January Restart plans - w/b 11th January, 2021

06/01/21

Remote Learning and supporting Vulnerable Pupils and children of Key Workers.

Dear Parent & Carers, 

I hope you are all safe and well. These are the strangest of times for us all in the education community – blink – and something has changed! 

The arrangements for the restart of term have been updated in light of the last announcement from the NI Executive. Remote Learning will commence on Monday 11^th January.

REMOTE LEARNING – Mon 11th - Fri 12th Feb

 We return to remote learning for the significant majority of our pupils from Monday 11^th January. Following on from the previous lockdown, the staff have implemented the following improvements as a result of our consultation process. I hope this will make the experiences of home learning a positive one for everyone.

• The work provided will be new learning to enable the pupils to progress with their curriculum.
• Home learning packs will be made available for every child; these will be available for collection on Monday 11^th from 10:00am. Timetable attached.
• There is a higher level of structure- lessons will be grouped in weekly blocks.
• There are THREE COMPULSORY lessons each day, with 1 or 2 optional lessons depending on year group. There will be a range of support structures in place. these may include fitness , health and well being activities.
• We will use an asynchronous approach, as this allows a greater degree of flexibility for families with limited IT facilities.
• Teachers will manage all learning pack email requests/queries/ or see-saw during the school day only, from 9am until 4pm.
• All other requests should be sent to info@stpatsps.holywood.ni.sch.uk
• Mrs M.Tunney and Mrs S O’Reilly will offer additional support to identified pupils.
• Class teachers will host a weekly pastoral care google classroom meeting with groups of children, in their class.

 Supporting Vulnerable Pupils and Children of Key Workers.

Priority Groupings

Priority 1- Vulnerable Pupils

Following a review of our provision for vulnerable pupils and those with barriers to their learning, we have made this group of children a priority for school based support, to ensure continuity in their learning and to ensure that they maintain the levels of progress to meet their educational needs.

• Objective Criteria will be used to identify this group- e.g. children who have a Stage 5 Statement of Educational needs, Children at Stage 3 of the Code of SEN Practice.
• Children identified, in this group, will receive an email directly from school asking them to attend school.
• Parents should confirm acceptance/ attendance by Friday 8th @ 12 noon to info@stpatsps.holywood.ni.sch.uk 

Priority 2 – Key Workers – Both parents are key workers.

Priority will be given to pupils who parents are both designated key workers and there are no safer alternatives to school based provision.

Priority 3 - Key Workers – One parent is a key worker.

Priority will be given to pupils who have one parent, who is a designated key worker and and there are no safer alternatives to school based provision.

Provisions for vulnerable pupils and children of key worker children (list attached at end) 

School will open on Mon - Fri for Vulnerable pupils and children of Key Workers, and will follow a normal operational pattern. The children will follow the same activities as issued to children who are undertaking remote learning.

 P1– P3 pupils from 9:00am to 2:00pm (1:45pm on a Friday)

P4- P7 pupils from 8:45am to 2:45pm    (2pm on a Friday)

*Please ensure that your child attends on a daily basis, apart from absence due to illness or Covid isolation.

*School will be unable to make any provisions for lunch. All pupils attending must bring a snack and a packed lunch.

*Pupils will be placed in Year Group bubbles depending on the number of places that are booked by parents. They will remain in these bubbles for the next five weeks.

To book a Key Worker place: Please send an email requesting a place to the school email account -info@stpatsps.holywood.ni.sch.uk. Please apply by Friday 8^th @12 noon. Please state the occupation of the key worker. 

You will receive confirmation of a place on Friday afternoon.

Thank you for your continued adherence to the health and safety restrictions on school grounds.

Kind regards,

C O'Neill  

Principal

Remote Learning Packs – Collection of packs on Monday 11^th

Please collect your child’s pack from the usual drop off points for your child.

Families with Siblings should collect packs at one time, by selecting the time of the youngest sibling.

This will ensure that we manage a safe level of numbers around the school grounds. Please wear a face mask at all times.

Definitions

Vulnerable pupils 

The definition of Vulnerable Children as set out in the cross-departmental Vulnerable Children and Young People's Plan 2020 is: (https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/consultations/consultation-cross-departmental-covid-19-vulnerable-children-and-young-peoples-plan)

• A child who has an assigned social worker because he or she is a child in need, in need of protection (or on the child protection register) or is a looked after child.
• A child in need includes young carers, children with disabilities, and children living in families where there is domestic abuse, substance abuse, and / or mental health difficulties.
• A child who is receiving support from, or has been referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
• A child who has a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN), a child who is accessing EOTAS, or a child who normally accesses Education Nurture Units.
• A child who is ‘on-the-edge’ of receiving support from children’s social services.
• A child who is in need, including in need of protection, but whose need is not known to statutory services.
• A child who is not known to statutory or voluntary and community support services but who is vulnerable because their family is under increased pressure due to Covid-19 related circumstances.
• A young person who was previously a looked after child, whether or not they are receiving support from statutory services.
• A child who has been placed for adoption.
• Asylum seeking and refugee children and children whose parents have no recourse to public funds.

Key workers are defined as:

• Health and Social Care. This includes doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, home carers and staff required to maintain our health and social care sector;
• Education and childcare. This includes pre-school and teaching staff, social workers, youth workers and those specialist education professionals who will remain active during the Covid-19 response;
• Public safety and national security. This includes civilians and officers in the police (including key contractors), Fire and Rescue Service, prison service and other national security roles;
• Transport. This will include those keeping air, water, road and rail transport modes operating during the Covid-19 response;
• Utilities, and Communication. This includes staff needed for oil, gas, electricity and water (including sewage) and primary industry supplies to continue during the Covid-19 response, as well as key staff in telecommunications, post and delivery, banking and waste disposal;
• Financial Services - This includes staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure);
• Food and other necessary goods. This includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution and sale, as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (e.g. hygiene, medical, etc.);
• Retail. This includes those workers who have been working throughout the pandemic in food retail, for example, and will now extend to those working in other retail businesses permitted to operate by the Executive from June 2020;
• Other workers essential to delivering key public services such as the National Crime Agency; and
• Key national and local government including those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the Covid-19 response.