Dear Parent/Carer
Reopening – September 2020
We are almost at the start of the new school year and, as promised, the following information outlines the plans as to how Workington Academy will operate in the new term.
All planning is in line with up to date Government guidance, approved within Cumbria Education Trust, with the aim of all students returning to full-time education in the new academic year. As part of planning for full return in the autumn term, it is a legal requirement that schools and trusts should revisit and update their risk assessments, to consider the additional risks and control measures to enable a return to full capacity in the autumn term. These measures have been taken and all required Risk Assessments can be found on the school’s website. As you will be aware, these are detailed and extensive documents. Below are some of the essential measures that will be implemented.
Clean hands thoroughly more often than usual:
- Hand sanitiser will be provided in all classrooms, at arrival points and in all meeting areas.
- Hand sanitiser to be used on arrival in school and entering each classroom. Reminders will be displayed to hand wash after using toilets and on entering dining areas.
- Students are asked to bring a small bottle of hand sanitiser with them.
Ensure good respiratory hygiene by promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach:
- Promote the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach with reminders around the school.
- Expectations will be regularly communicated to students via assemblies
- Tissues and paper towels will be provided in every classroom
Introduce enhanced cleaning, including cleaning frequently touched surfaces often, using standard products such as detergents and bleach:
- There will be additional cleaning throughout the day, with routines in line with the school’s Risk Assessment
Before & after school
- Parents are asked not to drop students at school any earlier than 8.25am.
- Students will enter the building via their designated year group entrance and go straight to their designated form room in the year group teaching zone. (See attached table – Appendix 1)
- Students who are usually met at Main Reception, should continue to use the main entrance and go into the Bistro where they will be met by the key Teaching Assistants.
- School starts at 8.40am as usual.
- At the end of the school day, students will be carefully supervised and leave the building immediately via their year group designated entrance/exit.
- Students are expected to follow Local Authority guidance when using Cumbria County Council transport. Students are expected to wear facemasks. These will be available to purchase from the Academy and will be provided to those students receiving free school meals.
- Students using public transport should sit with students in their own year group, in age order, with Year 7 students at the front of the bus. This information will be reinforced when the students return to school.
Year Group Bubbles/Teaching Zones:
- Students will be taught in year group bubbles, in designated teaching zones (see attached table)
- Students will be predominantly based in the same area, with specified safe routes to access specialist classrooms in DT, Art, Drama and IT
- KS3 students will be in half year group bubbles and will only use 3 or 4 rooms, apart from where subject specialist rooming is required.
- Y10 and Y11 are in separate bubbles for all lessons
- A schedule will be in place to ensure the cleaning of specialist rooms at appropriate times throughout the day.
- Each year group has its own toilet block in their zone. Toilets blocks will be portioned into male/female. There are also unisex disabled toilets in each zone should these be required.
- The whole school timetable will continue as planned.
- Student movement will be minimal and supervised at all times. When staff are changing rooms, procedures will be in place for student supervision during changeover.
- Students will be sat as far apart as possible, facing the front of the classroom where possible.
Social time:
All students will continue to have a break and lunchtime, although these will be at different times to maintain social distancing. Students will be informed of their designated social times on return to school.
We are currently liaising with the catering company as to a revised menu for September. Further information regarding menus and methods of payment will be shared with you next week, once our consultation with the caterers is complete. The cashless catering system will remain in place.
Uniform:
The Government guidance is clear that schools are to return to their normal uniform policies. All students should therefore be back in September with full uniform. Students are also expected to wear the full Workington Academy PE kit for PE lessons.
Equipment:
Standard school equipment should be brought in to school by all students, including a scientific calculator to be used in maths lessons. A copy of the Year 7 equipment list can be found on the school website as a reminder of what is required. There will be no sharing of equipment in lessons.
Physical Education lessons:
- Students will attend PE lessons at their usual timetabled day and period.
- Students will remain in their Year Group Bubble / Half Year Group Bubble for all PE lessons.
- On days that students have PE lessons, students should attend school in their PE kit and bring their uniform with them to change into afterwards. This will eliminate the need for changing at the start of lessons. Please note that there will be no practical PE lessons in first 2 days of the autumn term.
- Activities will take place outside as much as possible or in the sports hall or activity studio, with classes divided into smaller groups.
- Within indoor spaces socially distanced areas will be marked out for students to use.
- No equipment or physical resources will be used or shared by students.
- Students should bring their own water bottle.
- Staff will ensure that students have sufficient changing and sanitising time at the end of lessons, before going onto their next lesson / leaving the PE department.
Arrangements for the first week of term remain unchanged:
*Please note that Years 7 and 11 are not in school on Friday 4th September.
This gradual reintroduction of year groups is to ensure that all students are entering the building under the safest of conditions and will allow students to have adequate time to walk through the new processes and routines, once the new term has started.
From the start of the autumn term attendance is compulsory for all students. Pupil absence will be followed up and sanctions issued where required. Students who are required to self-isolate as they, or a member of their household has symptoms or confirmed coronavirus can be absent from school. In this scenario students should be tested and should return to school immediately if the test is negative. Shielding advice for all adults and children paused on 1 August 2020, this means that students on the shielded patient list can return to school in September.
There will be further information coming out to you during the final week of the summer holiday, including catering and revised behaviour polices. Please check the school website regularly to receive updates.
We are looking forward to seeing all students back in school for the new term.
Yours faithfully
Mr D Bird
Headteacher
Appendix 1: Table of entrances/exits and year group teaching zones
