Information for Year 12 Only
So that you can find the information you require quickly, we have provided this version of our very detailed letter. Just click on each drop-down to read more.
The original letter is HERE in full.
As long as the government say that it is safe to do so, we will be reopening for Year 12 students from week commencing Monday 8th June 2020. Students will attend the school site on Thursdays or Fridays until the end of the summer term where they will be able to attend sessions with their subject teachers. Students will receive a specific time that they must attend school on Thursdays or Fridays.
When they are on site they will be grouped into teaching pods of a maximum of 8 students allowing for sufficient spacing between students in classrooms. Students will arrive at different times on a rolling timetable. It is important that they do not attend at a different time to the one they have been allocated, as they will not be allowed onto the school site.
We will not be providing school buses in line with the Government’s advice to minimise the use of public transport. I would urge you to arrange for your child to walk to school, where possible, or for you to drop them via car at the school site. Staff parking will be at a minimum so there will be space available on the Sports Hall car park to collect students.
All students must enter through the top gate and report directly to the Hall where they will be registered at a distance of 2 metres. They will be given clear instructions of the expectations of them whilst they are in school and when they are travelling home in order to keep them as safe as possible.
It is important that you speak with your child about adhering to a distance of 2 metres at all times to ensure that they are not putting themselves or others at risk. You can read the updated Behaviour Procedures which will be in place for the duration of the current operations here. Any student who does not follow the instructions of the school will not be welcome. They will be instructed to continue their learning remotely accessing resources online.
When students are on site, the majority will remain in the same room for the duration of their lessons. Up to two lessons will be delivered which will each last for 90 minutes. Students will not necessarily be placed with the teacher that they were timetabled with before the enforced closure. However, a specialist teacher will be made available for each subject. Students will have the opportunity to review the learning that they have been completing online from home and to consider the next stage of their learning programme in preparation for Year 13. All learning will still be made available online to learners and students will be able to communicate with their class teachers via TEAMS as they have been during the enforced closure.
When they are on site, they will be grouped into teaching pods of a maximum of 8 pupils allowing for sufficient spacing between pupils in classrooms. Pupils will arrive at different times on a rolling timetable.
As students will be on site for a specific slot of up to two 90 minute sessions, they will not leave their allotted teaching venue except to use the facilities and to clean and sanitise their hands. Students will be located at the same desk for the 3 hours that they are in lessons.
After the first 90 minute session, the teacher will change but the students will remain in the same venue. In a very small number of cases, a student may need to move to a sanitised desk in a different room. This is in order to reduce the potential for contamination of areas and to keep our students and staff as safe as possible. Students will be required to wash and sanitise their hands at the start and end of the day as a minimum. After the two 90 minute sessions, each classroom which has contained a pod of up to 8 children will be cleaned thoroughly in preparation for the following day so that students will return to sanitised rooms.
Students will not be able to purchase any food or drink from school. They can bring a drink and snack with them from home if they so wish. Please remember we do not accept glass bottles on site and energy drinks are not permitted.
Students must wear their school uniform. I ask that you send your child to school wearing as a minimum their: suit skirt or trousers, shirt, tie (compulsory for boys), lanyard and school shoes. They are permitted to wear a jumper if they have one. Once they arrive on site, they will be given clear instructions about how to wear their tie to avoid potential transmission of the virus. Students do not have to wear their suit jacket. The slight change to expectations is being introduced for the duration of this period as guidance suggests cleaning uniform after every visit to school to reduce the risk of contamination from the virus. I understand that washing a suit jacket every Thursday or Friday will not always be easy therefore it is hoped that this will ease that burden. I would urge you however, to clean other items of uniform worn.
Students must bring their own equipment to school. This should include two pens, a pencil, a ruler, a rubber, a pad of paper and a calculator (for those subjects that require one). This will help us to reduce contact between staff and students. Students will not be submitting work on paper to be marked by staff as this creates a risk of spreading the disease. Rather assessment of work will continue to occur via TEAMS so that students’ understanding can be gauged.
All students will be escorted off site to depart from the bottom gate in the Sports Centre Car Park. Leaving times will be staggered so this should also help to maintain a safe distance when collecting students.
Once students leave the school site, staff will not be on duty in the community to monitor their adherence to social distancing so it is important that you remind them of these measures each time that they attend school.
If a student demonstrates any symptoms of Covid-19, they will be directed to go to a designated area within the school where they will only be in contact with a member of staff wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). If your child displays any symptoms of Covid - 19 while at school, you will be contacted and you must collect them from the site immediately. We will not be able to allow the student to travel home alone. First aid for any other illness or ailment will operate in the usual manner.
If a student begins to demonstrate symptoms of Covid-19, they must isolate for 14 days. I would ask that you inform us of this immediately by contacting postbox@barrbeaconschool.co.uk if your child begins to isolate.
All children within the pod of 8 where an isolating child has been taught will also be required to isolate, as well as the teachers and support staff. We will inform you if your child has potentially come into contact with a student who begins to display symptoms.
If a pupil in the pod of 8 in which your child has been taught begins to demonstrate symptoms of Covid-19, they must isolate for 14 days. I would ask that you inform us of this immediately if your child will need to isolate by contacting postbox@barrbeaconschool.co.uk. All children within their pod will also be required to isolate as well as the teachers and support staff. We will inform you if your child has potentially come into contact with a pupil who begins to display symptoms.
Please refer to the DfE Guidance if your child has to use public transport to travel to school. Full guidance can be accessed HERE
I appreciate that this is a very unnerving time and sending your child into school may be a difficult decision to make. I hope that I have been able to provide a thorough breakdown of how we will be working to protect your child whilst at the same time being able to provide them with some face to face contact with a specialist teacher. In this vein, if you decide not to send your child into school, you will not be fined at this time, in line with current guidance. We will contact you if your child does not attend school during their allocated time slots as a duty of care if you do not inform us that your child will not be in school.
