Re-opening of Schools - Information for parents

We have written to all parents to set out our plan to re-open schools under the government guidance and in line with our Multi-Academy Trust's principles for opening more widely. You should receive the letter by post, however, the full content of the letter can also be seen below.

Dear Parents

Re: Re-opening of schools

You will have seen in the news that schools are due to begin the process of gradually re-opening to some pupils. Since the partial closure of schools, our focus has been to support those families considered to be the most vulnerable, and to make provision for eligible key workers. Following guidance set out by the Government and in consultation with our Multi-Academy Trust and the Local Authority, I can now set out our plan for re-opening. I have enclosed a letter from Esteem Multi-Academy Trust, which sets out the principles under which all of its academies (both Special and Support Centres) will open.

From the 1st June, we will begin to open more widely to our vulnerable pupils. Those children with a social worker, families who receive support via our early help team, and those with an EHCP, will be contacted directly by staff to discuss the current situation and how we can best support your needs.

Year 6 Pupils

All pupils who attend provision at North East Derbyshire Support Centre in Key Stage 2 are dual-registered with a mainstream primary school. The primary school, as the main school, should be contacting you to set out their plans for re-opening. We are currently in discussion with primary schools to see how we can best support year 6 pupils once they have re-opened. Once primary schools are open to year 6, we will contact you directly.

Year 10 and 11 Pupils

From the 15th June, we will begin to partially re-open to year 10 and year 11 pupils. As per the government guidance this will not be on a full-time basis, but will allow pupils to get some face-to-face contact with teachers to support their home learning. This is to allow for a gradual return for staff and pupils, and to ensure that we can safely socially distance on our school sites.

For year 10, the face-to-face contact will take the form of a timetabled slot each week for pupils to catch-up with staff, discuss their concerns and talk through schoolwork. All work for year 10 pupils is currently available on the school website at www.nedsc.derbyshire.sch.uk/onlinelearning. We are in the process of creating a new online learning hub, the details of which will be distributed to children when they attend their face-to-face sessions.

For year 11, we will be running similar timetabled sessions to support students with the next step in their career path, including helping with college and apprenticeship applications.

All families will be contacted by telephone to make arrangements for these timetabled sessions and to discuss attendance at offsite alternative provisions where this applies.

Pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9

At this time, there is no indication from government when schools will open more widely to accommodate years 7, 8 and 9. It is unlikely that schools will fully open to all year groups before the summer holidays. We know some employers will be encouraging you to return to work, but we’re not in a position right now to extend places beyond the plan that has been outlined above.

To support students in years 7, 8 and 9 we will shortly be providing you with details on how to access our new online learning hub, which will set out the work that students should be doing whilst at home until the end of term.

I want to reassure you that we’re not going to be pressuring any pupil to come in to school. At this time, the decision to send a pupil to school rests with the parent. Our only expectation is that pupils complete the schoolwork that we are providing. We will be taking numerous steps to mitigate risks to staff and students in school, these include:

• 2m social distancing in all classroom spaces

• Specific entry and exit points

• One-way systems on corridors where necessary

• Focussed cleaning of high-contact surfaces, such as door handles, light switches, desks and toilets

• Clearly marked spaces for students and staff

• Limitations on the number of people that may be in a building or individual spac

• Increased routines for cleaning and hand washing

• Clear rules for young people on social distancing and acceptable behaviours

Finally, I want to wish you all well at this time; I hope that you and your family are safe. If you need any help or advice, please contact us via the Hasland office on 01246 237640, which will be fully open from 1st June.

Yours faithfully

Matt Morris

Headteacher