Coronavirus (COVID-19)
REGIONAL, TIERED APPROACH - IMPACT ON SCHOOLS AND EARLY YEARS SETTINGS FROM WEDNESDAY 2nd DECEMBER 2020.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update - Thursday 26th November 2020.
As we exit the second national lockdown and move back to a regional, tiered approach, I would like to take this opportunity to re-iterate that we have a large number of measures already in place. We want to be completely transparent about the measures in place and hope that they are all reassuring.
On Monday 23rd November 2020, the the Prime Minister announced the COVID-19 Winter Plan, settings out how national restrictions will be lifted on Wednesday 2nd December 2020. On this date, England will move back into a regional, tiered approach. There will be 3 local tiers of restrictions
These rules will apply from 00:01 on Wednesday 2nd December 2020. Current national restrictions must be followed until this time.
FROM WEDNESDAY 2ND DECEMBER 2020, STAFFORDSHIRE IS TO BE ESCALATED TO THE COVID-19 VERY HIGH ALERT LEVEL (TIER 3).
This is for areas with a very high or very rapidly rising level of infections, where tighter restrictions are in place.
In tier 3:
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you must not meet socially indoors or in most outdoor places with anybody you do not live with, or who is not in your support bubble, this includes in any private garden or at most outdoor venues
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you must not socialise in a group of more than 6 in some other outdoor public spaces, including parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, a public garden, grounds of a heritage site or castle, or a sports facility – this is called the ‘rule of 6’
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hospitality settings, such as bars (including shisha venues), pubs, cafes and restaurants are closed – they are permitted to continue sales by takeaway, click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery services.
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accommodation such as hotels, B&Bs, campsites, and guest houses must close. There are several exemptions, such as for those who use these venues as their main residence, and those requiring the venues where it is reasonably necessary for work or education and training
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indoor entertainment and tourist venues must close. This includes:
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indoor play centres and areas, including trampolining parks and soft play
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casinos
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bingo halls
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bowling alleys
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skating rinks
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amusement arcades and adult gaming centres
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laser quests and escape rooms
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cinemas, theatres and concert halls
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snooker halls
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indoor attractions at mostly outdoor entertainment venues must also close (indoor shops, through-ways and public toilets at such attractions can remain open). This includes indoor attractions within:
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zoos, safari parks, and wildlife reserves
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aquariums, visitor attractions at farms, and other animal attractions
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model villages
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museums, galleries and sculpture parks
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botanical gardens, biomes or greenhouses
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theme parks, circuses, fairgrounds and funfairs
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visitor attractions at film studios, heritage sites such as castles and stately homes
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landmarks including observation decks and viewing platforms
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leisure and sports facilities may continue to stay open, but group exercise classes (including fitness and dance) should not go ahead. Saunas and steam rooms should close
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there should be no public attendance at spectator sport or indoor performances and large business events should not be taking place. Elite sport events may continue to take place without spectators
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large outdoor events (performances and shows) should not take place, with the exception of drive-in events
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places of worship remain open, but you must not attend with or socialise with anyone outside of your household or support bubble while you are there, unless a legal exemption applies
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weddings and funerals can go ahead with restrictions on the number of attendees – 15 people can attend wedding ceremonies, wedding receptions are not allowed, 30 people can attend funeral ceremonies, 15 people can attend linked commemorative events
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organised outdoor sport, and physical activity and exercise classes can continue, however higher-risk contact activity should not take place
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organised indoor sport, physical activity and exercise classes cannot take place indoors. There are exceptions for indoor disability sport, sport for educational purposes and supervised sport and physical activity for under-18s
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you can continue to travel to venues or amenities which are open, but should aim to reduce the number of journeys you make where possible
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avoid travelling to other parts of the UK, including for overnight stays other than where necessary, such as for work, education, youth services, to receive medical treatment, or because of caring responsibilities. You can travel through other areas as part of a longer journey
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for international travel see the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office travel advice for your destination and the travel corridors list
Since the summer, the government’s priority has been to ensure that education remains open and in England, education settings will continue to remain open in all tiers. Children’s life chances, as well as the long-term health of the economy, depend upon children and students continuing to learn and develop vital skills, and adults being able to train and retrain to meet the changing needs of industry and the economy.
We have also planned for the possibility of a full school closure and how we will ensure continuity of education. All communication will be via the ParentMail platform and home learning will be provided by our staff via the school website and individual pupil access to the Office365 Educational suite of tools, to allow remote learning to be facilitated at home.
We are currently operating a one way system when entering/exiting the school both at the start and end of the school day. We ask parents to use the pedestrian gates from both Grindley Lane and Ridgeway Drive, and exit the school premises via the staff car park at the opposite end of the school playground. The main school gates into that staff car park will be closed for safety and parents will be able to exit via the side gate. I map below illustrates this.
We ask parent to maintain social distancing both before the gates open and on the school premises and encourage the use of a face mask and/or shield where possible. Please may I remind parents that only 1 parent/carer should be dropping off/collecting their child/children from the school premises.
Please can I also ask parents to keep siblings and children close to them and not to access school equipment and facilities and refrain from gathering and playing in groups. We also encourage children from outside Springcroft to refrain from using the school grounds as a meeting area or cut-through.
For further reading, please may I recommend the Government guidance "COVID-19 Winter Plan":
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/937529/COVID-19_Winter_Plan.pdf and "What parents and carers need to know about early years providers, schools and colleges in the autumn term" https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-in-the-autumn-term
I must reiterate, both I and the Governors of Springcroft Primary School hold the safety and well-being of our children, their families and our staff of paramount importance. Any decision to make a partial or full school closure may need to be undertaken based on local and national data, and with the guidance of Public Health England and the Health and Safety Executive
Your continued support and kindness has been greatly appreciated during the past 7 months and we look forward to continuing to work with you. I have written a set of frequently asked questions which are attached to this update and are also available to download further down this page.
