The following video, along with our detailed risk assessments and reopening information, demonstrate how we plan to keep everyone safe at Woodcroft Primary School.
Click here to take a look at our wider opening preparations
Dear Woodcroft Parents and Carers
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on Thursday 28th May, schools have now been instructed to allow more pupils to return to school. Woodcroft has been open to key workers throughout the pandemic but from 1st June we have began a phased reopening to more pupils.
We previously wrote to parents and carers of the Government’s four initial priority year groups (Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6) and asked families to indicate whether they wanted their child to return to school. Those pupils are now attending Woodcroft.
From Thursday 18th June the Headteacher is again asking those parents again to update their preferences:
A. I would definitely like my child to return to school.
B. I am still unsure at the moment. I would like the school to ask me again in two weeks time when I have had more time to decide about its safety.
C. I am happy for my child to continue learning with Woodcroft Online. I do not think I will want my child to return before the summer.
The following arrangements have now been put in place for the third phase of our wider opening which is for week beginning 29th June :
- On Thursday 18th June Woodcroft is asking parents again about their preferences
- Deadline for responses is Monday 22nd June
- The school will then plan new attendance rotas and notify parents by Thursday 25th June
- Pupil will then attend school from 29th June
- Please call the school 02089593244 or email office@woodcroft.barnetmail.netÂ
It is also important to realise that government guidance changes frequently, so all plans are subject to further changes outside of our control.
Current Reopening Plans
To summarise our plans for the wider opening of school:
- We can only fit a maximum of 12 pupils in each classroom to maintain social distancing. These classroom groups will stay together with the sames adult throughout the week. This is called a âBubble Groupâ. Different âBubble Groupsâ of up to a maximum of 12 pupils will be kept separate at ALL times during the school day.Â
- If numbers exceed out capacity. pupils who wish to return will be welcomed back on a bi-weekly rota. They will be in school for one week and then stay at home the next as we do not have enough staff or rooms to fit everyone in and follow the strict social distancing guidelines.
- Pupils who are in school will:
- Complete the same âWoodcroft Onlineâ work on Google Classroom, set by their actual teacher, as those who remain at home
- Children will study at an individual workstation desk spaced out from other pupils
- They will eat a packed lunch at their desks (either brought from home or provided by the school kitchen. We shall assume the same pre Covid19 meal arrangements, so if you normally pay for meals this will commence from the date your child returns.
- Have a staggered break time in an allocated section of the playground
- Follow strict behaviour expectations. Pupils who are unable to adapt to the new ways of working in school will be sent home – read our updated Behaviour Policy here.
It must be acknowledged that we CANNOT guarantee that pupils will remain socially distant throughout the school day. Parents and carers must accept that children will be children!
Access Arrangements
Please be aware of the following arrangements for those pupils that return to school:
- Soft Starts – pupils can arrive anytime between 8.45am to 9.15am (to avoid everyone arriving at the same time)
- âKiss and Dropâ – parents will leave their children with staff at the school gates (front or back)
- ‘Pick-up and Go’ – to ensure we are able to maintain 2 metres apart we ask that parents leave promptly at the end of the day.Â
- Social Distancing – a one way system is in place. Always follow the arrows, try to keep moving!
- The school office will be closed – contact is via telephone or scheduled appointment only
- Extended Pick-up – arrive any time from 3.00pm – 3.15pm. Always stay on the marked routes and follow the arrows. No stopping or gathering will be permitted
- Only one adult per pupil will be asked to collect
- Water Bottles – please send children to school with a personal water bottle. All communal water fountains have been turned off.
- No Equipment From Home – apart from a water bottle and lunch box (optional if you choose to provide your own packed lunches) children should not bring any other items from home.
- Optional Uniform – the uniform policy is temporarily suspended. Wearing a uniform is optional for the time being. Guidance states that children should wear clean, washed clothes, everyday to reduce risk of virus transmission. Trainers are the best footwear incase the children do a physical activity.
- Independent Travel – Older children will be encouraged to leave independently and walk home alone or meet their adult carer at an agreed place away from the school to reduce congestion on site
- There will be no Breakfast Club (Note: Key Workers can continue to access Breakfast Club if required) and no Acorns After School Club
Increased Hygiene
We will be employing strict hygiene measures in school. Examples of the detailed protocols in place include:
- Daily temperature and health checks for all persons on site
- All persons who enter the site (pupils and adults) will be required to wash hands or sanitise. All classrooms are set up with hand washing stations
- Additional daily cleaning routines have been established
- Scheduled toilet breaks will be timetabledÂ
- On Friday afternoon additional cleaning will take place
- Pupils will be allocated equipment to reduce sharing and cross contamination
- Movement around the school will be reduced. There will be no assemblies, use of dining room, visits to the music room, library or computing room
Pupils who become unwell
- Pupils who are unwell will be quarantined immediately and then sent home.
- If a child shows any COVID-19 symptoms we will require parents to arrange for immediate testing.
- If a child tests positive then every pupil and adult in the bubble group will be required to immediately self-isolate for 14 days.
- If a member of the school community has a positive test we will notify all parents and take appropriate action to inform the relevant authorities.
Social Distancing at Home
We are taking great lengths to ensure that our school is the safest place it can be for our pupils. If we become aware of families who have not followed the national rules about social distancing then we may be forced to withdraw our offer of a school place for a minimum of 7 days. This could be extended if any member of the child’s family develops symptoms.
For information about social distancing visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51506729
IMPORTANT NOTICE: ONLY THOSE PUPILS WHO HAVE BEEN REGISTERED TO RESTART BY THE DEADLINE WILL BE ALLOWED TO RETURN. NO EXCEPTIONS CAN BE MADE.
And finally …
Staff have worked extremely hard to prepare the site and make arrangements for our pupils to start returning to school safely. Things will not always go to plan, but please be patient as we work through these new arrangements. Rest assured, the safety of you, your children and my staff will always be our primary concern.
Yours sincerely
Craig Tallon (Headteacher)
Additional Documents
1. Risk Assessment
Woodcroft Primary School â Risk Assessment for reopening â updated 29/5/20
A detailed risk assessment has been carried out following local authority guidelines and with the support of an independent Health and Safety Consultant. This risk assessment has now being shared with the School Governors, Staff, Parents & Carers, relevant unions and Barnet Local Authority for consultation purposes.
The risk assessment will be continually update after reopening on 1st June.
2.  Woodcroft Behaviour Policy Addendum: Behaviour Principles for COVID-19
3. Travelling to school: A message from Transport for London
4. A Brief Guide To Education and the Curriculum During A Phased Reopening After 1st June
At Woodcroft we aim to support all of our pupils and families maintain their learning during the crisis. Download a helpful PDF guide that outlines our plans to enable this to happen during the summer term:
PDF Guide To The Woodcroft Curriculum During A Phased Reopening After 1st June
There are just some things that even the coronavirus can not stop, and one of those is the Woodcroft WOW Factor! This year we went virtual; children uploaded their audition videos to the Google Classroom! We then secured the services of three ‘dubiously’ famous judges who had the impossible task of selecting the finalists from over 50 entrants! Nine talented individuals were then put to the public ‘Google Form’ vote. Finally, after all of the votes were counted and verified, we had three wonderful, Woodcroft WOW Factor winners. Each received a socially distant visit from Mr Tallon and Mr Russell to receive their certificates, medals and rosettes!
Take a look at the winning acts and their acceptance speeches below …
Click here to view the winning speeches …
Watch the winners in action …
Mr Tallon and Mr Russell made sure they snapped a selfie with our new Woodcroft stars!
Click here to watch our epic wave!
We miss you all – so what better way to start half term than with a great big wave to say … “HELLO EVERYONE. MISSING YOU ALL. SEE YOU SOON!”
It’s the Woodcroft Wave video … https://bit.ly/3c3jq06
Click to watch this week’s Woodcroft Weekly News video
The school building might be closed – but there is still loads happening at Woodcroft Primary School. For a peek inside Woodcroft Online, our virtual school, first check out this week’s Woodcroft News Video and then watch the winning videos from this week’s WOW Factor talent show!
Click to watch the WOW Factor Winners!
Who is Clinically Vulnerable?
If you have any of the following health conditions, you are clinically vulnerable, meaning you are at higher risk of severe illness from coronavirus. You are advised to stay at home as much as possible and, if you do go out, take particular care to minimise contact with others outside your household.
Clinically vulnerable people are those who are:
- aged 70 or older (regardless of medical conditions)
- under 70 with an underlying health condition listed below (that is, anyone instructed to get a flu jab each year on medical grounds):
- chronic (long-term) mild to moderate respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or bronchitis
- chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
- chronic kidney disease
- chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis
- chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinsonâs disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), or cerebral palsy
- diabetes
- a weakened immune system as the result of certain conditions, treatments like chemotherapy, or medicines such as steroid tablets
- being seriously overweight (a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above)
- pregnant women
As above, there is a further category of people with serious underlying health conditions who are clinically extremely vulnerable, meaning they are at very high risk of severe illness from coronavirus. You, your family and carers should be aware of the guidance on shielding which provides information on how to protect yourself still further should you wish to.
Who is âclinically extremely vulnerableâ?
Expert doctors in England have identified specific medical conditions that, based on what we know about the virus so far, place someone at greatest risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
Clinically extremely vulnerable people may include the following people. Disease severity, history or treatment levels will also affect who is in this group.
- Solid organ transplant recipients.
- People with specific cancers:
- people with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy
- people with lung cancer who are undergoing radical radiotherapy
- people with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment
- people having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer
- people having other targeted cancer treatments which can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors
- people who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last 6 months, or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs
- People with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary (COPD).
- People with rare diseases that significantly increase the risk of infections (such as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), homozygous sickle cell).
- People on immunosuppression therapies sufficient to significantly increase risk of infection.
- Women who are pregnant with significant heart disease, congenital or acquired.
People in this group should have been contacted to tell them they are clinically extremely vulnerable.
If youâre still concerned, you should discuss your concerns with your GP or hospital clinician.
A message from Transport for London
âHelping Londonâs teaching professionals, parents and guardians, children and young people travel safely back to school, as part of the Governmentâs COVID-19 recovery strategy, is our priority. To enable social distancing of 2 metres, public transport will have severely reduced capacity, even when 100 per cent of services are operating fully. This means public transport should be avoided wherever possible to free up the limited space available to those who have no alternative way to travel, and that those who can should walk or cycle instead. It is crucial that we act now to enable social distancing outside school gates and on Londonâs roads by making walking and cycling part of everyday travel plans for schools. We would therefore appreciate your support in giving careful consideration to the following guidance …
- Parents and pupils should walk, cycle or scoot to school, wherever possible
- Introduce appropriate social distancing measures outside school gates
- Staggering the start of the school day and collection times to help reduce pressure at peak travel times (05:45-08:15 and 16:00-17:30)
- Continue to support the STARS programme at Woodcroft. STARS is TfLâs community project to inspire young Londoners at over 1,500 schools, nurseries and colleges to travel sustainably, actively, responsibly and safely by championing walking, scooting and cycling. Woodcroft is a GOLD Level STARS School. Find more information at: https://stars.tfl.gov.uk/
Note 22/5/20: There will also be temporary changes to travel for under 18s in London, as required by the Government as part of the funding deal agreed last week. TfL are still finalising the details and once agreed, Will be fully communicating this to customers before they are implemented.
For further information.
Ami Ibitson | Engagement Officer | West London Team
Local Communities & Partnerships | Transport for London
Mail:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Yellow Zone, Floor 9, Endeavour Square, Stratford, London, E20 1JN
Email:Â Â Â Â Â Â AmiIbitson@tfl.gov.uk
Dear Parents and Carers of pupils in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6
There has been a lot of discussion recently about when and how the reopening of schools will take place. I would like to set out the situation for the parents and carers at Woodcroft. Your childâs education is an absolute priority, but their safety always comes first!Â
Woodcroft staff have been working extremely hard throughout the COVID-19 crisis. We have been running Woodcrotf Online, a full-time virtual school with some amazing extra features such as quizzes, competitions, challenges, online singing assemblies, daily jokes, story times and our weekly news videos! We have also been open every day for key worker children, even during the Easter holiday!
The Government has now directed schools to plan to get many more children back into the classroom, starting from June. We have carried out a thorough risk assessment looking at the risks of returning more children to the classroom and how we can adequately staff and accommodate pupils who come back.
Please take note of the following points:
- No final decisions about reopening will be made until after Thursday 28th May when the government reassess the current risks to children and adults in school
- School will not reopen until the governor body have adequately tested our safety planning against the most up to date information
- It is entirely a parent or carers decision when their child returns to school
- The curriculum offered will be entirely the same for pupils in school as those remaining at home
- Be aware that plans for returning will be different for every school, as we must all take into consideration things like the layout of buildings, staffing availability and pupil numbers.Â
Woodcroft school staff and our governors, following guidance from the education unions and the Governmentâs Department for Education, are devising arrangements that will allow for social distancing where possible and a range of other measures to minimise the risk of infection.Â
This means it is likely that the return to school will happen in gradual, staggered phases. You can understand that this is a very complicated process, with lots of variable and changing factors.Â
The Government has currently indicated that they would like schools to prioritise the return of pupils from Year 6, Year 1, Reception and Nursery.
It is important to be aware that schooling WILL NOT be the same as it was before the COVID-19 crisis!Â
It is also important to realise that guidance is changing daily – so all planning is subject to change, often at short notice!
Current Reopening Plans
To summarise our plans for reopening:
- We are hoping to welcome back some pupils from the four priority year groups in a gradual and phased manner throughout the month of June.
- We are planning for 2 year groups to start from the 1st June with the second two year groups introduced after the 15th June.
- We can only fit a maximum of 12 pupils in each classroom to maintain social distancing
- These classroom groups will stay together with one adult throughout the day; this is called a âBubble Groupâ
- Different âBubble Groupsâ of up to a maximum of 12 pupils will be kept separate at ALL timesÂ
- Pupils who wish to return will be welcomed back on a bi-weekly rota. They will be in school for one week and then stay at home the next as we do not have enough staff or room to fit everyone in!
- Pupils who are in school will:
- Stay in their bubble groups with an allocated adult. Bubble groups may not be supervised by their regular classteacher and it may be with a teaching assistant
- All pupils will complete the same âWoodcroft Onlineâ work on Google Classroom, set by their actual teacher, as those who stay at home
- Children will study at an individual workstation desk spaced out from other pupils
- They will eat a packed lunch at their desks (either brought from home or provided by the school kitchen)
- Have a staggered break time in an allocated section of the playground
- Follow strict behaviour expectations. Pupils who are unable to adapt to the new ways of working in school will be sent home
- Finish at 1.00pm on a Friday to enable a deep clean ready for the second group of pupils the next week.
It must be acknowledged that we CANNOT guarantee that pupils will remain socially distant throughout the school day. Parents and carers must accept that children will be children!
Access Arrangements
We have also begun to put in place detailed plans to ensure that the school site is able to receive pupils back safely. Woodcroft has a particularly complicated layout that requires extra measures:
To summarise current arrangements for access that we are planning:
- A soft start from 8.45am to 9.30am (to avoid everyone arriving at the same time)
- Parents will leave their children with staff at the school gates (front or back); this is referred to âkiss and dropâ
- Socially distanced, one way, queuing systems will be put in place
- The school office will be closed – contact is via telephone only
- Extended collection time from 3.00pm – 3.15pm.
- Parents will follow marked one way routes to collect children. No stopping or gathering will be allowed
- Only one adult per pupil will be asked to collect
- Older children will be encouraged to leave independently and walk home alone or meet their adult carer at an agreed place away from the school
- There will be no Breakfast Club or Acorns After School Club
Increased Hygiene
We will be employing strict hygiene measures in school. Examples of the detailed protocols in place include:
- Daily temperature and health checks for all persons on site
- All persons who enter the site (pupils and adults) will be required to wash hands or sanitise. All classrooms are set up with antibacterial hand washing stations
- Additional daily cleaning routines have been established
- Scheduled toilet breaks will be timetabledÂ
- Uniform will be optional (daily washing of clothes is recommended)
- Friday afternoon additional cleaning will take place
- Allocated equipment to reduce sharing and cross contamination
- Reduction in movement around the school. There will be no assemblies, use of dining room or visits to the music room, library or computing room
Pupils who become unwell
- Pupils who are unwell will be quarantined immediately and then sent home.
- All families in the bubble group will be notified if a child is sent home unwell.Â
- If a child shows any COVID-19 symptoms we will require parents to arrange for immediate testing.
- If a child tests positive then every pupil and adult in the bubble group will be required to immediately self-isolate for 14 days.
- If a member of the school community has a positive test we will notify all parents and take appropriate action to inform the relevant authorities.
What to do next
Parents in years 1, 6 Nursery and Reception have now got to make an important decision. We are asking you to indicate one of three options by 3.00pm tomorrow, Friday 22nd May.
| Choose one option A, B or C and inform the school …
A) I would definitely like my child to return to school in June. B) I am unsure at the moment. I would like the school to ask me again after half term as I would like to reconsider once I see how things go when schools start to return. C) I definitely do not want my child to return until September at the earliest. I am happy for my child to continue learning with Woodcroft Online. To indicate your decision you can either:
|
Please note:Â
- You can change your mind at any time and either withdraw your child from school or ask that they be reintroduced to a bubble group
- Once we have received parental indications we will then allocate pupils into bubble groups and inform families of their school starting dates
- SEND children with an EHCP will be contacted separately as we are required to carry out an additional risk assessment and make individual plans
- If we do not hear from you by 3.00pm 22nd May we will record you as an undecided âBâ response and contact you again after the first week in June.
Is your child clinically Vulnerable?
- If your child is clinically vulnerable we need to know. For a definition of clinical vulnerability check here
Help!
We realise that this is a complicated decision. To help parents we will be publishing our risk assessments and other supporting documents on the school website.
 There is also this guidance issued by government for parents at this link.Â
You will also be able to find up to date information on the Barnet website: www.barnet.gov.uk/schools-and-education
But always remember, it is likely that things will change quickly and frequently.
To finish
Thank you for all of the support that parents have given their children during the lockdown. We hope that you have valued the work provided by Woodcroft staff to support your child at this difficult time. As we enter a new and unprecedented phase in the COVID-19 crisis we will continue to do our very best to maintain the education of all of our pupils, while at the same time implementing strange and unusual school arrangements.Â
Whatever decision you choose to make (option A, B or C), rest assured, the safety of everyone is always foremost in our planning.
Yours sincerely
Craig Tallon (Headteacher)
Additional Documents
- Risk Assessment Consultation
Woodcroft Primary School – Risk Assessment for reopening – v2 22/5/20
A detailed risk assessment has been carried out following local authority guidelines and with the support of an independent Health and Safety Consultant. This risk assessment is now being shared with the School Governors, Staff, Parents & Carers, relevant unions and Barnet Local Authority for consultation purposes.
Please email the Headteacher directly if you would like to comment on the risk assessment by Wednesday 27th May …Â head@woodcroft.barnetmail.net
The school is working to introduce further control measures in order to reduce any of the identified risks, including those issues expressed during the consultation, to an acceptable level.
The risk assessment will be continually update prior to a reissued on Friday 29th May. After which, and following national guidance, a final decision will be made about the school reopening from 1st June.
2. Woodcroft Behaviour Policy Addendum: Behaviour Principles for COVID-19
3. Travelling to school: A message from Transport for London
4. A Brief Guide To Education and the Curriculum During A Phased Reopening After 1st June
A Woodcroft we aim to support all of our pupils and families maintain their learning during the crisis. This is a not an easy thing to do … but we’ll do our very best!
Parents and Carers can download a helpful PDF guide that outlines our plans to enable this to happen during the summer term:
Click here to view this week’s news video
This week we have seen more amazing work on the Google Classroom. In this edition of our video news Mr Tallon introduces our online stars of the week and also finds out where some staff have been spending lockdown; you’ll be surprised!
We are sure that you will have heard that the Government believes it may be in a position to implement a gradual, phased re-opening of schools from 1st June. This is the Governmentâs conditional plan which it says will remain under regular review and is yet to be finalised.
Our first priority at Woodcroft has to be the health and well-being of all our children, families and staff. We will only get more pupils back into school as it is safe to do so. This means that we have much planning to do before we can open the school safely.
The Headteachers has written to all parents and carers with an update about reopening plans.
Woodcroft Primary – Reopening Information Letter 1 15-5-20
More information will be posted here in due course. Fro more information visis:
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/education-and-childcare
