Return to School

St Anthony’s Primary School

Covid-19 Response Plan

The health and safety of our staff and pupils are paramount and drive our decision making.

A Board of Governors member with responsibility for managing the implementation of the school’s Covid Response Plan to be appointed.

Daily Routine:

Primary Seven pupils return to school Monday 24/08/2020, full time.

Primary 2-6 pupils return to school Thursday 27/08/2020, full time.

Primary One pupils start school Tuesday 01/09/2020 9.15am – 11am, phasing to full time over the following few weeks.

All staff and pupils must wear fresh, clean clothes each day. Children are encouraged to wear uniform as often as possible. In these circumstances, it is not required that pupils wear a school uniform every day.

Staff and families advised that, should they, or anyone they have been in contact with, display any of the recognised Covid-19 symptoms, they must:

• Not attend school
• Inform school immediately

Should self-isolation be required for any school groups, education will continue via agreed digital platforms. We have been using Seesaw and Purple Mash throughout lockdown and will continue to use these, supplemented by asynchronistic teaching forums, if deemed necessary and appropriate, in line with On-line Learning Policy. 

All staff will be provided with a reusable visor as some staff cannot wear masks, for health reasons.

Staff to maintain 2 metre social distancing from children and other adults. 

Children to maintain 1 metre distance from each other and 2 metre distance from adults. Classrooms have been rearranged to facilitate this. Signage and ground markings are in place to support these procedures.

Cloakrooms will not be in use, as they are shared spaces and social distancing cannot be maintained.

Playground is already zoned for class groupings. Snack will be provided from home. All food, for snack and lunch, must be suitable for your child to open and/or peel independently. Staff will not be able to assist children with this.

School dinners will be available for all who wish to avail of this service. Our school canteen is large enough to accommodate groups of children while maintaining social distancing. At 12.15pm, P1-P4 will go to the canteen and P5-P7 will go to the playground. Bell will ring at 12.35pm and groups will swap. P5-P7 remain lined up in playground until P1-P4 exit the building. Children will remain in class bubbles throughout.

Should anyone develop symptoms during the school day, parents will be contacted immediately and the provided guidance will be followed. All staff will be aware of this.

Drop Off and Pick Up:

School playground will be accessible from 8.50am. Staff will be on duty from this time. Antiville Road gates will be locked until this time and a barrier will be in place to prevent access from small playground. Only Foundation Stage and Key Stage One parents may enter the school playground to drop off their children and should follow handover procedure as outlined below for pupil collection. Key Stage Two parents leave their children at the school gate or carpark steps. Pupils will have temperature checked on arrival then proceed directly to classroom and observe hygiene protocols. In line with PHA guidelines, if anyone’s temperature shows to be above the normal range, they will not be allowed into the school building until a negative test result has been verified.

At home time, legally, P1-P4 must be handed over to an agreed adult. P1-P4 parents must line up on class social distance markers and their child will be handed over to them. P5-P7 will leave school via playground and meet adult at the school gate or carpark steps, if being collected.

Communication:

Most communication will be digital, to minimise cross infection via paper. Only paper documents which require a signature will be sent home. If a pupil brings a note from home, it will be opened by the pupil and remain on their desk to be read by the teacher then put, by the pupil, in a specified container, to be filed at a later date.

Ventilation:

Classroom windows and doors will remain open to allow a free flow of fresh air. External doors will remain closed, in line with Child Protection policy.

Indemnity:

DE have indemnified schools regarding contracting Covid-19 virus. School is, however, responsible for ensuring appropriate safeguarding measures are in place and enforced, to minimise risk of infection.

All strategies employed are subject to change and adaptation, depending on Governmental medical advice and on-going changes in circumstances within the school and community.

Á Fleming