What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID 19
If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, they should remain at home for at least 10 days from the date when their symptoms appeared. Anyone with symptoms will be eligible for testing and this can be arranged via https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.
All other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. This includes anyone in your ‘Support Bubble’. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.
Household members should not go to work, school or public areas and exercise should be taken within the home. If you require help with buying groceries, other shopping or picking up medication, or walking a dog, you should ask friends or family. Alternatively, you can order your shopping online and medication by phone or online.
Household members staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community
If you are concerned about your child’s symptoms, or they are worsening you can seek advice from NHS 111 at https://111.nhs.uk/ or by phoning 111.
Yours sincerely
Stuart Rees
Principal
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Date: Wednesday 23 September 2020 Subject: Phased School Opening
Dear Parent/Carer,
Please can I start by thanking youfor your overwhelming patience during these first few weeks of this term. I completely understand the frustrations you must be feeling with regard to the lack of consistency we have been able to offer students since reopening, however the safety of staff and students will always be, and remains, our absolute priority.
The nature of a small school, with a small staff means that we were always going to find the logistical challenges presented by Covid-19 harder to accommodate than larger schools, however rest assured that all our decisions have been made in consultation with Public Health England and the Local Authority, who are confident that we are doing everything in our power to ensure the safety of staff, students and students’ families is never compromised.
Having consulted the Local Authority, the school is planning on introducing additional measures in order to limit any further school closures, whilst ensuring the safety of all students and staff. They are as follows:
Year 7 and 8
Students in Year 7 and 8 will be able to return to school permanently from Thursday 24th September, however they will receive a reduced school day running from 8:15am – 11:45am. Students will then be expected to return home, where additional Home Learning will have been set both within school.
In order to preserve staff and student “bubbles”, students in Year 7 & 8 will move to a “single-teacher’ model where all lessons will be delivered by their lead teacher rather than different teachers per subject.
* Please note – owing to two positive cases of Covid-19 being identified, students in 7NW and 8MT must NOT return to school, but must self-isolate as recommended by Public Health England until Thursday 1st October 2020.
Year 9
Students in Year 9 will be required to return to school permanently from Thursday 24th September, they will receive a reduced school day, attending from 12:15pm – 3:35pm. Students will be expected to work remotely in the morning, accessing work they have been set in school within their face-to-face sessions. Students in Year 9 will have access to Subject Specialists within all Core subjects (English, Maths and Science).
Year 10
Students in Year 10 will be able to return to school full time from Thursday 24th September and will follow a full timetable.
Year 11
Students in Year 11 are requested to work from home until their return on Monday 28th September, completing work set during their face-to-face sessions and via Google Classroom. Upon their return on Monday they will resume their full timetable.
Lunches
All students, regardless of the time of their registration, will be able to access a school lunch in the usual manner. In Years 7–9 this will be a grab-bag.
Entrances & Exits
Students should continue to use the specified entrance and exit they have been using since September:
Year 7 – Hub Entrance
Year 8 & 9 – Community Entrance
Year 10 & 11 – Main School Entrance
Whilst we understand that moving to a model of blended learning for some of our students is not how we had hoped to welcome all our students back, we feel that this compromise ensures the best chance of limiting any further closures to the school.
We must stress that where positive cases do arise, school will have to collapse specific bubbles and students will have to self-isolate in accordance with guidance from Public Health England. As such, please could I ask parents to remain vigilant for any communications from the school via text message as the nature of confirmed positive cases is that sometimes we receive them with very short notice, and outside of school hours. For this we apologise in advance and are very grateful for your help and support in this matter.
I would like to thank you for your continued support and understanding. Myself and the staff look forward to seeing the students back in school.
Date: Monday 21st September 2020 Subject: Partial School Opening
Dear Parent, Carer, Students,
Unfortunately, due to additional positive cases of Covid-19 within our student community, school will ONLYbe open for Year 11 students tomorrow (Tuesday 22nd September) and (Wednesday 23rd September). Year 11 students should arrive at school in their PE kit and with the equipment needed for learning from 7:45am, at the main entrance. School will begin at 8.15am prompt.
Students in year groups 7 to 10 must remain at home. As planned for a time such as this, remote learning will be set on the Google Classroom platform and students can email their subject teachers for further guidance if necessary.
We deeply appreciate your patience and support during this demanding time. We are all working together for the wellbeing of our students and school community. We will provide further guidance over the next 48 hours.
Reminder: As stated by Bradford Council, ‘across all Bradford District you cannot have anyone in your home or garden who is not part of your household or bubble.’
Yours faithfully,
Stuart Rees
Principal
Date: Thursday 17th September 2020 Subject: School Closure For Deep Clean
Dear Parent, Carer, Students,
School will be closed to all students on Friday 18th and Monday 21st September to enable a deep clean to take place as a precautionary measure following one positive Covid-19 result within the Year 7 bubble.
The school building will re-open to all students in all Year groups at 7:45am (in readiness for a prompt 8:15am start) on Tuesday 22nd September 2020.
Yours faithfully,
Stuart Rees
Principal
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We are delighted to be open again after a period of forced closure, for most students, due to the current pandemic. We are prepared and ready to welcome you ALL back into school in a staggered start process. Please click here to read our School Reopening Risk Assessment in respect of COVID-19.
All the staff here at One In A Million Free School are looking forward to welcoming their students back in to the classroom, we have monitored the guidance from the Government regarding students returning to school.
This will involve grouping students together into key stage year group bubbles and avoiding contact between these bubbles. Teachers will operate across different classes and teaching groups/bubbles in order to facilitate the delivery of the school timetable.
In order to ensure bubbles do not mix, each group has been allocated a specific entrance and exit to the school, these will be clearly signposted.
Year 7
The Hub (entrance on the corner of Thorncliffe Road & Cliffe Terrace)
Year 8
Community entrance
Year 9
Community entrance
Year 10
Main entrance
Year 11
Main entrance
Each key stage teaching group/bubble will be assigned a toilet area that will be cleaned regularly and thoroughly. Students must wash their hands before leaving the toilet.
School uniform:
Students should wear their PE kit for the first half term instead of the standard school uniform. This is to allow more intensive and frequent washing of clothes than standard uniform allows, we appreciate that ties and blazers are not easily washable and could not realistically be washed every day. You may need to purchase extra tops if you are unable to wash clothing overnight. Students must wear the school’s standard PE clothing as identified on the school website.
School uniform is only available from Embroidery In House 01274 889299. When uniform with the school logs is being washed you may wear a black t-shirt and plain black tracksuit bottoms as an alternative. These must be completely plain black, no coloured stripes etc. and without logos or branding of any kind. Any students not wearing correct PE clothing will be sent home. Students can wear branded trainers, however these must be suitable for PE activities.
Equipment:
It is essential that students make sure they have their own equipment to include a named clear water bottle, glue stick, ruler, scientific calculator, pens and pencils. Classroom based resources such as books can be used and shared within the bubble. Resources that are shared between year groups, such as sporting equipment, will be cleaned after every use. This year we are adding a small bottle of hand sanitiser to the equipment list for all students. This is to comply with the need to regularly ‘clean’ hands to minimise the risk of transferring the virus. In addition, all students will be expected to bring a face mask - see note below in the PPE section.
Breaks and lunches:
Due to the importance of limiting social gatherings there will be a staggered lunch. There will be a reduced lunch menu available, which will be pre-ordered and will be a meal deal consisting of a choice of main meal, dessert and drink available at £2.70 lunches will be delivered and eaten in student classrooms within their bubbles.
During break we will not be able to provide drinks and snacks. Students should bring their own bottle of water to help keep them hydrated during the school day and they may bring a small snack for break from home. Please note chewing gum is not permitted, any use of gum will result in a detention.
When to stay at home:
If any student, or a member of their household, is ill, you must check NHS guidance to see if you should be self-isolating. If you are required to self-isolate, an adult must contact the school and give the date of the first day of the self-isolation. Students will then be required to stay at home and follow the NHS guidance and complete home-learning, which will be provided by the school, for the duration of the self-isolation period.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):
Students are expected to wear a face mask in corridors, at social times, whenever social distancing is not possible or when directed to by a member of staff. Face covering must only cover their mouth and nose to ensure they can still be identified. Face masks must be plain with no logos or images).
Returning from overseas:
If your child(ren) or any member of the same household has returned from overseas within the last 14 days please contact school prior to attending in order to check guidance for current quarantine regulations.
Return Dates for Year Groups:
Week beginning 7th September 2020. All students will be given a proper induction back to school to ensure they fully understand the health and safety implications of the changes we have mentioned. Therefore, we have planned a staggered start to the year:
Monday 7th September 2020
Year 7 only
Tuesday 8th until Friday 11th September
Year 7, Year 10 and Year 11
Monday 14 September until Friday 18th September
Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9
Monday 21st September onwards
All Years groups will be in school
Breakfast club will be open from 7:45am with registration and Coaching Team Time starting at 8:15am. Entry into school will not be permissible before 7:45am. If you arrive at school before 7:45am and you have driven to school, please stay with your child/ren in your car until school opens. Please stay in your vehicle and allow your child/children to make their own way into school.
School will finish at 2:30pm for students in Key Stage 3. Students in Key Stage 4 will finish school at 3.30pm on some days. The days will be confirmed when students attend school on Tuesday 8th September. All students will need to make their way home or be collected promptly, as there will be no waiting areas within school, due to the need to keep bubbles separate.
We appreciate things won’t be the same for students when they return to school and they will have a number of new routines to learn. All staff are looking forward to having students back in their classroom.
Yours faithfully,
Stuart Rees
Principal
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In July, the government announced that all children and young people will return to school, full time, from September. This decision has been driven by a decrease in the number of Covid-19 cases, together with the “test and trace” system which is now up and running. Public Health England has also made clear that the risk to children continues to be low. I know many of you will have concerns about the reopening of school and I hope this booklet will help.
When school reopens, we will be providing a full curriculum with no reduction in teaching time. We will be carrying out detailed risk assessments and putting in place all measures expected of us to keep our community safe.
Our expectation is that every child returns to school. The Government has made clear that attendance will be mandatory for all pupils. This means all children are expected to return to school.
Please read this booklet carefully so that your child knows exactly what to do, where to go and what is expected of them upon their return. For instance, which entrance of school to use, the arrangements for break and lunch and even the toilets that they can use. We hope that all the information you require is set out clearly for you to go through.
We recognise the impact that this prolonged period away from school will have had on our community. We all know how hard students have tried to maintain learning at home within the context of their families. We have learned a great deal about Remote Learning over the past few months, and we are better placed to make use of technology going forward. Indeed, we see this as an opportunity to enhance our work when we return.
It is worth noting that our young people will all have had different experiences and our curriculum plans will reflect this. We cannot simply pick up where we left off. Everyone in our community will be experiencing some sense of loss for the time they have been away whether that is the loss of routine, friends, teachers, exams etc. and we need time to address this.
We cannot predict what further guidance will be in place for September or when it will be announced but we will keep you up to date with our plans as they develop.
We are hugely excited to see everyone again in September. We have missed the buzz of our school and the daily interactions with students. It has not been the same during this time.
In July, the government announced that all children and young people will return to school, full time, from September. This decision has been driven by a decrease in the number of Covid-19 cases, together with the “test and trace” system which is now up and running. Public Health England has also made clear that the risk to children continues to be low. I know many of you will have concerns about the reopening of school and I hope this booklet will help.
When school reopens, we will be providing a full curriculum with no reduction in teaching time. We will be carrying out detailed risk assessments and putting in place all measures expected of us to keep our community safe.
Our expectation is that every child returns to school. The Government has made clear that attendance will be mandatory for all pupils. This means all children are expected to return to school.
Please read this booklet carefully so that your child knows exactly what to do, where to go and what is expected of them upon their return. For instance, which entrance of school to use, the arrangements for break and lunch and even the toilets that they can use. We hope that all the information you require is set out clearly for you to go through.
We recognise the impact that this prolonged period away from school will have had on our community. We all know how hard students have tried to maintain learning at home within the context of their families. We have learned a great deal about Remote Learning over the past few months, and we are better placed to make use of technology going forward. Indeed, we see this as an opportunity to enhance our work when we return.
It is worth noting that our young people will all have had different experiences and our curriculum plans will reflect this. We cannot simply pick up where we left off. Everyone in our community will be experiencing some sense of loss for the time they have been away whether that is the loss of routine, friends, teachers, exams etc. and we need time to address this.
We cannot predict what further guidance will be in place for September or when it will be announced but we will keep you up to date with our plans as they develop.
We are hugely excited to see everyone again in September. We have missed the buzz of our school and the daily interactions with students. It has not been the same during this time.
Please continue to stay safe at home and take care of those around you.
Yours faithfully
Stuart Rees
Principal
One In A Million Free School
Thursday 20th August 2020
Subject: GCSE Results Day - Congratulations To All Our Students
Dear Parent/Carer,
One In A Million Free School is absolutely delighted to announce that, despite the significant disruption to the Summer Examination series, our students secured the best results in the school’s history.
The school has recorded its highest number of students passing English and Maths at Grade 4 or above, whilst the numbers of students achieving the top grades of 7 or above improved by over 10% in Science.
The school also saw record results in our vocational qualifications, with Creative iMedia, Health & Social Care and Business Studies all seeing a record number of increase in the number of Merits and Distinctions, as well as our highest ever pass rates. This is particularly pleasing as these courses include considerable amounts of coursework and modular examinations, so were not subject to the limitations imposed by Centre Assessed Grades.
As always, we couldn’t be prouder of our students and wish them the very best as they progress onto their next steps, undertaking their study at a plethora of institutions including Sixth Form, College, Apprenticeships and, of course, Woodhouse Grove Grammar School.
Within this years results there are some exceptional individual performances that deserve particular mention. Maria Zahid(pictured above) secured a 9 and 8 in Science, and a 7 in Religious Studies. Reece Hahn (pictured below) achievements included two Grade 9’s in his Science, along with Grade 8s in English Language, English Literature, Maths and Religious Studies. Both Maria and Reece will take up bursary places at Woodhouse Grove from this September.
The cohort of 2019/20 proved they really were ‘one in a million’!
Mr Rees, Principal
One In A Million Free School
Monday 27th July 2020
Subject: OIAMFS End Of Term Newsletter // School Opening Communication for Sept 2020
Dear Parent, Carers,
Thank you for your ongoing support for the school and our staff over these recent months. It has continued to be a pleasure to work with your children and we have been so impressed by their resilience and flexibility, either coming into school under unusual conditions or the way they have adapted to online learning.
Every student has made significant adjustments in order to continue with their education. I would like to take this opportunity to commend our students for the way they have upheld our values: They have shown excellence in the high quality of work they produced coupled with honesty and integrity by making sure they endeavour to thrive whilst undertaking remote learning and independent study. I’m sure it goes without saying that they will have shown compassion to their family members during such a difficult time in everyone 's lives. Well done each and every one of you.
This is certainly not how I envisaged ending our school year, no leaver’s assembly, no transition day for new students and no end of term celebrations such as Sports Day or crowning of House Champions, (although this will be announced to all students in September!). However, as we all know, this is a small price to pay if it means keeping people safe.
I have included some additional information below you may find helpful for when the school reopens in September.
Please can I take this opportunity to wish all our students and their families a peaceful and safe summer and we look forward to welcoming students and staff back to school in September. Once again thank you for your continued support.
Yours faithfully
Stuart Rees
Principal
One In A Million Free School
This will take place on Thursday 20 August, students have received an invitation to receive their results, each student has been allocated a time slot, we wish all our Year 11 students the very best of luck in whichever study path they decide to take.
Year 9 Options Choices:
You will remember making your option choices in February/March this year. Due to “Lockdown” we haven’t been able to meet with you to discuss and finalise the subjects you will be studying at Key Stage 4. We will do this when we return in September. For some students this interview will also involve a parent or carer. We will be in touch to arrange these meetings in early September.
Student’s Wellbeing:
Do you have concerns about your child’s mental health and well being, are you looking for extra support for them, please go to the KOOTH website.
What is KOOTH? Kooth is a digital mental health support service. It gives children and young people easy access to an online community of peers and a team of experienced counsellors.
Student Questionnaire:
You will have received a letter and questionnaire recently outlining your child’s experience during Covid 19, please can you complete and return this form which will be used to support your child in September.
Government Guidelines:
The Government has announced that attendance to school is mandatory from September and has issued strict guidelines to reduce the risk of transmission of Covid-19. This will involve grouping students together into year group bubbles and avoiding contact between these bubbles. Teachers will operate across different classes and year groups in order to facilitate the delivery of the school timetable.
In order to ensure bubbles do not mix, each group has been allocated a specific entrance and exit to the school, these will be clearly signposted:
Year 7 The Hub
Year 8 Community entrance
Year 9 Community entrance
Year 10 Main entrance
Year 11 Main entrance
Each year group will be assigned a toilet area that will be cleaned regularly and thoroughly. Students must wash their hands after leaving the toilet.
School Uniform:
We ask students to wear their PE kit for the first half term instead of the standard school uniform. This is to allow more intensive and frequent washing of clothes than standard uniform allows, we appreciate that ties and blazers are not easily washable and could not realistically be washed every day. You may need to purchase extra tops if you are unable to wash clothing overnight. Students must wear the school’s standard PE clothing as identified on the school website If you do not have a pair of OIAM tracksuit trousers with the school logo, you may wear a pair of plain black tracksuit trousers. These are available from most supermarkets. These must be completely plain black, no coloured stripes etc and without logos or branding of any kind. Any students not wearing correct PE clothing will be sent home.
You will notice that our staff will not be wearing ties for the same hygiene reasons.
Curriculum:
We will continue to teach a broad curriculum in all subjects, whilst being mindful of the gaps in students' knowledge and skill due to lost learning. For students in Year 7, it may be necessary to address gaps in English and Maths by teaching some essential knowledge and skills from the key stage 2 curriculum.
Equipment:
It is essential that students make sure they have their own equipment to include a named clear water bottle, glue stick, ruler, pens and pencils. Classroom based resources such as books can be used and shared within the bubble. Resources that are shared between year groups, such as sporting equipment, will be cleaned after every use.
Expectations:
Our Values and expectations remain the same as they have always been and they will be made very clear to the students on their first day in school. In response to Government guidance to reflect our behaviour system we will continue to focus on rewards and positive behaviour linked to personal and house points. Where a student is not meeting expectations, the student’s parent/carer will be contacted.
Breakfast Club:
For those who would like it, we will continue to offer free toast and fruit at the beginning of the day; this will be brought to each bubble for consumption.
Breaks and Lunches:
Due to the importance of limiting social gatherings there will be a staggered lunch. As a result, there will be a reduced lunch menu available and during break we will not be able to provide drinks and snacks. Students should bring their own bottle of water to help keep them hydrated during the school day and they may bring a small snack for break. Please note chewing gum is not permitted, any use of gum will result in a detention.
Physical Contact:
Any physical contact made between students or any other attempt to deliberately break social distancing guidance will be considered a serious breach of our school’s expectations. Actions of this nature will result in the student being sent home / being collected.
End of the school day:
Students will leave school through the same door they entered; each bubble will have their own exit route out of the building.
When to stay at home:
If any student, or a member of their household, is ill, you must check NHS guidance to see if you should be self-isolating. If you are required to self-isolate, an adult must contact the school and give the date of the first day of the self-isolation. Students will then be required to stay at home and follow the NHS guidance and complete home-learning for the duration of the self-isolation period.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):
Students are allowed to wear a face-covering if they choose to, though these are not compulsory. Any student who wishes to wear a face covering must only cover their mouth and nose to ensure they can still be identified, (face coverings must be plain with no logos or images).
Week beginning 7th September 2020:
We will ensure all students are given a proper induction back to school to ensure they fully understand the health and safety implications of the changes we have mentioned. Therefore, we have planned a staggered start to the year.
Monday 7th September - Year 7 only
Tuesday 8th until Friday 11 September - Year 7, Year 10 and Year 11
Monday 14 September until Friday 18 September - Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9
Monday 21 September - all Years groups will be in school
Breakfast club will be open from 7:45am with registration and Coaching Team Time starting at 8:15am. Entry into school will not be permissible before 7:45am. If you arrive at school before 7:45am and you have driven to school, please stay with your child/ren in your car until school opens. Please stay in your vehicle and allow your child/children to make their own way into school.
School finish time:
School will finish at 2:30pm and students will need to make their way home or be collected promptly, as there will be no waiting areas within school, due to the need to keep bubbles separate.
Further communications:
During this time of uncertainty, we understand that you will have lots of questions regarding September. Rest assured, we will send more detailed guidance out over the summer and we look forward to welcoming all members of our community, new and old, back through our doors in September.
Tuesday 14th July 2020
Subject: OIAMFS Parent Survey
Dear parent/carer,
We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back to school in September, and to this end we are trying to assess what support may be helpful and necessary for our students when this occurs.
Each of us will have had a unique experience of lock-down and One In A Million Free School is acutely aware of the real difficulties which many in our community have faced.
To allow us to support your child as effectively as possible, we would be grateful if you would share your thoughts and feelings about how the pandemic has affected you as a family, and specifically your child/children, and how you think this might impact on their return to school.
Please return it to school@oneinamillion.org.uk or in a sealed envelope marked ‘Parent Survey’.
Kind regards
Stuart Rees
Principal
One In A Million Free School
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Tuesday 14th July 2020
Subject: Year 6 Transition Film - Welcome To The OIAM Family
Dear Year 6 Student, Parent/Carer,
On behalf of One In A Million Free School, it gives me the most enormous pleasure to share this short One In A Million Transition film with you.
We are all aware that in many different ways this has been an extremely frustrating school year and many events which we usually look forward to have been cancelled or postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
For all staff at One In A Million Free School, one of the most painful regrets has been that we have not been able to visit the wonderful Year 6 students who have chosen to join our school community from September and equally frustratingly, they have not had an opportunity to visit us at One In A Million.
It is our sincere hope that sharing this film with you will, in some part, provide an insight into what all our new young people can expect when they join us in September, as well as providing an opportunity for them to meet some key staff members.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank you bearing with us. We very much hope that you will enjoy the short film which can be accessed on the link below.
Lights, camera, action … and enjoy!
Regards
P Gallagher, SENCO, Deputy Vice Principal
One In A Million Free School
Wednesday 1st July 2020 Subject: OIAMFS Young Innovators Challenge
Dear Student/Parent/Carer,
We have been contacted by InvestIN regarding student participation in this years Young Innovators Challenge. We would love to see as many of you get involved and have a go!
If you remote learning and wish to discuss further please email me and we can talk through your ideas. Alternatively, if you are in the school building, you know where to find me!
Please find more details below.
Warm regards,
Jane Hobbs, Vice Principal
The Young Innovators Challenge:Can your students change the world this summer?
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination" (Albert Einstein)
Do your students have innovative minds? InvestIN is calling upon all students aged 12-18 to enter The Young Innovators Challenge. For each entry, we'll make a donation to The Childhood Trust's 'Champions for Children' charity, which supports vulnerable children affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. The winner will be awarded £50 of Amazon vouchers and a complimentary place on any of our 20 Autumn Term career experience programmes.
Innovation has been at the heart of the human response to Covid-19. Software engineers have developed cutting-edge track and trace systems; Scientists are researching vaccines at lightning speed; volunteers have been mobilised by smartphones. People's innate thirst to innovate has punctuated the battle to save lives.
Innovation has also been crucial to delivering education. Inspirational teachers from across the world have adapted quickly in order to keep their students learning; creating virtual classrooms and student communities.
The Young Innovators Challenge
Now it’s your turn. InvestIN want you to propose one big idea to transform virtual learning in any school activity.
Submit your boldest innovation, whatever form it takes. Do you have a creative product design that allows students to carry out practical lab work at home? Can you virtually deliver the crucial life skills students get from extra-curricular activities like sport and drama? Can you match the fun of face-to-face contact with friends?
Your innovation must:
Have a name
Be in the form of a short video or piece of text
Explain the following: i) what the innovation is; ii) what problem it has solved; iii) how it works; iv) why solving this problem is important to you.
Wednesday 17th June 2020 Subject: OIAMFS COVID-19 - Watch Our New Film Showing The Safety Measures In School
Dear Student, Parent, Carer,
At One In A Million Free School we understand that the threat of Covid-19 can cause great stress and anxiety.
We hope that our short film demonstrating the many safety precautions we have implemented to keep you and your loved ones safe helps give you peace of mind when it is time for you to once again rejoin us within our building.
I hope this letter finds you and your loved ones well.
On 24th May, the Prime Minister announced that secondary schools should plan on the basis that from the week commencing 15th June, they would be able to invite year 10 and 12 students back into school for some face-to-face support with their teachers, subject to the government’s five tests being met.
The government is asking secondary schools to offer this face-to-face support to supplement the remote education of year 10 and year 12 pupils, which will remain the predominant mode of education during this term for students in these year groups.One In A Million Free School has undertaken extensive planning to ensure that the safety of all students and staff members is prioritised at all times and we believe that we are now in a position to invite our year 10 students back into the building. As a school we have completed a detailed Risk Assessment (which can be found on our website) and we have installed a number of precautions in order to minimise the risk of infection within the building including:
All staff and students will have their temperature checked upon entry to the building;
New, socially distanced classrooms have been created, ensuring 2m distances at all times;
Class sizes have been limited. Students will be allocated a group, known as a Bubble. They will remain with this, there will be no opportunity to mix with students from other Bubbles;
Each student Bubble will have its own entrance and exit points to the school building to limit the risk of transmission;
Additional hand sanitizer has been installed, along with increased cleaning of the building, including deep cleaning;
Students and staff will be grouped into Bubbles and these Bubbles will have access to limited, specific areas of the building, to limit the risk of transmission;
There will be staggered start, finish and break times to ensure successful separation of Bubbles;
There will be no access to the school site for parents/carers without a pre-arranged appointment. Where possible communication with parents/carers will be via telephone
Students and staff with any coronavirus symptoms will remain isolated at home.
It is important to note that students will not be returning on a full time basis before September and will, instead, be assigned “Bubbles”, ensuring they will remain with the same few students whenever they are in the building.
Before students are fully introduced back into the building, we would like to invite your child to attend an induction visit to school. You will receive a letter in the post this weekend letting you know which day and time your child can attend. This visit will allow each student the opportunity to see all the changes that have been introduced in order to keep them safe as they begin restarting school. They will have an assembly with myself and other members of the Senior Leadership Team, before spending a short amount of time with their new Coaching Team Leader from September. This will allow them to discuss aspects of their remote learning programme and be fully prepared for the tutorials which will begin the week commencing 22nd June.
Each Bubble will start by completing one half day per week. This will be either in the morning or afternoon and we will send further details of this next week.
The purpose of these tutorials is to help and support students with their remote learning and will allow students face-to-face time with subject specialists in each of their subjects.
If your child is clinically extremely vulnerable, or living with someone who is in this group, they should not come back to school and should continue home learning. If your child is clinically vulnerable (but not clinically extremely vulnerable), you should follow medical advice to decide if they should come back to school. Please refer to government guidance for further details of these groups.
I want to reassure you that we are not going to be pressuring any student to come into school. We have posted a video on our website detailing all the preparations we have undertaken to make sure the school is as safe as possible, so you and your child can make an informed decision about whether to come in. You can discuss any issues with the member of staff who contacts you weekly during the wellbeing calls.
Key information for those children returning to school:
Students are not required to wear school uniform when they come into school. Instead, we ask that they wear freshly laundered clothes that they feel comfortable in. We recommend that when students return from school they shower and the clothes they wore are washed.
Students must not bring any materials or bags into the building. All students will be provided a pack of equipment including writing materials which will remain in school, within a Ziplock folder. Students will use only the equipment supplied to them. There will be no sharing of equipment.
Students must not bring food or drink into the building. Snacks and a lunch will be provided to all students requiring a meal free of charge on the days they attend school.
We highly recommend that students should avoid using public transport, wherever possible to travel to school.
Any student who is feeling unwell or who has been in contact with anybody showing symptoms of Covid19 must not attend school, but instead should remain home and self-isolate in accordance with government guidelines.
Students will not be able to move freely around the building, but instead will be allocated a socially distanced desk. They will have access to one toilet and their meals will be delivered directly to them.
Normal school rules will apply at all times within the building, with additional stringent rules relating to Covid-19. Any student who does not follow these rules will no longer be invited to attend their Bubble and will be told to continue home-working.
Only those students who have registered their intent to attend for that specific session will be eligible to enter the school. Any unexpected attendance or attempts to access alternative Bubbles will not be permitted and the student will be refused entry to school.
I acknowledge that there is still a great deal of anxiety around students returning to school; as a parent myself I completely understand that. You will, no doubt, have many unanswered questions. The toxic and divisive nature of the public debate recently does nothing to help that. Never has there been a time in which values such as integrity, honesty, compassion and excellence are needed, and I hope that we, as a community, can demonstrate those values.
I sincerely hope that the information that can be found on our website will help answer any of the unanswered questions or uncertainties you may have, and I, once again, want to thank you for your continued support. We are a community school and we are proud to serve our community. We cannot wait to welcome our community back through our doors, both safely and successfully.
First and foremost, I hope this letter finds you and your families well. I also hope you enjoyed your week off for half-term, managed to enjoy the wonderful weather and, for those who celebrated it, managed to have a very enjoyable Eid.
As we move into the final half term of the academic year, it is becoming ever more clear that it is unlikely that we will be able to welcome those students in Years 7-9 back into the building before September. It is crucial therefore, that you continue to work remotely, completing the online work or work packs your teachers are setting for you. I know that this term many of you will be contributing to our “Experience Miscellany” and I cannot wait to see how you choose to express yourselves within it.
Working remotely undoubtedly has it challenges and we appreciate all your efforts to engage as well as you can. This engagement is absolutely crucial as the work covered, even during lockdown, will ultimately be needed for your final assessments in the future, no matter what format they take. Indeed, this year’s introduction of “Centre Assessment” means that it is entirely possible that how hard you work, both throughout lockdown and your arrival back into school, will directly contribute to the overall grades you are awarded at the end of Year 11. The truth is, nobody quite knows what the future will look like, so please make sure you are fully prepared for whatever comes our way by always giving 100%.
I also want to take this opportunity to remind you that, no matter what, we are always here for you. It is possible that many of you are finding lockdown incredibly challenging. You will have concerns, fears and uncertainty relating to many aspects of the world you now find yourselves in. This is only natural, but we are here for you. No matter how small, trivial or insignificant you might think your worries are, please rest assured that we don’t think they are small. We don’t think they are trivial. We don’t think anything you worry about is insignificant.
We will continue to keep in touch through our regular phone calls and will also continue to send you weekly newsletters from your Head of Year. I will also continue to be in touch throughout the half term letting you know what is happening with regards to school and your ultimate return. Until then, remember the values that are at the heart of all we do:
Show compassion to everyone that you interact with. Now, more than ever, we don’t know what they have been going through.
Be honest with yourself and everyone else. Are you doing the very best you can right now?
Have integrity in all that you do. Now is the time to be the best version of yourself you can be.
Strive for The world may be changing and adapting, but these changes should never be the basis of excuses and should never prevent you from doing your best in every endeavour you undertake.
Stay safe. Stay well. Stay in touch.
I look forwardly to hopefully seeing you all again very soon.
As the days and weeks blur into one, you could be forgiven for not realising that we have reached the end of another half-term; however, let me assure you that, once again, this is a term that has much to be celebrated.
My son was watching a well-known film this weekend – ‘Rocky’, and within it, there was a line of dialogue that felt particularly pertinent to society at the moment:
“You, me, nobody is going to hit as hard as life does. But it isn’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how you win!”.
Such a quotation seems to embody how brave and magnificent the OIAM community have been over these past weeks. We have had to be brave. We’ve shown we can be. We’ve had to learn differently. We’ve shown we can. We’ve learned that our fears can be overcome and we have developed a much deeper appreciation of what really matters to us most.
I am grateful to every member of our school community who, no matter how hard life hits them have continued to get up and continued to keep moving forward. They continue to demonstrate the grit and resilience synonymous with OIAM students and I couldn’t be prouder of them. It is crucial that this half-term is a time for us to rest and recharge, or “sharpen the saw” as the 7 habits displayed in our atrium refer to it.
Unfortunately for those students in Years 7 – 9, it has become ever clearer that it is unlikely that we will see them return to school before September. As much as we want to see them, we will not jeopardise anybody’s health in order to rush back to school. Therefore, can I please once again implore students to continue engaging with the online work being set by teachers and continue trying to do their absolute best.
Those students in Year 10 find themselves in a slightly different position, with the government recommending that they should receive some face to face time with teachers before the summer holidays. As such, we will be offering students in Year 10 the opportunity to return to school in order to attend some face to face seminars. Once again, unfortunately this will not be the same as a normal return to lessons, but it will help support our students as we collectively move forward. We will be writing to all Year 10 students, parents and carers separately to outline the options available and the timescales they will operate within.
Finally, many of our staff, friends and families have been celebrating Eid this weekend. Please may I take this opportunity to say ‘Eid Mubarak’ to everyone. Celebrations will have undoubtedly been somewhat different for most families, but I hope it was equally enjoyable.
Whatever you are doing this half term, I hope you have a lovely break and we will be in contact with you again soon.
With very best wishes,
Stuart Rees, Principal
Thursday 21st May 2020
Subject: Employment support offer for adults from Shine
Dear parent/carer,
Please find information that has been sent to One In A Million Free School from Apire-igen that may be of interest to you. Aspire-igen is a delivery partner for Bradford Employment Hub which is part-funded by the European Social Fund.
“We hope you are all well during this strange time. It is certainly a challenging time for schools and our Shine team is here to support you with all aspects of your career guidance provision, which we have adapted to support students remotely.
As well as our support for students, we are pleased to offer access to our Bradford Employment Hub to unemployed parents of students at your school.
Bradford Employment Hub is a FREE support package, where participants are allocated a key worker for up to 6 months of professional support to find a job.
They will also be able to access a range of employability workshops including confidence building, returning to the job scene, creating a CV and more, delivered with a genuine and friendly approach (and all adapted to be accessed remotely during this time).
This service is available to anyone who is over 18, unemployed (whether or not they are claiming benefits) or a lone parent living in a BD postcode.
Please pass on the leaflet attached to parents and ask them to get in touch with one of our team (we are currently open Monday to Thursday)”.
Aspire-igen, 21-27 Cheapside, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD1 4HR, UK, Tel 0330 111 0035. Email: shine@aspire-igen.com
Regards
Mrs D Gogliormella
Director of Data, Assessment & Progress
Wednesday 20th May 2020
Subject: Student Safety - Let’s Talk About Life Online
The best tool to support your child in leading a safe and positive life online is open conversation.
This leaflet includes practical advice and conversation starters to help you discuss the online world with your child. Whether you are approaching these conversations for the first time, or you have already made a start, this advice can help you to support your child to use technology in a happy and healthy way.
This advice is part of Childnet’s Parent & Carer Toolkit, designed to guide you in supporting all aspects of your child’s online life. It also includes our Family Agreement andParents & Carers Resource Sheet. Find the whole toolkit at childnet.com/parents-toolkit.
Regards
Mr P Gallagher
Designated Safeguarding Lead
Wednesday 15th May 2020
Subject: Transition Of Year 6 Students for Sept 2020/ Letter from Mr Gallagher, SENCo
Dear parent/carer,
Despite the uncertain times that we are experiencing at present, One In A Million Free School wants to reassure all our prospective new parents, and students, that we are doing all within our powers to make your transition to One In A Million as effective and worry free as possible.
Our aim is for every student to have a positive and easy transition from their Primary School to One In A Million, so that, when they arrive in September, they feel comfortable, confident and ready to make progress.
We intend to start the process of getting to know students, and giving them opportunities to get to know the school, as early as we can to give them plenty of time to prepare. However, some of our usual practices may have to be amended this year, given the ongoing COVID 19 crisis.
For some students, we recognise that additional support is needed for a successful transition, and myself as school SENCO, Mrs Smedley as Assistant SENCO and Mr Hutchinson as Head of Year 7, will attempt to organise activities to ensure that all students’ needs are supported in making the move to One In A Million Free School.
A significant part of this process is for us, as a school, to be fully aware of the existing skills and talents which your child possesses, as well as being aware of your aspirations for them as parents.
In order to assist us in this undertaking, could I ask that you please spend some time with your child completing the enclosed document and returning it in the stamped addressed envelope to One In A Million at your earliest convenience.
Thank you for support in this matter.
Regards
Mr P Gallagher
SENCO/Assistant Vice Principal
Wednesday 29th April 2020
Subject: Transition Of Year 6 Students for Sept 2020 / Introduction To The SENCo
Dear parents and carers,
Our aim at One In A Million Free School is to ensure that all of our students achieve their potential, whilst taking into consideration the challenges that some of them may face.
I am delighted to introduce myself as Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) and also to introduce the Assistant SENCO, Mrs Anne-Marie Smedley, for One In A Million.
The role of the school SENCO involves;
overseeing the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEND policy;
coordinating provision for children with SEND;
liaising with and advising colleagues;
overseeing the records of all children with SEND;
liaising with parents of children with SEND;
contributing to the in-service training of staff;
liaising with external agencies, including the Local Authority’s support and Educational Psychology services, Health and Social Services and voluntary bodies.
Students at One In A Million Free School are considered to have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty which calls for special or additional provision to be made for them.
Special educational provision means educational provision that is additional to, or otherwise different from, the educational provision made generally for children of their age at our school. This can range from extra support with an adult, or small group interventions, to specialised equipment and personalised targets.
Whilst the first point of contact for any query concerning a student will nearly always be their Head of Year, or Coaching Team Leader, Myself, or Mrs Smedley, are available to help in any way which we can, and look forward to meeting each of you at your earliest convenience.
Thank you for your continued support.
Regards
Mr P Gallagher
SENCO/Assistant Vice Principal
Tuesday 28th April 2020
Dear parent/carer,
Despite this strange start to the Summer Term, I wanted to send a message to you and your children, to thank you for your continued support over the past few weeks.
Now that the Easter break is over, hopefully students are re-establishing the routines of study they developed prior to the holiday. Similarly, the school’s systems which were in place prior to Easter will continue, with teachers setting work, providing marking and feedback and regular calls to check all is well and deal with any issues arising. Free school meal students will also continue to receive a food hamper each week.
If your child encounters any problems accessing work online, please let the member of staff know who is contacting you, and they will endeavour to provide a solution as soon as possible.
We know that many of our students are considering their next steps despite these challenging times. We have attached a letter from Bradford College regarding applications from Year 11 students who wish to apply to attend there from September. Rest assured, if we receive any information from other local Sixth Forms or colleges we will let you know. Owing to the uncertainty surrounding this year’s examination results it is more important than ever that our year 11’s have made more than one application in order to ensure they have as many options as possible moving forward. It would also be appreciated if they could advise Miss Woodcock (Head of Year 11) of any applications they have made and whether they were successful.
We have also provided a parent pack for those of you who are interested in apprenticeships. We are more than happy to discuss further should you wish to discuss this option.
During these challenging times we need to be more vigilant than ever and as such, the Local Authority has alerted us to an incident that I wanted to share with you. A parent has contacted them to report a phone call received over the weekend from a person stating they were calling from Bradford Local Authority. The caller knew the parent’s surname and address. The caller requested information in relation to the parent’s experience of education delivery during COVID-19. The caller went on to request to speak to the child about this and subsequently asked highly inappropriate questions which put the child at risk of harm and caused great distress to the family. Swift action has been taken and it has been reported to the Police who have taken the matter very seriously. Please note that neither the Local Authority nor school would ever call and ask for information in this way and that parents should report any such calls directly to the Police on 101.
Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to wish all those celebrating, Ramadan Mubarak.
Once again, thank you for your support.
Yours faithfully
Stuart Rees
Principal
Tuesday 28th April 2020
Dear parent/carer,
Whether you have already applied to Bradford College or not we hope you find the following information helpful and reassuring. Please click on the link below:
We have also provided a parent pack for those of you who are interested in apprenticeships. We are more than happy to discuss further should you wish to discuss this option.
Yours faithfully
Stuart Rees
Principal
Wednesday 8th April 2020
Dear parent/carer,
Find several useful links to support you and your family during Covid-19. Please take the time to read them:
I hope this message finds you and your families safe and well.
The past few weeks, involving the closure of the school and the country going into lockdown, have been especially difficult for everybody, and I am sure that you have found that your lives have changed drastically in this short period of time.
You will have often heard of me talk about being part of the One In A Million family, and now, more than ever, I feel that the concepts of community and unity are more important than ever before. You might not be in the building at the moment but that does not make you any less of a One In A Million student, and as such, we are still here for you. You will have been receiving regular update calls from a nominated member of staff, checking on your wellbeing. Please take the opportunity to talk to them about anything you are worried or concerned about, or should you need support in any other aspect of your life, remember that we are here. Similarly, remember that all your teachers, Heads of Year and members of staff in general are here for you. Feel free to contact any of us and we will continue to support you in any way we can.
Ours is a school that talks about values. We talk about the importance of compassion and integrity, and now, more than ever these two values need to be demonstrated, not only by us, but by our entire country. I know that as a OIAM student you will be making decisions based on our values, despite how challenging it may be to operate without the routine of school life or the ability to socialise with your friends and family. Yet, as I stated in my message to your parents: at this time, more than ever, every individual matters. Every individual is valued. Every individual act of kindness counts.
I hope you have managed to access the online provision of lessons and resources your teachers have uploaded to Google Classroom for you. We hope to put even more interactive content up upon your return from the Easter break, to ensure you continue to gain access to the best provision possible, despite the challenging times.
But until then, remember this: We miss you. We care about you. We are looking forward to seeing you again.
I hope you have a relaxing and restful holiday. Take care, stay safe and look after yourselves.
Yours faithfully
Stuart Rees
Principal
Dear parents / carers,
This is without a doubt the strangest end of term message I have ever written, however as I sit and type, I write with a deep-rooted sense of humility, gratitude and pride for all that we have achieved over the past two weeks.
From the moment the government announced on 18th March 2020 that schools would be closing their gates, our staff have been working tirelessly to ensure that we are able to offer a full and effective online provision for your children. Our staff have been calling and checking in with families on a daily basis and we have continued to support local families, providing food and supplies to those who need it. The overriding sense of community and commitment evident as everybody pulls together has been truly humbling. Our staff have shown unwavering dedication in supporting our community, whilst the messages we have been receiving from parents and students alike have been so positive that they continue to spur us on - from the bottom of our hearts, thank you!
We know these are worrying times for everybody, and despite everyone's efforts, there is still much that needs to be done. Our school motto is "Enjoying today, Preparing For Tomorrow" and whilst it is impossible to enjoy these times, preparing effectively as we look to the future will be crucial. At this time, every individual matters, every individual is valued and every individual act of kindness counts. We are all in this fight together, because ultimately we will beat this. Together. As one, united family.
The Children’s Commissioner has published a Children’s Guide to Coronavirus which explains the current situation in an accessible way, and gives advice about how we can all help keep ourselves and others safe. There is a ‘worry buster’ to complete, along with tips about keeping yourself busy and getting creative. Please look at it with your children when you are home together.
So finally, I want to send my very best wishes to you over this holiday period. Look after yourselves. Look after your families. Have a good rest, take care and above all, stay safe.
Yours faithfully
Stuart Rees
Principal
Monday 6th April 2020
Dear parents/carers,
One In A Million Free School will be openover the Easter break (including Good Friday and Easter Monday) for key worker's children and vulnerable students.
However, the advice remains that if children can stay at home they should, and the school should only be used if there is no other option for childcare. Parents need to telephone school before sending their child in.
The delivery of free school meals will continue over the Easter holiday with deliveries scheduled for Tuesday 7th and Wednesday 15th April.
From 20th March 2020 parents/carers were asked to keep their children at home, wherever possible, and for schools to remain open only for those children of workers critical to the COVID-19 response - who absolutely need to attend.
Schools and all childcare providers were asked to provide care for a limited number of children - children who are vulnerable, and children whose parents are critical to the COVID-19 response and cannot be safely cared for at home.
This addendum of the OIAMFS Safeguarding, and Child Protection policy contains details of our individual safeguarding arrangements during the period of full or partial school closure. Please click on the link below to read more:
Paddy Gallagher
Vice Principal/ Designated Safeguarding Lead
Monday 23rd March 2020
Dear parents/carers
Re: Coronavirus update – school closure to most students
Following on from my last update, I’m now writing to let you know that we have been instructed to close the school to almost all children from Friday, 20th March 2020, until further notice.
As advised by the government, we will do all we can to stay open for the children of key workers and children with certain needs. In line with the Secretary for Education’s statement over the weekend, please do not send your child to school from Monday 23rd March onwards unless your work is critical to the COVID-19 response and we have agreed that your child is eligible to attend. Your child will not be allowed to stay at school, they will be sent home, if this agreement is not in place.
If your child is attending school, we will open for students between the hours of 8.00am and 2.30pm and they should wear their PE kit. Do not send children earlier than this time as they will not be allowed on site. Students will be expected to leave promptly at 2.30pm.
As always, your child’s education and well-being remain of paramount importance to the school. As such, we will be continuing to support you and your children in the following ways:
You will receive daily phone calls from a designated member of staff to check on wellbeing and resolve any issues students are having with school work. Please note that they will ring from a withheld number for GDPR purposes.
Work will be set and marked regularly through Google Classroom. Your child has been provided with the pass codes for these platforms, for each subject area, and their subject teachers will mark the work submitted and supply feedback to them.
For students who do not have WIFI access, resources, including work books have been supplied or are available from school reception. Please telephone before you come into school so that these can be ready for you.
Students who receive free school meals will receive a weekly food pack containing items to ensure their meal provision is continued.
If you want to get in touch to share any concerns, please do not hesitate to do so via info@oneinamillion.org.uk
And remember: if you or your child feels ill and you want to know what to do next, please use NHS 111 online.
Other helpful contact numbers are:
Childline - 0800 1111
Samaritans - 116 123
Help for Children - 0800 169 1601
Early Help - 01274 432121
NSPCC - 0808 800 5000
Barnardos - 01274 513300
Please ensure that your child is safe on and offline whilst they are not attending school, the link below is aimed at parents and students and will answer some questions and provide guidance and advice.
Owing to the ever-changing picture, things may alter as we move forward. We appreciate your continued patience and support during these unprecedented times.
We will continue to keep in touch with any updates as the situation develops.
Yours faithfully
Stuart Rees
Principal
Friday 20th March 2020
Dear parent/carer,
Due to COVID-19 regulations, we have now been instructed to close the school to ALMOST ALL children after today, Friday, 20th March 2020, until further notice.
As advised by the government, we will do all we can to stay open for the children of key workers and children with certain needs.
Please do notsend your child to school from Monday 23rd March onwards unless we have agreed that your child is eligible to attend. Your child will not be allowed to stay at school, they will be sent home, if this agreement is not in place.
School will open for eligible studentsbetween the hours of 8am and 2.30pm. Please do not send children earlier than this time as they will not be allowed on site. Students will be expected to leave promptly at 2.30pm.
For parents/carers whose child/children have to stay at home we will continue to set work using Google Classroom. Your child has been provided with the pass codes for these platforms, for each subject area and their subject teachers will mark the work submitted and supply feedback to them. For students who do not have wifi access, resources, including work books have been supplied or are available from school reception.
Your child’s learning is important to us and we will continue to help your child to learn. A member of staff will be in touch by telephone daily, however, if you have any concerns please do not hesitate to contact school and we will do our best to help.
If your child usually receivesfree school meals we will also be in touch with more information about how we will continue to provide this.
Yours faithfully
Stuart Rees
Principal
Thursday 19th March 2020
Dear parent/carer,
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis One In A Million Free School will be CLOSED tomorrow, Friday 20th March for ALL STUDENTS until further notice.
For those students who receive free school meals, if your child has not already collected one, packed lunches will be available from school reception at 12 noon.
An email will be sent detailing school arrangements throughout this difficult period once clear guidance is available the government. Further information on provision for vulnerable students and children of keyworks will follow.
Yours faithfully
Stuart Rees
Principal
Wednesday 18th March 2020
Dear parent/carer,
One In A Million Free School will be partially closedtomorrow (Thursday 18th March) and only students inyears 7, 8 & 11 should attend.
For those students in years 9 & 10 who receive free school meals, a packed lunch will be available to collect at 12 noon from school reception.
Yours faithfully
Stuart Rees
Principal
Tuesday 17th March 2020
Dear parent/carer
As we look at plans and preparations for any potential disruption to school regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19), we thought that it would be helpful to explain our plans in order to reassure you that your child’s safety, well-being and education remain our biggest priority.
Firstly, we continue to receive daily updates from the government and we continue to follow their advice. As a school, we have developed contingencies, in line with our emergency plans, should we have to close, or partially close, due to either government instruction or staff absence.
After considering the recent advice issued by the government, we have taken the decision to postpone all none essential contact, including parents’ evenings, offsite trips and sports fixtures for the foreseeable future. This is with immediate effect and we will keep you updated regularly.
In the event of any closure, partial or full, we will place messages on our website, along with updates on our Facebook and Twitter accounts. We will also send messages via our parent text service. Most importantly, we remain open and hope for excellent attendance unless you hear, via one of these methods, to the contrary.
We have also increased significantly the cleaning around school and made provision for additional hand washing/sanitising facilities around the building. Our hand washing areas remain well-stocked and we have spoken with all students about how to wash their hands properly, placing posters in key areas to remind us all of good hygiene. Areas like ICT (keyboards), and all door handles/high contact areas are receiving additional cleaning throughout the day.
Rest assured, we are now preparing work to provide for your children should we have to close the school for any length of time.
We are well prepared for this situation and have already spoken to students about Google Classroom and have instructed them how to access and submit work through this system. Teaching staff will be in contact with students regularly if school is closed and will be available to assist with any issues which arise with study during this time. Marking and feedback will continue to be given for work submitted. We are also working to ensure that printed materials are shared with students who do not have internet access at home.
Our pastoral and leadership team remain committed to supporting the wellbeing of our students and are available should you have any questions or concerns. The team will also be checking in with students regulalry throughout any closure.
I know that this is a very difficult time but I hope that this letter gives you some comfort that we are making the best possible preparations. In the meantime, we will continue to operate a full and normal school day.
Yours faithfully
Stuart Rees
Principal
Tuesday 17th March 2020 - Public Health Guidance
To understand what Coronavirus/Covid-19 is? What do I do if you think you are at risk? And how to HELP PREVENT THE SPREAD! Please click on one the pdf translation below:
I am writing to update you on the development of the school’s response to the Coronavirus outbreak, following yesterday’s UK government meetings and latest Public Health England (PHE) advice which you may find helpful.
Introduction
A team of staff representing teaching, pastoral and operational areas of school meet daily to review the latest government guidance and coordinate the school’s response. Our approach remains in line with advice and guidance from the relevant health authorities, in particular the NHS – specifically Public Health England (PHE) - and where travel may be impacted, we are also taking account of advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
At the time of writing, the government’s focus has moved to the second phase of ‘Delay’ and in addition to the continued advice for regular and thorough hand-washing, it has now included a requirement for anyone with a new, continuous cough or temperature, however mild the symptoms, to self-isolate for seven days and we are now requesting all the members of our school community to follow this if necessary.
Within the school’s action plan, we are prioritising health and safety and student education over other activities. We especially wish to support our year groups taking public examinations in the summer and ensure the continuity of their teaching and learning.
Priorities
In light of recent actions taken by other countries to close educational establishments we must be mindful that this remains a possibility in the UK, even though today’s advice is for schools to remain open. Even if not required to close, we may have to consider curtailment of some of our activities and are drawing up contingency plans for all areas of school life, including:
Educational continuity – we are putting provision in place for remote learning, subject appropriate for all year groups, and planning alternative arrangements if required for GCSE examinations.
Pastoral and medical support – we take seriously the wellbeing of all our students and ask parents to contact school if they have any concerns about how a child may be impacted if unable to come to school. Please reassure your child that they can visit their Head of Year if they have any worries or feel unwell during the school day.
Trips, visits, fixtures and events - we appreciate the significant disappointment caused by the postponement or cancellation of activities, and are considering all trips, fixtures and events on a case by case basis. We will take into account the educational merit, the destination, accommodation arrangements and itinerary and of course the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s advice. We will notify parents at the earliest opportunity of any changes to planned activities.
Volunteering - volunteering activities involving elderly people have been suspended as our partners seek to minimise the risk to their residents.
Maintenance of the school buildings and facilities, including IT services required to enable remote learning and any necessary deep cleaning. We are keen to ensure that students can resume their studies without further interruption in a safe and fully operational learning environment.
Travel
May we ask families to follow government advice if they visit any country named on the government website as a concern, or if any family member does so. In such circumstances, or in light of even a potential threat from such travel or connections, please inform school of this situation as soon as possible. Official travel advice to and from the UK is being regularly updated, so please bear in mind that entry and exit restrictions may change, as well as the advice on self-isolation for different geographical locations which could affect you upon your return to the UK. After the Easter break, we will require all members of the community to self-declare if they have been in an area of particularly high risk – more information will follow about this at the end of this month.
Hygiene
The best way to prevent coronavirus spreading is to wash your hands more than usual, for 20 seconds, using soap and water or a hand sanitiser. Please remind your children to follow these guidelines. We are taking additional steps to support the health and wellbeing of our community, primarily through extra cleaning and widespread provision of hand sanitisers.
Communications
Should there be any developments that affect the running of the school we will be in touch with parents as a matter of urgency.
Finally, can I say that I have been very appreciative of how students and families have responded to this difficult situation. I would like thank you all for your support and cooperation in helping us to keep the school a calm and kind place for students and staff alike.
I am sure you are aware of the outbreak of novel coronavirus and the subsequent confirmed cases in the UK. At One in A Million Free School we take the health and safety of our pupils and staff very seriously, so we’re sharing guidance from Public Health England on steps you should be taking.
There is currently no cause for concern at the school, but we’ll keep you informed about any developments and ensure we’re keeping the school clean to prevent the spread of any virus.
Prevent the spread of infection
Make sure you and your children follow these general principles to prevent spreading any respiratory virus:
Wash your hands often – with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or an alcohol based sanitizer if soap and water aren’t available
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
Avoid close contact with people who are sick
If you feel unwell, stay at home and don’t attend work or school
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in a bin
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces in the home
If you’re worried about your symptoms, please call NHS 111 – don’t go directly to your GP or other healthcare environment
If you or your children have returned from a category 1 country or area in past 14 days
If you become unwell, call NHS 111 immediately for an assessment (or 999 if you require emergency medical attention) – see below for the symptoms to look out for
If you or your children have returned from a category 2 country or area in last 14 days
