Coronavirus
MEASURES TAKEN AT RYVERS SCHOOL TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID
- Children remain in Year Group bubbles throughout the school day
- Staggered drop off and pick up times for each bubble
- One way system in playground for drop off and pick up
- Staff wear visors or masks when on the playground at drop off or pick up
- Parents have been asked to wear masks at drop off and pick up
- Parents have been asked that only one parent drops off and picks up where possible
- Staggered break and lunch times for each bubble
- Designated areas outside and inside for each bubble
- Additional hand washing stations installed externally
- Liquid soap and paper towels provided at all hand washing stations
- Children wash hands before starting school, before going outside at break, before returning to class after break, before lunch, after lunch, before and after PE, before leaving school at the end of the day
- Lunches are delivered to and eaten in the classroom
- Desks and chairs have been rearranged facing front with children side by side
- Teachers desk at least 2 metres from children
- Staff delivering interventions which facilitate closer contact wear visors
- Lidded, foot operated bins in all classrooms
- Lidded, foot operated bins in all cloakrooms/toilets
- Hand sanitizer, wipes and spray, disposable gloves in all classrooms
- All soft furnishings have been removed from the classrooms
- All children have been issued with an individual pencil case containing essential items
- Any resources are shared only within a year group and cleaned or quarantined between groups
- A selection of library books are delivered to the class and quarantined for at least 72 hours when returned to school
- Windows open to improve ventilation
- Pupils attend school in their PE kits on their PE day to avoid having to change clothes
- 2 metre lines and circles in corridors and externally
- Cleaners employed all day to clean frequently touched areas – door handles, banisters, light switches, toilets, etc.
- Access to school restricted to essential persons only
- Office staff speak to visitors via intercom and restrict access
- External hand sanitizer stations installed at all entrances to school and on playground
- Staff room/group rooms/meeting rooms etc. restricted to number of people who may access relevant to size and maintaining distancing
- All group rooms/meeting rooms have hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, wipes and spray and are cleaned after every use
- Sneeze guards installed in all shared offices
- Staff maintain 2 metre distance from other adults at all times unless dealing with an emergency
- Staff wear masks in all shared areas of the school
- Breakfast Club and After School Club closed as unable to maintain year group bubbles
- Residential trip cancelled, external trips visits involving coach trips cancelled
- Assemblies are held remotely
- Parents evening held remotely
Updated 1st November 2020
School Parent Covid-Advice - Letter sent home - 25th September 2020
NHS Test and Trace letter to all parents / carers - Letter sent home - 24th September 2020
Letter sent home to parents / carers - 16th September 2020
Covid-19 testing site comes to Slough
Published: 23 June 2020
The first hybrid walk-in and drive-in testing centre in the country is being set up in Slough and will be operational from Wednesday (24 June) afternoon.
The testing centre will be based in the Montem Car Park, Montem Lane and anyone with symptoms – and for the first time people who are not symptomatic but concerned they may be infected – will be able visit for a test either by foot or in a car.
The site is being provided by the Department for Health and Social Care and is being facilitated by the council.
The centre will be open for those who wish to make an appointment and those who just want to drop-in, though the council is warning drop-ins may have a slightly longer wait.
If coming by car:
- Up to four people can come together in the same vehicle
- All ages can attend
- Tests will be administered by visitors under the guidance of trained testing staff on site
- There is no geographical limit on where people can visit from
- Actual testing should take between 15 and 30 minutes
If walking:
- All attendees over the age of three are required to wear face coverings or they will not be able to take part
- Children three and under are not required to wear masks
- Special area for testing for those who do not wish to remove face coverings in public
- Curtained area available
- Parents are welcome to bring children
- Actual testing should take between 15 and 30 minutes
Josie Wragg, chief executive, said: “We are proud to be facilitating, not only a site with huge capacity for testing but also one which is the first hybrid site in the country – where people can drive and walk in with no appointment.
“We have been reassured there will be plenty of assistance on site and we would encourage anyone with symptoms or who is concerned they may have covid symptoms, not just now but in the coming weeks to pop along and get a test.
“In an area like Slough, which has seen relatively high levels of infection and has a large black and ethnic minority population which is more at risk of both catching the virus and getting more severe complications from it, having such a site in our borough is excellent and improves testing accessibility for both our residents and those in surrounding areas.”
The site is expected to be operational on Wednesday (24 June) afternoon.
Other access to the Montem Car Park is now restricted and residents are requested not to attempt to park on the site and use other cut throughs between Chalvey and the A4.
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MESSAGE FROM SLOUGH COUNCIL RE PARKING
Parking enforcement is set to be reinstated across the borough after it was relaxed due to the coronavirus crisis. |
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CORONAVIRUS AND SCHOOLS - UPDATED 15TH MAY 2020
https://www.slough.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/coronavirus-and-schools.aspx
CHILD CARE FOR KEY WORKERS DURING SCHOOL CLOSURE
19th March 2020
We will be offering a child care facility for the children of Key Workers who do not have another family member or friend who can look after their youngsters whilst they are at work. This facility will also be available for children who have an EHCP. Whilst we are more than happy to provide this facility, it does bring numbers of children and adults together in groups so, if you have vulnerable family members, this might not be appropriate for you. The timings of this offer will be 8.45am to 3.15pm and a lunch will be provided if needed.
If you do wish to take up this offer, there is a form below which we would ask you to fill in and send to office@ryvers.slough.sch.uk . If you could do this as soon as possible and preferably before Monday 22nd March that would be helpful for our planning.
CHILD CARE FOR KEY WORKERS DURING SCHOOL CLOSURE FORMS
CYCLES FOR KEY WORKERS
Safeguarding essential information during lockdown!
Talking Therapies
5 Ways 5 Days NHS Challenge for Children and young people
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| Slough Borough Council has reopened the cemetery grounds but is calling on residents to be sensitive to others whilst social distancing continues. The Slough Cemetery and Crematorium, Stoke Road, was closed to the public – other than those attending crematorium services or burials – in March after the government announced it wanted all crematorium grounds closed. Now this advice has been clarified, with cemeteries being allowed to reopen. The council has taken steps to ensure people wanting to visit the cemetery to visit deceased family members can do so, without straying into the grounds of the crematorium which shares the same site. However to ensure everyone’s safety, some regulations have been put into place. Visitors to the cemetery are now required to:
Josie Wragg, chief executive, said: “Our staff were distraught when they had to close the cemetery, knowing bereaved families would like to visit and pay their respects. “Please be reassured, while the cemetery has been closed to the public, we have continued to care for those interred at the Slough cemetery as if they were our own family. “Please feel free to visit your departed loved ones once again – but please, to ensure your safety and ours, follow the new guidelines.” For other advice on services, cremations and burials at Slough Cemetery and Crematorium during the coronavirus update please see slough.gov.uk/coronavirus |
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| 21/04/2020 |
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| Message from the leader of the council, James Swindlehurst and chief executive, Josie Wragg Following the recent announcement by the government about the current coronavirus restrictions remaining in place for at least the next three weeks, we first want to thank all of our residents who are following the government guidelines, staying at home and only going out for essential reasons. We know how hard the current restrictions are on everyone but we also know it is the best way we can all play our part in preventing the spread of the virus and protect all those who are providing critical services and keeping the town running. Our thanks also have to go to our staff, so many of whom are living up to our motto of serving with honour, putting themselves at higher risk to continue to provide the services we all rely on; our adult and children’s social care staff, schools, our registrars, housing, the benefits teams ensuring residents in need get the money their deserve, our bin men who are out every day covering their rounds without fail and all the staff working behind the scenes so these frontline services can continue. Since the lockdown started our teams have collected more than half a million bins, are looking after around 350 children of key workers and those with special needs in our children’s centres and schools and given out hundreds of pounds of hardship grants. All the details of help available from us are on our website, so please check www.slough.gov.uk/coronavirus for the latest. We have had many emails thanking our teams and have received many messages of good wishes as well as seeing lots of rainbow pictures and pictures thanking carers which is really raising the spirits of our staff who are out and about. But we aren’t doing this alone. We have teamed up with Slough Council for Voluntary Services (SCVS) to provide a one Slough approach to helping the most vulnerable among us. The ingenuity, power and energy shown by the town’s volunteers has been second to none with more than 300 signing up within a week of our call for assistance. More than 1,500 residents have benefited from the support on offer from this group; people who, without this support could have been without food, care or human contact. These volunteers and the staff who are supporting them are genuinely helping save lives and we can never thank them enough for giving up their time for others. If this crisis has taught us anything, it is that by bringing the public, voluntary and private sector together we have a strength none of us has on our own. If we could bottle that strength we would be set forever; so it down to all of us, all partners, not to lose the momentum, the relationships and the connections, born in a crisis, as life begins to get back to normal. While we all mourn those we have lost and have hope for those who may fall ill before this is over, we are, all of us, becoming stronger together, even whilst we are apart from each other. We wish all of you well. Stay safe. If you can stay home, please do. Protect those who most need it. James and Josie |
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| The council is urging residents who are lighting bonfires in their garden to reconsider for the sake of the entire community during the coronavirus public health crisis. Bonfires continue to be lit against advice leading to a significant increase in reports to the council about unnecessary burning. This is causing a nuisance and has potential health consequences, especially to those battling coronavirus. As a result, neighbourhood enforcement officers could now visit residents burning waste after a complaint and will consider serving abatement notices. There are a number of reasons why bonfires create a greater health and safety risk during this public health emergency and the council is advising residents to hold onto their waste until the lockdown is relaxed. The main risk is the smoke and toxic fumes created by any bonfire which could significantly affect neighbours who are suffering from, or convalescing from, the deadly virus. Coronavirus specifically attacks the lungs, reducing capacity for the oxygen necessary for the body to function and therefore any additional element which makes it harder to breathe is threatening to someone’s health. Those who are isolating or shielding others are also inconvenienced and left stressed with the smell from a bonfire in their homes and being forced to close windows and doors. In addition, the warm spring weather has left gardens dry creating a fire risk where bonfires can easily get out of control and spread to fences, sheds, and homes. Bonfires are also not without personal risk of people getting burns and therefore bonfire accidents can put additional pressure on NHS services. Josie Wragg, chief executive, said: “We are urging residents to think twice about lighting a fire in their gardens as this horrid illness particularly affects the lungs, and smoke from a bonfire can aggravate it. “People who have spent their time usefully clearing out garages, attics and sheds, or tidying gardens can keep their waste until Chalvey Household Waste and Recycling Centre reopens. “Our advice is to store waste and use our green bin service, until it can be taken to Chalvey HWRC.” The council’s doorstep collections continue as per the normal schedule with weekly waste and recycling collections and fortnightly green collections of garden waste. Green bins can be ordered and will be delivered during this period by contacting us on 01753 475111 and choosing option 4. If residents have a neighbour causing a nuisance by having a bonfire please contact us on 01753 475111 with as many details as possible. |
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| The Chief Constable said: “With Easter coming this weekend and the weather forecast to be fine, it is vitally important that the public continue to adhere to the Government restrictions. I appreciate that this is a time of year when we would usually be enjoying time with our families and friends, however these are unprecedented times and we must all do our part to protect each other and the vital services of the NHS. “Thank you to the residents of the Thames Valley for complying with the Government’s measures. They are in place to protect us all, and I appreciate the effort that all of you are making to stay indoors and social distance when you have to leave the house for an essential reason. “I know these restrictions will now be well-known by now, but let me remind you all that you can only leave your home to shop for basic necessities, for one form of exercise per day, for a medical or care need, and to travel to and from work, but only where you cannot work from home. If you are outside for these essential activities please ensure you are at least two meters from anyone who you do not live with. “Please do not be tempted to go out for any other reason. “As usual, our officers will be patrolling our communities during Easter. We will be engaging with the public to ensure they are complying with the Government directives. Where there is any misunderstanding about the measures, we will explain and encourage the public to follow the guidelines. However, when necessary we will enforce the new powers given to us by Parliament. “Our frontline officers and staff have been given personal protection equipment (PPE) to use. You may therefore see our officers wearing gloves and masks when they are out this weekend, if they are not able to keep the required distance with the public. This is for your safety and theirs. “This is an unprecedented public health emergency and an extraordinary national effort is required to fight this virus. I am proud that the public and my staff have been working together to help save lives. I thank you all and I wish you all a very happy Easter." |
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Chalvey HWRC is to close with immediate effect to help with the public health coronavirus crisis. |
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Organisations to support families
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Residents are being warned to stay at home after irresponsible families were seen using play areas and meeting friends in parks during the coronavirus public health crisis.
Thames Valley Police officers dispersed crowds of people meeting in Salt Hill Park where families were allowing children to use playground and exercise equipment.
Police officers described the scene as “like a bank holiday” as different families and households were socialising and using the skate park and cricket crease.
When asked why they were out of their homes some people’s response was simply “we don’t care”.
However, the council and the rest of the community do care that people are out of their homes unnecessarily and they could then potentially catch COVID-19 and, or infect others, including their loved ones.
Police have the authority to issue unlimited fines to people flouting the law starting at £30.
All play areas, green gyms and leisure areas are closed after a direct order from the government as the country attempts to fight the deadly virus.
The council’s parks are available to allow residents access to gorgeous green spaces during the one time per day they are allowed out of their homes for essential exercise, whether that be a for a walk or run.
The government has told people to stay in their homes unless they are shopping for essential food or medicine, for essential travel to work, essential exercise which should be limited to once a day and essential care for the vulnerable.
Josie Wragg, chief executive, said: “We are dismayed that some residents think they are exempt from the government rulings to stay at home and think they won’t get, or won’t pass on, this illness. They could catch this horrible virus and pass it on to their family and friends.
“Our amazing green parks are open to be used by our residents to take essential exercise but our green gyms and play parks are firmly closed.
“However, if a small minority of people do not respect everyone’s right to stay safe then we will need to close our green parks too.
“Police have been given new powers by the government to disperse and fine people who are flouting these really important COVID-19 rules. We ask residents to respect them for the good of our whole community.”
Message Sent By
Kate Pratt (Slough Council, Communications Manager, Slough)
Library building closures
From Mon 23 March, The Curve, Britwell, Cippenham and Langley libraries are closed until further notice.
Whilst our buildings are closed:
- You can renew books online or by calling 0303 123 0035. You will need your membership number and PIN.
- No fines will be charged during the closure period
The team can still be contacted by emailing Curvelibrary1@slough.gov.uk or on Social Media.
Even though our buildings are closed, there is a huge range of resources that you can access online for free. Over the coming days and weeks, for as long as the closure continue, we will also be working on innovative ways to deliver our services online and through Social Media.
Join the Library online
If you know someone who isn't already a member of the library, you can still join online whilst we're closed. Once you have joined you will be given a temporary library card number and immediately begin to make use of our digital services.
eResources
Our eBook, eAudiobook and eMagazine services are still available and you can find details on how to use these services online. You can join online and immediately begin to make use of our digital services. We have invested more into our collections and have increased the number of times you can renew each title.
You can also learn a language, find out about the history of Slough, learn a new skill and more all for free online with your library membership.
Find information on how to access BorrowBox, RB Digital and other online resources to access our collections online.
We will keep you updated
Our website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages will continue to share useful resources for those at home. Keep checking for new posts and service updates.
We will keep our newsletter subscribers updated. You can sign up online and even choose your favourite lists to keep up to date with.
Events update
We have currently postponed / cancelled all of our shows @ The Curve until May 23 and will continue to review the situation. Ticket holders have been contacted with more information and tickets for these events are no longer available.
From Mon 23 March, The Curve, Britwell, Cippenham and Langley libraries are closed. All events and activities are therefore no longer taking place. We will inform you when our libraries re-open and when events and activities will resume.
Council Services
Keep up to date with the impact on all SBC council services on our Coronavirus pages.
Added 30/03/2020
SLOUGH BOROUGH COUNCIL HAVE ANNOUNCED THE FOLLOWING NEW ONLINE RESOURCE
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Health At Home A New Online Resource For Slough Residents |
We are pleased to announce the launch of an important resource for Slough residents.
Health at Home is a bespoke online resource with guidance and advice on how people can look after themselves whilst spending time in isolation or extended periods of time at home.
This new page includes a range of services and resources including:
- Online, telephone and text “Stop Smoking” services
- Specific Coronavirus related Mental Health support and information
- Downloadable hints and tips of how to stay active at home, including bespoke advice for Early Years, Schools, Adults and those working from home
- Nutritional advice and meal preparation guidance
- Access to online testing for Sexual Health services
- Signing up to do befriending and one off tasks for older adults through our GoodGym programme
Over the coming weeks we will be growing this resource to have an even more holistic and enhanced offer to support the health of Slough residents during this difficult time.
Cllr Natasa Pantelic, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “It’s really important that residents continue to look after their health whilst they are spending time at home. For all of us, this means standing up and moving often, looking after our mental health and preparing healthy meals. Looking after our own health and wellbeing has never been so important”.
For more information visit: https://www.publichealthslough.co.uk/campaigns/health-at-home/
Message Sent By
Kate Pratt (Slough Council, Communications Manager, Slough)
Added 26th March 2020
DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION ALERT
Be aware of scam emails
We have been informed that some parents have received an email stating the following: ‘As schools will be closing, if you’re entitled to free school meals, please send your bank details and we’ll make sure you’re supported’.
We can confirm that this is a scam email and is not official. We urge parents that if you receive any emails like this, please do not respond, and delete it immediately.
Added 26th March 2020
Thursday 19th March 2020
Dear Parent/Carer
A famous writer, Maya Angelou (I recommend you read her books and poems!), said, ‘You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.’ We are incredibly fortunate that our Ryvers ‘family’ is such a strong, caring and supportive community who can all rely on one another. Please do keep in touch with and help one another and regularly check https://www.ryversschool.com/ for updates.
As you are aware the school will be closed from Monday 23rd March. At the moment, we do not know how long this closure might last but it might be up until the summer holidays although it might be a lot shorter.
We will be offering a child care facility for the children of Key Workers who do not have another family member or friend who can look after their youngsters whilst they are at work. This facility will also be available for children who have an EHCP. Whilst we are more than happy to provide this facility, it does bring numbers of children and adults together in groups so, if you have vulnerable family members, this might not be appropriate for you. The timings of this offer will be 8.45am to 3.15pm and a lunch will be provided if needed.
If you do wish to take up this offer, there is a form attached to this letter (also available on our website) which we would ask you to fill in and either physically drop off at the office or send to office@ryvers.slough.sch.uk . If you could do this as soon as possible and preferably before Monday 23rd March that would be helpful for our planning.
‘Home Learning’ resources will be available for the children to complete at home. These resources will be uploaded onto the ‘Year Pages’ of our school website by 10am each Monday morning. If you would like a paper copy of these resources, teachers will be printing a weekly pack which will be available to collect from the school each Monday between 10am and 12pm. The locations are:
EYFS and KS1: KS2:
Under the Nursery building entrance Under the bike shelter by Year 3
Accessed via Gosling Gate Accessed via Main School Gate (not playground)
If you have any specific questions about anything within this letter or a particular concern over anything related to the school closure could you please email it to closure@ryvers.slough.sch.uk With a limited number of staff on site we cannot promise to always be able to answer phone calls and we have been advised to ‘socially distance’ ourselves from parents so won’t be able to talk with you face to face.
As I mentioned earlier, we do not know how long these new measures will be in place. The government have cancelled all SATs tests, and other external exams. This will not reflect badly on our children and we will be in regular contact with our secondary school colleagues to ensure that transition in September still works very smoothly.
We also suggest that you have a look at this website: https://www.publichealthslough.co.uk/campaigns/health-at-home/ which gives advice about both physical and mental health for families at this time. We have also included an attachment with a suggested daily schedule which you might want to use with your children to best structure their day whilst they are away from school.
Just as you are likely to be a little concerned and confused by what is going on, so are some of our children for whom change and uncertainty can be difficult. We all need to be filling them with confidence and love, making sure they feel secure and happy. If, at any point, you feel your child is really struggling then please do drop us an email and we will do what we can to help.
My very best wishes to you all.
Pete Rowe
Executive Headteacher
Ryvers School
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This is your daily email to keep you updated on the government’s response to COVID-19 (coronavirus). Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel adviceAs of 10 March, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has updated advice about travel to Italy. The FCO is currently advising:
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not currently advising against travel to any other country/territory as a result of COVID-19. The latest travel advice can be found here: Updated advice for travellers returning from ItalyOn 10 March, Public Health England updated its travel advice for travellers returning from Italy. The advice can be found here: Further information on what you should do if you are asked to self-isolate can be found here: The importance of hygienePersonal hygiene is the most important way we can tackle COVID-19, especially washing hands more; and the catch it, bin it, kill it strategy for those with coughs and sneezes. How to wash your hands properlyWash your hands more often for 20 seconds with soap and hot water. Watch this short NHS film for guidance: Teach young children how to wash their hands with the NHS handwashing song: Public Health England recommends that in addition to handwashing before eating, and after coughing and sneezing, everyone should also wash hands after using toilets and travelling on public transport. Educational resourcesThe e-Bug project is led by Public Health England and has a dedicated webpage for learning resources on hand washing and respiratory hygiene. Resources are currently available for KS1, KS2 and KS3 and can be used in various settings including schools: Where to find the latest informationUpdates on COVID-19: Guidance for educational settings: Travel advice for those travelling and living overseas: Educational resources: Latest Department for Education information: |
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Government Coronavirus action plan Yesterday, the Coronavirus action plan was launched. This document sets out what the UK as a whole has done to tackle the Coronavirus (COVID-19), and what it plans to do next. The action plan can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-action-plan The document includes:
Current advice remains in place: No school should close in response to a suspected (or confirmed) COVID-19 case unless advised to do so by Public Health England.
Updated 5th March 2020 |
Department for Education Coronavirus Helpline
The Department for Education have launched a new helpline for parents, young people and staff who have questions or concerns:
Phone: 0800 046 8687
Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk
Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday)
Updated 3rd March 2020
We do everything we can to ensure the safety of pupils and staff and we base this, where we can, on the best available professional advice. We are in contact with the Slough Education team who are liaising with Public Health England and will follow their advice. Please see the latest guidance:
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Slough Borough Council also have a page on their website offering information and advice:
http://www.slough.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/coronavirus.aspx