P4 – 7 made a ‘pop up shop’ called the pop up wooden shop. They used the shop to practice pricing items and giving change. Everybody wants to learn outside so we really enjoyed the lesson.
All posts by Mrs Fraser
Check out our dinosaur
P1 – 3 have made an amazing dinosaur with the art teacher Mrs Mullay!
New blocks!
Windy Beach Trip
The whole school went down to the school on Tuesday afternoon. We made some beach sculptures and decorated some rocks with pastel crayons.
Rainy Day playtime surprise!
The weather has been really poor today so we have stayed in at playtimes. Mrs Fraser had a big surprise – we have received funding for outdoor blocks which arrived last week. The children got to open the boxes at lunchtime and started playing with the new blocks. it was a bit like Christmas!
Urafirth Fun Day
The children had an amazing time at the Fun Day yesterday. The whole school was involved from nursery to P7. Among the attractions there was a water slide, sports, slime, soft play, camping, circus skills, candy floss, waffles, etc etc!
Everybody was really tired by the end of the day but we all agreed it had been super fun. Alex from the Ability Shetland was able to come and help us with the candy floss and den building.
It feels like a good end to the year given the current restrictions but we are hoping we can have a Summer Fayre next year and hopefully some fundraising at the beginning of the next session.
Urafirth Primary Up Helly Aa!
The children in Early Years and Primary have had an exciting morning. We have had a procession, sing, dancing and the burning of the galley the early years made. Everybody loved being a viking for a morning. A selection of pictures in no particular order is below:
Phased return of children to school later this month
Dear Parents and Carers
Information to all Parents and Carers: Shetland Schools to start Phased Return of Children and Young People later this Month
On Wednesday 06 January 2021, I wrote to you to confirm that there would be a period of remote learning in place for the month of January. Furthermore, since my last letter, the Scottish Government subsequently extended remote learning to Wednesday 17 February 2021.
I now write to inform you that the First Minister, on Tuesday 02 February 2021, has announced a planned phased return of schools and early learning and childcare settings later this month.
More specifically, in Shetland, Children’s Services are now planning for children in Early Learning and Childcare settings and all primary one to primary three children to return to their setting on a full-time basis, after the February long weekend, from Tuesday 23 February 2021.
There is also a planned part-time return, on a very limited basis, for senior phase, secondary four to secondary six pupils, from Tuesday 23 February 2021, to allow them to undertake work that is necessary for completion of essential practical work for national qualification courses. Further information about how this limited provision will be operated will follow from Children’s Services and secondary settings shortly.
Children in other year groups will continue to be at home, engaging in remote learning.
The Scottish Government has also committed to expanding testing provision for school and early learning and childcare staff, and for senior phase pupils. More detail will follow for parents and carers of children in secondary four to secondary six.
This proposed phased return will only be finalised by the Scottish Government around Tuesday 16 February 2021, and will be dependent on the on-going suppression of coronavirus in Scotland by then.
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Meanwhile, key worker provision will continue during the phased reopening of schools for eligible children from primary four to secondary three. Children of key workers will continue to access their remote learning in their setting. Your child’s school or early learning and childcare setting will shortly be in touch with you to ascertain your requirements from Tuesday 23 February 2021. New key worker applications will continue to be processed centrally in Children’s Services, following existing criteria and processes and the application form is available on the Covid-19 Updates webpage: https://www.shetland.gov.uk/schools/schools-covid-19-updates
Arrangements for children and young people requiring additional support that are currently in place from primary four to secondary six will also continue.
I understand that parents and carers will have a range of thoughts and views on these planned later this month. I include a link below to the Parent Club, the Scottish Government website for parents and carers, for more information: FAQs on Scottish childcare and nurseries reopening | Parent Club I would like to reassure you that health and safety will continue to be absolutely paramount to all of our planning for the phased return of some of our children and young people. There are already a range of measures and mitigations in place in all our school and early learning and childcare settings, which will be reviewed, and enhanced where appropriate, before children and young people return. You should continue to discuss any concerns or worries that you have around your child’s education more generally at this very challenging time with your school’s Head Teacher and/or their pupil support teacher in secondary. Children’s Services and your child’s school/early learning and childcare setting will also continue to update you over the coming weeks, and I would like to thank you again for all that you are doing supporting your children’s learning.
Yours sincerely
Helen Budge
Director of Children’s Services
The Christmas Show
Here is Shrek 2 – enjoy!
Return to indoor PE
Here are the control measures to ensure a safe return to indoor PE:-
| Issue | Control Measures |
| Changing | Changing rooms are an area of increased risk of transmission and should be avoided where possible. |
| Consideration should be given to the needs of children and young people who require additional support. | |
| When considering the use of changing rooms, schools should ensure that they implement pragmatic and proportionate control measures which reduce risk to the lowest reasonably practical level. | |
| Young people should be encouraged to arrive at school in their PE kit on days when physical education lessons will take place and, where possible, wait until they get home to change. | |
| Consideration should be given to alternative places for storing learners’ belongings, for example, assigning each learner their own space. | |
| The management of changing rooms, if required should be effective, working as per the risk assessment and updated to reflect any changes in PE guidance and public health advice | |
| Changing – Swimming | Only use the allocated cubicles & lockers. |
| Avoid touching any other areas of the changing areas. | |
| Place “in use” sign on allocated cubicle & use this same cubicle once session is finished. | |
| Swimmers must make their way immediately to their allocated cubicle, change & leave the facility as quickly as is reasonably practicable through changing room to back door for collection. | |
| Cleaning | The physical education department and active spaces must be linked to the enhanced cleaning programme across the school. Shetland Recreational Trust staff will carry out enhanced cleaning duties in their facilities, supplemented by day cleaners where required. |
| More frequent cleaning of rooms/areas that must be used by different groups…(for example, classrooms, toilet blocks, changing rooms and staff areas)’. | |
| Movement of children, young people and staff between classrooms should be minimised wherever possible. Where this cannot be avoided, the provision of appropriate cleaning supplies to enable them to wipe down their own desk/chair/surfaces before leaving and, especially, on entering the room should be considered. | |
| Equipment | Activities where there is no sharing of equipment are safer than those that do, therefore teachers should plan activities that minimise the use of equipment. |
| If any equipment has been shared, this should be carefully cleaned before next use/between each lesson. | |
| Consider keeping extra equipment on hand so that teaching time is not lost to re-clean equipment. | |
| Where possible, remove equipment from indoor spaces that are not essential for participation purposes, for example, benches, tables. Where this is not possible appropriate cleaning measures should be put in place. | |
| Fixed equipment should be checked by the teacher prior to use to avoid children and young people having to adjust or touch it. | |
| Equipment that is difficult to clean should be taken out of use. | |
| Equipment – Swimming | No personal pool equipment such as floats are to be brought to the lessons by pupils. |
| Any personal equipment such as goggles or swim caps etc should not be shared at any time. | |
| Movement | Learners should enter the area individually and make their way to a designated space. |
| Physical distancing should be encouraged where possible, between adults, and between young people, particularly in the senior phase. | |
| Where possible, the teacher should have an assigned area to ensure 2 m spacing. This should be clearly marked. It is recommended that staff wear a face covering out with this designated area when interacting with young people or supporting practical tasks. | |
| Teacher demonstrations/explanations could be done from an assigned area to ensure they stay an appropriate distance from learners. | |
| Brief interactions between teachers and learners closer than 2 m is permitted. If these are brief (15 minutes or less) then no additional measures are needed. | |
| Where adults cannot keep 2 m distance and are interacting face-to-face for a sustained period (about 15 minutes or more), face coverings should be worn. | |
| Where there is a need to work in close proximity with adults and young people requiring additional support, the safety measures to protect adults and children and young people alike should be followed. Staff should wear a face covering, and wash their hands regularly before and after contact. | |
| Clearly communicate the route and rules with learners ahead of every location, movement and transition. | |
| Use learner voice to reflect on how well protocols are being followed and how practice can be improved. | |
| Consider using physical and visual aids to define space and modify layouts, for example, tape, rope or chalk on required surfaces/walls. | |
| Movement – Swimming | PE teachers will be permitted to teach swimming groups from more than one school in a day. |
| Personal Hygiene | Hand-washing facilities or hand sanitiser stations should be available and easily accessible at entry/exit points, when children and young people move between groups and when entering or leaving a facility. |
| Hands should be washed and dried thoroughly or sanitised before and after the activity. | |
| There should be no handshakes at the beginning or end of any activity. | |
| There should be no sharing of water bottles. | |
| Personal Hygiene – Swimming | Face coverings should be secured with pupils’ own belongings |
| Once changed, face coverings should not be taken poolside & left at the side of the pool | |
| Pupils will be encouraged to maintain social distancing once face coverings have been removed in the changing area. | |
| Physical Distancing | Games halls and pools are to be regarded as classrooms and an extension of the school estate, except where this would breach statutory requirements placed on a facility provider. |
| Physical distancing where possible between adults, and between children and young people, particularly in the senior phase. | |
| Focus on activities that do not involve close physical contact. This will contribute to further lowering of any risk involved. | |
| During contact activities, physical distancing does not need to be maintained during play, but should be applied at all other times. | |
| Wherever possible, efforts should be made to keep children and young people within the same groups. | |
| Physical Distancing – Swimming | Pool Session conclusions will be staggered where possible, ensuring numbers in the changing area are kept to manageable levels. |
| Teachers deliver lesson from poolside | |
| Physical Distancing | When delivering swimming lessons swimming teachers that are external to a school bubble should adhere to government guidance on social distancing. |
| School teachers and teaching assistants that are internal to the bubble can replicate the same procedures through swimming lessons as they do in the classroom | |
| All parties involved in the delivery of school swimming should have a dedicated officer or lead responsible for Covid-19 considerations, making sure that they are up to date with central or local government guidance. This person should be aware of the rules and guidelines set out by the facility. | |
| Considerations should be made on how to reduce contacts and maximise distancing between those in school wherever possible and minimise the potential for contamination so far as is reasonably practicable | |
| Showering – Swimming | Swimmers must shower before entering the water |
| Swimmers are permitted to rinse after the lesson. No congregation is permitted in the showering area. | |
| Swim changing facilities can be used as normal. These will be allocated and marked as to be used by staff. | |
| Post pool’ such as hairdrying are not permitted as pupils must change and leave the building promptly. | |
| Transport | Buses transporting children to PE facilities are regarded as dedicated school transport and staff and pupils should follow transport guidance |
| Ventilation | Wherever it is safe to do so, doors and windows should be kept open to increase natural ventilation. |
| Internal fire doors should never be held open (unless assessed and provided with appropriate hold open and self-closing mechanisms which respond to the actuation of the fire alarm system)’. | |
| If natural ventilation is insufficient, ventilators, fans or air conditioners provided to ensure a consistent flow of fresh air. |
