Rhondda Cynon Taf’s Youth Engagement and Participation Service (YEPS) is committed to supporting young people aged 11 to 25 to improve their resilience to deal with current and future challenges, supporting their well-being and their positive engagement in and contribution to the communities in which they live. To do this, the service works closely with schools, communities and other services to help resolve any difficulties that affect a young person’s engagement, working in partnership in order that young people can benefit from the opportunities available locally.

The COVID-19 emergency has meant a significant disruption to young people’s education and routine. Consequently current Year 6 pupils who are due to join our respective RCT comprehensive schools in autumn 2020 will have had a reduced transition experience. These concerns have been discussed between the YEP service and school staff, and the result is an offer from the YEP service to support any of your vulnerable year six pupils over the summer holidays.

There are a number of ways in which the YEP service may be able to support the transition gap that some of your year 6 pupils might be facing. We have introduced a wide range of virtual support through social media and through our Wicid.tv website and any of your year 6 pupils can access this information, which will give them a flavour of what the YEP service offers all young people in these different times, as well as methods of engagement that we implement under normal circumstances.

What you need to do next?

Email YEPS@rctcbc.gov.uk

What happens next?

• • YEP staff will make contact and support  year 6 pupils over the summer holidays and into the new school term.

Applications for the Council’s ‘Childcare and Summer Activity Programme’ are now open via the Council’s website.

Parents/carers need to apply asap – applications close at 11:59pm on Sunday 12^thJuly.

The provision is available from Wednesday 22^nd July to Friday 21^st August in six mainstream settings and one special school setting.

The provision is available Monday to Fridayfrom 9am to 3pm.

Provision is for children between the ages of 5 and 16 (4-19 in special schools).

Places are strictly subject to availability and late applications will not be accepted.

2.    In accordance with Welsh Government guidance, vulnerable children will be prioritised. 
Where capacity allows, places will be offered to the children of NHS and social care workers only. 
Consideration will also be given to staff who are required to deliver the childcare and summer activity programme. 
Other essential workers who have previously been eligible for free emergency childcare will no longer be eligible due to changes in Welsh Government grant conditions.

Places are strictly subject to availability and making an application does not guarantee a place.

  Timescales for the next round of applications for emergency childcare:-

Applications for emergency childcare for the three week period Monday 29^th June to Friday 17^th July will be going live on the Council’s website from 8am on Friday 19^th June.  

-          Parents / carers need to apply asap – applications close at 11:59pm on Sunday 21^stJune.

-          Emergency childcare will be in the child’s usual school setting and places are strictly subject to availability.

-          Late applications will not be accepted. Places are strictly subject to availability and parents who miss the deadline of Sunday 21^st June need to contact their child’s school directly to establish whether or not their child can be accommodated.

2.    People who must apply:-

-          Key / essential workers must re-apply as requirements / shift patterns etc. change regularly and we need to establish whether the numbers of applications for each school can be accommodated.

-          Parents / carers of vulnerable learners and parents / carers of special school pupils who are already attending an emergency childcare setting do not need to re-apply.  Their attendance (subject to availability) will be ongoing, but they must notify their child’s school if they no longer require a place.

-          Any parents / carers of vulnerable learners and parents / carers of special school pupils who are not currently attending for emergency childcare must make an initial application for a place.

Emergency childcare places are strictly subject to availability and making an application does notguarantee an emergency childcare place.

Dear Parents,

The NHS has asked for this message to be sent out to you.

Undiagnosed Type 1 diabetes in children requires urgent medical attention   

If your child has ANY of the main symptoms of Type 1 diabetes please make an urgent GP appointment or contact the Out of Hours service. The main symptoms are known as the 4 Ts – Thirst, Toilet, Tiredness, Thinner. If you notice your child is thirsty or using the toilet more frequently, is always feeling tired, or has lost weight recently, seek immediate medical advice.

NHS services are very well equipped to look after children safely if they are unwell. Please do not delay seeking medical advice because of Covid-19.

There is more information available here: 

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/in_your_area/wales/campaigning/know-type-1---wales

Dear Parent/Carer, 

We hope you are all keeping safe and well. Following last Wednesday’s Welsh Government announcement about the re-opening of schools from 29th June, we wanted to get in touch to let you know what will be happening. 

We fully appreciate that this is a huge decision to make. As Kirsty Williams said on Wednesday it is entirely up to you to decide if you wish to send your child/children to school and there will be no criticism of your decisions as parents/carers. 

Guidance from Welsh Government on how schools can re-open has been shared and here are some of our early plans. They are as follows: 

• All pupils will have an opportunity to spend a day at school once a week for four weeks – i.e. all pupils will have four visits to school before the summer break 

• Pupils will be in groups of approximately 6 in each class 
• Pupils will remain in these bubbles all day and will not mix with any other bubbles 
• One adult will stay with your child’s group throughout the day with an additional member of staff available for support within each team where possible 
• The outdoor space will be used as much as possible 
• Desks/tables/individual spaces will be 2 metres apart 

• All excess furniture will be cleared from teaching spaces – classrooms will be very minimalistic 
• All pupils will have their own personal stationery pack (they will not share pencils, pens etc) 
• All surfaces will be wiped down regularly during the school day 
• There will be a staggered start, finish, break and lunch time 
• Pupils will only be allowed in their own classroom and in the nearest toilets
• Cleaners will be onsite all day 
• A robust Risk Assessment will be in place 
• All teachers will continue to provide Home Learning via seesaw 

Throughout this week and next, we will be taking action to prepare to implement all new expectations but must be transparent with you and tell you that this will be a lengthy process.  We fully understand that this is a confusing and possibly very worrying time for many of you but assure you that we will do our best for your child(ren), within the constraints that we must face and adhere to. 

In addition to welcoming children back to school for one day a week for the four weeks, Alaw will be open Monday to Friday from 29th June as a Hub provision for our own identified vulnerable pupils and children of key workers.  It is vital that we are made aware of changing shift patterns in advance in order for us to attempt to accommodate pupils. 

As a school, we need to determine the number of children who will be accessing both our school and Hub provision. Please email the class teacher ASAP regarding your decision if you wish your child to attend or DO NOT wish your child to attend school no later than the 22nd June. If you have any further questions, then please message the teachers on Seesaw or via their emails.

Yours sincerely  

Staff and Governors of Alaw Primary School  

Dear Parent/Carer
 
We have received your request / application to attend Alaw which your child/children will be attending from the 29^th June – 24^th July.  Your child will be attending one day a week and you will be text to confirm your child’s day and times Week beginning 22^nd June. Additionally to this we will be providing daily provision for key workers from 8.00 a.m.  Please note that this is an emergency provision and an application must be submitted, which is found on the council’s website. The school will continue to provide weekly updates relating to this via text and information will be shared on the school website www .alawprimaryschool.co.uk.  However, If there are family at home who could possibly care  for your child/ren  we would recommend that your child remains at home and children are only to be brought into school once a week for their contact time as set out in the Minster’s speech where a maximum of 1/3 of children should be on site at any one given time to limit  the risk of contracting covid-19.  
 
This letter will provide you with information you will need in advance of attending Alaw.
 
As you are aware Alaw  is based over two sites upper and lower buildings   Parking for drop off is at EGYPT Street only and not the chip shop side – this gate will remain closed. Your child will be greeted in the main school car park and we will be operating a staggered start and finishing time so this will limit the amount of people in this area at one time in order to ensure strict social distancing guidelines. When you arrive  you will be directed to wait for maybe a few minutes in order to follow the strict hygiene protocols and temperature checks before your child can enter the school building which will operate a  one way system.

 
You will be asked a number of questions on arrival.  These include:
- Is your child well?
- Is anybody in your house ill?
- Do you require lunch ?
- What time will pick up be?l if you are a key worker, which days will they be attending ?
- Who will pick up your child/children?
- Is your child allowed to walk home?
- Does your child have any medicine that needs to be administered across the
 day?
- Is there anything else that we need to be aware of today?
 
We will then admit your child into school.  They will be asked to sanitise their hands as they enter the building.
 
Preparing your child for a day ‘the new normal’ classroom / learning situation:
 
It is important that you talk to your child before coming into school to prepare them for what their day will be like.
A short video of the ‘new normal’ classrooms will be posted on the school websites in the parent Parent COVID section and this will also be shared via  Seesaw early next week in order to support these discussions. The day will be structured to provide some opportunities for exercise, relaxation, play and to develop their understanding of the current situation, preparing the children emotionally, mentally and socially for the new layout in September.

Teachers will be planning every Friday, a maximum of ten online activities per week  for the continuation of home distant learning for ALL children. These activities will be scheduled  for release every Monday by 8am    It is very important that the children have time allocated for them to do some of the work set by their teachers at home and your cooperation and commitment for this to work succcesfully is essential and greatly appreciated.The Alaw  staff  will of course support them with their work via messaging, emailing and providing effective feedback.

 
We are hoping that the fine weather continues over the coming weeks and that we can spend time outside and thus we intend to maximise focusing on the physical, mental and educational benefits of outdoor learning approaches   Therefore, please can you make sure that your child has access to sun cream, which they will need to administer themselves. They will also require a sun hat and should be wearing school uniform if possible, suitable footwear and a water bottle is a must, as there will be some exercise and many opportunities for outdoor activities as discussed above. Your child will not be able to access the water fountain  independently but we will make sure that their bottles are filled up regularly,  in line with the schools risk assessment, we would also recommend they bring a healthy snack. If your child is bringing a packed lunch, packaging will need to be disposable and the children will not be allowed to store their belongings in their locker due to social distancing, so will be asked to place their belongings underneath their allocated learning area /table.
 
Children are not permitted to wear jewellery, bring in mobile phones or any kind of toy or blanket due to cross contamination. Please can you support us with this by explaining this to your child in advance of returning to school.
 

Where possible children will be grouped  according to their current class organisation  and will either be with their designated classroom teacher or teaching  support workers . Children will only be in family groups during allocated key worker days when the school is not open to other children. All children and staff  will be expected to follow social distancing at all times.
 

Robust risk assessments for each year group, a new school timetable, an overhaul of how the school space will be used will be provided in the LA schools’ guidance and shared on the school website. Additionally, a new home-school charter will be issued in order to ensure we are all clear on the required standards and behaviours to keep our children and staff as safe as possible. 

Lastly, an enormous debt of gratitude to Miss Davies and her team.  We could not ask for more from our school and she has the wholehearted support of the Governing Body.

We do hope that this information gives you a good understanding of how Alaw will work and If you have any questions please contact Miss Davies either by email admin.alawprimary@rctcbc.gov.uk or telephone 01443 432350.

We will be in touch as soon as we can confirm final dates and arragements and look forward to seeing your child/children very soon.

 
Take care and be safe

Very best wishes
 
Alaw Primary School Governing Body and Staff

Timescales for the next round of applications for emergency childcare:-

Applications for emergency childcare for the week commencing 22^nd June are live on the Council’s website from 8am this  Sunday (14^th June).  

-          Parents / carers have until 11:59pm on Tuesday 16^th June to apply.

-          Late applications received after 5pm on Thursday 18^th June will not be accepted.

-          Weekend provision is NOT available.

2.    The number of hubs offering emergency childcare is now 25 - please see the Council’s website and the application forms for the full list of emergency childcare hubs. 
Please note that some hubs are now Welsh medium only and some hubs offer provision for certain age ranges only.  Please read the description of each hub fully when making an application to ensure a suitable hub is selected.

3.    People who must apply:-

-          Key / essential workers must re-apply weekly, as requirements / shift patterns etc. change regularly and we need to ensure the numbers of applications / hub attendees are as accurate as possible so that the hubs can be staffed appropriately.

-          Parents / carers of vulnerable learners and parents / carers of special school pupils who are already attending an emergency childcare setting do not need to re-apply on a weekly basis. Their attendance will be ongoing, but they must e-mail schoolplanning@rctcbc.gov.uk if they no longer require a place.

-          Any parents / carers of vulnerable learners and parents / carers of special school pupils who are not currently attending one of the hubs must make an initial application for a place and complete the appropriate registration documents.

Thank you all so much for your comments which has helped us form the guidance. It’s now live, please find links below.

Operational guidance:

https://gov.wales/operational-guidance-schools-and-settings-keep-education-safe-covid-19

https://llyw.cymru/canllawiau-gweithredol-i-ysgolion-lleoliadau-addysg-diolgeu-addysg-covid-19  

Learners guidance:

https://gov.wales/guidance-learning-over-summer-term-keep-education-safe

https://llyw.cymru/canllawiau-ar-ddysgu-dros-dymor-yr-haf-diogelu-addysg

Childcare guidance:

https://gov.wales/protecting-staff-and-under-5-year-olds-coronavirus-childcare

https://llyw.cymru/diogelu-staff-phlant-dan-5-oed-rhag-y-coronafeirws-mewn-gofal-plant

FAQ Link:

https://gov.wales/schools-increasing-operations-29-june-coronavirus