Noadswood will be open for all key worker students and those who require support from Tuesday 05/01/2021. This page has a few details to make the process run as smoothly as possible, and these are listed below. It goes without saying that this is an incredibly challenging and stressful time for all of us. But at a time when most of us are staying home to stay safe, thousands of staff and volunteers are out in the community, doing absolutely essential work to keep the country running, educate our children, feed us, keep us safe and look after us. To every single person who is going above and beyond during these extraordinary times - we thank you so much what what you're doing and truly appreciate and value your work.
Times and Location
Noadswood will be open between 8.30am - 3.00pm (please can students not arrive before this time / leave as close to this end point as possible). Students are able to come in late / leave early with your permission.
Students are to visit the hall on their first day and will be allocated one of our computing rooms (M18 / T24 / the LRC). They will be put into a specific bubble group (likely to be Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 and then a group of Year 10 and Year 11 though we will place students in order to balance rooms / allow for the best working environment we can). The bubble must be adhered to and mixing between bubbles should be avoided.
Confirmation
Each week we will send an ePraise form asking you to confirm the dates you require for the following week. Please assume these days are fine - we will be open and will cater for the provision you require. If you or your child will not be coming in on the day indicated on the form (perhaps ill or other reasons), please just email health@noadswood.hants.sch.uk.
Equipment and Lessons
Students will be given access to a computer and will follow the same online provision that is being given to students who are virtually studying from home. It is recommended to bring the following:
- Subject exercise books (based on the timetable of the day)
- A pencil case
- 3.5mm old style headphones (to plug into our computers)
- Their own phone / phone headphones (we will open the school WiFi so students won't need to worry about data). Students log into noadswood_students WiFi and the password is noadswood2021
- Reading book / magazine for downtime
- Snacks
More details about the lessons and accessing them can be found via the FROG site (click link) Mr Hewitt has produced:
Food
The canteen will be open for students (though, ideally a packed lunch and some snacks are to be brought). Students will be shown the canteen menu in the morning and can select what they want (please ensure there is credit on their ScoPay account).
Free School Meals continue as normal for those students who receive.
Uniform
Students do not need to wear uniform - we recommend warm clothes as we will look to have as much ventilation as possible (so coats / jumpers / outdoor warm clothing highly recommended). Students should also bring some trainers as there will be an opportunity to have some outdoor time.
Support
In each of the rooms a member of staff will help supervise and support the students viewing the online lessons and accessing the work their teachers have set. Miss Hyland and the Learning Support department have also organised for our LSA team to be in and support those students who normally receive this.
Keeping Safe - Covid-19
We've been informed from the Government and SAGE via their latest updates that the new variant of Covid-19 is significantly more transmissible.
Since Noadswood reopened we have undertaken a range of measures to reduce the likelihood of an outbreak and its spread, which can be summarised as:
- Mask wearing
- Social distancing and avoiding overcrowding / minimising contacts (bubbles)
- Hygiene
- Ventilation
The latest SAGE advice (published 23/12/2020) talks specifically about extending the use of face coverings to a wider number of settings (such as education) where they are not currently mandated (click link).
With this updated advice, Noadswood are encouraging the wearing of masks for those who feel able to in classrooms/learning spaces as well as the expectation of wearing them in corridors / confined areas of the school (unless exempt to do so), taking into account the more rapid transmission of the new variant of the virus. This, along with our normal Covid-19 expectations remain in place.
As general guidance, it is always useful to note the key messages that colleagues at University Southampton Hospital are advising about keeping safe:
- Mask use - this is perhaps the most important intervention which can prevent transmission when everyone is following it. Please, as well as following this simple step yourself, encourage all who can to wear a mask (especially when in an indoor setting).
- Social distancing and overcrowding - the key is to keep apart and avoid overcrowding in confined spaces and remain vigilant (our zoned areas and split timetables help with this along with behavioural expectations for students)
- Hygiene - we are all aware now how important regular hand-washing is. We also know the virus can survive on many different surfaces for significant periods of time and we all need to take responsibility for keeping ourselves and our areas clean and clutter free. Noadswood have a dedicated team of cleaners who continue to do a fantastic job, walking the school continuously to clean 'touch points' and do deeper cleans when suspected Covid-19 cases are reported. We also have a large number of sanitiser stations around the school and it is expected that all members of the community use them regularly.
- Adequate ventilation - the importance of ventilation as a factor in transmission and we all need to do whatever we can to manage ventilation. Simple steps such as opening windows (intermittent in times of cold weather) helps and combined with mask use and social distancing reduces the risk of inadequate ventilation. As such, with windows looking to be open we continue to encourage our community to wear layers and suitable cold weather clothing (including allowing coats to be worn inside).
Any questions at all, please email health@noadswood.hants.sch.uk and we’ll be delighted to answer them.
Kathryn Marshall and the Noadswood Leadership Team