ASPIRE BELIEVE CELEBRATE
At St. Andrew’s School we develop aspiration, strength and self-belief by supporting each other and living our values.
Don’t be afraid, I have called you by name, you are mine. I have marked your name on the palms of my hands.
(Isaiah 43:1 and 49:16)
Was your child born Sept. 2017 – Aug. 2018?
Then it’s time to apply for a school place.
Come and see what St. Andrew’s Lower School has to offer.
We are holding four Information Sessions:
East Site – Bantock Way, Kings Reach
18th November at 9.15 a.m. OR 7.30 p.m.
West Site – Brunts Lane, off Shortmead Street
25th November at 9.15 a.m. OR 7.30 p.m.
You can come to any of the sessions at either site.
Due to our current COVID safety measures, to avoid large numbers of people crowded together we have limited the number of places at each session. We therefore ask that only one parent attends per child, that you do not bring children with you and that you pre-book your sessions by calling;
East – 01767 312212, West – 01767 312311
We look forward to seeing you!
ASPIRE BELIEVE CELEBRATE
At St. Andrew’s School we develop aspiration, strength and self-belief through the support we give each other each other and the way we live our values.
Don’t be afraid, I have called you by name, you are mine. I have marked your name on the palms of my hands .(Isaiah 43:1 and 49:16)
Following Government Guidance, last updated 28.8.21, many things returned to normal in school. The Guidance states that; As COVID-19 becomes a virus that we learn to live with, there is now an imperative to reduce the disruption to children and young people’s education – particularly given that the direct clinical risks to children are extremely low, and every adult has been offered a first vaccine and the opportunity for 2 doses by mid-September.
You can see the guidance at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/schools-covid-19-operational-guidance
Our Risk Assessment and Plan document are shown below.
The children are no longer kept in class groups/bubbles. They are allowed to play with friends at breaktimes and lunchtimes and eat their lunch in the dinner hall. They are able to be with other classes for assemblies, although we will keep this to Key Stage groups, not whole site groups, for now. Children attend in school uniform, apart from on their PE days, when they come to school in their PE kits.
There are no staggered times for drop off and pick up. School starts at 8.55 a.m. and ends at 3.30 p.m. There is no longer a one way system at the West Site, but the one way system at the East Site will be maintained as many parents and staff felt this was generally helpful. We do not ask anyone to wear a face covering.
We will be planning for visitors, visits and events at school, where they are financially viable even if they have to be cancelled, ensuring that our Risk Assessments for these include COVID19 considerations.
We maintain our procedures for regular hand washing throughout the day and our extra cleaning of toilets and other shared areas. We continue to promote the “Catch It, Bin It, Kill It” approach and ensure we have sufficient cleaning materials, tissues and lidded bins. We continue to keep classrooms well ventilated whilst maintaining a comfortable environment.
We continue to offer our staff twice weekly lateral flow tests.
If a child has symptoms we will continue to call you to collect them. We will keep them away from other children while they wait for you. We will ask that they stay away from school for ten days and that you arrange for them to have a PCR test. If the test result is negative they may return to school. If the result is positive they must isolate for ten days from the start of the symptoms. NHS Test and Trace will talk to you about close contacts and notify any who need to isolate. Close contacts who are fully vaccinated or are younger than 18 years 6 months do not need to isolate. The school will not be contacting close contacts as this has been taken over by NHS Test and Trace.
We continue to follow our plans and procedures for PSHE and supporting positive mental health.
If a child is away from school for a COVID related reason the school will provide remote education. For remote learning we use Google Classroom. All children in Years 1 to 4 received individual logins for Google accounts last year. Please contact the office if you need a password reset.
All children are expected to attend school, including children who are classified as being Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV).
Parents must follow the rules on quarantining if the family have travelled abroad and bear in mind the impact on a child’s education which may result from any requirement to quarantine or isolate upon return.
The school Contingency / Outbreak Recovery Plan can be viwed below. The plan outlines how measures will be stepped up (procedures used last Summer Term put back in place) if the school was advised so to do.
If you have any concerns, Covid related or otherwise, as always you can contact us to discuss your concerns. West Site 01767 312311. East Site 01767 312212. office@standrews.beds.sch.uk.
St. Andrew's VC Lower School COVID-19 Risk Assessment and Outbreak Management Plan September 2021
Absence due to COVID-19
If your child is absent from school due to COVID-19, their class teacher will provide home learning via Google Classroom. Please log on to Google Classroom on your child's first day of absence to access their home learning. All children in Years 1 to 4 were emailed their individual Google Classroom login last academic year. If you cannot remember your child's login details, please contact office@standrews.beds.sch.uk and we will reset the password.
School Closures
We do our best to remain open in snowy weather and will only close if we do not have enough staff in school or there is a heating problem. We make our decision fairly late, as if we make it too early, we are more likely to close. You can register for alerts from Central Bedfordshire at:
https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/info/9/schools/717/school_closures
If you are thinking of St Andrew's for September 2022?
We are planning Prospective Parents Events for both the East (Thursday 18th November) and West (Thursday 25th November) Sites. Nearer the time we will let you know what these will look like.
