Pound Hill Infant Academy Further Information Regarding Operational Procedures for Parents and Carers How Will the Academy Week

Pound Hill Infant Academy Further information regarding operational procedures for Parents and Carers

How will the academy week be different from Monday 19th April 2021?  The academy will be open 5 days a week.  Staggered times for drop off and collection will be in place. Do I have to send my child to the academy? Yes, Government guidance states: ‘School attendance will be mandatory’. This means the usual rules on school attendance will apply, including:  parents’ duty to secure that their child attends regularly at school where the child is a registered pupil at school and they are of compulsory school age;  schools’ responsibilities to record attendance and follow up absence  the availability to issue sanctions, including fixed penalty notices in line with local authorities’ codes of conduct outside of COVID-19 guidance. How will I enter and leave the academy site?  Where possible, we are requesting that one parent/carer drops off and collects. If siblings are required to attend during drop off and collection, parents/carers are requested to ensure they adhere to social distancing guidelines.  We are continuing to rely on parents and carers to strongly support the academy staff and community in adhering to social distancing rules at all times. Please leave the academy site promptly.  We encourage all Parents and Carers to walk to the academy where possible.  If you need to drive, please park responsibility and respect our neighbours.  The strict one way system will remain when approaching and within the academy site.  All parents/carers and children are to enter the academy site via the walkway via the Family Health Centre or the rear gate nearest the playing fields.  All parents/Carers and children are to enter the playground, following the signs, for drop off or collection  If parent/carers arrive early, and your child’s class waiting area is full, please wait in the new parent/carer waiting area by the MUGA. Once the line for your child’s class has eased you may then enter into the line to collect your child.  All parents/carers and children are to leave via the rear entrance of the playground leading onto Moat Walk at the beginning and end of the day. We politely request that parents do not park near Moat Walk to ensure the safety of our academy community and our Moat Walk neighbours.  We politely request that all parents and carers keep the entrances and exits clear for your safety and the safety of our academy community. My child is due to be collected by a childminder or another trusted adult, is that okay?  Yes. The academy requests that you notify the academy office, via email ([email protected]) that your child is due to be collected by a childminder or another trusted adult.  Please provide the name of this person collecting.  Please provide a password for collection. My child may be a little anxious and could need help coming into school. Can I walk them into the classroom?  We completely understand that this situation will be worrying and confusing for some children. Staff will use their skills and expertise in reassuring the children and try and ensure they are emotionally regulated as possible.

Crawley Lane, Pound Hill, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 7EB 01293 873975 [email protected] www.poundhillinfantacademy.org.uk Pound Hill Infant Academy is part of the University of Brighton Academies Trust, a charitable company, limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales with company number 7185046 Reg address: Multi Academy Trust Office, University of Brighton, Checkland Building, Rm A304. Falmer Campus, Village Way, Brighton, BN1 9PH. Pound Hill Infant Academy Further information regarding operational procedures for Parents and Carers  If your child is anxious and finds it tricky to leave you, please move to a clearer space on the playground, or drop off area, and help them to calm. Additional adults will be available to come and help but please be advised staff will not be able to physically bring children into the academy buildings, unless suitable risk assessments are in place for your child.  For the safety of all our academy community, please do not stand at or enter the classroom, please stand behind the dotted lines.  Please also adhere to social distancing when talking to academy staff. How can I communicate with academy staff during this time?  The academy office remains closed to parent/carer queries in person. This is to reduce the number of visitors within the academy building.  Please email general enquiries or messages to the academy office ([email protected]) or ring on 01293 873 975  Please email teacher specific messages, if required, for the attention of your child’s class teacher via the new year group email addresses: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] The headlines for curriculum learning: The PHIA curriculum will adapt to the needs of your child. Topics will remain. Each year group will continue to follow a theme:  Reception: ‘Thinkers’  Year 1: ‘Explorers’  Year 2: ‘Investigators’  The themes will support the knowledge, skills and wider learning that your child will be offered through the PHIA curriculum offer.  To further support your child’s phonics and reading development, the academy has purchased a significant number of reading books for your child to access.  The social and emotional development needs for your child remain as important as their academic needs.  Staff will offer children practical tasks to develop their curiosity in their learning, whilst also supporting their current attainment and ensure that areas of progression are identified over the remainder of this academic year and beyond. How will Year group learning work?  To fully support the needs of your child, there may be occasions where it is necessary for your child to work with another member of staff within a smaller group of children from other classroom bubbles within their year group. Year groups will not mix. This is in line with government guidance and Public Health England advice. Will learning be assessed?  Regular and prompt feedback will be provided to your child during activities and lessons.  Please note, that minimal formal testing will be completed with your child.  The majority of teacher assessment will be:

 Based on observation, questioning, classroom dialogue and responsive teaching. These should fit seamlessly into the teaching and learning process.  Pupil voice is important to this process  Flexible and be regular in a range of contexts and environments – use the academy grounds and locality as much as possible to support the learning experiences.  Focussed on monitoring pupils learning styles, providing ongoing feedback. This will enable academy staff to improve and adjust their teaching styles and methods for all pupils to improve their learning.  Let pupils know through positive, descriptive feedback (verbal and written), whether they have ‘mastered’ the outcome or require more practice.  To enable teachers to recognise where pupils need further support and address misunderstandings immediately.

Will there be statutory testing for my child this academic year?  No. In light of the current lockdown, the Government guidance states: ‘We have cancelled the statutory Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 tests and key teacher assessments planned for summer 2021’.  However, in line with Government guidance, the academy will administer past papers and or other assessments ‘to inform teaching [and] enable [the academy] to give information to parents on their child’s attainment in their annual report.’

Will I receive an end of year report for my child this year?  Yes. Annual Reports will be sent to all parents and carers at the end of the Summer Term 2021.

Will my child have learning set if isolating?  Yes, remote learning will continue to be available to any child self-isolating, in accordance with the academy’s remote learning offer. https://www.poundhillinfantacademy.org.uk/teaching-and- learning/remote-learning  Check in sessions will stop from 8th March. They will resume if needed e.g a whole class or year group closure, subject to staffing capacity.

My child usually has a school meal. Will they still get this?  We continue to work with Chartwells who will provide meals for children who choose to have school meals.  For Reception, the hall will be separated into two parts and each class bubble, within the year group, will be allocated an eating time slot.  For children in Year 1 and Year 2, lunch will be delivered to the classroom bubbles.  If your child prefers a packed lunch (in secure and washable lunchbox) they are more than welcome to bring this to school. What will my child need to bring with them to school?  Each child should have their water bottle and packed lunch if they are not having a school meal.  They should bring NAMED waterproof coats in bad weather.  Suncream must be applied before the school day  Pencil cases, own hand sanitisers and other resources will NOT be necessary.  NO personal toys or cuddly toys are permitted onto the academy site.

Please can all children come into school wearing their PE kit, on their allocated day. Please note, this needs to be in line with the academy’s uniform policy.

What if my child has an underlying health condition, is asthmatic or suffers from hayfever?  Please consult your Doctor or medical professional for advice before returning to the academy. Please let the academy know if there are any changes to medication or medical needs. If necessary, the academy will work with parents/carers to develop a Health Care Plan and risk assessment for your child.  If your child suffers or is suffering from hayfever, please inform the office ([email protected]) so we can provide extra hygiene equipment for their respective bubble.

What if my child has an inhaler/medication to bring into school?  A member of staff will be available at a medication drop off zone on the main playground as you enter the academy. Please ensure this is named and out of the cardboard box. Please adhere to the one way system in place.  Please email [email protected] for a medicine parent administration form if you are dropping of a new medicine or if anything has changed since your child was last in the academy. How will the academy support the children in understanding hygiene measures to keep themselves and others as safe as possible during the school day?  Building on current measures in place within the academy, hand washing will remain a vital and a regular part of your child’s school day. Children will clean their hands on entry, before break, after break, before lunch, after lunch and before collection. This is a minimum expectation.  Staff will continue to teach and regularly remind and monitor handwashing within the bubble.  Handwashing posters are located throughout the academy as reference.  Catch it, Bin it, Kill it will be reinforced throughout the school day. Each classroom bubble has a lidded bin to support this.  A comprehensive cleaning schedule will be in place throughout the school day and after the school day.  Each classroom bubble will be allocated a toilet to reduce any cross bubble interaction.

How will I be informed?  In the first instance, you will receive a phone call and/or pmx message (email and/or text). It is the academy’s priority to inform identified contacts of their need to isolate as soon as possible.  The academy will notify parents and carers of the necessary steps that are needed to be taken via letter, sent via Parentmail.  We would like to assure all parents and carers that the academy will provide all necessary communications to support your understanding.  Following advice sought, it may only be deemed necessary to send academy communication to a class bubble, year group or the whole academy.  Please note, if your child is required to self-isolate, remote learning will remain available for your child. https://www.poundhillinfantacademy.org.uk/teaching-and-learning/remote-learning

What is the current government guidance linked to Covid-19 for schools? Pupils, staff and other adults must not come into the school if:

 they have one or more coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms  a member of their household (including someone in their support bubble or childcare bubble if they have one) has coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms  they are legally required to quarantine, having recently visited countries outside the Common Travel Area  they have had a positive test  have been in close contact with someone who tests positive for coronavirus (COVID-19)

They must immediately cease to attend and not attend for at least 10 days from the day after:

You must follow this process and ensure everyone onsite or visiting is aware of it.

Anyone told to isolate by NHS Test and Trace or by their public health protection team has a legal obligation to self-isolate, but you may leave home to avoid injury or illness or to escape the risk of harm. More information can be found on NHS Test and Trace: how it works.

Further useful information: Close contact means: • Anyone who lives in the same household as someone with coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms or who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) • Anyone who has had any of the following types of contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) with a PCR or LFD test:  face-to-face contact including being coughed on or having a face-to- face conversation within 1 metre  been within 1 metre for 1 minute or longer without face-to-face contact  been within 2 metres of someone for more than 15 minutes (either as a one-off contact, or added up together over one day)  travelled in the same vehicle or a plane

Rapid testing Lateral Flow Devices (LFD)s, under current government guidance, will continue to be available to academy staff and are now available for families of school aged pupils. Under government guidance this is to ‘support the return to face-to-face education by helping to identify people who are infectious but do not have any coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms.’

Vaccination Under current government guidance, staff will begin to be invited to receive their Covid-19 vaccinations. During this process, it maybe that staff will need to attend during the academy day. If this is the case, cover will be arranged. Parents/carers will be informed of cover arrangements if required.

Will I need to self-isolate if I have received one or more doses of COVID-19 vaccine?

While COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to reduce the likelihood of severe illness for those who have received them, we do not yet know for certain by how much they reduce the likelihood of a vaccinated person spreading COVID-19 to others. Therefore, even if you have been vaccinated, there is still a risk you could catch COVID-19 and spread it to other people.

If you have been identified as a contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, you must self- isolate even if you have received one or more doses of COVID-19 vaccine. This will reduce the risk of spreading infection and help to protect other people.