News

Year Ten and Year ‘Face to Face’ sessions from Monday 15th June 2020

UPDATE 11th June 2020

We have received feedback from students and parents about our Year Ten and Twelve Face to Face sessions which start on Monday 15th June 2020.

I have summarised the frequently asked questions below:

1. Health

Students must not come into school if they have symptoms of COVID-19. These symptoms are: a new continuous cough, a high temperature and a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia). If a student has any of these symptoms they should self isolate and arrange for a test. If a student displays any of these symptoms we will remove them for the session, isolate them, contact their parents and arrange collection. Parents should arrange a coronavirus test and inform the school of the outcome. Please visit this website for further details: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/

2. Uniform

Year Ten students should wear a basic Chauncy uniform that can be easily washed e.g. black trousers or skirt, white polo shirt, black V-neck sweater and black shoes. We do not require students to wear blazers to these sessions. Year Twelve students should wear what they would normally wear to attend school.

3. Absence

It would be useful if you could inform us if your child is not going to attend a session. We will be taking a register and doing the usual response for absentee students.

4. Timetable

Year Ten – We are running English, Maths, Science, Geography and History sessions only in Year Ten. Year Ten students should only attend sessions on three days, four days if they study both Geography and History. The timetable was sent to students and parents on 10th June 2020. Year Ten sessions will be on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Year Twelve – We are only running sessions for Year 12 in this subjects that are vocational, have a practical or coursework component. The timetable was sent to students and parents on 10th June 2020. Year Twelve sessions will be on Tuesdays and Fridays.

If you have any further questions please e-mail or visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers


Update 10th June 2020

As advised by the government, we will be offering some ‘face to face’ sessions for Year Ten and Year Twelve students. These sessions will start on Monday 15th June 2020 and will run according to a timetable which we have now shared with students and parents via Edulink.

In Year Ten, students will be invited to two 1 hour ‘face to face’ sessions in English, Maths and Science and one 1 hour ‘face to face’ session in Geography and History.

In Year Twelve, only students who study vocational subjects or subjects which have a coursework or practical element will be invited to one 3 hour session with their teacher.   

We have used guidance from the government, Public Health England and Hertfordshire County Council to inform our plans to reopen the school for these sessions.

We have created a short video on how we will manage these face to face sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic:

Y10 & Y12 Face to Face Sessions from Chauncy School on Vimeo.

REOPENING OF CHAUNCY SCHOOL FOR YEAR TEN AND TWELVE FACE TO FACE SESSIONS

The government has produced detailed guidance for parents here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers

We have summarised our plans for you as follows:

Risk Assessment

We have carried out a detailed risk assessment as provided by Hertfordshire County Council to implement protective measures:

  • Avoiding contact with anyone with symptoms
  • Frequent hand cleaning and good hygiene practices
  • Regular cleaning of settings
  • Minimising contact and mixing

Protective measures in education and childcare settings

Chauncy School has adopted the DfE guidance on Implementing Protective Measures in Education and Childcare Settings which contains detailed advice for schools on:

  • Cleaning, including supplies of cleaning and handwashing products
  • Testing and tracing (all staff, children and their families will have access to testing if they display symptoms of coronavirus).
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • What settings should do in response to a case of coronavirus (COVID-19) being confirmed
  • Ensuring that only a quarter of pupils in year 10 and year 12 are in school at any one time
  • Practising social distancing in line with the measures the government is asking everyone to adopt in public and in workplaces, including keeping pupils 2 metres apart from each other where possible

Class sizes and staff availability

In Year Ten:

  • We will be using the school hall for groups of no more than 30 students.
  • We have decided to do this to utilise the large floor space and ensure social distancing can occur.  
  • We also wish to reduce mixing of students in the corridors and mobility around the school site.
  • Each class will have two subject staff and a member of the senior team present.
  • We have also timetabled a trained first aider to be present on site during these sessions.

In Year Twelve:

  • Sessions will take place in a classroom where groups of no more than 15 students. The Hall will be used for groups exceeding 15 students.
  • Year Twelve students will also use workshops, computer rooms and other specialist facilities but with strict social distancing rules applied.
  • Each class will be run by their teacher with a member of the senior team and a first aider present on-site.

Attendance

We will continue to offer daily child care provision for children of critical workers and vulnerable children.

We will run some face to face sessions for Year Ten students in the Core Subjects only – English, Maths, Science, Geography and History according to a timetable, which will be distributed to parents and students.

We will run some face to face sessions for Year Twelve students in those subjects that have coursework or practical elements according to a timetable, which will be distributed to parents and students.

Parents will not be fined for non-attendance at this time, and schools and colleges will not be held to account for attendance levels.

Transport

Parents and children and young people should be encouraged to walk or cycle where possible, and avoid public transport.

They should refer to government guidance on safe travel, particularly on public transport. Please refer to safer travel guidance for passengers.

We have contacted Passenger Transport and have advised them of our face to face timetable.

We are told that transport providers will put in place arrangements which fit the local circumstances, including measures to reduce contact on public buses.

Access into and from the school

  • We ask that students who walk to school do not mix with others on their way to school and that a 2 metre social distance is maintained at all times.
  • If parents are dropping students off they should use the lower car park for drop off only. Please do not come onto the school site.
  • Students should go to the lower yard where they will be organised by a member of staff.
  • We have employed a system where white dots have been painted on the lower yard to maintain a 2 metre distance at all times.
  • The white dots continue into the school building via the student entrance where students will be asked to thoroughly sanitise their hands with anti-bacterial gel.
  • Students will be directed to their teaching area using 2 metre social distancing markers on the floor.
  • Students will sit at a desk which is placed at least 2 metres from adjacent desks.
  • At the end of the session students will be asked to leave the teaching area, maintaining a 2 metre social distance and will be asked to sanitise hands using anti-bacterial gel before they leave the school premises.
  • Staff will supervise the students from the site ensuring a 2 metre distance is maintained.
  • Students should not mix on the way home from school and a 2 metre social distance should be maintained at all times.
  • Parents should collect students from the lower car park and not drive onto the school site.

Equipment and Uniform

We ask that students bring a pen to write with.

We will be providing paper which students must take with them at the end of the session.

We will also be providing a whiteboard and marker pen, which will be disinfected at the end of each day.

Year Ten students should wear a basic Chauncy uniform that can be easily washed e.g. black trousers or skirt, white polo shirt, black V-neck sweater and black shoes. We do not require students to wear blazers to these sessions.

Personal Protective Equipment

We will not be issuing PPE to students. Parents and students can decide if they want to use face masks or coverings, visors and gloves in school.

We have also given staff the choice of wearing PPE.

We have a stock of PPE for managing anyone who develops symptoms of COVID-19 whilst on the school site. The symptoms remain:

  • a new continuous cough
  • a high temperature
  • a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

Cleaning

We will have a cleaning team on site during the face to face sessions.

All teaching areas will be thoroughly cleaned in the afternoon according to government advice.

Toilets will be cleaned regularly.

White boards and pens will be disinfected at the end of each session.

Hand and respiratory hygiene

We ask everyone who enters and leaves the school to thoroughly sanitise their hands using anti-bacterial gel.

We will have anti-bacterial gel in every teaching area.

Toilets are stocked with liquid soap and we will encourage students to wash their hands for 20 seconds as advised by Public Health England. Toilets will be cleaned and soap dispensers checked regularly.

We ask that students bring a pack of tissues, especially if they suffer from hayfever.

We will encourage students to adopt the ‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’ approach to respiratory hygiene and will have spare tissues, bins and hand santisier in each teaching area.

Food

Year Ten Students will be in school from 9.00am until 12.30pm, Year Twelve students will be in school from 9.00am until 12.00pm. We will not be serving food during this time.

Students may bring a water bottle and a snack but strict hand hygiene procedures must be followed if students wish to eat food in school.

If you require further clarification, please e-mail stephen.walton@chauncy.org.uk

Regards,

Steve Walton (Deputy Headteacher)