RETURNING TO
SHEBBEAR COLLEGE September 2020
“WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING EVERYONE BACK AT SHEBBEAR IN SEPTEMBER.” We hope that this booklet will help to reassure you about the secure plans that we have put in place to welcome all our pupils back safely to school in September. Whilst there is still some uncertainty about what the term ahead will bring, we are confident that we are doing all we can to ensure that the health and safety of our pupils is our number one priority. We have already prepared detailed risk assessments and have put in place all the necessary measures to ensure that our school site is a safe and secure place for everyone. We will be updating these in line with changing government guidance and will keep you updated throughout the remainder of the summer. The media can be very misleading about the state of play in the UK but we feel very safe here at Shebbear in our beautiful rural campus. We are fortunate to be in an area of the country that has been relatively untouched by Covid-19 and are lucky enough to have the space and facilities to welcome all our pupils back safely, so as not to compromise our high standards of pupil welfare. We look forward to seeing you in September. With warmest wishes,
Caroline Kirby Head
OUR APPROACH At Shebbear our approach is based on the following key principles to manage the risks associated with Covid-19: • An enhanced cleaning regime across all areas of the school site • More frequent and thorough hand washing • Hand sanitiser stations at all entrances to buildings • Good respiratory hygiene (Catch it, Bin it, Kill it) • Minimising contact and mixing with the use of ‘class bubbles’ • We are also following the BSA Covid-Safe Charter. A copy of this can be found by clicking here
WHAT WE ARE DOING We are putting the following key measures in place ready for the start of term in September to ensure that the school remains a safe place and manages any risks presented by Covid-19.
Bubbles The government use the term ‘Bubbles’ for groups of pupils who are able to mix without social distancing. We will be working on the following bubbles: • • • • • • • •
Pre-School and Reception Prep 1 & 2 Prep 3 & 4 Prep 5 & 6 Forms 1 & 2 Forms 3 & 4 Form 5 Sixth Form
We will avoid large pupil gatherings in communal areas and are likely to adjust a number of our normal events and meetings. Our new House Common Rooms will be divided into bubbles within the houses. Given the nature of school life, keeping day and boarding pupils apart will not be possible, but we will make efforts to reduce the mixing of these groups.
Cleaning An enhanced cleaning programme has been put in place over the summer which will continue in the Michaelmas Term. Additional housekeeping staff will be on a rotation to regularly clean frequently used areas (including door handles, keypads, handrails and toilets). Classrooms will have desk areas and frequently touched areas cleaned after a change in bubble usage, with all cleaning being recorded so that it is clear when the area was last disinfected.
Hand Hygiene Pupils will be reminded and encouraged to wash hands more frequently and thoroughly with posters displayed around the school to increase awareness. There will be hand sanitising stations at each entrance to the school buildings to be used before entering. Hand sanitisers will be available throughout the school and staff and pupils will be required to make use of them regularly.
Respiratory Hygiene Any pupil or member of staff who wishes to wear a face mask will be able to do so (with the exception of children under the age of 3 or those who may find it difficult to manage them correctly). We will provide guidance on the safe use and disposal of these. Tissues and pedal bins with lids will be in classrooms and around the school site to ensure good respiratory hygiene by promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach. These will be emptied daily. All staff will receive training and equipment to clean areas thoroughly and correctly.
Mealtimes Meals will be provided in the dining hall with pupils sitting within their bubbles. Staggered meal times will be introduced and the provision of food may be arranged differently to minimise contact between groups. There will be social distancing markers set up in the dining hall for safe serving. Using hand sanitiser will be compulsory on entering the Dining Hall. All pupils must bring a named reusable water bottle in to school each day – drinking water will be provided in the Quad and Prep School but there will be no other individual kitchen or drinking areas in use.
Boarding Boarders will be split into bubbles within the house based on their room location and bathroom usage. They will be allocated a bathroom upon arrival and are to only use their designated bathroom. Boarders will be encouraged to wash hands regularly and to social distance where possible. There will be hand sanitising stations in the common rooms. The kitchens in boarding houses will be out of use to pupils except to get drinking water. All meals and snacks will be provided by our catering department on site. Laundry will be taken to our main school laundry in bags or bins, which will be cleaned after use.
Isolation There is a designated area in both boarding houses should a pupil have a suspected case of Covid-19. This is kept apart from the rest of the household and a separate bathroom will be used. Anyone entering this area to help care for any pupils or to clean the area will need to wear PPE. Laundry for those that have a suspected or confirmed case of Covid-19 will need to be collected from isolation areas by a designated person and PPE will be worn. Housekeeping will use a separate washing machine for this purpose and this will be cleaned thoroughly before and after use. All household members will need to go into isolation if there is a suspected case of Covid-19 in a boarding house.
Healthcare Provision We are fortunate to have a very experienced medical team working in our on-site Health and Wellbeing Centre. All the relevant testing facilities are available and there is access to over the counter medicines. All of our boarders are registered with our local doctor who visits us regularly on site. They will have access to NHS care should it be needed.
School Buses Pupils travelling on school buses will need to wear a face covering for each bus journey. If needed, Prep School pupils will be assisted with putting their face covering on and checking it is fitted securely before getting on the bus. Parents will be asked to provide a named plastic bag for pupils to keep reusable face coverings in during the school day, or to provide a disposable face covering for each bus journey. If pupils are exempt from wearing a face covering, please ensure their Housemaster/mistress or the Head of the Prep School is informed. Hand sanitiser will be available when getting on and off the buses. Clear plastic barriers will be fitted in our own school minibuses between the driver and passengers.
INTERNATIONAL PUPILS We are looking forward to welcoming our International pupils back to Shebbear in September, but recognise that travel guidelines are changing quickly at the moment. We will work with all our International families to help and support their return to the UK and the school.
Quarantine There is a government requirement for pupils returning to school from certain countries to quarantine before the start of term. If this is the case a pupil would need to arrange to stay somewhere with family in the UK prior to starting at Shebbear. Alternatively, a Guardian Service may be sought.
Booking flights We will be flexible on pupil return and there will be no penalty for any pupil not able to arrive on time (for example if a pupil does need to quarantine before returning to school). We have put in place measures to allow us to offer a remote learning programme from September, to enable pupils to study from home whilst planning their return to school. However, we hope very much that all our pupils will return in person in the first few weeks. In the interests of safety, we would like all pupils travelling from airports to the school to use our own transport so that safe distancing can be maintained. Parents will be sent details of how to book this.
October Half Term During October Half Term we will be running our usual activity programme - ‘Camp Sheb’, meaning that boarders will not have to travel outside of the UK, and instead can stay at the school and join in with the wide range of activities and sessions on offer. This will give flexibility to our pupils and families during this period.
REMOTE LEARNING PROVISION During lockdown, we offered a remote learning platform that was second-to-none. Our pupils continued to follow their usual timetable, registering with their tutor in the morning and taking part in live lessons with all their subject teachers. Our Wellbeing and Pastoral Care was more important than ever and even our co-curricular activities programme continued, with pupils enjoying a huge range of creative and sporting challenges. Although we are planning to be back on the school site in September, we will continue to record our lessons, meaning that any pupils who are unable to attend school (for example if they are in quarantine or their household is in isolation) will still have access to all their lessons remotely. This also means that if there is a second wave of Covid-19, Shebbear will seamlessly move to remote learning, just as we did in the Trinity Term.
“ “
We are so thankful to the staff of Shebbear College who have provided a fully enriched and engagingly academic remote classroom experience, which has kept our children mentally and physically healthy. The sounds of Shebbear life have flooded through our house each day as the children settled to their lessons and I love that we have had the privilege of seeing inside the classroom. Thank you one and all!
The children are encouraged to learn through a host of creative and inspiring activities; equally, there are moments when head down concentration or conversation with a skilled teacher is needed. We hear glimpses of content from the hugely knowledgeable and passionate teaching staff as well as the responses from the children, including the moments of giggles – which warms my heart. These members of staff have gone above and beyond to make the learning experience as deep and engaging as they can.
“
Our son’s remote learning provision was a privilege to watch; we saw and heard him AT school – part of his day that, ordinarily, we would not have experienced. Creative, sensitive, and always with their usual sense of humour – the Staff found inspiring ways to structure, engage, teach and entertain. Sensitively thought through and wonderfully imaginative, the children worked hard and played hard – business as usual, in unusual times.
PASTORAL CARE AND WELLBEING During lockdown our excellent Pastoral Care was more important than ever and the social and emotional wellbeing of our pupils continues to be at the heart of everything we do here at Shebbear. Our experienced and caring team are looking forward to welcoming all our pupils back and will be working incredibly hard to ensure that lines of communication between ourselves, our pupils and our parents are kept very much open. We believe that our pupils succeed at school because they are happy here, and our supportive, secure and caring environment remains central to the Shebbear College community.
CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES At Shebbear, we believe that the best type of education does not just take place in the classroom. Our extensive co-curricular programme is of utmost importance and we will continue to operate a wide range of clubs and activities. The size of our campus means that we can take part in healthy exercise at a safe distance from others and sport will continue to be a key part of our programme, although fixtures against other schools will only take place once the guidance allows us to adequately do so. There will, as always, also be a wealth of other opportunities for pupils to choose from.
WHAT HAPPENS IF MY CHILD BECOMES ILL? All pupils, staff and visitors are expected to check for symptoms of Covid-19 on a daily basis and must not come into Shebbear College if they are displaying any symptoms. In the instance that a pupil becomes ill whilst they are on the school site, the following steps will be taken.
Day Pupils Day pupils who are unwell with suspected Coronavirus symptoms will be isolated in a well ventilated room and parents will be telephoned immediately to collect them.
Parents would need to arrange for the child to be tested for Covid-19.
If the test is positive, they will need to be isolated at home for ten days. Other members of their household must isolate for 14 days. They will need to follow the NHS test and trace service and keep us informed at the College, so that we can notify Public Health England (PHE).
After ten days in isolation at home, the pupil may return to school if they are well.
Boarders Any pupil who is unwell with suspected Coronavirus symptoms will be isolated in their House. The pupil will go directly to a designated isolation area within their boarding house and the rest of the boarding house will go straight into isolation in their Household. A test will be arranged for the whole Household.
If the test for the pupil with symptoms is positive then they will remain in the designated isolation area for a minimum of ten days. If any other members of the boarding household receive a positive test then they will also go into a designated isolation area for ten days. Pupils may wish to isolate at home if they have a positive test, this will be communicated via Housemasters before the start of term. It is important to remember that the whole of that Household would need to follow government guidelines and self isolate for 14 days.
In the rare instance of a pupil becoming very unwell, they will be taken to hospital. Parents will be kept closely informed.
The Boarding Household will need to isolate for 14 days. Remote learning with live lessons will take place for all pupils.
After ten days of isolation, the pupil can join the rest of the Boarding Household for the remainder of the 14 days provided they do not still have a temperature. If they still have a temperature then we will follow advice from the School Doctor.
If the test is negative, the pupil may go back to lessons or rest and recover depending on how they are feeling.
COMMUNICATION We understand that this crisis has affected everyone and there has been a great deal of uncertainty, stress and anxiety for pupils, parents and teachers alike. Whilst we may not have answers to every question just yet, we are happy to discuss anything that is not covered here with you. Please feel free to contact us on info@shebbearcollege.co.uk School may look and feel a bit different when we all return, but our happy, friendly community will still be here. We are proud of the way all of our pupils and teachers have worked together during this time and are optimistic about the future here at Shebbear College.
Shebbear College, Shebbear, Devon EX21 5HJ www.shebbearcollege.co.uk info@shebbearcollege.co.uk 01409 282000 Shebbear College is a member of the Methodist Independent Schools Trust (MIST). Registered Charity No. 1142794 Registered Company No. 07649422