One world, NO second chance.

After a sleepless night I decided we had to start planning. We needed what they call a ‘Business Continuity plan’ (apparently). I can’t say this is my style really, but feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders, I got to it and began the first of my plans…

At briefing (gathering of all staff in school for a quick 15 minute catch up before opening), that morning, we discussed a condensed version of my concerns. Staff were quickly on board and volunteered two of our teaching assistants to begin gathering up learning packs.

We decided they would include:
-a text book for writing in
-our Maths whizz passes (an online maths tutoring programme)
-Bug Club asses (an online reading programme)
– a letter from me to explain what was to be done
– a guideline (one Early years / one for key stage 1) about what learning looks like and some guidance on websites we use
– a reading record (as a symbol of the fact we expect them to read actual books
– 3 reading books, which we knew wouldn’t be enough, but it was a token more than anything

The ladies packed them up for every child and set about storing them for what we thought might be a few weeks! Little did we know!

Corona letter 2

Coronavirus (1)

Coronavirus EYFS activity page

COVID Year 1 and 2 activity

On the Tuesday 10th March, I attended our termly headteacher’s meeting, here in Derbyshire. These meeting have a varied agenda and allow headteachers to network, as well as receive direct messages from our local authority and the DFE about education and schools. At this meeting, as always, I attend with other Head teachers from our local schools and afterwards we meet to discuss items on a local level. At this second gathering, we spoke about the current situation. We were all speculating about what the government’s move to a ‘Contain’ phase would look like. We predicted school closures around the Easter break, but were unsure what this would look like here in the UK. We were aware that schools in China and Italy had been closed for the near future, and wondered whether this would be our fate too. We spoke about how we would communicate with each other and shored up our ‘What’s app’ group to ensure all headteacher’s in our cluster were included. Little did we know that over the coming days and weeks this would become our life line, to others in the same boat as us, making the same or similar decisions school, with the little or no information we had.
The discussion at this meeting started me thinking about our response to this national / global ‘disaster’ and left me dazed and confused as to the way forward. That night I can’t say I slept much, worrying about what was to come in the days and weeks ahead.

The Pandemic continued to grow through January and February. But, here in the UK we remained in the Delay phase, through much of March. The delay phase means the government and health officials attempted to slow the rate of infection down (delay it), therefore putting less strain on the NHS and saving lives. On the 5th February, the news reported the first death from COVD-19. A lady, who was thought to have underlining health problems. She reportedly died from the issues related to Corona virus, she had tested positive for the virus.
The country had already started to panic and news reports were alive with stories from across the globe, people had already started hoarding food and supplies and people knew that this was getting serious, little did we know how much…

In December 2019 the world, as we know it began to change, not as we though by Climate change, but because of a Pandemic. A pandemic that in a few short months has swept across the world, killed millions, and does not seem to be stopping. As you know, my Headteacher blog is generally about the work we do focusing on climate change, climate literacy and environmental science. But, in a changing world, I thought I needed to adapt and start to catalogue how this virus is effecting us as a school, me as a headteacher and people all over the globe. Therefore, over the next few days, weeks, and months, I will attempt to archive what we are experiencing and how we, here in Bolsover are adapting. It first started in December 2019, while I was in Madrid, at COP25, all them months ago…
In December, news started to reach our shores from China. In a place called Wuhan, people were dying from a virus, which led to respiratory failure, it was believed to be a strain of the Corona Viruses. It is believed, the virus started in a wet market that sold animals (not proven), they stocked both live and dead animals. They think the origin of the virus was the bats in this market, that infected chickens, which in turn infected the population. The virus itself COVID-19, as it is now called, is a strain of the family of Corona Viruses, these viruses have been around for some time, in different strains.
The first Corona virus strain appeared in 2002 as a respiratory syndrome called SARS, which swept across the world. It infected about 8,000 people and killed 800, but soon ran itself out. A form of the virus also appeared in 2012, when there had been 2,500 cases and nearly 9,000 deaths in the Middle East. However, this modern form or Corona virus, COVID-19 is different, the symptoms range from minor to severe. Some people can carry the virus without symptoms, other have only minor coughs and respiratory issues, in some it can leads to hospitalisation and death. It is now believed to have divide into two strains, one more aggressive than the other.
With our world becoming smaller, with air, road and nautical travel made easy, the virus has travelled faster than anyone would have thought possible. It was not long until we heard of cruise a ship docking in harbour, with sick passengers aboard and countries beginning to go into ‘lockdown’ as we now know it, as their number of sick and dying population began to rise.
On 30th January, 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced COVID-19 as a Pandemic, a situation of epic proportions that would rock our world to its core. It was set to change life, as we know, it forever and test the population of the world. People would need to become responsible for their actions, in order to save their loved ones and help their neighbour alive. Staying away from family would become an act of kindness, and staying home the new norm.

Today, 11th March I delivered our initial Introduction to Climate Change course to Derbyshire Teaching School Alliance’s School Direct Student, plus the 3 students we have in school.

The day went really well and seemed to encourage the students to really think and engage with the topic.

Jon from educate Global also joined us to record the training ready for the EG Introduction to climate change course.

Great to share.

On Monday the 2nd March we held a Community climate change meeting after school. The invite had been sent to a range of Community groups and offered out to the general public, schools and community members.

 

The meeting was well attended and there was a bout 20 people, with apologise from another 6. There was a huge range of people in the room, including:

• A local councillor
• School governors
• School parents
• School staff
• A few local community members from both Bolsover and Clowne

Plus representatives from:

• Shirebrook community
• Bolsover cubs
• Bolsover Civic Society
• Plastic free Bolsover
• Plastic Free Clown
• Bolsover WI

In the meeting we covered a range of topic. The conclusion was to make this group a coalition of all of the other groups in Bolsover. This means we can audit provision, identify gaps and have a co-ordinated response and plan work together. A new date has been set for May.

 

Friday 28th February

Today out year 2 children have been learning about the Chinese rainforests and how they have been effected by climate change. The teachers had arranged for a local company to visits to show the children some of the insects and creepy crawly’s they would meet in the rainforest. The children absolutely loved it!

 

Friday 28th February

Today the children have all taken part in their first Polo the Climate Change bear.

Mini Climate Readers offers young readers a unique, innovative and highly engaging means of gaining key awareness regarding our planet’s current climate and environment emergency, while also providing the necessary resources for teachers to extend this knowledge in their classrooms.

Mini Climate Readers helps young children to develop their understanding of this changing world. Each lesson takes a unique look at one or more aspects of climate change around the world. Using humour and adventure, it addresses difficult 21st Century problems and makes them relatable and digestible for young children.
Mini Climate Readers paves the road for the development of environmental activist; Global citizens, who respect, respond and rejoice in a world they pledge to nurture.
Mini Climate Readers sows the first seeds that will transform the young, environmental activist of today, into the future climate conscious, world leaders of tomorrow.

Each class looked at a different story:

Nursery – Looked at Polo Bears and Icebergs

Reception – Looked at Polo and the coral

Year 1 – Looked at Polo and the Maasia Tribe

Year 2 – Looked at Polo and the Giant Pandas

The children had a great time and produced some lovely work:

 

 

Friday 28th February

Hammersmith and Fullam

Today we have had visitors!

The Deputy Leader for Education from Hammersmith and Fullam Council and two headteachers from their borough came to visit today. We shared all the work we have done so far and they spent the afternoon with our children who were doing their first full ‘Polo Day’.

It was fantastic to share our journey and it was lovely to look back at how far we had come as a school. Very proud headteacher here?