Last updated 18 June 2020

Update 18 June:

We have welcomed back into the school Year 10 and Year 12 students this week (week commencing 15 June), and are delighted to be welcoming back Years 2, 3, 4 and 5, so all primary years will be back in school from Monday 22 June. We are also continuing our online schooling for anyone who isn't able to return just yet.

update 1 June:

Claires Court school re-opens from Monday 1 June

Pupils from Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, as well as key workers’ children, are being welcomed back to Claires Court from Monday 1 June.

Following the government’s guidance for schools to re-open for specific year groups, we have put in place all the recommended and best practice safety measures to re-open at its Junior Boys site near The Thicket in Maidenhead. Its nursery will re-open from June 8, followed by some provision for years 10 and 12 from June 15*, whilst also monitoring government guidelines for new information.

James Wilding, Academic Principal, said: “We are all very much looking forward to seeing children safely return to schools. Our top priority is always the safety and wellbeing of all of the Claires Court community, including pupils, their families and our staff. We have carried out risk assessments and are following the best practice guidance to keep everyone safe.”

The safety measures include working in small classes, known as bubbles, of up to eight pupils, staying within bubbles during the day, staggered breaks and lunchtimes, social distancing, regular handwashing as well as the school being deep cleaned daily.

Any pupils not returning will be able to continue with online learning, which includes live classes, academic work, sports, art, music, drama and other activities.

Mr Wilding added: “Throughout the lockdown we have fully appreciated the pressures that families are under to work from home and home-school. We have continued our curriculum by providing online classes as well as sports and creative activities, whilst also looking out for the wellbeing of our families so it’s not all screen time and there’s a wide mix of school work and fun. The chance to get back into school will be fantastic for the children and we will continue to support all our families whether they are coming back now or hopefully in the near future.”

Claires Court is also planning virtual open events in June for families considering the next steps in their children’s education. For more information visit www.clairescourt.com or email registrar@clairescourt.com

*exact details of this will follow government guidelines, which are still to be announced.

Distance learning

For Year 1 parents and above continuing distance learning, to ensure we can develop our educational provision even further after the Easter break, please can you do the following:
1. Read through our Online Home Learning Responsible User Agreement with your family
2. Also read the overarching Acceptable Use of ICT (pupils) policy
3. Complete the short online user form at the bottom of the Agreement for each child or young person you have registered in our school.

useful resources:

• Summer term distance learning handbooks
• Claires Court Hub for families
• Home school books guide for primary
• Coronavirus updates .gov.uk
• Stay at home guidance .gov.uk
• Public Health England
• NHS 
• Foreign travel advice
• World Book Day stay at home ideas and resources
• BBC Bitesize home learning lessons
• Love Reading for Kids
• National Geographic Kids - three months free of charge
• The Week Junior - current affairs magazine aimed at eight to 14 year olds
• Amazon Audible books
• David Walliams audio book
• The Body Coach PE lesssons
• FSC resources - 1. create maps, 2. scavenger hunt, 3. weather diary.

Temporarily closed from Friday 20 March
It’s a sad time for all of the Claires Court community as we temporarily close the doors in support of tackling the Covid-19 outbreak.

Teachers have worked very hard over the past few weeks to prepare not only a meaningful distance learning curriculum but also a pastoral support plan, while still teaching your sons and daughters and managing their questions about this very uncertain set of circumstances.

We will keep education, activities and support going for our pupils through distance learning, and we’ll be regularly posting on our social media with activities, tips and news so please share with your friends and family. 

Our programme for all pupils will ensure they feel they can learn without immediate physical teacher input, that they can be challenged in their work but not worried, that they have support when they need it online, and that they are part of a community that cares.

Led by James and Hugh Wilding, Claires Court School will remain here for you as families either online, on the phone, or in person if needed. We will continue to update families on developments in a timely way after considering any guidance and new information. 

Thank you to everyone for their kind messages showing what a wonderful and positive community we have.

We would also like to thank the Claires Court staff for their immense dedication for what they are doing to prepare the boys and girls for this next step into the unknown. 

Please follow us on our facebook, twitter or linkedin for updates. #WeAreCC

Stay safe and best wishes from all at Claires Court.

Update Wednesday 18 March, 8pm:

School and Nursery closure
The Government has now confirmed that all schools across the UK will shut by Friday 20 March. Our staff have consolidated their preparation for this, and are finalising their plans for distance learning. Families will receive a separate communication explaining our plans for distance learning in due course. 

Key workers
The government has stipulated that schools should endeavour to be available for pupils of ‘key workers’. While this is extremely difficult, we would like to follow the guidance as best we can. If you are a key worker and you feel that you are unable to look after your children due to your duties, as a key worker, please fill in this form as soon as possible but no later than 9.30am Thursday 19 March. A key worker can be defined as ‘an employee usually working in the public sector who provides a vital service, especially in the police, health or education sectors’. 

Next steps
We are now considering the finer details of the government announcements as well as how Friday’s closure will work for families. Our intention is to have both our pupils and as parents fully prepared and equipped to deal with the challenges being faced, with the priority being the safety and welfare of our school community.  

If you have a meeting or appointment with individual teachers already booked in from Monday 23 March, please assume these are postponed until further notice - we will look to rearrange everything once we are able to open the school again. 

We are expecting children to attend school on Thursday 19 and Friday 20 March unless they have symptoms of Covid-19 or are in a household which needs to self isolate. Pupils will bring home the majority of their books/resources on Thursday, leaving only what they need for Friday’s lessons. 

We are truly appreciative of your support in these unique times. Our staff are working immensely hard and we are endeavouring to provide the best continuity we can in the circumstances. Updates will continue to be sent by email and on our website.

Other useful resources:

• Coronavirus updates .gov.uk
• Stay at home guidance .gov.uk
• Public Health England
• NHS 
• Foreign travel advice
• Home school books guide for primary
• World Book Day stay at home ideas and resources
• The Body Coach PE lesssons.

Update Tuesday 17 March, 12pm:

We are continually responding to the outbreak of Covid-19, and we are adhering to the directions from Public Health England, the Department for Education (DfE) and the NHS. We are balancing as best possible the need to continue to deliver an excellent teaching and learning experience for our pupils, while ensuring the safety of the whole Claires Court community. To do this, we are updating our risk assessments daily across our three schools.

After careful consideration, we have decided to cancel or postpone all sporting fixtures for the foreseeable future. A significant number of the schools we play against have also taken this decision. Our students will still participate in internal sporting lessons. 

All trips for the remainder of this term have been postponed, and we are reviewing residential trips that are due to take place at the start of next term.

We realise that the boys and girls will be disappointed at this, but our decisions are made in the best interests of their wellbeing, and the wellbeing of all of our families. 

Please do not send your child to school if they or any other members of your family in your home are exhibiting any of the Covid-19 symptoms, such as a persistent cough, a high temperature, or any shortness of breath. The isolation period has now been set at 14 days. We will continue to update families directly by email and here. 

If you are visiting any of our schools, please do follow our visitor guide here.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we all work together in our school community to keep everyone safe. 

Other useful resources:

• Coronavirus updates .gov.uk
• Stay at home guidance .gov.uk
• Public Health England
• NHS 
• Foreign travel advice.

Update Thursday 12 March, 2pm:

Please be assured that we are constantly evaluating the situation regarding the spread of Covid-19, and we are in regular liaison with the Department for Education (DfE), Public Health England (PHE) and the NHS to ensure we prioritise the wellbeing of our school community.

Taking advice from those external agencies, we have already made several adjustments to our provision for the pupils and staff. These adjustments include additional education on good hygiene, prioritising pastoral support for pupils concerned about the virus, and providing the required resources to keep the school as clean as possible. 

As the spread of Covid-19 continues, we have also cancelled or postponed several trips and visits to ensure that we are following all government recommended guidelines. Our ski trip to Northern Italy has been cancelled, our visit from Zoolab for both Junior and Senior schools is postponed until the summer term, and we have now postponed our Lent Term Senior Boys and Girls music concert. Further information on rearranged times where applicable will be available at a later date.

At the time of writing, all of our other trips are taking place and we are in continual contact with the external agencies being visited to ensure that your son(s) and/or daughter(s) will not only be safe, but will enjoy a superb experience on their ventures. We will update you immediately if this situation changes.

We kindly request that if you are visiting any of our school sites, please read our Claires Court visitors guide during the Covid-19 outbreak. 

We have a clear plan of action should the DfE or PHE inform us that our school needs to be closed. The plan takes into consideration our pupils’ academic and pastoral needs. 

We will continue to keep you informed of any updates by email and you can also see regular news here.

Other useful resources:

• Coronavirus updates .gov.uk
• NHS 
• Foreign travel advice.

Update Monday 9 March, 3.30pm:

Claires Court is following guidance from Public Health England, the Department for Education (DfE) and the NHS on developments relating to Covid-19. We are constantly assessing the situation as it changes at both local and national level. Our priority will always be the safety and wellbeing of our pupils, staff, parents, and the wider community. 

Whatever measures are put in place by the government, we have plans to ensure the continuity of our pupils' education. We will update you regularly with any relevant information that affects our school. If you have any questions, please contact Justin Spanswick, Executive Headteacher, on 01628 327717.

Update Wednesday 5 March, 12pm: 

We are monitoring the latest advice about Covid-19 closely. We are directed in our actions by Public Health England (PHE) who liaise closely with the Department for Education (DfE). At the time of writing we have had no cases of Covid-19 at Claires Court. As a school we are actively encouraging our pupils to be extra vigilant in their hygiene to prevent the spread of any pathogens, and we will continue to do so.

Our boys and girls visit a number of different schools and venues for sports fixtures, events and trips. We are in regular contact with all the schools/venues that we visit to ensure they share our attentiveness to the current situation. If you visit any schools to support your children in their events, please do adhere to the practices they suggest to prevent any spread of pathogens. 

We have a number of trips abroad planned in the coming weeks, including the school ski trip and the rowing training camp. All events will go ahead as planned unless we are directed otherwise by PHE. If you would like to discuss any of the details about these events, please speak with the trip leader in the first instance, or with myself.

We are aware there will be further updates on the government's plans to tackle the possible spread of such a virus. We will inform you of any new information and any updates will also be published here.

Our current actions, as mentioned above, follow clear direction from PHE which state:

“No school should close in response to a suspected (or confirmed) COVID-19 case unless directed to do so by Public Health England.”

A helpline has been set up for further questions about the Government's response and the details can be found below.

​We understand that this can be a worrying time for parents, pupils and staff, and I would like to reassure you that Claires Court is working hard​ to look after the welfare of all our families.

The current advice from Public Health England remains as follows:  

Public Health England have released additional advice for people returning from certain areas in Italy.

People who have returned from one of the ‘lock down’ areas in Northern Italy are told to self-isolate on their return to the UK, even if they have no symptoms (a map of affected areas is available on the link below).

The two regions concerned are Lombardy (Milan) and Veneto (Venice). 

People returning from other areas north of, but not including Pisa, Florence and Rimini, should self-isolate if they develop symptoms.

Both should contact NHS 111 or visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public for more information. This website is updated periodically and should any advice change that affects our school, staff or pupils, we will let you know.

If you have any questions about our response to the Public Health England’s guidance, please contact Justin Spanswick, Executive Headteacher on 01628 327717.

We will continue to monitor the situation as it develops and, if appropriate, provide updates.