Contingency Planning
All schools are required to have a contingency plan in place by the end of September 2020. The purpose of the contingency plan is to outline how the school will provide remote learning to pupils in the event of partial or full closure of the school linked to coronavirus or how the school will support individual children or small groups if they need to self-isolate, whilst the rest of the school is open.
The way we plan to support children will change depending on whether it is a large closure (one or more bubbles or the whole school) or individuals or small groups self-isolating.
Tier 1
This is the plan in response to individuals or small groups of children not being able to attend school because of self-isolation or support for longer term absences relating to shielding a vulnerable family member.
Because of the workload involved in teaching a class and providing good quality home learning, we are unable to support children through Seesaw in this circumstance.
Families will be signposted to the Oak Academy website: https://classroom.thenational.academy/schedule-by-year
In addition, children will have access to other online resources, including Times Table Rockstars, Numbots and MyMaths. In Nursery, teachers will share a monthly newsletter with an activity grid.
This information will be sent via Parenthub as soon as a child’s absence is responded to by the attendance officer. A template is stored on Parenthub.
Tier 2
This part of the plan is in response to a large closure of at least one whole class.
Teachers have prepared in advance a two week unit of work which will be delivered through the Seesaw website, which we used to provide home learning during lockdown.
Each day, a new set of lessons, covering a range of subjects will be shared. Children will be able to respond to their teacher by uploading work. Teachers will be able to provide feedback on activities completed.
Because there is no live teaching, like you might see on Google Classrooms, for example, families are not tied down to a timetable set by the school. This means that if you have two children at home, but only one device to go online, you can organise your children’s schedules without clashes or if you are balancing working from home and supporting your child’s learning, you can be flexible in your timings.
Included in the learning will be links to other resources that will help your child. Some of these will be personalised to meet the needs of children with different abilities.
Details of how to access Seesaw will be sent to each family before the end of September. Login details may be different to the one you have used previously.
During the time that a bubble of children is at home, teachers will use this time to prepare a new sequence of learning in the event of a second closure.
Resources Available
Seesaw, MyMaths, White Rose Maths, Times Tables Rockstars, Numbots
Support for individual families
A small number of laptops with a 4G connection are available to support home learning for families who may experience one or more of the following issues:
- No digital devices in their household
- Only available device is a smartphone
- Only have a single device in their household that’s being shared with more than one other family member
- Do not have a fixed broadband connection at home
- Are clinically extremely vulnerable
The loan of a laptop is based on the needs of each family and on availability. If a laptop is not available, we will aim to resolve the situation within 48 hours. By accepting a laptop, families accept the terms of the loan agreement.
Free School Meals
Where a child is isolating and that means they cannot access an income related free school meal (FSM), support can be provided by Kirklees Council through the Local Welfare Provision team. In these cases we will not seek to provide vouchers to compensate for the FSM because the parents should not be both shopping for food and isolating. We will be seeking to provide food where the family requires that sort of support and will look at a whole family response. School will contact families in receipt of income related free school meals in the event of their absence from school due to the need to self-isolate.
Supporting Families
We recognise that vulnerability in the current situation can take many forms. At Batley Parish we will endeavour to stay in touch with families who are self-isolating or absent due to school or bubble closure.
In the event of a tier 1 absence, our learning mentor will stay in touch with families who receive additional support. Class teachers are also contactable by parents, through their school email address, which is shared on class newsletters. Parents are also advised to contact school for support whilst home learning is taking place. This might include technical support or advice on how to support children with learning.
During a tier 2 closure, children will have access to daily contact with their teacher through the Seesaw site. Parents can contact teachers through their school email if required. The Learning Mentor will carry out welfare calls to families who may require additional support. In the event of a closure extending beyond 2 weeks, class teachers will make a phone call to each child’s family to offer support for home learning.
Special Educational Needs
Should children with special educational needs be involved in a tier 1 absence, parents will be advised by the class teacher how to adapt the suggested learning to meet the needs of their child. Should additional support be required, the school SENDCO will liaise with the class teacher to ensure suitable home learning is provided.
Emergency Closure by the Department for Education (DfE)
On 27th November 2020, the DfE announced that it would in some circumstances, relating to very high rates of covid-19 infections in a locality, make the decision to close schools within a local and defined area. This could apply restrictions to a cluster of schools, local area, local authority or local region. They have reiterated that this is a last resort option if other methods, such as local tiering have failed to arrest a rise in infections.
In this event the DfE will close schools within a defined area for a period of time determined by them.
School Response
Our response will be similar to the initial lockdown in the spring of 2020. School would remain open to the children of key workers. Parents would need to demonstrate to the headteacher proof that one parent, living in the home, is a key worker. Children classified as vulnerable would also be able to attend school.
Information Gathering
The headteacher will use Google Forms to gain an understanding from families in the above categories about their attendance needs. This will be used to help plan staffing within school. School staff will work on rotation within school to support the children in school.
Teaching and Learning
To ensure equality of provision for children in school and at home, the starting point for all learning will be the Seesaw work set by class teachers. Personalised work will also be set by teachers to meet the needs of learners in school. Teaching and support staff will communicate via telephone to ensure the consistent application of learning plans for children, as the staff in school will vary from day to day.
Definitions
Critical workers
Parents whose work is critical to the coronavirus (COVID-19) response include those who work in health and social care and in other key sectors outlined in the following sections.
Health and social care
This includes, but is not limited to, doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers; the support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector; those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributors of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.
Education and childcare
This includes:
- childcare
- support and teaching staff
- social workers
- specialist education professionals who must remain active during the coronavirus (COVID-19) response to deliver this approach
Key public services
This includes:
- those essential to the running of the justice system
- religious staff
- charities and workers delivering key frontline services
- those responsible for the management of the deceased
- journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting
Local and national government
This only includes:
- those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the coronavirus (COVID-19) response
- or delivering essential public services, such as the payment of benefits, including in government agencies and arms length bodies
Food and other necessary goods
This includes those involved in food:
- production
- processing
- distribution
- sale and delivery
- as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary medicines)
Public safety and national security
This includes:
- police and support staff
- Ministry of Defence civilians
- contractor and armed forces personnel (those critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to the response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak)
- fire and rescue service employees (including support staff)
- National Crime Agency staff
- those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas
Transport
This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the coronavirus (COVID-19) response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.
Utilities, communication and financial services
This includes:
- staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure)
- the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage)
- information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the coronavirus (COVID-19) response
- key staff working in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but not limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services)
- postal services and delivery
- payments providers
- waste disposal sectors
Vulnerable children and young people
Vulnerable children and young people include those who:
- are assessed as being in need under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, including children and young people who have a child in need plan, a child protection plan or who are a looked-after child
- have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
- have been identified as otherwise vulnerable by educational providers or local authorities (including children’s social care services), and who could therefore benefit from continued full-time attendance, this might include:
- children and young people on the edge of receiving support from children’s social care services
- adopted children, those at risk of becoming NEET (‘not in employment, education or training’)
- those living in temporary accommodation, those who are young carers
- those who may have difficulty engaging with remote education at home (for example due to a lack of devices or quiet space to study)
- others at the provider and local authority’s discretion
Critical workers
Parents whose work is critical to the coronavirus (COVID-19) response include those who work in health and social care and in other key sectors outlined in the following sections.
Health and social care
This includes, but is not limited to, doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers; the support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector; those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributors of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.
Education and childcare
This includes:
- childcare
- support and teaching staff
- social workers
- specialist education professionals who must remain active during the coronavirus (COVID-19) response to deliver this approach
Key public services
This includes:
- those essential to the running of the justice system
- religious staff
- charities and workers delivering key frontline services
- those responsible for the management of the deceased
- journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting
Local and national government
This only includes:
- those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the coronavirus (COVID-19) response
- or delivering essential public services, such as the payment of benefits, including in government agencies and arms length bodies
Food and other necessary goods
This includes those involved in food:
- production
- processing
- distribution
- sale and delivery
- as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary medicines)
Public safety and national security
This includes:
- police and support staff
- Ministry of Defence civilians
- contractor and armed forces personnel (those critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to the response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak)
- fire and rescue service employees (including support staff)
- National Crime Agency staff
- those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas
Transport
This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the coronavirus (COVID-19) response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.
Utilities, communication and financial services
This includes:
- staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure)
- the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage)
- information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the coronavirus (COVID-19) response
- key staff working in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but not limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services)
- postal services and delivery
- payments providers
- waste disposal sectors