Please see the PDF below.

Attachments:

Hill croft Special school letter F for general advice of multiple cases.pdf

[Hill croft Special school letter F for general advice of multiple cases.pdf]

153 kB

Please see the attached PDF download:

Attachments:

Department of Education Parent and Carer Information.pdf

[Department of Education Parent & Carer Information.pdf]

429 kB

To our Wider School Community

A further member of our school community has tested positive for COVID-19. We do not believe these cases are in any way connected.

We know that this virus is spreading in the community. The pupils and staff who are affected have been notified and advised separately by the PHA.

As school is now closed for 2 weeks it is hoped that this will cut down on potential cases affecting school.

Every one is asked to do their part to keep themselves, their families and the community safe from the spread of the virus.

Parents and carers with any questions or concerns are welcome to contact their child’s class teacher as a first point of contact.

Roz McFeeters

We are aware that the school year is coming to an end and everyone is keen to know what to expect in September. DE presented guidance for Special Schools on 26 June and this is being carefully considered by school management. 

There are four possible scenarios for the return to school in August 2020.

To help families to prepare, we want to give some information at this stage; however, we ask you to be aware that this may change as the situation progresses over the summer.

Hill Croft has always had a warm and welcoming atmosphere, where everyone is put at their ease. It will be our aim to maintain this environment whilst keeping everyone safe. Our pupils will see positive safety messages and all efforts will be made to establish positive and familiar routines which are comforting to them.

Timeline

September 2020 – A Blended Return

It is anticipated that at the start of term the school week will look as follows:

The current guidance states that adults should maintain 2 metres social distanced and children 1 metre if within a “bubble”. As most of our pupils are unable to social distance, the use of “bubbles” will be employed. This involves a group of staff and pupils working together, separate to others in the building. This will take place mostly in the classroom. Movement around the building will be for essential purposes only and the use of specialist rooms will be limited.  You can find out more about this here: https://bit.ly/2ZdtK16

Staff teams are currently identifying pupils within Bubble 1 and Bubble 2. Siblings will be in on the same days to assist with transport and to support families.

Curriculum

• This will be based on building relationships as well as routine. The use of bubbles will assist with this and allow time to get to know one another
• Best efforts will be made to provide as rounded a curriculum as possible within school and at home. Staff will work with parents and pupils to build the bestform of blended learning for their child based on experiences in lockdown

Uniform

• ·        Pupils will not initially be in school every day so fewer uniforms are required. Your child’s clothing should all be washed daily on their return from school. Therefore, in addition to the usual uniform, simple clothing like leggings, tracksuit bottoms, polo shirts and sweatshirts will be permissible if these are easily laundered daily.

Transport

• ·         EA are still making plans around transport and how this can work within social distance guidelines. We will provide further guidance as it becomes available.

• ·         Parents who are able, may be asked to transport their children, at least within the first few weeks of term.

• ·         Staggered start and finish times may be required.

School Meals

• ·         These will continue to be cooked on site and be provided on the days that your child is in school, these should be paid for using the school money app

• ·         We are awaiting news of how free meals will be managed if you are in receipt of payment for meals currently.

Therapies

• ·         We are working with our Physio, OT and SLTs to establish the best way of providing therapy for pupils at the start of term

• ·         Additional therapies such as music and reflexology will not be offered initially

PPE

• ·         Staff have always worn PPE when pupils are being changed or administered medication

• ·         A further level of PPE may be worn by staff based on the most up to date PHA and DE guidance

Educational Outings

• ·         These will be limited. Transport will not be available and will most likely take the form of walks in the local area

To our Wider School Community

A member of our school community has tested positive for COVID-19. In line with PHA and DE Guidance we have put many protocols in place to keep the pupils and staff safe in school since our return in August. These include:

• The introduction of “Class Bubbles”
• Hand washing and hand sanitising regimes
• Additional cleaning across the school, especially on high touch areas
• The increased use of PPE.

We know that this virus is easily spread. I have sought the most up-to-date advice from Public Health Agency (PHA) and they have advised:

• Closing the bubble with staff, pupils and close contacts self-isolating
• Arrangement of an enhanced clean of affected areas
• The pupils and staff who are affected have been notified and advised separately by the PHA.

As the school will be closed from 19-30 October this will include the isolation period for anyone affected. I do appreciate the concerns or parents, carers, pupils and the wider community and wish to reassure you that every precaution has been taken. Ensuring the safety of pupils and staff is my absolute priority and I will continue to monitor this situation carefully and will keep you informed.

Every one is asked to do their part to keep themselves, their families and the community safe from the spread of the virus.

Parents and carers with any questions or concerns are welcome to contact their child’s class teacher as a first point of contact.

Roz McFeeters

Principal

Due to COVID-19 and the closure of schools the expected Summer Scheme cannot run.

We are very aware that the time away from school due to lockdown has been stressful and difficult for many of our pupils and their families.

We are now able to offer some very limited summer respite provision from Mon 20- Thurs 30 July.

Strand 1 – In-school respite provision

• 3x 2 hour morning sessions on consecutive days – e.g. Mon, Tues, Wed. 10am -12noon

Pupils prioritised for these sessions are ones identified through multi-agency discussion

Strand 2 – Supervised play sessions

• 18 x 1 hour slots will be available across the two weeks for pupils not receiving Strand 1 support – playground or in event of poor weather, indoor provision. One child per session
• These will be offered on a first come, first served basis
• Slots will be allocated in advance and families will agree to the protocol supplied

In addition, all pupils will have access to EA online sessions from entertainers similar to those who would normally come to the Summer Scheme.

Action to be taken urgently:

If you would like to register your interest in Strand 2 play sessions please do the following:

• Send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. stating your child’s name, your name and provide a contact phone number.
• Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Only applications sent through this email address will be considered
• A waiting list will be created
• A member of the team will be in contact with you shortly

A member of our school community has tested Positive for COVID-19.

In line with PHA and DE guidance we have put many protocols in place to keep pupils and staff safe in school since our return in August. These include:

• The introduction of “class bubbles”
• Hand washing and hand sanitising regimes
• Additional cleaning across the school, especially on high touch areas
• The increased use of PPE

We know that the virus is easily spread and is currently spreading in our community. We have sought the most up-to-date advice from Public Health Agency (PHA) and they have advised:

Closing the class bubble with staff, pupils and close contacts self-isolating

Arranging for an enhanced clean of the affected areas

The pupils and staff who are affected have been notified and advised separately by the PHA. If we have not been in touch with you today then your child is NOT considered to be a close contact.

I do appreciate the concerns of our parents, carers, pupils and the wider community and wish to reassure you that every precaution is being taken. Ensuring the safety of pupils and staff is my absolute priority and I will continue to monitor this situation carefully and will keep you informed.

Everyone is asked to do their part to keep themselves, their families and the community safe from the spread of the virus.

Parents and carers with any questions or queries are welcome to contact their child’s class teacher via See-Saw as a first point of contact.

Roz McFeeters
Principal

Please find attached PDFs of challenges we have had on the Facebook page over the last few weeks.

Attachments:

Facebook Daily Challenges Week Ending 10th April 2020.pdf	[Facebook Daily Challenges Week Ending 10th April 2020]	79 kB
Facebook Daily Challenges Week Ending 27th March 2020.pdf	[Facebook Daily Challenges Week Ending 27th March 2020]	60 kB
Facebook Daily Challenges Week Ending 3rd April 2020.pdf	[Facebook Daily Challenges Week Ending 3rd April 2020]	59 kB