Covid-19 

 

Current Measures

We are aware of the potential impact of an outbreak of Covid in our community. Whilst Covid is being treated much as any other illness, we are still adopting a cautious approach.

  • We are encouraging and facilitating a rigorous handwashing protocol for children and adults.
  • Where the effectiveness and quality and purpose are not compromised, we are conducting meetings remotely.
  • We continue to encourage staff to test when symptoms are detected.
  • We signpost staff and members of the community with symptoms or confirmed Covid to the latest NHS guidance: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/covid-19/covid-19-symptoms-and-what-to-do/
  • We have Risk Assessments in place for vulnerable individuals.
  • We appreciate that some people still prefer to wear a face covering when on the premises and support this.
  • We continue to share information and advice for our community in our communications.

Covid-19: The Parkdale Story

Context

The Covid-19 pandemic came to our attention and into our lives, as it did to the world, in February 2020.

We had begun to anticipate the first Lockdown in Spring 2019 and started to put  contingency plans into place. Teaching staff began to build libraries of resources that children would be able to use at home in the event of closure. The roll-out of our digital provision was accelerated. We started to modify and developed our (previous) website to be a resource.

Spring -Summer 2020

When Lockdown 1 was announced, the contingency plans were put into operation. Children with 1-1 iPads (in Years 5 and 6) took them home. A whole-school Facebook group was created as a community hub, which over 400 people joined. Year groups created their own Facebook groups as smaller hubs to share work, information, resources and support.

Communication was prioritised with almost daily updates to families, via Newsletters, bulletins and social media. Families report having felt strongly supported.

Vulnerable families were identified and additional food and welfare packages were distributed, to supplement those provided as a matter of course to all entitled to FSM.

By the first Monday of Lockdown 1, there was work provided online for all children in all year groups. For those unable, at that point, to access digital provision, work-packs were sent home or delivered to home addresses. Later, ‘year specific’ workbooks designed at Transform Trust were distributed as an additional resource.

The engagement of all pupils was tracked from that first week. All work competed was logged and children not accessing work within 3 days were contacted. Where there were barriers, these were explored. School laptops and available iPads were delivered home.

Analysis of engagement was conducted week-to-week. Any child not submitting regular work was closely monitored, including phone calls and home visits. Engagement was analysed on an individual, class, year, vulnerable group basis. Movement of children between bands of engagement (none, low, medium, high) was recorded,

Staff working from home (on a rota)  supported digital learning, mostly via the Showbie app. Colleagues present in school supported Key Worker groups, of which there was one (15-20 children) per year group by July.  These groups were supplemented with children who were finding it impossible to engage with home learning where capacity to do so existed.

The Digital Lead focussed on supporting and developing staff skills, particularly with Showbie.

To maintain engagement and interest, a number of themed projects supplemented the core home-learning offer. These included :reading challenges; a writing competition; a design competition; a DT challenge; a further promotion of the Parkdale 50 Things enrichment programme (re-jigged as 30 things!); a whole-school music and PSHE project known as ‘Proud’ and much more besides.Assemblies went online and we even managed a digital nativity. You can see some highlights on this page (see Looking Back box) and they’re all still available on our Youtube channel.

Through Lockdown 1, engagement started from a relatively high base and rose steadily, as evidenced in the reports produced. We achieved most positive movement in our Disadvantaged, SEND and EAL groups.

When the time came that a limited number of pupils were permitted to physically attend, a Trust-wide decision was made to bring back Year 6 for a two week period in which to support their transition and then to ‘replace’ them in school with Year 5, to give them a thorough transitoin into Y6 and get them back ‘up to speed.

Autumn 2020

Pupils returned as school re-opened fully in September 2020.

Baseline assessments were completed, along with Leuven tests of Wellbeing and Engagement.

A sharp focus on core skills and knowledge was the key strategy. A decision was made to focus on ‘missed’ content  from the previous term and that content which was critical to progress in the new school year.

Intervention groups were quickly established and the school day re-structured to facilitate more of these. The school day was extended to an 8:15 start with a longer ‘arrival window’ to reduce crowding on the playground and to enable some early day interventions and additional time for wellbeing and socialising.

Baseline assessment showed significant declines in numbers of children at ‘expected plus’ in all year groups and the focus became to redress this.

Autumn data suggested good progress towards this. Ofsted inspectors on a visit that term reflected positively on the measures the school had taken and continued to take.

Classes operated as ‘bubbles’, not mixing. All communal activities were abandoned. Additional funding was spent on staffing to enable bubbles to remain at 30 children, rather than whole year groups. As we encountered numerous closures, this was provident as it effectively halved the number of children out of school at any given time.

Winter 2020-21

All of the provisions for Lockdown 1 were maintained and supplemented for subsequent Lockdowns and closures. Blended Learning continued and by this point all pupils in KS2 had 1-1 access to an ipad. Teaching staff skills were by now at a highly sophisticated level with regard to blended and digital learning.

Again, Key Worker and vulnerable groups continued to attend. Typically, between 120 and 150 children were present in school on any given day.

Spring and Summer 2021

School re-opened on the 8th of March and ‘real’ attendance returned to typical levels between 96 and 98%. There were occasional bubble closures in which case remote learning was re-initiated same-day.

Indoor gatherings and mixing of bubbles were still prohibited and measures such as the staggered start, one way system, dining in classrooms remained in place.

Assessment suggested strong progress since baseline in September and the target came to be to have all children at elast restored to their pre-Covid level of attainment. This was broadly met and frequently exceeded,

Reception, Y2 and Y6 conducted their assessments as they would in any ‘nromal’ year, the latter using the 2019 tests alongside NTS testing.

A highlight was that we managed to  run  socially distanced Sports Days.

Transitions were managed remotely, via Showbie and Zoom. All children, whether in school or not, got opportunities to ‘meet’ their new teacher.

Digital transitions were put in place for the new Reception intake for September.

 

Recovery

By Summer 2021, recovery looked strong. In all year groups, the numbers of children achieving combined Expected plus were restored to pre-Covid levels. In some year groups, the pre-Covid outcomes were exceeded.

Numbers of children at combined Greater Depth, were broadly back in line, with some year groups marginally below and some exceeding pre-Covid numbers.

Individual subject outcomes were high, above typical, well-so in some year groups, whilst combined lagged a little. This became something to address in the 2021-22 School Improvement Plan.

Although there was no statutory end of Key Stage testing, a decision was made to deliver the 2019 tests in test conditions for statistical comparison and supoprt i transiton.

At end of Reception, GLD was broadly in line with a typical year at 68%.

Year 1 Phonics Screening was 83%, typical for Parkdale.

At end of KS1, Expected plus combined was 78%, on target and significantly up on previous data. Cmbined Greater depth was 10%, fairly typical for Parkdale.

End of KS2 combined was 77% (Expected+) and 10% Greater Depth, both slightly below target, but broadly in line.

Wellbeing and Involvement, as measured on the Leuven Scale, showed 97% of children Expected+ and 75% with a High outcome.

Attendance

Attendance was forensically tracked throughout the pandemic and the school and advised supported other Trust schools in this.

Attendance for 2020-21 was 96.3%, 96.8 if Religious Observance is discounted as Eid fell for two days in the Summer Term. These figures, of course,  do not reflect ‘actual’ presence in school where Covid ‘X’; codes were applied in many cases.

31,954 sessions were ‘lost’, equivalent to 38 days per pupil on average.

Autumn 2021

Following extensive consultation with stakeholders, it was decided to keep the re-structured school day with an earlier, staggered start ‘window’. This facilitates additional intervention, wellbeing and pastoral time as well as being popular with working parents. It serves the community well.

Gatherings are partially resumed, to Key Stage level. Whole-school assemblies are still conducted remotely as this also brought time benefits.

Bubbles no longer operate and will only be re-introduced in the event of a ‘breakout’.

Clubs and sporting activities are resumed.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding was a priority throught the pandemic.

If children had not been ‘seen’ either physcially or online for a three day period, an investigation would follow, eitrher in person or by phone. Children with known vulnerability were tracked even more closely – daily.

School staff continued to work closely with outside agencies sucgh as social care, CAMHS and the Refugee Forum.

Weekly Safaguarding reviews continued and  addiitonal weekly revues with the Trust Safaguarding Lead.

During closures, at least one trained Designated Senior Person was on-site at any given time. At least one member of the Pastoral Team would be present.

There were no major incidents or concerns arising from the situation.

Feedback

In the annual survey, 96% of parents/carers reported that they felt communication foermt eh school had been good.

100% felt that communication around Covid-19 had been good.

98% felt that the school response to Coronavirus had been good.

98% supported the additional focus on wellbeing.

Support of mental health and wellbeing was rated the number one prioroty for parents, closely followed by recovery of ‘lost’ learning and focus on the ‘core’ skills.

On the children’s survey, 31 children reported feeling more anxious about being in school since Covid-19. All of these were ‘picked up’ individually by the Pastoral Team.

119 children reported liking being in school more now than before.

The biggest concern for the majority had been missing their friends.

Parental Comments

Thank you for doing such an amazing job of doing your best for all the children in such difficult times. We are so happy we chose Parkdale for S. The Reception staff are absolutely amazing, S’s confidence has grown so much with their help and
support. S and I will miss them next year.

The flexibility of the start of the day being 8-15 onwards is a great positive and I hope it
stays

Parkdale’s Commitment to the care and support of their pupils and parents through all of this has been simply amazing. An incredible team that stuck together through some very hard times. Goodbye Parkdale, the last 8 years will be with us forever. As a Family we are forever grateful for everything.

Well done Parkdale Staff for showing other schools how to ‘be’ when things get tough.
Outstanding school.

You’ve been fantastic

I think all staff deserve so much thanks and praise for the way they have handled the
past year, you are all amazing

Excellent communication, and response was good.

Home support has been great and so have all the precautions put in place

The school was exceptional in this situation

Again exceeded my expectations, showbie and the online support, preparation with home packs, iPad insurance for home use etc

Again I think the school has dealt with every aspect of the coronavirus situation brilliantly.

High 5 to Mr Hillier for keeping us constantly updated. Thank you

I was very impressed with the organisation. Home learning platform was superb and the learning groups they have been in since going back to school have been well organised with timings etc.

Just wish packed lunches were allowed like other schools

Better than good

Again it was exceptional

Again above and beyond
Exceptional. I have felt confident in sending my child to school

Superb!! Cannot fault it

brilliant, thank you for keeping us upto date at all times.

No fault of the school, but there was a lot to digest in an ever changing environment. In the circumstances the school did very well

Fantastic updates and always looking out for wellbeing of staff and children. Thank you

Amazing when I talk to friends with children in other schools – they are jealous

I think the school has been amazing, we have been kept informed on everything.
Compared to other schools we have certainly been kept in the loop and can not thank you enough for that

Excellent, we was really informed though the bulletins, they were very informative and reassuring.

Outstanding!!! Regular updates throughout this pandemic

Receiving regular updates has been really useful. Always felt that school have been totally honest about the situation at all times .As a parent I appreciate hearing when the school has issues/ are unsure about how things will work. Never feel like anything is being covered up

Communication was exceptional and I valued you being so open and honest with us as it allowed us to plan properly

Excellent communication. Could not ask for any better. Kept fully informed at all times in a very timely manner

Amazing, cannot express how grateful we are for the continued information & support that has been given to us during these times

Amazing actually!!

More texts, letters etc than I ever anticipated!

You have not told us anything. Very poor.

It was exceptional
Above and beyond Pastoral Care.

Everyone is very supportive, open to help and to accommodate.

Looking Back - Some Video Highlights!

 

Covid-19 Related Notices

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