COVID:19

LOCKDOWN MARCH 2020-JUNE 2020

*Everyday we issued a school newsletter sharing information and advice to support our school family.

*Daily Remote Learning activities were issued to all Year groups. They were emailed out to families each evening ready for the next day. We were maintaining a momentum with a ‘daily dose’ of learning.

*School opened daily (and throughout school holidays) for keyworker and vulnerable children.

*We recommended a lot of resources and activities to enrich and support Remote Learning.

*We built a ‘repertoire’ of live interaction including: reading extended texts live over a period of time https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qgcmNNXicY&t=57s, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGSuqr7DFiA&t=721s weekly assemblies , daily Maths lessons , baking lessons, whole school quizzes and sporting challenges .

*Teachers welcomed communication by email and parents could submit work for feedback or support or ask for anything they needed.

*We built our value of community by encouraging our families to ‘Clap for Carers’ across Newport, taking in food donations for vulnerable families, decorating our homes and school with rainbows to brighten our town and whole school celebrations such as VE day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DgaQGae7lk

*We telephoned all of our children. We checked our families were okay and gave them the opportunity to talk.

*We made our school family smile with funny videos! Toilet Roll https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU618Yhj1LA, Grease https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzAQhiKeG3Y, Amarillo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-uhC9y0JzI, Abba https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQDmFQhuq_I

*Videos that brought children together too: Year 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUJ5dqpUwUI&t=119s, Year 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGOghOJ7tMw, Year 5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLRDysFlj64&t=35s, Year 6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT_nBzJeLZ0 and jokes to make us laugh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk8s7BCaYhA

LOCKDOWN JUNE 2020-JULY 2020

*We maintained the above for those children who remained at home.

*We sustained keyworker and vulnerable provision on site. We offered a place in school for ALL Year 6 children.

*Clear support for those children returning to school with a return video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7iW2fv_g8E&t=425s

*Live, online transition activities took place with current and new teachers. This included our new Year 3 children and we also made a video for them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23e4Y38pN1I&t=3s

*We held virtual sports day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR1HEMe5jso assemblies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_Vf79D1460&t=106s continued and we held leavers activities including a Leavers Assembly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiBrWP3uE3Y&t=391s .

SEPTEMBER 2020-DECEMBER 2020

*We sent out lots of information and support to prepare families and children for the return including this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b30VKUlaWkA&t=555s

*Staff were trained in Recovery Curriculum, planned and delivered a curriculum to enable children to settle, rebuild relationships and confidence in school: Autumn Curriculum Recovery Plan 2020

*We had a Remote Learning Policy in place straight away so that in the event of bubble closures we could sustain learning and progress and most importantly connection with the children.

*Christmas happened! We held Christmas dinner days, Christmas jumper day, decorated Christmas trees, shared Christmas cards and shared performances with our families (each bubble performed a Christmas play, these are unlisted You Tube videos that were shared privately with our families). Of course we had to do a staff performance too…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvgYe7DMRk4&t=21s

*We reflected together on 2020:

LOCKDOWN JANUARY 2021-MARCH 2021

*Letter-re-Jan-and-Feb-plans This letter was issued to our families on 5th January.

*From the 5th January we held daily live lessons on Microsoft Teams, sent out daily work (Reading, Writing, Maths and a Foundation Subject), the children had the opportunity to submit as much work as they wished by email for feedback, we made fortnightly phone calls to families to check they were okay and made more frequent phone calls to families where children didn’t attend live lessons.

*We fulfilled ALL requests for a laptop loan.

*We used our Drop Box to provide paper copies of resources to families where this was required. We also provided all children with exercise books, handwriting pens and pencils.

*We sent a handwritten postcard to all children who remained at home to say we were proud of them and couldn’t wait to see them soon.

*We delivered an enriched curriculum with live reading sessions, live assemblies, PE challenges, art challenges, baking challenges, treasure hunts and craft lessons.

*We brought together the NJS family through whole school themes: Mental Health Week (dress to express and other activities), Safer Internet Week (online safety lessons, challenges and assemblies) and Book Week (staff book recommendations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivrXy-3cNUU&t=6s, town treasure hunt, live reading sessions, the Masked Reader https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljLinAUq1u4, dress up day and competitions).

MARCH 2021-PRESENT

*We were soooo excited! ‘We want you back!’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbnRdeCcIyc&t=33s

*Letter sent to families with our arrangements: letter-to-parents-re-March-return

*We embarked on a Recovery Curriculum combined with a continuation of the teaching and learning that had been sustained this term.

*All children were presented with a ‘Remote Learning Star’ badge on their return to school to show them how proud we are of their efforts over recent weeks.

*We continue to offer a high quality Remote Learning offer, including live lessons, to our shielding children who remain at home.

HOW HAVE WE SUPPORTED OUR STAFF THROUGH THIS TIME?

*Our ‘funny’ videos have boosted morale and brought us ‘together’ as a team.

*We have maintained good communication with regular email updates and weekly meetings on Teams for all staff.

*We have had conversations reflecting on workload and adapting accordingly.

*We have talked and shared advice on how to look after ourselves.

*The leadership team have regularly signposted wellbeing support materials.

*We have held online social events… quiz and bingo nights!

*Small gestures to our staff to show we appreciate them… cake and chocolate are always appreciated! We produced Team NJS Rainbow badges, snack bags to ‘get them through’ parents evening and delivered ‘Room Service’ treats whilst we can’t gather together in the staffroom.

*We have 5 staffroom areas across school so staff bubbles can feel safe during their breaktimes.

FEEDBACK

Comments from our families have included:

‘Firstly can I say thank you to all the amazing staff at NJS, your team are a credit to you for how they have risen to the challenge of this pandemic.’

‘You guys are rainbows yourselves.’

‘Thank you for the information video, that will be great to show X to prepare him for his return. I am not worried about him coming back as it’s clear that you are doing everything you can to keep him safe.’

‘NJS truly is a family and I am so grateful for the way your team has cared for and educated X over the last four years. There are good schools, exceptional schools and there is NJS. Every member of staff goes over and above what is expected, and they do it with smiles and enthusiasm. Nothing proves, how hard you all work and how well you rise to whatever is thrown at you, more than the last few months. I’m only sorry I don’t have any more children to send to you!’

September 2020 Feedback

Bubble-Closure-Survey

Remote-Learning-Feedback-Summary-January-21

March 2021 Return to School Feedback