IPPN

Published: 10 August 2020

We are now into week 2 of the preparations for reopening our schools.  We in IPPN would again like to remind you to put your own wellbeing at the top of your priorities for this week and the weeks to come.  There is a solid reason for this – as the school leader you must be in a position to oversee all of the issues which will arise during the first weeks of reopening. 
 
To do so effectively and to project a positive atmosphere for your staff and the wider school community, you will need to be mentally and physically fit and relaxed and to have built up your resilience.  These are the weeks to do that.  So, delegate the tasks and factor in time out for yourself and your family.
 

We would suggest that you consider the following as priorities for this week – many of you will have done some of these already

Communicate

• Send a second letter to the parents and staff – template in the Live Resource Bundle
• Send a letter to all staff members – template in the Live Resource Bundle.  Attach a Return to Work Form and Checklist 5 for their information and to be filled in
• Inform staff in the letter that either yourself or your DP (in large schools) will be in touch with them by phone over the coming week and ask if there is a time which is not convenient for them to speak to you about any issues they may have about returning to work in the school
• Keep in touch with the BoM

Delegate

• Continue to delegate tasks to the Response Plan Team you established with the BoM
• Refer Response Plan Team to the DES document of 6^th August “Maintaining Physical Distance in the Classroom – Checklist” when setting out seating in classrooms –RIII to RVI in largest classrooms, Pods where 1m distance between children is not possible and, if this is not possible, contact the DES help line

Procurement

• The DES issued “Guidance for Primary Schools & Special Schools on PPE, Consumables and Equipment”. 
   

Reopening Logistics Plan

Continue to work on your Reopening Logistics Plan. There are sample Logistics Plans from schools in the Live Resource Bundle, considering: -

• the staggering of drop-off, break and collection times, if required
• organisation of SEN in the school
• support for children who may not be able to return to school yet
   

Principal Release Days Cluster

If you have not already done so, ensure that, if you are a Teaching Principal, you are included in a Principal Release Days Cluster with local schools


​Circular 49/2020
This circular deals with Teachers and SNAs returning to work in the school building and was released last Friday evening