Wolfdale School COVID-19 Response
Wolfdale School Covid 19 Response
The Government announced on March 18th 2020 for schools to close. However Schools needed to remain open for those with EHC Plans, Children of Critical Workers and those most vulnerable.
What we did
Parent/Guardian Questionnaire
This helped to clarify the health needs of each child and identify health needs of those within their households. We could then establish the position of the families and those of Critical Workers.
We were able to identify students that would pose a greater risk accessing school whether due to their own health needs or anxieties and also posing a risk to others in their household. The information gained also identified who would possibly need immediate provision.
Staff Questionnaire
Clarified the health needs of staff and those within their households. This allowed the school to identify those at risk working during the Covid-19 pandemic. Gaining this information allowed the school to plan which staff would be available for operating on school site safely.
Monday 23rd March
At the start of the week families/guardians made the decision not to initially send children in. The school remained open, however students did not access the school - ‘the shop is open, but customers are shopping online’.
Our Response
Family/Guardian and Student Wellbeing contacts
Regular contact was made from school which provided forum to discuss any additional support or requirements needed. We were able to provide reassurance and strategies for support and monitor for any concerns related to Wellbeing and Safeguarding and implement Early Help Support where required.
This allowed the school to identify and assess priorities for Onsite Provision.
Regular contact with the students allowed the Inclusion Manager and Therapy Lead to review concerns and implement support as required. This led to Social Scripts and Wellbeing strategies being created and shared. In response a Covid-19 information booklet for all students was produced and distributed.
Learning Packs
Learning Materials were provided to all students both in physical format and through online materials. We included various lesson plans including Maths, English, Science and Life Skill activities which form a huge part of our student’s journeys. Families could directly request learning activities and with regular dialogue it helped to remove any pressures the families/guardians felt. Our response to Parents/Guardians was to focus on the student’s wellbeing, as this is key to allow for positive engagement in other activities.
Easter 2020
Following Easter we could identify which students required immediate access to school and a Risk Assessment for onsite provision was implemented. A timetable for students to follow incorporating academic, physical activity, wellbeing and life skills was created and students began to access the school site! Hooray 😊
As the weeks progressed, we provided more and more for the students Onsite Provision.
OFFSITE provision
It was recognised that many families did not feel comfortable with their child accessing school and we also understood that the students, due to their various disabilities would find it harder to reintegrate the longer they were away from school.
Following guidance, which identified the risk of spread of the virus as being lower when outside we began to implement our Offsite provision. We created a Policy, Procedure and Risk Assessment to achieve this and staff were provided with PPE packs along with First Aid Kits.
This provision allowed us to complete walks and activities in the students local area and provided regular school input to continue to share expectations and provide wellbeing support.
Wellbeing Newsletter
Our School Therapist and Occupational Therapist completed a weekly newsletter for staff and families with techniques to support mental health and wellbeing including creative activities and physical activities such as Yoga Stretches and craft ideas.
Food Vouchers
As an Independent School our students are not entitled to receive Free School Meal Vouchers. In response to this we provided supermarket vouchers to the value of £15 per week per child.
Final Thoughts
Through the school adapting our operations we endeavoured to provide the best support for our students. From Easter we had varying levels of contact with our students:
Total face to face with students: 30/37 = 81%
Total Onsite provision: 16/37 = 43%
Total Offsite: 14/37= 37%
Remote Only: 7/37 = 19%
Throughout this challenging time Wolfdale School have been operating for families of key workers and for those who required it. Teachers and support staff have been working amazingly to create an excellent environment which has allowed all students to attend in a positive manner. I wish to say thank you to everybody involved in the implementation of this.
Sachin (Sunny) Dogra
Head of School
Wolfdale School