Woodfield Newsletter
Friday 10th July 2020
Under the present COVID conditions attendance has been relaxed and it has not been compulsory for pupils to attend school. As you will have seen from the latest Government guidance it will be compulsory for pupils to attend school from September. With this in mind we have made the following decision:
The week beginning 7th September will be just 50% of each tutor group in school. The following week the other half will be in school. Those pupils not in school for those respective weeks will be continuing with their virtual curriculum, through a combination of online activities and joining in via google classrooms for some of their lessons. There has been some successful use of webcams being used by Anchalee as part of the on-site trial. From the week beginning 21st September we are aiming to have all pupils back. All pupils will be following a class based model, so they will be with their form tutor accessing the curriculum supported by specialist teachers. We will have this model in place for the first 7 weeks and will review it before half term and either continue as is or return to the ‘normal’ model for the second half term. Days will be shortened to allow for a staggered start for pupils and time for staff to meet as teams before pupils arrive, also building in time each afternoon for teachers and staff to prepare lessons and resources.
Break times and lunch times will be staggered to allow for social distancing to continue in shared open spaces. Lunches in the first instance will be packed lunches for all (either brought in from home or provided by the school).
We will provide more detailed information as the logistics of the plan are more fully and robustly developed.
Contacting Woodfield School
Woodfield School is currently operating on a very limited number of staff and unable to answer all calls. Please leave a message or email via admin@woodfield.brent.sch.uk and we will get back to you as soon as possible. The contact details for key stage leads and form tutors was published in the newsletter two weeks ago.
Video chat & video meetings
We are aware that many pupils are using apps like Google Meet (which we use to conduct our virtual classes), Zoom or Houseparty to 'meet up' and socialise during their free time. We would encourage all parents and carers to monitor and be aware of what their child is doing on the internet. Seeing and speaking to friends is good for a child's mental health, but it's important to balance 'internet time' with other off line activities, such as exercise or family time. It's also important for young people to get plenty of sleep. The NHS recommends a minimum of 8 hrs on a 'school night'.
Parentzone and Net Aware have excellent guides for parents who are looking for advice regarding using video chat, or any aspect of the internet.
Turn2Us Covid 19 Emergency Fund
Please be aware that Turn2us charity has launched a COVID 19 Crisis Fund.
It’s a one off £500 grant.
As you can imagine the online application service is likely to be extremely busy and there is a high likelihood that applicants will have to wait for longer that the 10 days stated.
They can only help those who are in immediate financial difficulty due to the Coronavirus. You will need to satisfy all of the following criteria:
- You can clearly demonstrate a loss of income due to Covid-19 (evidence will be required showing at least a 50% reduction in earnings, we can accept bank statements, letter from employer outlining change in employment)
- You are a resident of the UK / Republic of Ireland
- You are not currently in Further or Higher Education
- You are over 18
- You have less than £1K savings (single person) or less than £2K savings (couple/family)
Please note that if you have received a Turn2us grant in the last 6 months we will be unable to assist you.
Click the here to find out more
Help from local councils
Local councils have set up guides for residents with regard to how to access a range of assistance over this time, be it medical, financial, business or even how to volunteer to assist others.
You can view these offerings from local councils by clicking the links below.
Brent
Barnet
Harrow
Ealing
Camden
Westminster
Coronavirus – Advice for all early years providers, schools and further education providers
The government is closely monitoring the spread of the Coronavirus and is taking action at home and abroad.
Public Health England has issued advice for educational institutions. Updates or changes to this can be found here.
Latest information and advice can also be found at the NHS Coronavirus updates page or https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
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