COVID Safety Measures

There are many changes we have needed to make, in school, to ensure children are safe when working in school during COVID times. Schools across the country have been asked to review the risks presented to us by this pandemic, and to mitigate for the risk.

As we have always promised, here at Bolsover Infant and Nursery School, children’s safety is paramount and we have made many changes to be able to accept all children back in school this week. 

The government have deemed it safe to return, with a clear set of parameters which will govern our practice, these have formed the basis for our risk assessments (Derbyshire County Council Risk Assessment). 

Below is a summary of the changes we have made, they are not exhaustive and do not outline all of what we will be doing; it does however outline many of the changes effecting children.

Contact

1. Children will be kept in year group bubbles to reduce contact, this may move to key stages as time passes, but for now they will be taught in classes, but will mix with children within their year group.
2. Separate year group entrances and exits to reduce contact with other year groups
3. Separate lunchtime and playtime arrangements including different playgrounds and separate lunch sittings (with different staff for each class)
4. Separate staff, no staff will cross key stages and as few as possible will cross year groups within key stages
5. The school has been divided into zones so that no bubble will access the same zone at the same time
6. We will limit the movement of children in and around school
7. Timetables have been changed to avoid contact
8. We will abide by social distancing where possible, especially for adults in school, especially at breaks and lunchtimes including addition staffrooms
9. Classroom layout have been altered according to Derbyshire County Council directives to ensure children are sat side by side wherever possible
10. Parents will not be allowed on site and will be asked to socially distance while waiting to bring their child to school.

Hygiene

1. Children will wash their hands regularly as the main form of defence, including when they arrive, before and after playtime and lunchtime, as well as after visiting the bathroom. Children will be encouraged to clean their hands more often than usual - washing hands thoroughly for 20 seconds with running water and soap and drying them thoroughly.
2. Sanitiser will be used when necessary to cut down waiting time, children with sensitive skin can be provided with sanitizer from home.
3. We have purchased 3 new potable sinks so that we can increase handwashing opportunities

Cleaning

1. Children will be encouraged in ensuring good respiratory hygiene by promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach
2. Cleaning frequently touched surfaces often using standard products, such as detergents, including door handles, toilets, sinks etc
3. Play equipment will be cleaned after each class has used them outdoor
4. Equipment will not be shared across bubbles
5. Our early years classrooms have steam cleaners for more difficult to clean fabrics etc
6. All toys will be cleaned nightly after use using antibacterial cleaner (DCC approved)

Face Covering

1. Staff have been given face coverings if requested, including masks and face shields, however at the time of writing this letter it is not recommended that they wear them when in the work place.
2. Children arriving to school in re-usable facemasks will be asked to bag them in a sealable plastic bag on entering the property and will not be wearing them until they leave site.
3. Children who arrive in one use masks will be asked to bin them on entry into school

Isolation

1. Any child or member of staff showing signs of COVID will be removed from class to reduce the risk to others, they may be asked to wear a face shield before being moved (all children will have had opportunity to wear these masks before hand to reduce ‘the scare factor’). At no point will children be left alone.
2. Children will be supervised in a separate area until they can be collected (please see diagrams attached to this letter about sending children home)

Help from Parents

As you can see e have many measures in place to protect children (these are only the tip of the iceberg!). However, they are only effective if parents also do their part. This included:

1. Ensuring children can fasten and unfasten any of their clothing so that staff do not have to go near to help.
2. Clearly label everything so that we know who property belongs to and save it being handled by lots of children/adults
3. Send as few resources to school as possible and empty book bags every evening  - children need a PE kit which will stay in school all term, a water bottle and book bag. Children bringing packed lunches are recommended to bring as few boxes and bags as possible.
4. Try to have as little contact with other families as possible, including at the school gate, as well as at home. We ask that parents keep their child at hand and do not arrive early for their gate time so that children do not mix with other groups.
5. Ensure consistent handwashing at home
6. We masks sensibly and in accordance with guidance – we would appreciate parents wearing at mask to bring their child to school, but this is not yet mandatory
7. If your child still has accidents, we recommend that you leave or bring daily a change of clothes so that your child does not need to wear schools spare clothes.
8. We recommend that parents park their cars in the centre of town and walk the last few meters, this means their will be less chance of contact with the people who will be waiting to go through the gates.