School closure

Published Monday 23 March 2020

We would like to thank you all for your patience at this difficult time.

The Chief Minister ordered the closure of most schools for most pupils on the Isle of Man from Monday 23rd march. At the moment, we do not know when schools will reopen. We know that parents/carers will seek to keep their children safe by keeping them at home and will follow the Government’s advice. We very much appreciate your support in this and know that, if we all work together, we have the best chance of reducing the spread of Covid-19.

The Government has asked parents to keep their children at home wherever possible, and asked schools to remain open only for those children are designated as ‘vulnerable’ or are the children of ‘key workers’.

It is important to understand that:

• If it is possible for children to stay at home then they should.

• Parents/carers should also do all they can to ensure children are not mixing socially in a way that could spread the virus. They should observe the same social distancing principles as adults.

• Many parents who are key workers may be able to ensure their child is kept at home. Every child who can be safely at home should be.

• The fewer children making the journey to school and the fewer children in educational settings the lower the risk that the virus can spread and infect vulnerable individuals in wider society.

• Parents can choose to keep children away from school without any concern of repercussion

Secondary and primary schools with special need units attached have been asked to stay open with staff to look after our most vulnerable children and the children of key workers.

From Tuesday, the 24th March, children from our school who are identified as vulnerable or whose parents are in the following groups should attend Ballacottier school. If attendance at this school presents a problem please let us know.

Kewaigue School: Protocol for home learning.

This is of course a very worrying time for our families and we will be doing all we can to update and support you. We will all be spending a bit more time at home over the next few weeks. More of us will be apart or by ourselves than ever before, and it is going to be harder for some of us than it is for others. Technology will be crucial for us to keep in touch.

While your child is off school, Teachers have been asked to set a number of learning tasks each week for their respective class, rather than set a timetable with time parameters. Choice over tasks will be encouraged to give pupil’s ownership and to ensure that they can be suitably challenged.

It is important that parents understand that no amount of preparation or resources will replicate the typical school day and any attempt to provide educational continuity will be carried out with the aim of supporting parents in the education of their child as best we can, given the unprecedented situation facing our Island community.

Technology can be a huge enabler for supporting learning whether that is at school or at home. We intend to use this to communicate learning tasks for children to engage with and of course update parents with information and advice.

What parents can expect
Each week your child’s class teacher will release a learning pack that will contain a variety of tasks and suggested resources that your child can choose from while they are off. In certain circumstances, the resources provided to the child may be given by a teacher who is not the pupil’s regular teacher, for example, the teacher may be in another class.

This will be sent to parents via the school administrator each Monday morning. All communication will go through the school administrator. Please do not contact teachers directly at this time via email or social media. If there is an urgent concern, please contact the school administrator at KewaigueEnquiries@sch.im and your email will be forwarded accordingly. Response times will vary depending on the concern and availability of the intended recipient.

Online safety
Many suggested tasks or resources will involve children going online. Children should already be familiar with key messages about staying safe online. Any sustained period of online activity should be monitored. Children also need to be equipped with the tools to ensure that their experience is safe and how to respond should the need arise. Resources to support online safety can be found at:
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/professionals/resources/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/safer-internet-day-resources/z6bbhbk

Passwords and usernames
Each child will have some experience of online learning platforms we already use to support learning such as ‘Purple Mash’, Google Drive and ‘Learning by Questions’. Passwords and usernames for sites that are to be utilised in learning packs will be reissued by teachers where necessary.

Feedback on learning
Teachers will not be expected to provide feedback on any activities provided in the learning packs. Parents are of course encouraged to provide praise and support for their children who are carrying out the tasks provided.