HOW STUDENTS WILL BE KEPT AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE
the move back to face-to-face teaching was well planned and well executed,” says headteacher, Juliette Lipshaw (left).
“On reopening day my arms hurt from trying to match and respond to the exuberant waving from both parents and children. It was a historic day and I am proud to be at the helm of the largest Jewish primary school in Europe and of the safety measures we have put in place to enable the parents to put their trust in us as a school, safe in the knowledge that their children are well looked after and able to enjoy a full day of productive and stimulating learning.
“Reopening schools is the first step on the Government’s roadmap but we know the importance of continuing to be responsible and careful...
“We have a robust and comprehensive action plan in place that we share with all our families and we have a detailed risk assessment that we submit to our local authority detailing all the school adaptations we have implemented to ensure we are as Covid-19 secure as we can be.
“These safety measures include additional on-site cleaning, zoned areas in the playground, strict huddles within the school, social distancing, staggered start and collection times and extra handwashing built into the timetables.
“We also began a programme of rapid lateral flow testing of our staff as an added safety net. These tests are taken by staff at home so they only travel into school after receiving and logging a negative test result. The reassurance these tests give is welcome. We don’t just want to open, we want to stay open.”
Regular rapid testing is also available for adults in staff and parents’ households and in their childcare and support bubbles. “We know that children have missed the lack of routine, their friends and the classroom during lockdown periods,” Mrs Lipshaw continues. “As an educator nothing makes me happier than seeing the school full once again, with children where they are meant to be and catching up and compensating for any gaps in learning. There is much to look forward to and at Sinai we have pledged to pack as much as we can into each precious day left of this academic year.”
At Yavneh Schools, in Hertfordshire, “Parents have been incredibly supportive of the measures we have put in place to enable pupils to return to school in safest possible way,” says Spencer Lewis (above), executive headteacher.
These include secondary pupils testing for Covid-19 every few days, wearing their masks in class and outside, and cleaning desks every time they enter a classroom.
“It is wonderful to have our pupils back in school where they belong,” says Mr Lewis.
FIND OUT MORE
To find more information, visit gov.uk/backtoschool or speak to your child’s nursery, school or college.
REGULAR rapid Covid-19 tests are a key tool in stopping the virus spreading. If parents give permission, secondary school and college students aged 11 and over will be given a swab to rub around the inside of their nose or mouth, which is then tested for signs of the virus – results are available in around 30 minutes. These quick and simple rapid flow tests are effective in finding those who don’t have symptoms but may be transmitting the disease. As these could account for up to one-in-three cases, detecting them is vital. After pupils have had three tests at school or college, they’ll begin doing them at home using tests they’ll collect at school. Using them is an easy fourstep process:
1. Sanitise the testing area and your hands, unpack the kit and read the instructions.
2. Swab your throat, then nose. 3. Place swab into the liquid in the tube provided, then squeeze that liquid on to the test device.
4. Lay test device on a flat surface – after 30 minutes it will give a result. When someone tests positive, they and the rest of their household, support and childcare bubble should self-isolate immediately. The person who tested positive should also take a PCR test (the kind given at official Covid-19 testing sites) and follow the latest Government guidance. It’s also vital that no child showing symptoms of coronavirus attends classes – parents should book a test for their child and self-isolate until they receive the results. Parents or adults of a household, childcare or support bubble can either:
1. Get an assisted test at work if it is available.
2. Attend a test site to get tested (where you will be able to see how to take the test) or pick up tests to do at home.
3. Order a test online to do at home. It is hoped that households will get into the habit of testing themselves regularly. Other protective measures in schools include teaching in bubbles, ventilating classrooms, washing hands more frequently and staggered break and lunch times. Staff and pupils in secondary schools are being advised to wear face coverings at all times social distancing can’t be maintained including in the classroom and communal areas. The same is true for both staff and adult visitors at primary level, although children do not need to. For more information visit: gov.uk/coronavirus-schoolhousehold-testing
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