Welcome to our corona virus information area. 

SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES DURING PANDEMIC PERIODS GUIDELINES

During lockdown periods, when mainstream school are closed, Government guidelines currently indicate that Northway School will remain open for all pupils whose parents wish them to be in school.

In school there is a range of measures already in place to ensure that staff and pupils remain safe and that as normal a school curriculum is followed. Children who are in school are taught by their usual staff teams and are grouped in “bubbles” to minimise contact and the need to quarantine if a child or adult becomes unwell.

Maintaining contact with parents, providing them with information and the support that they need is viewed as a fundamental aspect of the work of the Senior Management Team and teachers during this challenging time.

For pupils who are unable to be in school, either because they are medically shielding or by parental preference, Northway staff will provide regular support to enable parents to carry out learning activities at home.

Class teachers will be in contact with all families by email and /or phone to ascertain the type and frequency of support each family would like. This is dependent on various factors including the child’s age, their ability to access any online interactions or willingness to engage in practical activities such as workbaskets etc.  Support therefore to families is personalised to their own and their child’s requirements.

 

Support for pupils and their families will include some of the following:

• Regular phone calls and email contact by class teacher or a member of the class team. This will be to pass on important information, check in with how parents are coping at home and to offer support as needed.
• Regular emails to parents to check in and ascertain how they are getting on with home learning and offer further individualised support if needed.
• Workbaskets (tailored to individual need) including individualised learning activities and resources, worksheets, books, sensory toys, puzzles etc. These resources will be delivered directly to families and collected and changed regularly. Discussion with parents about what has worked well or otherwise.
• Provision of generic information about how to work on topics at home such as:
• dressing
• toileting
• fine motor skills
• gross motor skills
• helping at home
• cooking/fun with food
• tactile play
• music
• yoga
• implementing a timetable/schedule
• using daily walks as learning opportunities
• sensory stories
• Power Points on school website of many adapted stories
• recommended iPad apps
• recommended toys/resources for specific purposes etc.
• Information on social media (YouTube, Facebook and Instagram)
• reading stories
• exercise workouts
• sensory ideas
• MAKATON signs,
• yoga, dance, music, art and cooking activities led by familiar staff members
• important updated topical and relevant information

 

• Provision of individual learning packs with ideas of activities that the class would have been working on with links to useful sites to support them; liaising with parents on how relevant and effective these packs are.
• Class ZOOM catch ups for children to see their friends and share their news or individual ZOOM calls to a child from a member of class team.
• Sending home technology (iPads), where these are needed to support home learning.
• Support for individual communication needs such as provision of PECS resources.
• Support on providing a timetable/schedule at home including appropriate symbols/photos; information on how to implement and effectively use green to red schedules.
• Forwarding letters from school
• Information/contacts about counselling, consideration of mental health, strategies for getting timeout during lockdown.
• Visits by small groups of children from school in school minibus to the children staying at home so they could see staff and some of their friends as they deliver resources, for example
• Provision of basic resources to enable parents to work with their child including scissors, pencils, paper, Numicon, whiteboards etc.

 

Teachers will NOT provide online teaching sessions for pupils not in school. Pupils at Northway are not generally able to learn effectively via online teaching although we know they enjoy seeing familiar staff on screen eg on the videos posted on You Tube. Pupils also benefit from using apps on I-Pads and laptops with guidance from their teacher.

The Head Teacher will provide regular updates about school opening and any issues through letters, email or text. All of SMT will continue to be available in school to answer telephone queries every day and by email. They will also co-ordinate food vouchers, home breakfast deliveries and other food parcel drops directly to homes when necessary and provide other support when requested.

Parent’s Consultations and Annual Reviews will be offered online by ZOOM or by phone.

 

Contact us at: 

For general enquiries - office@northway.barnet.sch.uk

For urgent or important enquiries - head@northway.barnet.sch.uk

Please contact the Headteacher at the above email address to inform them if your child tests positive for Coronavirus.

 

Home learning:

To all parents with pupils at home please use the learning resources attached to this page. The documents below contain lots of home learning ideas such as stories, sensory activities and exercises to try at home. 

Alongside this teachers will be in contact to support home-learning for all pupils.

 

Protocols around Corona virus and showing symptoms:

If your child has a high temperature or a persistent cough – they must stay home and either get a test or quarantine for 10 days. If your child gets a test and it is negative, they are allowed back to school as long as they are feeling better. If the test is positive, your child and the rest of your household must quarantine for 10 days from when the symptoms first began. Please let the school know either way and send a copy of the test results to the school office. If you struggle to book a slot for testing or cannot access a home test, please let us know and we may be able to help.

If your child is ill with anything other than Corona, please also follow the usual guidance and send them back to school when they are better; at this time of year there are often bugs and colds going around so please follow the appropriate measures for these illnesses. You can always call school for advice if you are not sure what to do.

If you drop off or collect your child, please remember to wait outside the school building and staff will bring your child to you. If you have anything you need to discuss with the staff, you must make an appointment or telephone to speak to them.

Risk assessment for school:

Northway School risk assessment can be found here: Northway School risk assessment January 2021