and equipment with a particular focus on frequently touched surfaces.
Keep occupied spaces well ventilated
During the school day, we shall ensure areas are well ventilated and work hard to make sure that a comfortable teaching environment is maintained.
Follow public health advice on testing, self-isolation and managing confirmed cases of COVID-19
Further information below.
The school day…
Arriving at and Leaving School
We are still encouraging as many families as possible to arrive on foot so if possible, please can we ask that you walk to school or alternatively, park away from the school, possibly using Decoy Park Car Park; please contact the school office about free parking permits.
NB: At this stage, we still politely request that children do not bring scooters and/or bikes on site (this will be reviewed later in the year).
Start of the Day
As we are no longer required to have staggered starts, the Main School Gate on Deer Park Road will be open from 8:45am – 8:55am. The start of the school day has historically been a very busy time with regard to traffic congestion and the congregating of both children and adults in one place. To help try and alleviate this issue, we are giving a 15-minute window for children to arrive at school.
To minimise mixing and maximise distancing, upon arrival to the school site, children will be expected to go straight into their classrooms, ready for registration at 8:55am. This will mean that there is a little more flexibility for parents/carers with drop-off times and that parents/carers will not need to remain on the school site whilst waiting for the children to line up. For the time being, we are asking for parents/carers to drop their children off to their classrooms and then leave the school premises via the Staff Car Park Gate at the end of the playground (adults will be available to help any families who are unsure of where to go). Staff cars will be parked along one side of the car park allowing plenty of room for people to exit the school site through this route. Your support and understanding with this is greatly appreciated and will help to prevent large gatherings of people in one place.=
Parents/Carers of children in our Nursery, Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 are welcome to come through the gates with their child/ren and drop them to their entrance point to the school building.
Parents/Carers of our Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 children are also welcome to come onto the school site to drop their children off at their classrooms but we would like to encourage as many parents/carers as possible to say goodbye to their children at the Main Gate so that the children come onto the school site alone. Drop-offs such as these worked really well during the last year or so and particularly for those children feeling more anxious about school. As a result of this, we would like to continue this routine or at the very least, work towards this as the school term progresses.
Please remember that punctuality is crucial to allow an effective and smooth start to the school day for all children. Any children arriving after 9:00am will need to report to the school office as all other access to the school site will then be locked.
As previously stated, school staff will be on hand to guide any parents/carers who may be unsure of any drop-off arrangements, so please do ask if you need any help or have any questions.
End of the Day
The school day finishes at 3:30pm for all classes apart for our Nursery, Reception and Year 1 cohorts, who finish their day at 3:25pm. NB: Parents/Carers of children in our Reception classes will need to follow the timings/arrangements for their child’s first school week (as previously shared) as this will differ from this general information.
The Main Gate on Deer Park Road will be opened at 3:20pm for parents/carers to enter the school site. Children in our Nursery, Reception, Year 1, 2 and 3 classes will then be let out of classes by school staff once their parents/carers have arrived. School staff will ensure that children in these year groups will only be let out of class when their parents/carers have arrived and will also ensure that the children are passed onto these adults so that they are safe. Similar to the start of the day, please can all families ensure that once you have collected your child/ren, you exit the school site through the Staff Car Park Gate as soon as possible in order to avoid large numbers congregating unnecessarily in one place. Again, you support and understanding with regard to this request is greatly appreciated.
If your child is in Year 4, 5 or 6, please be aware that they will be let out from their class at the end of the school day to either walk home alone or to meet the adult(s) who is picking them up from school. It is important that all parents/carers of children in these year groups have discussed pick up arrangements with their children so that they know what they are doing at the end of the school day.
Attendance
Full-time education is compulsory for all children in the term after their fifth birthday. This is on 31st December, 31st March or 31st August following their fifth birthday - whichever comes first. If your child’s fifth birthday is on one of those dates, then they reach compulsory school age on that date. Attendance is compulsory unless children are unwell or there are other exceptional reasons for your child not to come to school. Please let the school office know if your child is going to be absent from the school as soon as possible by phoning 01626 353282 – Option 1.
BASC
Our Breakfast and After School Club is open during the Autumn Term. An online booking form has already been sent out.
Children can be dropped off for Breakfast Club from 7:55am onwards. I am also pleased to confirm that After School Club sessions can be booked up until 5:00pm or 6:00pm – please see booking form.
NB: Please note that we are now able to stay open until 6:00pm as children no longer need to be grouped in ‘bubbles’ although we will be keeping children in smaller groups rather than having them altogether.
Our BASC A-Z will also be sent out before the start of term.
Belongings
Children will need to bring the following to school each day - a water bottle; a lunchbox if they are having a packed lunch; outdoor clothing depending on the weather, their reading book and their reading record (the reading books and records will be given out at school).
For PE Kit guidance, please see the information below.
Communication
If you need to communicate information to your child’s class teacher, please contact them via email which should include the information needed to be passed on.
Contact details
It is very important that we have up to date contact details for you. If you have changed your email address or mobile number recently, please let us have the new ones. We must be able to contact a parent/carer at any time during the day should we need to.
Covid symptoms
**Families and staff must continue to follow public health advice on testing and self-isolation. (**In keeping with government guidance)
When an individual develops COVID-19 symptoms or has a positive test
Pupils, staff and other adults should follow public health advice on when to self-isolate and what to do. They should not come into school if they have symptoms, have had a positive test result or other reasons requiring them to stay at home due to the risk of them passing on COVID-19 (for example, they are required to quarantine).
If anyone in our school develops COVID-19 symptoms, however mild, we will need to send them home and parents/carers/staff should follow public health advice. For everyone with symptoms, they should avoid using public transport and, wherever possible, be collected by a member of their family or household. Please make sure that the office has contact details that can be reached at any time during the school day.
If a pupil is awaiting collection, they will wait in a room on their own if possible and safe to do so. A window will be opened for fresh air ventilation if possible. Staff supervising will wear Appropriate PPE will also be used if close contact is necessary.
The household (including any brothers and sisters) should follow the PHE stay at home guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.
Confirmatory PCR tests
If parents/carers have a positive LFD test result, they should self-isolate in line with the stay at home guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. Whilst awaiting a PCR result, if symptomatic, the individual should continue to self-isolate.
If the PCR test is taken within 2 days of the positive lateral flow test, and is negative, it overrides the self-test LFD test and the pupil can return to school, as long as the individual doesn’t have COVID-19 symptoms.
Handwashing
Children will continue to wash hands regularly and at key points during the day. They may also use antibacterial hand gel.
Lunchtime
School meals can be ordered using the usual system. If they are not ordered in advance, they can be ordered daily from class teachers when the register is taken. Lunches can be paid for online using the ParentPay system and menus will be available on their website.
P.E. Kit
Nursery children do not require a PE kit.
Reception children will need to bring in a PE kit in the Spring and Summer Terms.
Year 1 and Year 2 will need to bring in a PE kit on the days that they have PE. Class teachers will inform parents/carers of PE days near to the start of term.
Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 can come into school in their PE kit on the days that they have PE. Class teachers will inform parents/carers of PE days near to the start of term.
Each child in school will receive two PE lesson each week.
We can assure you that we will keep all our systems under review to ensure the smooth running of the school as well as making sure we can keep our community as safe as possible.
Thank you.