COVID Recovery
We would like to thank you for your support and understanding during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We are now thrilled to be in a position where we are able to open the school to all of our pupils, in-line with government advice.
We have been busy researching and planning how we will support all of our children back into full-time schooling following what has been an uncertain and unprecedented time. We are confident that we are well-prepared to provide excellent emotional and academic support to all of our children and are very proud of all of our school staff for their dedication to providing a fantastic provision that improves outcomes.
Recovery Curriculum Details
Why?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools and families across the country have provided extraordinary support to help children learn at home.
However, for many children, the disruption caused by school closures may have had a negative impact on learning and wellbeing. With this in mind as a school we will be providing a recovery programme which will run, initially, during the Autumn Term and regularly reviewed.
The Education Endownment Foundation (EEF) state that it is important to recognise that every school will have been affected by Covid-19 differently and school leaders and teachers are best placed to understand the needs of their school communities. The right way to support pupils will differ between schools and must be informed by the professional judgement of teachers and school leaders.
How did we decide on our recovery curriculum?
In designing our recovery programme we have used the EEF COVID-19 support guide along with Evidence for Learning to ensure our practice is informed by extensive research and meets the needs of our school community.
Every child will return to school having had differing experiences over the lockdown period. We will support children through a process of re-engagement, which leads them back to fully engaged, motivated learners.
Our curriculum through the initial stages will have a strong Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE) focus and will move into use of real life experiences to motivate and engage pupils in lessons.
How will we ensure that we are ready?
We have completed detailed transition meetings to ensure that all teachers have accurate information on their new classes, including assessments on work completed at home during the lockdown period.
All teachers have completed diagnostive assessments for their classes which include children's strengths and provide detailed next steps to ensure all lessons can be accurately pitched to enable all children to make consistent and sustained progress.
How will we support the emotional well-being of our pupils?
We plan to use strategies such as daily circle time, small group and 1:1 support, our learning mentors and external services such as school counselling and mental health services to:
- Restore relationships through good use of sport, collaboration and nurture groups.
- Re-establish a sense of community through strategies such as virtual assemblies, the school house system and explicit focus groups.
- Provide time and space for children to rediscover school life through utilising quiet areas, safe spaces and key staff buddy sytems.
Which teaching strategies will we use?
We will continue to use effective collaboration, professional development and monitoring of pupil progress to ensure excellent teaching and learning in the delivery of our curriculum. Utilising the EEF metacognition research, we will ensure the pace of learning is appropriate and enables pupils to secure rapid and sustained progress.
Staff will incorporate diagnostic questioning within lessons to baseline assess pupils to guarantee teachers build on prior learning and develop skills and knowledge through well-planned, stimulating lessons which promote high levels of engagement.
As a school we have identified a coherent map of knowledge and skills to be taught in each year group and collated these into target sheets for every year group. This will knowledge and skills are cummulative and at the heart of the teaching and learning process.
How will we ensure children know what to do to improve?
Effective formative assessment, marking and feedback and adult interaction within lessons is firmly embedded into our approach to teaching and learning.
All pupils will be provided with the support necessary to develop, progress and move their learning forward through timely support, questioning and feedback.
Regular pupil conferencing will ensure that all children are clear on the next steps in their learning.
How will we provide additional, targeted support?
We have adapted the timetable for the school day to provide additional teacher-led whole class and small group interventions outside of the daily lessons.
These sessions will address identified gaps to allow for learning to be built on a secure knowledge base. They will be delivered by teachers and support staff and overseen by SLT to ensure they are high quality and meeting the needs of each child.
Sometimes, these sessions will be used to pre-teach essential knowledge and skills prior to future learning. This will provide children with the confidence and cognitive skills to access new learning fully.
How will we provide additional support to those who need it?
We are so excited to begin our nurture support provision - aimed at ensuring our youngest children have all of the support they need to fully access and engage in school life.
We have recruited a nurture group leader who will be overseen by our Deputy headteacher, SENDCO and Reception leader.
We are using a ratified programme to support and children who access the nurture provision to ensure progress can be measured.
What if there is a local lockdown?
We are ready to provide a quality online teaching and learning provision should this be necessary. This could be due to:
- an individual child not being able to attend school
- a whole bubble closure
- a whole school closure due to a local lockdown
We have subscribed to programmes which enable us to deliver live lessons and will make good use of Department for Education (DfE) supported materials to ensure children continue to access new learning and make progress.
If you do not have access to online resources from home, please contact the school office as soon as possible.