23rd June 2020: Return to School Update
Today, the Deputy First Minister announced that the government’s aim is that all pupils should be able to return to full-time education in August - this is conditional and depends on “ongoing scientific and health advice”.
Blended learning is now a contingency plan and the government is going to review its approach to physical distancing in schools.St Columba's contingency plans (see here below) will remain in place until we hear confirmation from the government of any alternative arrangements.
We shall continue planning a full risk assessment, based on social distancing, so that we can be prepared for all eventualities and I will be in contact with you again in early August to confirm the final arrangements for the return to school.
In the meantime, I wish you a very happy summer holiday.
Victoria J Reilly
Rector
22nd June 2020: Important Information About The New Term
Please note that the information provided here below is a shorter version of the Rector's email to all parents, sent on the 22nd June, 2020. If you are a current parent, please refer back that email. These arrangements continue to be in place and the Rector will contact all parents to confirm the arrangements for the new term in early August.
General Arrangements
Early Years and Junior School pupils will be able to attend school on a full-time basis. Staggered starts to the school day as well as drop off and pick up arrangements may be required and these will be communicated to you if that is the case. It is intended that Early Years pupils will be in “bubbles” of up to 8 children, meanwhile, in Junior School, pupils will be in “bubbles” of up to 15 children.
In the Senior School attendance will be part time for Transitus to Senior III. Parents have overwhelmingly requested a rota which is spread over two weeks. Pupils in Craigmarloch and Duchal House will attend together, as will pupils from Kilallan and Strathgryffe; this will allow siblings to attend on the same day.
Senior IV to Senior VI will attend on a full-time basis; however, Senior VI pupils who live locally will be encouraged to go home during non-contact periods if they do not have Prefects’ Duties.
Year-Specific Arrangements
Transitus
Pupils will have all their lessons in their Transitus class groups of around 10. Pupils will have a Base Classroom and teachers will travel to them, with the exception of Science, Art, Music, Computing and Technology lessons, which will take place in specialist classrooms.
Senior I and II
Pupils will have almost all their lessons in practical groups (based on their Transitus classes), with a few lessons taking place in House groups. Pupils will have a Base Classroom and teachers will travel to them, with the exception of Science, Art, Music, Computing and Technology lessons, which will take place in specialist classrooms.
Senior III-Senior VI
The nature of subject choices and certificate classes is such that pupils in Senior III and above will have to move around the school for their lessons. There may be some requirement for blended learning within school where classes are too big to fit into a single classroom. This means that some pupils, on a rota basis, may be supervised outside the classroom instead of participating in the lesson. I am delighted that we have been able to secure additional accommodation at the St Columba Church to limit the number of occasions on which this is necessary. In order to balance the numbers across the House groups some of the practical class groups have been changed slightly and we will notify you in your child is affected by this.
In both the Junior and Senior Schools every effort has been made to ensure that children will be in groups with their friends.
Health and Safety
· Regular handwashing will be insisted upon and, where appropriate because of age, we will also encourage pupils to bring hand sanitiser and to make frequent use of it. Dispensers will be placed in every classroom and throughout the school.
· One-way systems will be in place to manage the movement of pupils and staff.
· Year groups will be allocated to different outdoor spaces for breaks as well as drop off and pick up.
· All pupils and staff will be required to clean their own desks after use, as well as any equipment used such as laptops.
· Sharing of school resources will be strictly limited and items will be cleaned between use.
· The current advice from Scottish Government states that the wearing of face coverings is not necessary except on school transport. We will monitor this situation over the coming weeks and respond to any changes in the advice.
· Pupils will be required to bring their own pencil case and there will be no sharing of such equipment.
· Additional cleaning will be in place with a particular focus on door handles, banisters, key pads and toilets.
· There will be rotas for the use of toilets.
· All excess furniture and soft furnishings have already been removed and desks are arranged with 2-metre social distancing in place.
· Cloakrooms, changing rooms and Common Rooms will not be in use.
· Doors in the Senior School will be held open to reduce the use of the keypads at key transition points.
Wellbeing
We are extremely conscious that this has been a very challenging period for all of our pupils and staff. There will be a strong focus on wellbeing and team building when we return to school. Staff will seek to identify any gaps in learning as soon as possible and to put in place a support plan where necessary
We continue to urge parents not to be anxious about coursework; the majority of our pupils are well ahead with their learning because they have had more lessons in May and June than they would normally have had.
It is our intention to reduce homework for junior year groups, at least in the first term, to allow pupils time to adjust to the new regime.
Blended Learning
Blended learning is a model of teaching that blends face-to-face instruction with online learning experiences. It is important to understand that it will look different from what has been in place for your child during this period of school closure in which all teaching and learning has taken place online.There may be some instances where teachers broadcast lessons from school and pupils are effectively ‘part of the classroom’. There may be other instances where it is more appropriate to set independent work following direct learning or instruction in class.
Some teachers may choose to adopt a ‘flipped learning’ model at points, where pupils ‘learn’ prior to the lesson, through reading, watching instructional videos and research; this model allows the classroom to become a more dynamic, interactive learning environment in which new knowledge can be applied.
It is unlikely that pupils will have the same level of individual interaction with their subject teachers during non-contact time. However, as we adopt this new approach, we remain committed to our fundamental educational principles: meeting the individual needs of every learner through tailored support and delivery; establishing an ethos of challenge and high expectations; equipping pupils with the skills they need to become aspirational independent learners; instilling curiosity and a genuine love of learning.
Sport and PE
Discussions regarding PE lessons, after-school sport and Saturday mornings are on-going. Our new Director of Sport aims to offer as wide a programme as possible and it is likely that PE in the Autumn Term will be based on summer activities. More details of this will follow in August.
Music Tuition
We are in discussion with our Music tutors regarding the provision of Music lessons and additional health and safety measures. We will update you when possible.
Key Worker Service
Children in Transitus to Senior III whose parents are both key workers will be entitled to attend school full time. They will have a mixture of supervised study and formal teaching, depending on classroom capacity.
Communication
As previously mentioned, pupils will be invited to school for a short visit during the week beginning 10th August. One parent will be welcome to attend. There will be a short presentation on the arrangements in place and a tour of the school to practise using the one-way system. Information Evenings for parents will be scheduled as usual early in the term; however, these will take place online.
Quarantine
At the time of writing arrangements for holiday travel this summer are uncertain. Should you decide to travel abroad and need to quarantine on your return, I would ask that you inform the School as soon as possible.
A full risk assessment will be in place in advance of our return to school and this will be shared with parents and staff. I will be in contact early in August to provide further information and dates and times for introductory visits.