Saint Joseph’s Catholic Infant School
Recovery Plan and Risk Assessment for 2nd Phase of School Re-Opening September 2020
Contents
Recovery Plan
Appendix 1 Keep Education Safe- Operational Guidance for School Settings
Appendix 2 Neath Port Talbot Check in, Catch Up and Prepare for Summer and September Arrangements
Appendix 3 School Risk Assessments for reducing the risk of Covid-19
Appendix 4 Operational guidance for schools and settings from autumn term
Appendix 5 Managing Movement Around Schools
Appendix 6 PPE Information Poster
Appendix 7 Disease Outbreak Plan for Wales (2020) Public Health Wales
Saint Joseph’s Catholic Infant School
Recovery Plan and Risk Assessment for 2nd Phase of School Re-Opening September 2020
This recovery plan has been developed in line with the guidance provided by the Welsh Government document, ‘Keep Education Safe (Operational Guidance for Schools and settings (Covid-19)’ (See Appendix 1)
Guidance provided by NPT Council, ‘Neath Port Talbot Check in, Catch Up and Prepare for Summer and September Arrangements’ has also supported the development of the plan. (See Appendix 2)
This plan should be read in conjunction with the school’s risk assessments for reducing the risk of Covid-19. (See Appendix 3) and Operational guidance for schools and settings from the autumn term (See Appendix 4).
Our aims and decision making will be guided by two clear questions:
- What is the best support that we can provide for our school community?
- How do we ensure the highest standards of safety?
As we move forwards these simple questions will guide and inform all our decision making. We will not implement any plan unless we are convinced that it is the right thing to do and we can do it safely.
This plan has been developed using the following 5 key principles set out by the Education Minister:
- The safety and mental, emotional and physical well-being of staff and students
- Continuing contribution to the national effort and strategy to fight the spread of COVID- 19
- Having the confidence of parents, staff and students – based on evidence and information – so that they can plan ahead
- Ability to prioritise learners at key points, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds
- Consistency with the Welsh Government’s framework for decision making, to have guidance in place to support measures such as distancing, managing attendance and wider protective actions.
Overarching Guidance for leaders and governors.
- Principles outlined above must be evident in all decision making. Our overall aim is to ensure that our decision making is calm and informed.
- We will be decisive in our decision making. Our community must expect us to respond clearly and with urgency to any safety issues raised.
- Senior leaders and governors must consider all the advice made available to them. Includes updated guidance for schools from Welsh Government.
- Excellent communication must be evident throughout the planning and implementation of our safety plans. We will work with all teams of staff and welcome input from trade associations, pupils and parents. We will share advice that informs our decision making.
- We will open and transparent at all times.
Recovery Plan and Risk Assessment for 2nd Phase of School Re-Opening September 2020
Rationale:
This plan will aim to ensure that we safeguard our community by:
- Always being alert to risk
- Reducing risk through effective organisation and controls.
- Reducing transmission risk by limiting interactions within the school community.
Simple plan is:
- Our classes will be put into 6 groups. They will spend their school day in their pod with a nominated teacher. They will see other children and staff but they will live and learn in their pod. Pod will be a ‘safety bubble’ approach.
- Their pod will have allocated staff for teaching and lunchtime supervision. This will reduce the possibility of contraction and transmission.
- In their pod, everybody will apply the best standards of care that we can.
- We will follow a rigorous cleaning routine.
- We have a simple model with three clear messages that our children can apply.
- Stay Clean. We wash our hands regularly and use the hand sanitisers provided.
- Be Hygienic
- put tissues in bin.
- keep hands off each other and your face
- cough into sleeve or tissue etc.
- Keep a Safe Distance.
In all education, childcare and social care settings, preventing the spread of coronavirus involves dealing with direct transmission (for instance, when in close contact with those sneezing and coughing) and indirect transmission (via touching contaminated surfaces). A range of approaches and actions must be employed to control transmissions.
These can be seen as a hierarchy of controls that, when implemented, creates an inherently safer system, where the risk of transmission of infection is substantially reduced. These include:
1) Prevention- Minimising contact with individuals who are unwell by ensuring that those who have coronavirus symptoms, or who have someone in their household who does, do not attend schools. They should remain at home and self-isolate and arrange a COVID-19 TEST. Those showing symptoms in school, should be in a separate room, supervised at a distance of 2 metres where possible until collected.
2) Improving cleanliness. Cleaning hands more often than usual – wash hands thoroughly for 20 seconds with running water and soap and dry them thoroughly or use alcohol hand rub or sanitiser ensuring that all parts of the hands and wrists are covered
3) Ensuring good respiratory hygiene – promote the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach
4) Cleaning frequently touched surfaces often using agreed standard products
5) Minimising contact as much as possible, by modifying the environment (such as classroom layout) and timetables (such as staggered break times)
Recovery Plan and Risk Assessment for 2nd Phase of School Re-Opening September 2020
To achieve the aims outlined above, we will review and modify current provision. These include;
- Demarcation of corridor space, lanes leading to the school, using signage to encourage social distancing at times of movement
- Availability of staff monitored and adjustments made. Wherever possible groups will be with the member/s of staff. Should staffing levels fall below the requirements for safe provision school may partially or fully close.
- Implications for before and after school care. We cannot maintain the safety requirements of a large pod model and have children mixing in different clubs before and after school. This means that Breakfast Club and After-school club will temporarily close. However, School will work towards the safe reintroduction of Breakfast Club provision in the Autumn Term.
That includes key worker provision.
- Staggered Breaktime, Lunchtime, Hometime
- School Transport to run (no mask required for FP children).
- Toilets, hot water, soap and towels will be made readily available and replaced.
- Sinks in classrooms to be used for handwashing stations
- Uniforms to be worn.
We are aiming to launch this safety plan to reopen the whole school by 14th September.
Recovery Plan and Risk Assessment for 2nd Phase of School Re-Opening September 2020
School Plan for Start and End of Day
Start of Day Arrangements – Parents asked to access school via lane BEHIND Norman Street and leave along lane to Norman Street.
Parental Drop Off at side yard. Children will be line up keeping 2 m distance between class bubbles and collected by Teacher/ Teaching Assistant and accompanied to class.
Start time will be staggered for Year Groups.
End of Day – Y2 Children will be taken to the side ramp to be released to -parents who will be asked to wait, keeping socially distant in the yard between the main gate and the entrance to the school. Y1 children will be released from the same ramp exit. Mrs James and Mrs Mapp/Torrance’s classes will be released from the main yard.
Release at end of Day – will be staggered.
Lunchtimes – will be staggered and food eaten in classrooms, tables to be cleaned before and after lunch, or eaten outside if weather permits.
Organisation of School Day
Reception Children- phased return
To ease Reception children into fulltime education and maybe to stop them sleeping the afternoon away-
- Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th the session will end at 1:00.
- Monday 7th – Friday 11th the session will finish at 2:00.
- Monday 14th onwards 8:55- 2:55.
Staggered Approach
We will as far as possible keep them in their class bubbles. To do this we will stagger the start, lunch, end of the school day.
| Class | Arrival | AM Break | Lunch | PM Break | Pick Up |
| Y2 AW | 8:45 | 10:15-10:30 | 11:55-12:25
(Dinner Ladies 11:40-12:40) |
1:30-1:45 | 2:45 |
| Y1 ST | 8:55 | 2:55 | |||
| Y1/R JJ | 8:55 | 9:45-10:00 | 11:35-12:05
(Dinner Ladies 11:20-12:20) |
1:15-1:30 | |
| Reception EM/KT | 8:55 | 2:55 | |||
| Nursery AM | 9:00 | – | 11:30 | ||
| Nursery PM | 12:15 | 2:45 |
*For those children with siblings we will be flexible
Minimising Adult Interaction
We will stagger entrance and leaving times to the school to promote essential adult social distancing.
Drop off at the side yard. (Only exception to this will be if a child is ill). They will then be collected by a Class Teacher/ Teaching Assistant.
At the end of the day Year 2 pupils will be released from the side ramp to the front of the school. Reception and Year 1 pupils from the main playground.
Simple Guidance Principles for Staff
- Do not come to work if you have coronavirus symptoms or go home as soon as these develop (informing your line-manager) and access a test as soon as possible. If you are unwell and able to do this, we can assist. If you are very unwell seek medical support as soon as possible through NHS 111.
- If somebody in your house has symptoms, you must not come to work and arrange to have tests.
- Make your well-being a priority. Through the staff Teams page we have highlighted the range of well-being services and support that we can offer.
- Practise really good hygiene. You have soap and cleaning materials in your classroom. We have also provided wipes for keyboards, phones etc.
- Clean your hands and wrists more often than usual – with running water and soap and dry them thoroughly or use alcohol hand rub or sanitiser ensuring that all parts of the hands are covered. Must use sanitiser or wash your hands on entry to the building and when you leave.
- Use the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach.
- Avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes.
- Clean frequently touched surfaces often using standard products.
- Think about ways to modify your teaching approach to keep a distance from children in your class as much as possible. Avoid close face to face support (noting that it’s understood that this is not possible at all times, which is why hygiene and hand cleaning is so important). Staff should try and maintain a standing distance and communicate from ‘side on’ position when possible.
- Ensure that cleanliness and hygiene is excellent in your pod. Ensure that our children practise our 3 simple steps.
- Try and maximise ventilation. Keep your classroom door and windows open if possible, for air flow.
- Teach outdoors when you can and maintain social distancing in these spaces.
- Model social distancing. Staff must demonstrate this. Limit your contact with other staff members, and don’t congregate in shared spaces, especially if they are small rooms. No more than 2 members of staff in the staffroom. A second staff area to be set up in Dining Hall, no more than 9 at a time.
The risk assessments and recovery plan will be monitored and reviewed on a weekly basis.
Appendix
Appendix 1 Keep Education Safe- Operational Guidance for School Settings
https://gov.wales/keep-education-safe-operational-guidance-schools-and-settings-covid-19
Appendix 2 Neath Port Talbot Check in, Catch Up and Prepare for Summer and September Arrangements
Appendix 3 School Risk Assessments for reducing the risk of Covid-19
Appendix 4 Operational Guidance for schools and settings from the autumn term
Appendix 5 Managing Movement Around Schools
Appendix 6 PPE Information Poster
Appendix 7 Disease Outbreak Plan for Wales (2020) Public Heralth Wales