Reminders and safety measures in place from a few Banbury area schools

With schools reopening next week many pupils and families will have to get used a new normal.
Pupils go back to school next week (image from health and safety experts from CE Safety)Pupils go back to school next week (image from health and safety experts from CE Safety)
Pupils go back to school next week (image from health and safety experts from CE Safety)

Pupils are set to return to the classroom and be reunited with their classmates and friends for the first time in months when they finally return to the classroom in autumn.

Many schools reopen with several changes in place to make sure pupils and staff are safe following all government guidelines during these coronavirus pandemic times. Parents will need to prepare their children for the realities of post lockdown schooling before they return to the classroom.

The Banbury Guardian contacted a number of area schools to see what changes were put in place for the start of the new school year. Only a couple of schools replied with information to share with the public.

Most schools will open their doors to pupils and students on Wednesday September 2. Some others open a day later on Thursday September 3.

At Wykham Park Academy, Banbury, the start of term will vary and will be staggered for pupils according to year group.

Start times will be from 8.30am to 8.45am and will vary according to year group. Students will go to different gates and different sections of the building. Each year group has a different entry and exit so they can arrive at different times. Departure times will also be staggered according to year groups from 3.05pm to 3.15pm and two different gates will be used.

Contact sports will be avoided and the PE curriculum will be adapted so the emphasis will be on summer sport and outdoor activities that are more individual.

If students have PE lessons in the morning they will arrive with their kit on and if it is the last lesson of the day they will leave school with it on, this is to minimise the amount of usage of the changing facilities which will be cleaned after each use along with any equipment used which will also be cleaned after each use.

Jan Hetherington, vice-principal at the school, said: "Wykham Academy is fortunate to have enough changing facilities to carry out the rotation required to meet the government’s standards on cleanliness and hygiene.

"We will be making sure the children in our care at school are kept safe and all government guidelines on hygiene and cleanliness are followed.

"However, it is important that we have the support of parents. It is therefore important that parents encourage their children to build on the good hygiene practices that they have been carrying out at home into the school.

"Children need to be aware that we are here to make sure they are kept safe during the country’s battle with coronavirus, but there also needs to be an element of self-responsibility during this time.

"This is all about teamwork and maintaining consistency in good hygiene at home and school."

Students will return to school at The Warriner School in Bloxham on Wednesday September 2 with usual start and finish times at 08:30am to 3pm.

The school will have an extended tutor time which will be dedicated to addressing key safety details in managing the full reopening of school.

There will be numerous hand sanitising stations in operation, appropriate measures will be in place to support good hand and respiratory hygiene and work will be completed for students to understand the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it' approach.

The school has put the following safety measures in place:

· At break time students will be directed to year group specific zones supported by duty staff. Students are to remain in their year group zone for its duration, each zone will have access to its own Year group toilets.

· One way systems will be in operation for some blocks – site restrictions will be in place for certain year groups and students will line up in designated areas before entering most buildings and classrooms where they will be collected by teachers. Year groups will still travel to subject areas for different lessons but all lessons will be delivered in year groups.

· All lessons, whilst still timetabled for an hour, will expect to finish five to 10 minutes early to allow for wiping down of surfaces and a safe spaced exit. Teachers will supervise exits and then collect waiting classes outside buildings to limit risks of transmission during lesson transition.

· Students will be instructed to bring frequently used items such as pens, pencils and books and keep belongings with them at all times. If something is given out for use, students should either keep that item or it should be cleaned on its return before use again by others. Students are encouraged to bring hand sanitiser, and it will also be readily available on site.

A spokesperson for the school said: "We have sent a detailed letter to all parents explaining what we have put in place to keep both our staff and students safe when we return.

"We have also provided links to our own risk assessment and updated government guidance as we have received it. We have been available since the beginning of lockdown for all parents to contact us with any concerns they may have had and will continue to be available to do so."

All students will return to Chenderit School on Thursday September 3 with the start of school at 8.35am and finish at 3.05pm. Some students will be dismissed earlier than others, depending on their year group, and when their school buses arrive.

On days where students have PE, they will need to come to school in their PE kit and expect to stay in their PE kit all day (they will not be able to use the changing rooms).

They will be outside for PE lessons, or in classrooms for theory lessons, and all students (in PE, and in fact for all subjects) will be in year group bubbles. PE equipment will be used in rotation or for specific classes and there will be strict cleaning regimes.

Chenderit School has also adopted a strict one way system throughout the school with clear entrances and exits.

Most students arrive by school bus (at different times) and it will be a controlled students disembark from their buses in order that students can adhere to social distancing as much as possible.

Entrances and exits have hand sanitizers by them so students can clean their hands on arrival and departure. All classrooms also have hand sanitizers in them. The school has also introduced staggered break and lunchtimes and zoned specific areas of the school to enable students to stay in their year group bubbles more easily.

Jane Cartwright, headteacher at Chenderit School, said: “We have studied the latest government guidance in detail and have worked hard to ensure our risk assessments and plans for welcoming our students back to school are as thorough as possible within the context of our specific school environment.

"We have missed our students and whilst the majority of them have worked hard from home and made good progress, it is essential both for our students’ education, and their mental health and wellbeing that we work together again in our classrooms.

"We are really looking forward to seeing our students on the 3rd September and we hope that this school year will be successful for us all.”

A spokesperson for GLF Schools, a multi-academy trust which includes Hardwick Primary, William Morris Primary (both in Banbury) and Longford Park Primary (in Bodicote) schools, said:

“All our schools will be opening in September in line with the government’s guidance for schools, and have put in place the measures required to minimise the risks from COVID-19.

"These may include adjusted start and end times, using different entrances and changes to PE, but each school has communicated its own arrangements to families. We are looking forward to welcoming back all our children in September.“

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