Return to School Plan

We wanted to be clear that in line with government guidance ALL students must attend school in September in line with the school’s re-opening plans.

The government has made it clear that education is not an option and attendance at school is mandatory. This means the usual rules on attendance apply, including:

• Parents’ duty to secure that their child attends regularly at school where the child is a registered pupil at school and they are of compulsory school age
• Schools’ responsibilities to record attendance and follow up absence
• The availability to issue sanctions, including fixed penalty notices in line with local authorities’ codes of conduct.

Expectations of Attendance at Little Lever

• Students should aim for 100% attendance every half term (approx. 6 week period).
• If a student has 5 days absence over a rolling half term we will put in place an attendance action plan which will include a range of strategies to offer support and guidance if necessary to improve attendance
• Only the school can authorise absence.
• Whilst we will always work with parents and carers to support individual circumstances we will not accept reasons for absence that any reasonable employer would not accept. We feel this helps students prepare for the world of work beyond the school gates.

Reporting Your Child Absent

It is important that you inform the school if your child is going to be absent, for whatever reason, as soon as possible before 8.30am.
You may do this in the following ways:
a. By telephoning the school office 01204 333300
b. By sending a text message 07592 328139
c. By sending an email to Attendance-Staff@little-lever.bolton.sch.uk

Please ensure that you state clearly one of the following reasons for absence:
1. Ill with CONFIRMED Covid-19
2. Self-Isolating with Covid symptoms whilst awaiting a confirmatory PCR test
3. Ill – for any other reason

It remains the responsibility of the parent/carer to inform the school of student absence.

If a student is expected to be in school, and no notification of absence has been received we will take the following action:
• The Education Welfare Officer will endeavour to contact parents/carers by telephone to establish the reason and take appropriate action which could include a home visit.
• If a pupil who is subject to a Child Protection Order is absent without satisfactory explanation the Early Intervention Team will be contacted before 10.00am and asked to undertake a home visit.
• Where there is a safeguarding concern relating to a student’s absence, and the student is not subject to a Child Protection Order, the schools Designated Safeguarding Lead will be informed and a home visit may be undertaken as a matter of urgency. The purpose of this visit is to establish the safety and well-being of the student.

Testing

Government guidance currently states:

‘As pupils will potentially mix with lots of other people during the summer holidays, all secondary school pupils should receive 2 on-site lateral flow device tests, 3 to 5 days apart, on their return in the autumn term.

Settings may commence testing from 3 working days before the start of term and can stagger the return of pupils across the first week to manage this.
Pupils should then continue to test twice weekly at home until the end of September when this will be reviewed.’

We will be testing all students who have consented to testing during the first week of the new Autumn term.

The plan below outlines how we would propose to do this over the first week of the Autumn term.

Return to school plan from 6th September

• Students will not be required to complete any remote learning on their ‘Test days’ and ‘At home’ days.
• Year 7 will receive an induction day on their own to welcome them to Little Lever, and we are very much looking forward to meeting our new Year 7s!
• Each Year group will be given dedicated time to ensure we induct students back into school life and ensure we can give our students dedicated time to support them. We will also be sharing some of the exciting opportunities and enrichment experiences students will be able to get involved in and sign up to through their induction day.
• No Option Subject Boost classes will run for Year 11 during the week beginning 6th September. Y11 Option Boost classes will start week beginning Monday 13th September.

Aims of the new school day

Following proposals from Sir Kevan Collins we want to create the capacity to provide a recovery curriculum that helps students develop academically, socially and emotionally

• TIME: To give students more time and greater access to Enrichment opportunities and our Life Chances programmes so they can experience opportunities they have not had through the pandemic. To give students in Year 11 additional time so they can prepare adequately for the rigours of GCSE 2022.
• TEACHING: To focus intently on teaching strategies to improve students’ learning to ensure they receive the best learning experiences. Our students have given extremely positive feedback about how our 3 session day is supporting their learning.
• TARGETTED SUPPORT: To provide specific targeted support to students who need it both academically, socially and emotionally. Mentoring programmes will be established to support students both before school from 8.30am and after school from 2.45pm.

What will the day look like for each Year group?

Morning Breakfast: We will provide a morning breakfast for all students from 8am every day.  Breakfast will be fuel for the day to support students’ concentration and focus in sessions.  Students play a role in helping us shape the menu with a focus on foods that will support their learning.

PREP Time: PREP time will ensure students are well prepared for learning that day.

Achievement points will be reviewed every day and students will be rewarded daily for upholding the school values and helping every person achieve things they never thought they could!  Equipment checks will take place every morning to ensure there is no wasted learning time in students’ sessions.

Optional Enrichment: Students will have the opportunity to sign up to an Enrichment experience every half term.  Enrichment experiences will occur every night of the week with the exception of Wednesday.  Students will be able to sign up to experiences from mountain biking, to ‘Bake off’ to FIFA club, to Duke of Edinburgh, to industrial standard first aid courses.  We will ensure Enrichment is timetabled to allow students to attend more than one per week if they would like to.

Nightclub: Nightclub is an opportunity for students to complete their retrieval practice strategies (homework) for their low stakes quizzes, to prepare for tomorrow’s sessions or simply to come and read a book.  Students that stay after 4pm will be given a free evening meal before they go home.

The school day for Year 11 is different to other year groups.  We recognise that our Year 11 cohort have been affected by the pandemic in both Year 9 and Year 10 and we want to give them the best chance of success in their GCSEs in 2022.  They have worked incredibly hard through the pandemic and we are all determined that no student will be disadvantaged by the pandemic next year.

We need to get the balance right. We didn’t think it was appropriate to ask students to stay at school for long periods of time, but we did feel that by being creative with our times of the day we can accommodate additional learning time for our Year 11 students and they can still leave school at a reasonable time.

8.30am – 9.15am – Year 11 students will be expected to be in school for 8.25am ready for an 8.30am start.  They will receive a 45 minute session of English, maths and science during their PREP time.  They will also receive 45 minutes of our Life Chances curriculum at this time.

2.45pm – 3.30pm – Year 11 students will receive an additional 45 minute session in one of their Option Subjects.  This will be on students’ timetables and is a compulsory session.   Every half term we will review the progress students have made in each of their Option Subjects and will place them in Option subjects where they need more support or to give them more time to enhance their grades.

At parts of the year, we will allow Year 11 students to access the Enrichment curriculum.

8.25am arrival for 8.30am start

Students will enter the building at the back of school near the AstroTurf in the normal way.

Students will line up on the back yard in the designated areas for their Form group. This will be indicated by a marked yellow box on the ground. Their Form tutor will be there to greet them and this will be clearly labelled for students.

Protocols for arrival

• If students arrive before 8.25am they will have access to the canteen from 8am for a Morning Breakfast.
• Between 8.25am and 8.30am students will go straight to the back yard along the road via Bowness primary school and enter the back yard near the AstroTurf pitch.
• Students will line up in their Form tutor groups
• Form tutors will be there to greet students as they arrive and instruct them to line up
• Form groups will then be escorted in to the school one class at a time.
• The teacher will escort students to their classroom
• SLT will then signal for the next class to enter the building and the process will be repeated until all classes have entered the building.
• Any students arriving late will need to enter the school via Student reception in the normal way.

Departure

• Year 11 will leave the building independently via the nearest exit at 3.30pm

• On Wednesdays students will leave at 2.45pm. There will be no Option Subject Boost, Enrichment or Nightclub on a Wednesday.

Recommended 8.45am arrival for a 9am start

Students will enter the building at the back of school near the AstroTurf in the normal way.

Students will line up on the back yard in the designated areas for their Form group. This will be indicated by a marked yellow box on the ground. Their Form tutor will be there to greet them and this will be clearly labelled for students.

Protocols for arrival (will remains the same)

• If students arrive before 8.45am they will have access to the canteen from 8am for a Morning Breakfast.
• Between 8.55am and 9am students will go straight to the back yard along the road via Bowness primary school and enter the back yard near the AstroTurf pitch.
• Students will line up in their Form tutor groups
• Form tutors will be there to greet students as they arrive and instruct them to line up
• Form groups will then be escorted in to the school one class at a time.
• The teacher will escort students to their classroom
• SLT will then signal for the next class to enter the building and the process will be repeated until all classes have entered the building.
• Any students arriving late will need to enter the school via Student reception in the normal way.

Transitions

• 9.15am All students will make their own way to session 1 from PREP time
• START of BREAK times – Students will make their own way to the back yard or canteen for break time. Year groups will now be able to make their way straight the canteen if they wish to.  They will not be required to queue as we have done this year.
• END of BREAK time – Students will line up in their in their Session classes in their designated area. Their Session teachers will be there to meet them and will escort them back into the building one class at a time under the direction of SLT.
• START of LUNCH times – Students will make their own way to the back yard or canteen for break time. Year groups will now be able to make their way straight the canteen if they wish to.  They will not be required to queue as we have done this year.
• END of LUNCH time – Students will line up in their in their Session classes in their designated area. Their Session teachers will be there to meet them and will escort them back into the building one class at a time under the direction of SLT.
• Moving to a Session – Students will make their own way to a session according to their timetable

Protocols for Departure

• Students will leave the building via the nearest exit to the front of school.  There will be a 1 minute staggered departure for Year groups between 2.45pm and 2.49pm.  Students can then attend their Optional Enrichment opportunities or the Nightclub or can go home.
• On Wednesdays students will leave at 2.45pm. There will be no Optional Enrichment or Nightclub on a Wednesday.

While it is not the law it is still expected and recommended by the government that students wear face coverings on public transport.

School Buses

The school bus service will be running each day and will follow its normal route in order that students arrive on time.  We are currently negotiating with the bus company about the possibility of providing two buses to ensure our Year 11 students arrive for 8.25 each day and any other students who wishes to arrive early can do.  The second bus would ensure students arrive at school for 8.45am.  The bus company have been very accommodating and we are confident we will be able to confirm this arrangement before we break for the summer.

A similar system will work for students departure.  There will be two buses.  One that will depart at approximately 2.55pm and a second bus which would depart at 3.40pm.  This will primarily be for Year 11 students, who finish school at 3.30pm but will allow all students to access Enrichment opportunities and catch the bus home safely.

Students and staff will move around the building as they normally would.  The timetable, new times of the day will dramatically reduce the numbers of students moving around the building at any one time.  Senior leaders will be on ‘Walkabout’ in every session of every day and ALL staff are expected to Meet and Greet on their classroom door to ensure as students move around the building they uphold our values.

• All classrooms can be arranged in any way the teacher wishes to maximise the learning experience of students.
• Excess furniture will be removed to increase the space in each classroom.
• In ICT classrooms a Perspex sheet will remain.
• Hand sanitisers will be placed at strategic points along corridors and in every classroom in the school so staff and students can regularly wash their hands on entry and exit to every classroom they visit.

• Students and staff will use hand sanitisers on entry and exit to the classroom for every session.
• Students should sit in the same seat at all times and must not move without permission from the teacher.
• Teachers will keep a seating plan and a copy of this will be kept centrally
• Teachers can patrol and position and move freely around the classroom to praise students and support them with learning.
• Where appropriate windows should be left open during the session unless it disrupts learning
• We are looking forward to getting back to using teaching strategies involving groups and pairs!!  

We hope to still run lots of extra-curricular visits where we feel it will significantly benefit our students’ learning, character development, their life chances and future employment opportunities.  In line with government guidance, a thorough risk assessment will take place before any extra-curricular visit is organised.

We have a new Enrichment Curriculum which we are delighted to launch this September. Please visit our Enrichment page below to find out more about the exciting opportunities students can get involved in in our new after school enrichment sessions every day.

Our Enrichment Page

Our expectations of student behaviour and conduct have not changed… they still remain extremely high.

Our systems and structures for managing students’ behaviour and conduct have not changed and you can view ‘Our expectations’ on the link https://www.little-lever.bolton.sch.uk/the-little-lever-way/our-expectations/

Students are expected to wear school uniform in line with the uniform policy. This includes PE kit when students take part in their PE lesson.

• Hoodies worn underneath the school blazer will not be permitted from September. Little Lever  V neck jumpers are available to purchase from our stockists.  These can be worn underneath the blazer.  Students should wear a warm coat over the top of their blazer if they are cold and they have the option of wearing a Little Lever V neck jumper as well.  Hoodies must be removed before students cross the Blue line in the morning.

The reason we insist on this is it is a physical symbol that we are all part of the same Little Lever family and we look after each other.  We understand why students want to wear them, but hoodies become a fashion statement and we want to see our students as equals in all that they do.  We are all part of the same family and we want students to concentrate and focus on learning and being kind and not worry about status or ‘fitting in’.  Everyone in our school belongs to the Little Lever family no matter who you are or where you come from.  We are also helping students prepare for the world of work where in certain industries the clothes you wear or don’t wear is compulsory.  We want to educate our students about the world in which they live to ensure they are successful when they leave.

We insist on black leather shoes and we will not deviate from this.  We do not allow trainers of any type.

Students are only permitted to wear a wrist watch.  Rings, earrings, piercings and bracelets are not to be worn.

If students are going to have piercings we recommend students have these done over the summer holidays.  We will not accept any reason for wearing jewellery other than a wrist watch.

Our Uniform Stockists

Whittaker’s Schoolwear, Deansgate, Bolton 01204 389485

whittakersschoolwear.co.uk

Smart Clothing, Blackhorse Street, Bolton 01204 392610

smartschoolwear.co.uk

PTS School Wear, 7 New Road, Radcliffe 0161 723 0991

pts-schoolwear.co.uk

Ziggys, Brackley Street, Farnworth 01204 577211

• As our current uniform policy states piercings and jewellery of any kind are not permitted and will be confiscated. Students should remove all piercings/jewellery before they come to school or cross the blue line in the morning.
• If students are seen wearing jewellery or have piercings of any kind they will be asked to remove them and they will be confiscated until the end of the day and the student will receive a C3 detention.
• We are confident every student at Little Lever understands our policy on jewellery. We make our uniform policy clear in advance hence why we put the responsibility on students to make the right choice.  We want students to concentrate on learning whilst they are at school.  While we understand why students want to wear jewellery, we also want students to understand we value them all equally no matter what jewellery they are wearing.  The focus is on learning when we come to school and we want nothing to detract from that.   We are also helping students prepare for the world of work where in certain industries the equipment you wear or don’t wear is compulsory.  We want to educate our students about the world in which they live to ensure they are successful when they leave.

Little Lever is a Mobile Phone Free School.  This is a national project established by Parents and Teachers for Excellence.   While the Mobile Phone is a fantastic creation and helps society in so many ways we do not feel they are conducive to helping students learn.  They cause too many distractions, increase the risk of exposure to uncensored material and cause significant mental health issues for young people when used for pro-longed periods of time.   There is significant re-search to suggest that those schools who have mobile phone free policies have significantly improved the life chances of their students by improving their concentration levels which has resulted in improved GCSE outcomes for their students.

Many of the top performing schools in the country have adopted a mobile phone free policy and we feel our students will reap the benefits of being able to concentrate solely on learning when they come to school.  Our Little Lever Parent Forum were in full support of becoming a Mobile Phone Free school and echoed the benefits to learning and students’ mental health this would bring.

How will it work?

Students must not have a mobile phone on their person at any time of the school day.

We understand that parents/carers will want to keep in touch with their children and many parents will want their child to carry a mobile phone for safety reasons.  For this reason, students will be able to bring a mobile phone into school but it must remain switched off and in the students’ bag until the end of the day.  Once the student has crossed the blue line outside the school gates at the end of the day they are free to use their mobile phone.

If students have a mobile phone on their person or are seen using their mobile phone at any part of the school day it will be confiscated and a C3 detention will be issued.  The phone will be labelled and placed securely in the school safe and record of the students name will be taken.  Students can collect the phone at the end of the school day.

If a student has a mobile phone on their person or is seen using it for a second time the phone will be confiscated for 5 school days from the date it was confiscated and the student will receive a C3 detention.  We will ask parents and carers to collect the phone at the end of the 5 day period.

If a student has a mobile phone on their person or is seen using it for a third time the phone will be confiscated for a 4 week period from the date it was confiscated and the student will receive a C3 detention.  We will ask parents and carers to collect the phone at the end of the 4 week period.

For every time a student has a mobile phone on their person or is seen using it after the third time it will be confiscated for 4 weeks each time and the student will receive a C3 detention.  We will always ask parents/carers to collect the phone at the end of the 4 week period.

Actions if a student shows COVID-19 symptoms

• Isolate in school
• Inform parents
• Send student home ASAP
• Encourage student to get a PCR test ASAP and self isolate while await results
• If test is negative – return to school
• If test is positive moved to confirmed case scenario.

Actions if a member of staff shows COVID-19 symptoms

• Send home immediately
• Inform HR before leave the site
• Staff member to get PCR test ASAP and self isolate while awaiting results
• If test is negative return to school
• If test is positive moved to confirmed case scenario

Actions if there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the school

• Student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19
• Person who tests positive self isolates
• Potential close contacts wait for NHS test and Trace to contact them and follow their guidance. People do not need to self isolate if you are fully vaccinated or under the age of 18 from 16^th August

If further cases are detected within the school the school will contact the Local Health Protection Team who will investigate and advise.