Welcome Back Nursery
The Nursery team are very much looking forward to welcoming your child back at the start of the new academic year. If this is your child’s first experience of the Nursery, we are very keen to settle them quickly into the Nursery routines and ensure they feel happy, safe and secure. This document outlines how the Nursery children, staff and parents can safely return to the Nursery in September 2020. At the end of the last academic year, we were able to return the Nursery children for 5 weeks and of course, we remained open throughout the entire lockdown period for the children of key workers. We learned a great deal from those experiences and have spent the summer months adapting elements of the normal school routine accordingly. In drawing together this plan, we have followed (and in most cases exceeded), Government guidance and built on our own experiences, guidance from the DfE and the Boarding Schools’ Association, as well as utilising group support within United Learning. We are very excited about seeing all pupils and colleagues back in school in September. There may be some families who will need to continue to shield for medical reasons and we will arrange learning experiences as necessary. Mrs Fiona Thomas Preparatory Headmistress Lincoln Minster School
Welcome Back to School
1. The number of sessions each day will remain the same but there will be a staggered start and end to the day for pupils in different sections/Year groups of the school. Nursery sessions remain at their usual times. 2. Pupils will be in their year group “bubbles” for lunch, break times, after school clubs, games etc. 3. Mixing between year groups will be kept to a minimum and will always be appropriately distanced. EYFS will be classed as one bubble. 4. For subject specialism, Music (Discoverers and Explorers) and Spanish (just Explorers), the teachers will go to the Nursery classrooms. 5. Lunch times will also be staggered and pupils will only sit with those in their “bubble”. Spaces have also been modified to enable year groups to have an adapted lunch provision each day. Further details will be circulated by Jane Stone, Bursar, regarding our lunch provision. Initially we are running our adapted provision for the first half of term, at which point it will be reviewed. 6. Creche provision will run at both Pre-Prep and Prep according to staggered timings. 7. We are still waiting on further information whether swimming will go ahead at Pre-Prep. 6. All staff, visitors and pupils will wear face coverings while transiting around the school.
The key principles in planning our response to the Covid-19 crisis have been, firstly, the safety and wellbeing of all of our pupils and staff, closely followed by the need to provide continuity of an outstanding education to all of our pupils. The headline adaptations to our routine and expectations for September are:
All staff are returning to school as usual for INSET training and this will be focused on training in the Covid-safe measures we have put in place. We will ensure that there is training and information provided to all pupils as they return to school. We will also ensure that there are constant reminders to pupils and staff about how to stay safe, along with visual reminders and signage around the school site reinforcing these messages. Your support in reinforcing the fundamental principles outlined by the UK Government about how to leave our homes safely is welcomed. These include: • Following Government self-isolation and test and trace guidelines at all times; • Keeping your distance from people outside your household; • Keeping your hands and face as clean as possible; • Avoiding being face-to-face with people; • Avoiding crowds; • If you have to travel, think about how you travel; • Keeping indoor places well-ventilated; • Face coverings serve a purpose, but do not replace social distancing.
Section One: THE SCHOOL SITE (pages 5 to 7) Preparation before term starts Quarantine Distancing Cleaning Visitors Section Two: THE SCHOOL DAY (pages 8 to 13) Timings of the School Day Pre Prep Drop Offs Start/end of day The Nursery Set Up Assessment Uniform Sleeping Arrangements Dual Nursery Settings Trips Catering Arrangements Section Three: MEDICAL CARE & HYGIENE (page 14 ) Medical Care Hand Washing/Sanitising Face coverings Temperature checks
Contents
Preparation before start of term
The School Site
Visitors Wherever possible, the school will continue to use technology to enable meetings to take place without the need for visitors to come on site. However, where only an in-person meeting is suitable, pre-booked appointments will be made. Assurances will be required to ensure the Government’s self-isolation guidelines are followed before the meeting takes place. No other visitors will be permitted at this time. We ask all parents to remain at the school gate or designated entrance when collecting or dropping their sons and daughters. Unfortunately, we are unable to allow parents into the Nursery building to settle their children as has previously been permitted. We will, of course, work closely with the parents to ensure a smooth transition into Nursery and keep in contact via the telephone to reassure parents on their child’s emotional well-being. For prospective parents and pupils, no tours will take place during the week. During the first half of term, we will run school Open events on a Saturday. Also we will not be able to host taster experiences for prospective pupils, certainly during the first half of term. We will continue to monitor and review. In addition, any contractors or other external organisation used by the school will be required to follow our Covid-safe arrangements. These include, confirming compliance with the self-isolation guidance, regular hand washing/sanitising and the wearing of a face covering when inside school buildings.
Distancing We have adapted our classroom and dining layouts to ensure that pupils are sat at an appropriate distance. For the foreseeable future, we will not be holding large gatherings in school and assemblies will be conducted in year group bubbles or two year group bubbles that are appropriately distanced.
Quarantine We require pupils and/or staff who have travelled from countries that currently require a 14-day quarantine period to have adhered to the Government guidance and completed quarantine, in addition to have been passed fit before they are allowed into school. A number of our international pupils from countries that require quarantine will have completed their 14-day period of self-isolation at school – we have opened the boarding houses early to enable international pupils to start term in September safely.
Cleaning Cleaning teams will be present in school buildings throughout the day, where they will be regularly cleaning toilets, touch points and classrooms. We have been fortunate in having been able to source a number of sanitisers which has greatly increased our capacity to sanitise large areas at speed. In addition, all areas will be cleaned thoroughly overnight (teaching areas) or during the day (boarding areas).
The School Day
The Nursery Set-Up In line with recommendations, there will still be no soft furnishings, cuddly toys or rugs in the Nursery. Children will be able to share a variety of resources, but these will be cleaned regularly and after each use. Children will still be able to use resources such as play dough, but they will each be given their own named pot to use. In Explorers, we will still continue to run daily phonic sessions, circle times, sticky kids sessions, yoga and story times. As in previous years in Explorers, children will be focussing on one sound a week and activities will be linked to that sound. During the first full week back, Monday 7th September, the sound will be ‘a’.
End of Day Arrangements: Crèche - When collecting your child from crèche, please speak to office staff and a member of the administration team will inform the crèche leader of your arrival. Crèche will be in the Damant Hall. Pupils will be kept in separate year group bubbles with assigned resources. * For those parents with children across multiple year groups or across both sites, please speak to your child’s teacher with regards to the best timings to follow.
Communication It is extremely important that we keep you updated on how your child is settling into Nursery and we will endeavour to ensure this occurs regularly. As we are unable to allow parents to access the school site, the main form of communication will be by telephone. If we feel that a face-face meeting is necessary, this can be organised. If your child is unsettled at drop off times, we will call you to let you know how they are settling into the session. If we need to discuss something with you that has happened during a session, we will call you at the end of the session or as soon as possible that day to discuss this with you. Of course, when your child is collected, we will be able to let you know briefly how your child has been, or if we need to call you to discuss anything. If you feel there is anything we need to know about your child or you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. This can be via a phone call to the school office or e-mail to the following contacts: Nursery - Explorers: helen.gainey@lincolnminsterschool.co.uk Nursery - Discoverers: trudi.galloway@lincolnminsterschool.co.uk Head of EYFS: victoria.whitworth@lincolnminsterschool.co.uk
Timings of the School Day We kindly request that parents strictly adhere to the timings for Pre-Prep and Prep and that parents leave both sites promptly after drop-off and pick-up.
Pre-Prep All pick-ups and drop-offs will be from the main school gate. Staff will meet pupils at the gate at the allotted time in the morning and escort pupils to the gate for afternoon pick-up Morning Arrangements: Crèche – Drop off 7:45 am - 8:20 am at the office. Nursery – Under 3’s Morning session 8.30 am - 12.30 pm Afternoon session 11.30 am - 3.30 pm 3 years and over Morning session EYE funded only 8:30 am - 11.30 am Morning session including lunch 8.30 am - 12:30 pm Afternoon session EYE funded only 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm Afternoon session including lunch 11:30 am - 3:30 pm.
Sleeping Arrangements If your child still requires an afternoon nap, please ensure they bring their own blanket. A comforter is permitted, as long as it is only used to settle during sleep time. Belongings from home Only essential items from home are permitted, as listed above in the uniform and sleep section. No toys are to be brought in from home.
Assessment Each half term, you will receive an A3 sheet(s) assessment of your child completing different activities and continuous play based provision. This will be comprised of photographs and written notes about your child’s experiences and progress. From this, their key worker will set the next steps for your child for the following half term. Uniform Nursery children are to wear navy blue jogging bottoms or leggings, a white polo T-shirt and the navy blue sweatshirt with the LMS logo, available from SchoolBlazer. Velcro trainers are advised without the elasticated toggle. If the weather is warm, navy blue shorts are permitted. Please ensure your child has a waterproof all in one suit and Wellington boots in school at all times. Please ensure your child has a spare set of clothes, (including pants and socks), in Nursery at all times. We also would like to remind you to send in any nappies and wipes that your child normally uses if not toilet trained.
Catering arrangements Chartwells, (our school caterer), have ensured that all of their food preparation and serving activities are Covid-safe and that all their staff are trained in these measures. We will continue to use the dining rooms at both Pre-Prep and Prep, with enhanced safety measures in place. Lunchtime will be staggered with pupils sitting in their bubble year groups. There will be gaps between bubbles so that tables and chairs can be sanitised between uses of groups. All pupils will be required to sanitise/wash their hands before and after meals. There will be no self-service food items available, however, we will continue to provide a choice of nutritious meals. Individually portioned salad bowls and desserts will also be available.
Dual Nursery Settings If your child is attending another setting as well as Lincoln Minster School, please inform the school office immediately and a member of the EYFS team will contact you to discuss options. Trips As advised by United Learning, non-residential trips can go ahead with clear guidelines in place and adherence to all Government procedures at this time. Residential trips are not planned unless guidance changes.
Hand Washing/Sanitising Regular washing of hands remains one of the most effective ways of controlling the spread of Covid-19. Pupils will be asked to sanitise their hands at the start of the school day and as they enter and leave classrooms. We have installed hand sanitiser stations around the school in key locations and there will be a hygiene station in each classroom. Regular washing of hands with soap and water will also be carried out at key points during the school day. Face Coverings As with all matters, we are monitoring Government and DfE guidelines and taking advice from health professionals as necessary, as well as United Learning. Currently the DfE states that face coverings are not recommended or required in schools because pupils are mixing in consistent groups, and because misuse may inadvertently increase the risk of transmission. United Learning have asked all their schools to follow these guidelines. Therefore, unless Government requirements change, pupils will not be required to wear face coverings within school other than where they are displaying Covid-19 symptoms and are asked to do so by the School Nurse. Some staff will be required to wear personal protective equipment where a specific risk assessment requires this – such as if a member of staff, school nurse or a member of the boarding team is caring for a pupil showing Covid-19 symptoms.
Temperature checks We ask all parents to check their children’s temperature each morning and to keep them home from school if they have a raised temperature and to follow the Government’s testing requirements if showing Covid-19 symptoms. Any pupils who have a raised temperature whilst at school will be sent home to self-isolate and obtain a Covid-19 test, if a day pupil.
Medical Care Pupils displaying Covid-19 symptoms will be taken to the Nursery office area away from the other pupils. Parents will be contacted and asked to collect their children at the earliest opportunity and pupils will wait in this area for collection from the main office. They will be supervised by a member of staff. If your child is displaying any symptoms linked to a cold or flu like illness, we may request that they are kept at home.
Their first steps towards an education for life...
Medical Care
E: communications@lincolnminsterschool.co.uk lincolnminsterschool.co.uk
Preparatory Church Lane Lincoln LN2 1QR t: +44 (0)1522 243003 Pre-Preparatory Winnowsty Lane Lincoln LN2 5RZ t: +44 (0)1522 524622