Update 13th July 2020 Plans for September 2020

Update 13^th July 2020 Plans for September 2020

On the 2^nd July the Government updated: ‘Actions for Early Years and Childcare providers during the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.’ –This document details measures we must put in place to reduce coronavirus transmission. The guidance sets out the public health advice that early years settings must follow.

These measures make up a ‘system of controls’, which we must follow and these are as follows:

System of controls

This is the set of actions early years settings must take.

Prevention:

1) minimise contact with individuals who are unwell by ensuring that those who have coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms, or who have someone in their household who does, do not attend settings

2) clean hands thoroughly more often than usual

3) ensure good respiratory hygiene by promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach

4) introduce enhanced cleaning, including cleaning frequently touched surfaces often using standard products, such as detergents and bleach

5) minimise contact between groups where possible

6) where necessary, wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)

Numbers 1 to 4 must be in place in all settings, all the time.

Number 5 must be properly considered and settings must put in place measures that suit their particular circumstances.

Number 6 applies in all specific circumstances.

Response to any infection:

7) engage with the NHS Track and Trace process

8) manage confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) amongst the setting community

9) contain any outbreak by following local health protection team advice

Numbers 7 to 9 must be followed in every case where they are relevant.

Organisation within the Nursery

The new guidelines:

From 20^th July, early years settings will no longer be required to keep children in small, consistent groups. Restrictions on group sizes in early years will be lifted. For us, this means children will not be required to be in just one room. We can return to our normal ‘Open plan’ layout which allows children to choose from a variety of activities in both inside and outdoor areas.

However, Nurseries should consider how they can minimise mixing within settings, for example when they use different rooms for different age groups, keeping those groups, and their staff, apart as much as possible.

We are encouraged to avoid visitors entering the Nursery as much as possible.

Parents and carers should not be allowed into the setting. Children should be dropped off and collected at the door/gate.

Children should not use water fountains to drink water. Children should bring a named water bottle into school for use during the school day.

What impact will these guidelines have?

We are a large Nursery. I have decided that we will split the school into two halves.

Catkins class will gain the use of Room 3. This will give Catkins Class access to more sinks, to help with handwashing. They will also have more space to use. Miss Gaffney will join the existing Catkins team, working alongside Miss Tyler, Mrs Brinkley, and Mrs McGrath.

Usually children move from Catkins into the Main Nursery when they reach the age of 3 and are entitled to 15 hours of funding for 3 year olds. This academic year, until July 2021, all children in Catkins Class will remain in Catkins Class. We will in fact operate two year groups.

Children leaving Willow Nursery in July 2021 will attend the Main Nursery. We will create a year group, that no other children will join during the year. This will create a very stable environment. This year group will be staffed by: Miss Howe, Mrs Patterson, Miss Skai, Mrs McGowan, Mrs Evans and myself, Mrs Davies. This age group will use Room 1, Room 2 Room 5 and Outside. This floor space allocation meets the space requirements advised by Ofsted.

Children leaving Willow Nursery in July 2022 or 2023 will attend in Catkins Class. We will ensure the teaching and assessment reflects the ages of the children in the group. Miss Tyler and Mrs McGrath will focus on the developmental needs of the youngest children, whilst Mrs Brinkley and Miss Gaffney will support the older children to help them work towards age related expectations. All Catkins children will use the bigger classroom space, but we will ensure every child has appropriate support and care, suited to their age.

Arrival and Departure

Parents are not allowed into the Nursery.

We will have a very structured drop off and collection at the front gate.

Arrival:

Parents will be asked to queue outside the school at the appropriate drop off and collection times. Staff will be outside to assist parents to follow our arrival and departure routines. Children in Catkins class should arrive promptly at 8.45am. We will have a designated point outside on the pavement where Catkins parents and children should wait. Main Nursery Children should arrive for 8:50am. There will be three colour groups of Main Nursery Children Green, Red and Yellow, grouped together by their age. We will ask these parents and children to queue in specific places outside on the pavement along our fence to cluster children from the same colour group together. My hope is that Nursery staff will be available for 5 mins outside to talk to parents should parents wish to share information.

Please queue with your child, holding their hand and try to maintain social distancing between you and the next family. Only one adult should assist your child to arrive at school, and where possible we ask that this adult is the same each day.

At 8:45am Catkins staff will arrive just inside our front gate to take children to Catkins Class.

A staff member will open the front gate. The parent and child at the front of the queue should step forward towards the gate. The child should then leave their parent, walk through the front garden to the right, towards our side gate, where staff will assist children to their classroom entrance. The child’s parent will then place the child’s water bottle/ and or lunch box on the trolley at the gate. Parent should then leave. Children and parents waiting outside in the queue should move forwards, trying to maintain some social distancing. Once Catkins are admitted we will then begin taking the main Nursery children in to school.

At 8:50am we will invite Green Group children to enter through the front gate, one at a time as described above. Once Green Group are in we will admit Red Group, and finally Yellow Group. Children will be admitted in this order, so we can place them with the correct teacher in the correct room for registration.

If parents work with us this admission process will be very quick.

Departure

Please arrive at your child’s departure time and wait socially distanced along the path outside the front entrance. Your child’s group will arrive at the side gate in the nursery garden. As individual parents step up to the gate we will call their child to come out to the front gate. Parents should then hold their child by the hand and move off together.

Office staff

Office staff will be available outside at the start of the day to assist parents with: Making Payments, Letting us know if someone different will be collecting your child, filling in medication forms, filling in change of address or telephone number forms. Again parents will not be able to come into the school office. We have a covered area in our front garden with two benches which will be used as our ‘outdoor office’.

Communication with parents:

I have written an individual letter to the parent of every child who will be in Main Nursery in September. This letter explains which colour group your child will be in, the name of their Keyworker, their attendance patterns and the date for their first day at Willow Nursery. This letter will be posted to you this week, but I fear it will not reach your homes until the school is closed. If you have any questions, queries or anxieties, try not to worry, most things can be solved in September. Our school office reopens on 7^th September 2020.

Settling In

Coronavirus has had a great impact on our setting. Our April intake of Red Group did not occur due to lockdown. So this September we have to induct both Red and Yellow children at the beginning of term. We want to get all children into Nursery as quickly as possible. We have decided to have this induction plan:

Monday 7^th September:

Catkins class opens. Catkins parents have been advised by telephone of their child’s start date.

Induction visits for all Main Nursery children who are new to Willow Nursery School.

Tuesday 8^th September and Wednesday 9^th September:

Main Nursery children, who were attending Catkins Class or Main Nursery before Lockdown  begin this week. Start dates are staggered depending upon your child’s attendance pattern.

Monday 14th September and Wednesday 16^th September:

Main Nursery children, who have not attended Willow Nursery School before, begin this week. Again with staggered start dates due to their attendance pattern.