What the school day will look like, and the procedures in place.

The following information has been amended based on the experiences of reopening the Kindergarten and School for the last 2 weeks of the summer term. The main changes from those weeks are;

• Only Gate 2 will be used in main school
• If you are going to be late for the start of the school day you no longer need to return home
• Cars for some staff members will be parked to the left of Gate 2
• Children should bring slippers to wear while indoors
• There is a contingency plan if teaching staff or pupils have to self-isolate for 14 (or 10) days. Both class staffing issues and any remote learning provision have been addressed
• Guidance on social distancing for children under 11 years old, and the maximum group sizes for pre-school children have been relaxed
• Face-coverings may be required for older pupils, and all staff.

Access to the Kindergarten and main school

Please note that parents/carers will not be permitted inside the Kindergarten or main school buildings and playground unless it is an emergency, or by specific invitation of a member of staff.

IN THE MORNING
Please use one of the 2 car parks to arrive in good time for one family member to walk down to the Kindergarten and/or main school entrances for the start time of 8.55am. (Staff will be ready to welcome children after 8.40am.)
Kindergarten
Use Gate 3 in the diagram below, and the path from the hall. Walk down to the Kindergarten yard through Gate 4 and greet Niki and Suzie who will receive your child. Parents to leave the yard through Gate 5.
Main school
There will be cars outside the school, but only to the left of Gate 2. To the right of Gate 2 small painted slate pieces will be laid 2 metres apart to indicate the distance that families should leave between each other if there is a need to wait. All classes will use Gate 2 to enter the school. It will be propped open.

In main school, teachers will invite children in to the playground and greet them. When they are all in, each teacher will walk with children to the separate designated building entrance for each class, with 2 metre markers painted on the playground to delineate a socially-distanced pathway. Please make sure that your child has an umbrella and clothing that is suitable in case of wet weather.

Each of the 4 classes in main school has a separate entrance to, and egress from, the buildings; Class 1/2 (Lucy) to the west fire exit to climb stairs to first floor Class 3/4 (Mudita) to rear of building and in through upper floor fire exit Class 5/6 (Tom) to steps up to front entrance Class 7/8 (John) to their separate classroom on the hill.

Fire exit doors will be used for access and egress at the start and finish of each day, and during the mid-morning and lunch breaks. Once lessons commence these doors will be closed and alarmed. Gate 2 will be closed when lessons are in progress and at break times.

IN THE AFTERNOON
Kindergarten
Parents should aim to arrive as near to 1pm as possible. Approach via Gate 3 and the path from the hall. Walk down to the Kindergarten yard and wait outside Gate 4 for Niki and Suzie who will invite you in to receive your child. Leave through Gate 5 in the diagram above.
Main school
Parents should aim to arrive as near to 3.30pm as possible. If you need to wait please use the tarmac area outside main school to the right of Gate 2, using the painted pieces of slate to denote the requisite distance apart. Teachers will escort the children to the playground to say goodbye to them.

NUMBERS OF CHILDREN IN EACH GROUP
These are the numbers that we expect;
Kindergarten – 11 children in Woodland, and 9 in River.
Main school – Class 1/2 – 4 children with Lucy, Class 3/4 – 8 children with Mudita, Class 5/6 – 9 pupils with Tom, and Class 7/8 – 7 pupils with John in the separate classroom on the hill.

BREAK-TIME ARRANGEMENTS FOR MAIN SCHOOL
The outside areas will be divided into 4 zones to avoid mixing of the class groups (“bubbles”);

1. Playground court,
2. Playground new tarmac (delineated by a painted line of yellow spots),
3. Around the living willow structure, and
4. The field.

ADDITIONAL SCHOOL PROCEDURES TO BE IMPLEMENTED
The COVID-19 risk assessment has been updated, detailing the arrangements we have put in place to further minimise the risk of anyone contracting, or transmitting, COVID-19 while at Nant-y-Cwm.
It is a requirement that staff and parents sign the contract and return it to the School by Friday 4th September.
We have implemented a procedure to provide enhanced cleaning of all areas of Nant-y-Cwm. Staff have been provided with a document alerting them to the symptoms of Covid-19, and the procedure to follow if someone (child or staff member) shows symptoms.

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS PREPARED FOR CHILDREN RETURNING IN SEPTEMBER
The teaching staff have worked hard to prepare the rooms to be “COVID Secure” and as welcoming as they can be for the returning children. They have also given a lot of thought to how they can best support the children, provide a good Waldorf experience for them, and have fun while doing it.

The Premises Coordinator, Steve Kemp, has been working during the summer holiday and sorting out several problems that may have forced the buildings to remain closed.

Lesley and Jane have been keeping the administration and finances not only ticking over, but also providing essential information to the families (current and prospective), and to the Trustees to help them navigate the storm that the COVID-19 lockdown has produced.

The Trustees have provided a lot of backup to the management of Nant-y-Cwm. They have reviewed, updated, and signed off the risk assessments, and updated the procedures for staff to work safely and to provide a safe space for the children.

STAFFING CHANGES

• Maya van’t Padje (last year’s class 2/3 teacher) accepted voluntary redundancy and has moved back to The Netherlands. Staff and trustees met with her earlier in August to wish her well.
• We have appointed Kelly Jones as the School’s new Business Manager. Kelly will be working full-time in the main school office, starting on Monday 28th September.
• Maxine Clark has accepted the job of COVID-19 Enhanced Cleaner. This is a vital role to ensure current best practice in infection control, necessary for both Kindergarten and main school to be “COVID Secure”.