Premises and Pupil Safety Committee Meeting, Friday 9th October 2020 – Overview

The Premises and Pupil Safety Committee held our first virtual meeting of the new school year held on Friday.  As you know, we meet at least termly to discuss matters around the premises and the safety of the school community, although last term thanks to Covid, we met a little more frequently!

One of the key areas for discussion today was around an increase in dog fouling on the pavement outside school. We have asked the children to design laminated posters to be placed outside school, requesting dog owners to be more responsible for their dogs. In addition, Mr Attwell will be checking the pavement every morning when he unlocks the gates. The children will also be creating artwork to highlight the significance of the zig-zag parking restrictions outside school. As we are all now using the area outside of school a lot more, it is important the area is both clean and safe for our children and families.
The committee spent time reviewing matters arising from the new Friday half-day collection process, from which a new Access and Egress Policy will be developed and the Safeguarding Policy updated. The risk assessment documentation has also been updated.
We also discussed the process for closing ‘bubbles’ should someone receive a positive test result for Covid-19. While there is often ambiguity over how long people should isolate, we would like to reassure parents and carers that when an individual within the school tests positive, the school is required to seek official guidance from Public Health England. PHE will confirm to the school who needs to isolate and for how long. This decision is never made by the school.
Finally, in light of the tragedy earlier this term at a school in Newcastle, we are engaging a local reputable firm to conduct a tree survey of all the trees on school premises and those along the path on Preston Avenue, to further ensure the safety of our children and families.
In the next committee update, we look forward to sharing the results of the pupil well-being survey which will be undertaken later this term.
Many thanks
Maria Humphreys
Chair of Premises and Pupil Safety Committee
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