Covid-19 Contingency Plan

Covid-19 Contingency Plan

Contingency Plans for Different Lockdown Scenarios

Since Covid-19 first forced us to close last academic year, we have continued to reflect on the best way forward for our learners. The Government are urging schools to develop a ‘blended learning’ approach to provision (a combination of face-to-face learning and pupils working independently from home). Research shows that this is an effective way for pupils to learn and as such this has formed the model for our plans.

Outlined below is a brief outline of the contingency plans made for the most likely situations we may find ourselves in, moving forward through the school year.

Self-isolation for individual pupils

Occasionally, individual pupils may be instructed by medical professionals, or by government guidance, to self-isolate. In these circumstances, the following protocols will be observed:

Paper based self-isolation packs are provided by staff from the full range of subjects.
Presuming that the pupil feels well enough, they should complete these packs.
If a pupil completes all of the work provided before their self-isolation ends, parents can contact the school office to request more.
Pupils can return individual pieces of work to teachers on their return for feedback, which may be given verbally. Teachers will also be available by email if pupils need support.

Where a pupil’s absence extends beyond the initial self-isolation period, teachers will set extra work through Go4Schools for that individual. This will enable their learning to be linked to the current learning in class.

Self-isolation for a group of pupils

If Public Health England (PHE) and the Department of Education instruct us that a small group of pupils need to self-isolate, the following protocols will be observed. It is important to note that colleagues will be teaching full timetables in school so will not be as widely available as they were during full lockdown.

When fewer than 30% in any class are self-isolating, paper based self-isolation packs are provided by staff from the full range of subjects (see previous section).
When 30% of pupils or more in any class are self-isolating, teachers will set work relevant to their schemes of work on Go4Schools.
When 50% of pupils in a class or more are self-isolating, lessons will be streamed online through Teams. These will allow pupils to remotely access their normal lessons at the same time as pupils in school. Please note that such lessons will not be able to be as fully-tailored to home learning as lessons were during lockdown.
Where pupils are accessing live content through Teams, teachers will set up the meetings in advance and send invitations.
Teachers will be available to offer support and feedback to pupils by email, but there may be a delay in response times as staff are busy teaching in school.

Self-isolation for a class of pupils

If a smaller group of pupils, such as a form group, need to self-isolate, the following protocols will be observed. It is important to note that colleagues will be teaching nearly full timetables in school so will not be as widely available as they were during full lockdown.

Teachers who teach tutor groups will provide online classes (History, Geography, French, Computing, Science, Music, Art) as per the school timetable. These lessons will be no longer than 50 minutes to allow transition times.
Colleagues who teach in sets/groups that are not form groups (for example, in English, Maths, DT and some French) will still be teaching the remaining pupils in their group. In DT, teachers will set work on Go4Schools to be completed independently and returned to staff as requested. In English and Maths, pupils will be invited to join the ‘live’ class remotely through Teams, which will allow access to shared screen and the teacher input into the lesson.
Where pupils are accessing live content through Teams, teachers will set up the meetings in advance and send invitations.
Teachers will be available to offer support and feedback to pupils by email, but there may be a delay in response times as staff are busy teaching in school.
There will be two tutor sessions a week timetabled where whole classes are self-isolating.

Self-isolation for a full year group

If a full year group of pupils self-isolate, the following protocols will be observed. It is important to note that colleagues will be teaching the remaining year groups in school, so will not be as widely available as they would be during full lockdown.

Teachers in all subjects will deliver remote lessons as per the pupils’ school timetable.
These lessons will be no longer than 50 minutes to allow transition times.
Wherever possible, the work set will be in line with the CMS curriculum and not stand-alone activities.
Where pupils are accessing live content through Teams, teachers will set up the meetings in advance and send invitations.
Lessons in PE, PER, PSHCE, RE and Core Skills will not be delivered remotely. These times can be used by pupils to complete tasks or take a screen break.
Teachers will be available to offer support and feedback to pupils by email, but there may be a delay in response times as staff are busy teaching in school.
There will be two tutor sessions a week.

Self-isolation for individual Teachers

Wherever possible, teachers who are well but instructed to self-isolate will deliver their lessons remotely through Teams.
Support by Teaching Assistants (and cover supervisor if possible) will be made available in classrooms.
Access to extra microphones and wide-angle cameras is being trialled to maximise the impact of these sessions.
Where teachers are delivering lessons remotely, they will set up the Teams meeting and invite the classroom support staff (e.g. TA, Cover Supervisor).

Full closure of the school

If it is necessary to enforce a full school closure, the following protocols will be observed:

Blended learning will take place from the first week of closure.
English, Maths and Science will have weekly lessons.
- An online class (of about 30 minutes) will establish and support pupils to work through tasks set. These will largely be through Teams, which pupils will access through their school email. For this reason, it is essential that pupils know their email log in.
- Pupils will then work independently at home through tasks.
- A further online class later in the week will offer further support and feedback.
- Pupils will complete tasks and share them as requested by their teachers.
Foundation subjects (Art, Geography, History, DT, French, Music, Computing) will offer two opportunities for pupils to access online lessons, giving pupils access to either. It may be that a recorded version is made available to pupils to access at other times. One class, taught for the whole year group, twice during the week, to give pupils the chance to fit their lessons to their own situation at home.
- In some circumstances, it may be appropriate that the second class is a recording of the first class.
- Teachers may choose to make recordings available at any time on Teams (using Stream for instance). In this case, the second class may be to point pupils in the direction of this resource and to answer questions/provide feedback.
- We anticipate that these lessons will not replicate a classroom environment. They may be lecture style to a larger number of pupils, pre-recorded videos uploaded to You Tube or Teams, organised into group work using ‘break-out rooms’, voiced-over PowerPoints, drop-in help sessions, live lessons with Q&A sessions using chat in Teams etc.
Pupils will be given a weekly pastoral session with tutors (compulsory) and a wellbeing drop-in with SD (optional).
Remote learning will be timetabled by ESLT and shared with pupils through Teams.
Lessons in PE, PER, PSHCE, RE and Core Skills will not be delivered remotely. These times can be used by pupils to access remote lessons flexibly, complete tasks or take a screen break.
Colleagues will be using Teams to share assignments and resources like videos, PowerPoints and other information. Pupils can work directly in Teams, eliminating the need for emailing, printing or manipulating tricky documents.
To give parents and pupils an overview of the work set, all assignments will be summarised in Go4Schools.

Please note: It is expected that all pupils who are well enough to do so complete the work that is set and attend online classes.

Full closure of the school in extreme weather conditions

If it is necessary to enforce a full closure due to weather conditions, the following protocols will be observed:

On the first day of closure, where possible, teachers will provide ‘optional’ tasks on Go4Schools, for pupils to complete should they wish to. It is important to note that there may be a delay in the tasks being available for pupils to access if teachers are having difficulty with the journey to or from school.
On subsequent days of closure, teachers in all subjects will deliver remote lessons as per the pupils’ school timetable.
These lessons will be no longer than 50 minutes to allow for transition times.
Wherever possible, the work set will be in line with the CMS curriculum and not stand-alone activities.
Where pupils are accessing live content through Teams, teachers will set up the meetings in advance and send invitations.
Lessons in PE, PER, PSHCE, RE and Core Skills will not be delivered remotely. These times can be used by pupils to complete tasks or take a screen break.
Teachers will be available to offer support and feedback to pupils by email, but there may be a delay in response times as staff will be delivering lessons to all year groups.
There will be two tutor sessions a week.

Please note: It is expected that all pupils who are well enough to do so complete the work that is set and attend online classes.

Hints and Tips for Successful Blended Learning:

Make sure your child knows their log in details for their email and Go4Schools.
Practise accessing Teams with your child – log into their school email and choose Teams from the app menu).
Encourage your child to plan their week, paying attention to their timetable of online classes.
Support your child to develop good routines and working habits.
Help your child to find a quiet place to work, with suitable equipment.
Feel comfortable in allowing your child to work independently, checking on quality occasionally. Encourage your child to use their email or Teams to get support for their learning. This could be from their teacher, their classmates or the materials provided.

We are aiming to adapt our online classes to the needs of the pupils and the content we are delivering. This will help with pupils’ learning and keeping pupils engaged. For that reason, online ‘lessons’ could be in a number of forms:

Lecture style to a larger number of pupils
Seminar style to a smaller number of pupils
Pre-recorded videos uploaded to You Tube or Teams
Group work using ‘break-out rooms’
Voiced-over PowerPoints Drop-in help sessions
Live lessons with Q&A sessions using chat in Teams