HighSchool High School

Penicuik High School Contingency Plan October 2020

Monday 12th October 2020

Introduction

Following the successful return of our students to school, I am now sharing Covid-19 related contingency arrangements in case they are required at any point in the future.

All Midlothian secondary schools have worked collaboratively on school contingency plans, which reflect scenarios that may occur as we continue to operate under COVID restrictions. They are underpinned by agreed principles across all Midlothian secondary schools and allow for the unique circumstances of each school context.

All Midlothian Secondary schools have agreed to prioritise in-school attendance for Senior Phase students (S4 to S6).

As the exact circumstances that would necessitate the implementation of any Contingency Plan for our school, a locality, or across the whole of Midlothian, are not known these plans have been developed based on a requirement for full-time education for all students. This will involve a blend of in-school and home learning where possible, with in-school learning being a key aspiration.

If a ‘local lockdown’ is imposed by Scottish Government/ Health Protection it also cannot be assumed that these contingency arrangements will be required, as it will depend on the extent or type of restrictions imposed.  These plans are therefore indicative and subject to change.

Our absolute priority continues to be the safety of students and staff alongside continuity in learning.

In developing our Contingency Plan, Penicuik High School will be guided by the key principles set out and updated by the Scottish Government in

Our contingency planning has also been informed by our experience and planning undertaken during lockdown.

 

Contingency Planning         

For home learning to be effective, in any scenario, we must ensure

Our tracking and monitoring processes must reflect the progress, achievement and development needs for all pupils. The three phase reports for all year levels will continue across the session regardless of the nature of learning due to Covid 19 and these will be sent to parents/carers.

If we were forced into a partial or full closure as the result of increasing infection rates in the community we would revert to our past Student wellbeing communication network system with staff emailing and /or phoning students across the period of closure. This would involve regular Wellbeing calls for identified pupils and targeted calls to pupils not engaging with home learning. Parents / carers should contact the school in the event of any concerns about their child’s health and wellbeing and progress. There may be arrangements made for particularly vulnerable pupils to be in school full time and the school would discuss this with parent/ carers at the time.

Any subject specific queries will be directed to Principal Teachers or a nominated staff member in that Faculty/ Department. Our communication policy is based on an initial response within 24 hours and necessary follow up to be completed within 5 working days. Where that is not possible you should be notified and any delay explained. If at any point you re unhappy with any process please email: penicuik_hs@midlothian.gov.uk  FAO: Craig Biddick

There will be regular updates sent out via Group call, on our website and Twitter. The Parent Association also has a dedicated Facebook page.

 

Scenarios

Scenario 1:

Due to an outbreak (confirmed by the HPT) we have to keep a year group at home

Teachers deliver home learning for their ‘isolating’ pupils using Google Classroom. All other year groups attend and follow their timetables in school.

Where practicable home learning should take place at the designated time in the pupil’s normal timetable. This could be through a ‘live’ online lesson or by the teacher allocating work for each period in the week. The ability to offer live lessons will be dependent on overall staffing and internal cover needs each day. Teachers will work within the Midlothian Digital Learning Policy guidelines to deliver the best learning experience for all based on available resources. Any issues will be communicated to parent/carers.

Scenario 2:

Due to staffing levels (self-isolation) we have to keep a year group at home

All Senior Phase pupils will continue to attend and follow their normal timetable. Broad General Education classes will follow the Blended Learning timetable below.

Principal Teachers will plan cover within their departments to ensure specialist teachers are delivering lessons for SQA courses. Some teachers who are self-isolating may be able to deliver aspects of the home learning timetable. Teachers will work within the Midlothian Digital Learning Policy guidelines to deliver the best learning experience for all based on available resources. Any issues will be communicated to parent/carers.

  Week 1 Week 2 Week 3
Monday S1 in School

S2 in School

S3 – Home learning

S1 – Home learning

S2 in School

S3 in School

S1 in School

S2 – Home learning

S3 in School

Tuesday S1 in School

S2 – Home learning

S3 in School

S1 in School

S2 in School

S3 – Home learning

S1 – Home learning

S2 in School

S3 in School

Wednesday

 

S1 – Home learning

S2 in School

S3 in School

S1 in School

S2 – Home learning

S3 in School

S1 in School

S2 in School

S3 – Home learning

Thursday

 

S1 in School

S2 in School

S3 – Home learning

S1 – Home learning

S2 in School

S3 in School

S1 in School

S2 – Home learning

S3 in School

Friday

 

 

S1 in School

S2 – Home learning

S3 in School

S1 in School

S2 in School

S3 – Home learning

S1 – Home learning

S2 in School

S3 in School

 

Scenario 3:

Due a significant outbreak (confirmed by the HPT) you are advised to have a FULL closure of your setting

All Senior Phase and Broad General Education classes will follow a Blended Learning timetable.

Where practicable home learning, particularly for Senior Phase students, will take place at the designated time in the pupil’s normal timetable. This could be through ‘live’ online lessons or by the teacher allocating work for each period in the week. The ability to offer live lessons will be dependent on overall staffing and internal cover needs each day. Teachers will work within the Midlothian Digital Learning Policy guidelines to deliver the best learning experience for all based on available resources. Any issues will be communicated to parent/carers.

What will home learning look like?

During a full school closure, each subject will post work weekly via their Google Classrooms with work appropriately differentiated to support remote learning. The school is working on developing a transparent workflow that all subject areas would follow across a week and as previously under lockdown, we would develop an indicative timetable to assist students’ organisation and engagement. Teachers will respond to questions raised via Google Classroom in a timely fashion. All work will have reasonable and appropriate deadlines for students.

Some planned work in the Senior Phase may not be appropriate for home learning based on SQA arrangements. In this event, teachers may adapt learning and assessments to take the home context into account. In this eventuality we will follow the guidelines provided by the SQA to ensure that qualifications are appropriately supported. I have sent an earlier email about the decisions made by the Government in relation this sessions SQA Exam diet and we will update parents and students when we receive more information from SQA.

As above, depending on the teacher’s professional judgement, staff may use the Google Meet function to lead a live lesson during the timetabled period, if this is the most appropriate way to deliver content and staffing levels permit.  We will also continue to work with partners to support students’ home learning. All S3-S6 students have access to SCHOLAR and / or ACHIEVE. All students can also register for study support and online learning with e-Sgoil. Some areas such as Modern language shave their own web based platforms to support learning.

 

Childcare

We understand that in the event of a Contingency Plan being implemented, this may pose a difficulty for some parents and carers in relation to their work commitments. We recommend therefore that you make your employer aware of the potential need for such arrangements, which will only be put into action when absolutely necessary.

The exact arrangements will depend on the individual circumstances requiring the contingency arrangements to be put in place.

Whilst it is not currently a requirement, it may be that Scottish Government requires local authorities to provide critical childcare in the event of a further ‘lockdown’. In order for us to be prepared for that, we will shortly be sending you a survey to support the school to know who Category 1 key workers are.

Free School Meals

If any Contingency Plans are put into practice, we will continue to provide BACS payments for those P4-7 families whose household income has been assessed and an award made in respect of Free School Meals. BACS does not include the universal provision in ELC and P1-3, however anyone else in need of support will also be able to apply for help to feed their children when they are not in school. The authority will always fulfil its duty to provide a free school meal.

Should contingency arrangements be required at any time we will of course ensure that parents, carers are fully informed of the arrangements, and that all necessary support is in place.

Educational Psychology Helpline

The Educational Psychology Helpline will cease on 29th October 2020 unless contingency plans are implemented.

If you have any concerns or questions about any of the above information please do not hesitate to contact the school in the first instance.

Many thanks for your continued support.

 

Craig Biddick

Head Teacher (Acting)

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