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Chesham Prep’s Covid Response

Chesham Prep’s Covid Response.

During the first Covid lockdown we learnt that children needed as much normality and stability as possible, and parents as much help as possible, so we instigated a comprehensive online learning experience for all our pupils:

  • Timetabled lessons for all our pupils based on their normal timetable.
  • Regular live lessons in our core subjects of English and Maths on Zoom and Google Classrooms combined with a series of pre-recorded lessons.
  • All work set is marked and pupils given feedback from their teachers.
  • Regular additional activities in Sport, Music, Drama, Art and Science.
  • Daily contact with class and subject teachers, form tutors and most importantly class-mates.
  • Assemblies, videos and podcasts including Headteacher’s awards for excellence in work.
  • Access to our School counsellors.
  • Our excellent pastoral care has continued for families.
  • Remote learning has continued for all pupils who are not able to return to school.

During the Autumn Term, when the children were back in school we followed Government Covid 19 advice and undertook a detailed risk assessment putting steps in place to ensure the safety of the whole school community:

  • We treated year groups as separate bubbles.  To minimise movement around site the children were taught by specialist teachers in their own classrooms. When movement around site took place a one-way system was in operation.  All desks faced forwards to minimise risk.
  • Hand sanitiser was available in classrooms and multiple locations around school. Regular hand washing was timetabled during the school day. Additional cleaners were employed during the school day in addition to the usual evening cleaning schedule.  Science and Sports equipment was cleaned with virucidal detergent between year group usage.
  • Parents took their children home as swiftly as possible if their child developed symptoms whilst at school.  No children were allowed in school if their household developed COVID symptoms.  No parents  were allowed on the school site.
  • We were actively engaged with NHS Track and Trace.

We wanted to commend you, and all the teachers, for the speed at which you have put in place an online curriculum and the efforts that you are all going to in order to provide the best education experience possible for the children in these strange times.

The changes to some of the structure, particularly more live time and guidance in the younger age groups, has been a great help particularly for our daughter to help her engagement throughout the day.

The live PE sessions are great too, Our son is petitioning me to join the “As Many Reps As Possible” and the “On the Minute Every Minute” sessions later this week!

A Parent

Huge heartfelt thanks for the brilliant remote provision this week and delivering superb teaching in, yet again, a very challenging situation.  I wasn’t quite sure if we could cope with another lockdown home-school situation, but yet again CPS have risen to the challenge and made me feel like we may just make it to March without losing (all of!) our sanity
Please pass on my thanks to all of the year 6 teachers – it’s quite clear how much extra time and effort this current situation is demanding of you all and we are hugely grateful.

A Parent

My son wasn’t at Chesham Prep for the first lockdown and so today was the first experience we have had of your online learning. I just wanted to say how great his first day has been. The structure, the amount of teacher contact he has had, the immediate feedback on his work and the live PE sessions have really impressed us. That engagement from school makes a big difference to the children’s motivation I’m sure. It has also made it so much easier for us to manage things (especially as we have a 6 year old to support too). I don’t know how you are managing to make this all so seamless and comprehensive (especially when you are running online and in person provision concurrently) – I know that there will be a huge amount of work involved behind the scenes and I wanted to say that it is very much appreciated and reassuring.

A Parent

I’m always amazed at how the school has coped with the situations it has been thrown. CPS’s confidence building “get it done” attitude is what I remember as a pupil 32 years ago and one of the main reasons I chose to send my son. It’s culture is a key value that I’m delighted remains at the very heart of the school.

A Parent

I just wanted to send a quick note of thanks to CPS and in particular the year 3 team. I must admit that the thought of another term of online school sent shivers down our spines (I’m sure replicated across the country) but the provision so far has been outstanding. Vastly, unrecognisably better than last time. The work for the kids has been well explained and achievable for them with minimal parental teaching and the interaction with the teachers has been fun, supportive and structured. Miss P in Year 3 has been wonderful and has managed to promote a feeling of class cohesion and community even online which is so valued.

Thank you also for the critical worker provision. Even though we continue to do our utmost to keep her with us, Our daughter is loving the days when she does have to go in. Being able to avail ourselves of the school’s provision literally makes the difference between us being able to see patients and having to turn them away. That is vital for us to be able to continue to offer proper support to maintain animal welfare in our community and means we can hold off furloughing staff for now.

Your efforts and those of all the staff really are much appreciated. You are collectively making a tough time easier to bear.

A Parent