As you may know, the Government has asked schools to open up for all children from September 2020. We understand that for some, this will be a welcome relief, for others it may cause huge anxiety and for most of us, something in between. We have been working hard as a staff team to produce detailed plans and risk assessments for the changes that your child may experience when coming back into school which we have put in place to minimise risk to your child and the school community.

This FAQs section will help to answer some of your questions regarding what school will look like when your child comes in and some details regarding wrap around care. Please note that this information remains subject to change, we will keep you informed should any changes be necessary.

When will my child return to school?

If your child attends our preschool or is going into Years 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, then we are expecting to see them back on Monday 7th September. If your child is going into our 3 and 4 year old Nursery or our Reception classes then we are following our normal procedures of having a staggered start date. This can be found in the information that has been sent out to you by the school in June or July but please don’t hesitate to contact the school if you have any questions.

What if I do not wish my child to return to school?

As of September, if your child is of compulsory school age they must attend school. If your child is not able to attend school because they are shielding or self-isolating please contact the school to let us know, so we can discuss how best to support you and your child.

What will my child wear?

Children in Reception to Year 6 must return to school in their full school uniform; follow the link ​here for further information on the school uniform. On the days that your child has PE they will need to come to school wearing their full PE uniform as they will not be changing clothes at school. For the Autumn Term children will normally have PE on the following days:

We ask that coats or jackets are only worn on the days when the weather requires it. This will help to minimise the amount of clothing coming in and out of the school each day. If your child cannot tie their own shoelaces we are asking that they wear shoes without laces. Please note that we are not expecting you to go out and buy shoes without laces if they do not already have a pair.

What is happening with PE lessons?

PE will continue to be taught by a PE coach from BADU sports, a company who many of you may already know and who have been working with us for many years. The school will have two PE coaches working onsite, these members of staff will attend the schools training to ensure that they are up to date with all of our current policies and procedures. Swimming has been moved to the summer term; instead of swimming lessons running weekly across the year it will now be in a two week block in which children in Years 3, 4 and 5 will go everyday for two weeks. This intense method for teaching swimming has been proven to be far more successful than once a week over an extended period. We will revisit our plans for swimming in the summer term when we have a clearer idea of what is happening with COVID-19 then.

What should my child bring to school?

We are discouraging children from bringing anything to school with them, apart from a clearly named water bottle and a book bag, and packed lunch if they are not having school lunches. If the weather is wet and jackets/coats are being worn, these will need to be placed inside your child’s blue box. Children are not to bring in any additional items from home.

How can we travel to school?

We are recommending that children either walk, scoot or cycle to school. We have storage at school for bikes and scooters, if your child is coming to school and storing an item of transport and a helmet at school, please ensure these are clearly labelled. If you are driving to school please be aware that Hackney are planning on changing the driving restrictions around many of the schools in the borough. Further information about that can be found ​here​.

Where, when and how will I drop off my child?

Where and when children are dropped off at school is dependent on which year group they are in. We are extending the drop off time period to help with social distancing. Please read the table below carefully.

If you arrive before the gate has been opened please keep your children close by and observe social distancing. When the gate opens please say goodbye to your child and send them in through the school gate. Please note that we will be asking you to remain off the school site at this time. We appreciate that this is difficult, but this measure is in place for the time being to minimise risk of transmission.

Where, when and how will I collect my child?

Where and when children are collected from school is dependent on which year group they are in. We are extending the collection time period to help with social distancing. Please read the table below carefully.

Please note that all children must be dropped off and collected from school by only one family member, who lives in their household.

Parents/carers are not permitted on site unless it is to the main school office (this should be for urgent matters only). Phoning into school will continue to be the safest and preferred form of communication between families and the school. Your messages can then be passed onto the necessary person with a response made if required.

Where is the gate that I need to use?

What happens if I am running late?

As you will realise from reading this information, we have gone to significant lengths to ensure that we have staggered start and finish times in place to help minimize the risk of transmission of the virus at the busiest times of the day.

For this reason you must ensure that your child is dropped off and collected within the time period set. If you should be late, you will be asked to call informing the school of your lateness and you will be allocated a new drop off time for that day. If your child is not collected on time you will be subject to a £5.00 fine for every 5 minutes you are late. Continued lateness is an additional layer of risk to the safe and efficient running of the school identified at this time; please ensure that you give yourself plenty of time to drop off and pick up your child.

What will social distancing look like in school?

Across the school, for most lessons children will remain in their year groups, which we are calling bubbles. The children and adults working with them, will together form a ‘bubble’. Across the phases the bubbles will create what we are calling a ‘pod’, pods will have lunch together, share play spaces and use the same toilets. An example of a pod is Year 5 and 6 who will share the MUGA as their play space at lunchtimes.

What is in place for wrap around care?

Wrap around care is an area that is the most challenging to cover as we are being asked by the government to keep children in consistent groups. Depending on the year group that your child is in there are different types of wrap around care available. This is due to a combination of factors including the availability of space and staffing.

Will there be a Breakfast club?

An 08:00 drop off for breakfast club will only be available for children in the Preschool (from Monday 7th September), Nursery and Reception classes (from Monday 14th September) and, please note, that for children in Nursery and Reception, this is something that you will have to book a place; click here to take you to the website for further information. We are aware that this could be frustrating for some of you and as soon as we are able to add other year groups to the breakfast club provision we will do. For children in Years 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6, although there will be no 08:00 breakfast club drop off, we can offer an extended drop off time in the morning, free of charge; please see the table above.

Will Extended Day Care be offered?

We will be able to offer extended day care until 18:00 whilst still keeping children within their pods from Monday 21st September. Unfortunately, at this stage we are not able to offer the usual timetable of activities from 15:30 – 16:30 due to the need for the pods and the extended collection time. Places within the extended day for the privately funded full time children in the preschool are automatically included but anyone else who wishes to have a place should visit the school website by clicking ​here for further information and then register your interest in a place. Please do this even if you have previously had a place in extended day care, so that we know who wishes to keep their places and who doesn’t.

What will play times look like?

Each pod has an allocated playspace. Our lovely play equipment has been reopened, we will be giving children toys to play with and we will be leading them in games. Children will be able to play with the children in their pod.

What will lunch times look like?

Our wonderful catering team is hard at work putting together a lunch menu that the children will enjoy. Between each lunch sitting for each pod all tables and chairs will be sanitised. ​All children must bring their own water bottle that is labelled, as our drinking fountains remain closed. ​They must use and refill this throughout the day.

If you want your child to bring a packed lunch, please ensure that it is healthy and they are able to independently open the containers you pack for them (not the preschool). You will need to inform the school office of the packed lunch selection and this choice remains in place for a half term.

How have the classrooms and the school building changed?

Classrooms have been adjusted and somewhat emptied, this includes the removal of unnecessary furniture to make more space. As per the government guidance, the childrens tables in Years 1 – 6 are in rows rather than their normal groups. Children will be asked to store anything they bring into school, such as their coat or jumper, in their blue boxes rather than hanging them on a peg.

Unnecessary furniture has been removed from around the school building to reduce the number of places that people may touch.

There are markings on the floor so that we go up the centre of stairwells and down corridors to avoid touching walls.

Surfaces, door handles, stair banisters (handrails) and other regularly ‘touched’ points will be disinfected regularly throughout the day. Daily deep cleaning will continue to be done at the end of each day.

There is access to handwashing points for children in classrooms and hand sanitising stations have been installed throughout the building for adults. Your child will be asked to wash their hands on arrival at school each day.

How will my child use resources and stationary in the classroom?

Children in Years 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 will each have a school provided pencil case in which they will have their own pencil, ruler, glue, colouring pens etc that will stay with them. This means that they will not need to share these resources. Children in these year groups will also have access to their iPad for use.

What will the children be doing in school?

We are returning to the full curriculum offer with adaptations in place to support children in filling any gaps that may have developed in their learning. When we first return to school we will also have a focus on wellbeing and reintegrating into the school community.

What is happening with collective worship?

For the time being we will not be coming together as a whole school group into the hall as we will be keeping children in their bubbles and pods. As such this will alter how we will be carrying out our daily collectiveworship. DuringlockdownvideosweremadebyVicarLaura,staffandchildrentoleadcollective worship which was very well received by both children and families. It seems sensible given the current situation to continue with this method of collective worship so we will be doing so for the Autumn Term.

Will staff be wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in school?

No, staff will not wear PPE most of the time, although there will be occasions when they will. Examples of when a member of staff may wear PPE are when an adult is with a child who is displaying symptoms of COVID-19; they will wear PPE while they remain with the child until their parents arrive or when a child is having intimate care such as nappy changing.

What happens if a child/adult displays symptoms of COVID-19?

If a child or adult begins to show symptoms of COVID-19 they will be taken to the medical room and have their temperature taken (using a thermometer that does not touch them). If their temperature is over 38 degrees a phone call will be made home for a parent/carer to come and collect the child (this must be an adult with whom the child lives). The child will remain in the medical room, supervised until they are collected. If an adult displays symptoms they will leave the school immediately.

The child or member of staff who is unwell MUST go and have a test undertaken to confirm or not that they have COVID-19. If the test is negative, they may return to school, so long as they have recovered from whatever the other illness was. However if the test result comes back positive then NHS Test and Trace will speak directly to those who have been in contact with the child/adult to offer advice. This advice may be that the rest of the bubble or pod may need to self isolate.

It is essential that anyone displaying symptoms must be tested as soon as possible – this is to minimise the risk for all pupils and adults in each bubble. The school will not readmit any child or adult who is sent home with symptoms and a temperature over 38 degrees without proof of testing.

What happens if the school needs to close suddenly?

A Rapid Closure Protocol has been written which we will follow in the event that we need to close suddenly. If this is activated we will make contact with all parents. You must ensure that you are easily contactable whilst your child is at school. If the school needs to close rapidly it may mean you are given no notice and that you are asked to collect your child immediately.

How will first aid be administered?

All bubbles either contain or have access to a qualified first aider. Where possible this person will administer first aid within their bubble setting and the children will not need to be taken anywhere else.

What if I have more questions?

Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you have any further queries. The phone number is 0207 254 1010 and the email address is admin@holytrinity.hackney.sch.uk

Thank you for your ongoing support during this challenging time.