Noticeboard

Our School’s Response to Coronavirus

• Our school is open to Key Worker children and vulnerable children. Staff look after them on a rota basis to minimise any spread of infection.
• Procedures are in place for children entering moving and conducting themselves around the school (please see the Risk Assessment).
• An addendum has been added to our Safeguarding policy concerning the monitoring of the welfare of our children and concerning on-line learning for the temporary new schooling arrangements (see policy on the web-site.)
• A DSL is on-site at all times.
• Children eligible for free school meals are catered for through local vouchers and  Edenred.
• Pupils continue learning through on-line learning platforms particular to each class (currently Tapestry, Google Classroom and Class Dojo). Children’s learning is celebrated through the school’s ‘Stay at Home, Stay in Touch’ Facebook page.
• Contact is maintained with parents through emails, phone calls and the on-line learning platforms.
• Staff, Governor and other meetings continue to take place and decisions made via virtual on-line meetings.
• Staff welfare is closely monitored through regular contact.
• Regular advice is given and made available to parents with regards to their children.
• If necessary staff will shield in line with government guidelines.

Please see next extract form the Chair of Governors Barbara Southcott.

The Corona virus enforced lock-down was introduced on the 23^rd March 2020.  Though schools can still take in those children designated as vulnerable and the children of key workers, for all practical purposes schools are closed.  However, teaching and learning and effective governance and business management must continue though necessarily in an altered form.

At Cerne Abbas CE VC First School our Head Teacher and her Staff have, in a very short space of time managed to produce a comprehensive teaching plan for the summer term which can be delivered electronically.  The Governors recognise and are very grateful for the hard work and team spirit that has enabled this to be achieved.   We also appreciate the co-operation of parents in helping to make this home learning as productive as possible.

The Governing Body for the school continues to fulfil its statutory duties.  Though we have had temporarily to put in-school activity on hold, all committee meetings are continuing by video link.   The Finance and Resource, Teaching and Learning and Pay Policy committees and the Full Governing Body - all these have met at the usual times and frequencies and will continue to do so electronically for as long as necessary.  The GB Chair and HT have replaced their weekly ‘face to face’ meeting with a telephone call and all governors have a school based Google link which allows easy group communication as well as access to all governance documentation including school policies.

The Governing Body is confident that, during the Corona virus crisis, it will be able to continue to provide the necessary corporate strategic management of the school including assuring high quality distance learning for the pupils while also supporting the staff in the delivery of their teaching programmes.

Barbara Southcott

Chair of Governors

April 2020

What do the following words mean in your own live....

If your eyes are on the storm
You'll wonder if I love you still
But if your eyes are on the cross
You'll know I always have and I always will.

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

News

Coronavirus: daily update

13 March 2020

Friday 13th March 2020

We are keeping a careful watch on coronavirus developments and how they may affect our school and its pupils and staff. We receive daily updates from the Department for Education – the latest is included below. Please scroll further down for more general information about the virus and how we can slow its spread.

As of today, there are no restrictions to any school activity, including trips. All school events are currently planned to go ahead as normal but this may be subject to change

The government have also provided a helpline for anyone who is worried about the virus:

Phone: 0800 046 8687
Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk
Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday)

Latest guidance

(updated 13 March)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice

As of 10 March, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has updated advice about travel to Italy. The FCO is currently advising:

• against all but essential travel to Italy
• against all travel to Hubei Province, in China
• against all but essential travel to the rest of mainland China
• against all travel to the cities of Daegu, Cheongdo and Gyeongsan in South Korea
  The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not currently advising against travel to any other country/territory as a result of COVID-19.

The latest travel advice can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus

Updated advice for travellers returning from Italy
On 10 March, Public Health England updated its travel advice for travellers returning from Italy. The advice can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public

Further information on what you should do if you are asked to self-isolate can be found here: https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/02/20/what-is-self-isolation-and-why-is-it-important/

The importance of hygiene 
Personal hygiene is the most important way we can tackle COVID-19, especially washing hands more; and the catch it, bin it, kill it strategy for those with coughs and sneezes.

How to wash your hands properly
Wash your hands more often for 20 seconds with soap and hot water.

Watch this short NHS film for guidance: http://youtu.be/bQCP7waTRWU

Teach young children how to wash their hands with the NHS handwashing song: http://youtu.be/S9VjeIWLnEg

Public Health England recommends that in addition to handwashing before eating, and after coughing and sneezing, everyone should also wash hands after using toilets and travelling on public transport.

General guidance

1. Information about the virus

A coronavirus is a type of virus. As a group, coronaviruses are common across the world. COVID-19 is a new strain of coronavirus first identified in Wuhan City, China in January 2020.

The incubation period of COVID-19 is between 2 and 14 days. This means that if a person remains well 14 days after contact with someone with confirmed coronavirus, it is unlikely that they have been infected.

The following symptoms may develop in the 14 days after exposure to someone who has COVID-19 infection:

• cough
• difficulty in breathing
• fever

Generally, these infections can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long-term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease. There is no evidence that children are more affected than other age groups – very few cases have been reported in children.

2. How COVID-19 is spread

From what we know about other coronaviruses, spread of COVID-19 is most likely to happen when there is close contact (within 2 metres) with an infected person, such as by coughing or sneezing.

There is currently no good evidence that people who do not have symptoms are infectious to others.

3. Preventing spread of infection

There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus.

There are general principles anyone can follow to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including:

1. washing your hands often – with soap and water, or use alcohol sanitiser if handwashing facilities are not available. This is particularly important after taking public transport.
2. covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throwing the tissue in a bin.
3. people who feel unwell should stay at home and should not attend work or any education or childcare setting
4. use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available
5. avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
6. avoid close contact with people who are unwell
7. clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces
8. pupils and visitors to school should wash their hands

• before leaving home
• on arrival at school
• after using the toilet
• after breaks and sporting activities
• before food preparation
• before eating any food, including snacks
• before leaving school

If you are worried about your symptoms or those of a child or colleague, please call NHS 111. Do not go directly to your GP or other healthcare environment
see further information on the Public Health England Blog and the NHS UK website.

Face masks for the general public, pupils or students, or staff are not recommended to protect from infection, as there is no evidence of benefit from their use outside healthcare environments.

People who have returned from Category 1 specified countries/areas in the last 14 days should self-isolate. This includes avoiding attending an education setting or work until 14 days after they return.

People who have returned from Category 2 specified countries/areas in the last 14 days, are advised to stay at home if they develop symptoms. All other pupils or students and staff should continue to attend school or university, including their siblings attending the same or a different school (unless advised not to by public health officials)

We are having a great Science Week so far! 

Our focus for Science week this year is how we can use the 3 Rs - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle to help the environment. Each afternoon, every class has had the opportunity to take part in a different activity to support their learning on the 3 Rs. I have lead Forest School sessions where we have made bird feeders to help look after our birds through using recycled materials! We have used pine cones to 'tree-cycle!!' by making natural bird feeders using lard and bird seed. Additionally, we have reused toilet roll tubes by covering them in peanut butter and rolling them in birdseed. During our Forest School sessions we have also planted some broad beans after discussing why it helps the environment to grow our own food and we have planted wild flower seeds to welcome more wildlife into our forest school site. Abbey Class have set up our brand new wormery with Alexis which is really exciting! We welcomed our new worm friends and can't wait to see what they make for us! 

A big thank you to our fantastic volunteers - we couldn't have had such a wonderful time learning without you!