Context
On 31 December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan City, China. ‘Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2’ (SARS-CoV-2) was confirmed as the causative agent of what we now know as ‘Coronavirus Disease 2019’ (COVID-19). Since then, the virus has spread worldwide.
On 23 March 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a new measure to combat the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in South Africa – a three-week nationwide lockdown with severe restrictions on travel and movement, supported by the South African National Defence Force – from midnight on Thursday, 26 March, to midnight on Thursday, 16 April. The President said more needed to be done to avoid “an enormous catastrophe” among the population.
Impact on Schools
This announcement had a huge impact on schools in South Africa. At Broadacres Academy – we were two weeks away from the end of Term 1. Within 48 hours, our staff had prepared home-learning packs which were collected by parents to assist them with completing the last two weeks of term by learning at home, while staying at home and adhering to the lockdown regulations.
There was much speculation about how and when schools would re-open and which grades would return to school first. We had to plan for various scenarios, and in order to be prepared for the second term which started on 5 May, the school worked on the assumption that we would not be returning on the 5 May. This meant that during the April holiday, the school management together with the staff prepared themselves for Term 2 being delivered via Distance Learning using the online platforms.
Distance Learning via Online Platforms
Level 4 Lockdown was announced being effective 1 May 2020, which meant that our plans for Distance Learning forged ahead. The school, parents and children navigated the unchartered territory of Distance Learning via various online platforms – and did an excellent job of this.
Broadacres Academy has remained up to date with Covid-19 protocols and is compliant with directives from Government. Our beautiful school building and our Operating Procedures are Occupational Health and Safety compliant.
Sustainability in uncertain times
We thank all our stakeholders for their unwavering commitment during this time of business unusual. To find out more about what the school the school is doing in this regard, please see the resources section below for communiques in this regard.
Resources
Preschool - Back to School Guide
Covid-19 Education Manual
A manual about Covid-19, our policies, screening, guides and changes in the Broadacres School environment
Distance Learning & Online Education Policy
This policy was necessitated by the COVID-19 Lockdown and School Closures implemented in March 2020 by the South African National Assembly. The educational development of the pupils at Broadacres Academy is fundamentally based on teacher/child interaction in the classroom environment and with this not being possible, there needs to be a solution for the delivery of the curriculum and for learning to continue.
Detailed Policy
These guidelines have been compiled in consultation with additional various reputable local and international sources, namely the World Health Organisation, American Academy of Pediatrics, South
African National Institute for Communicable Disease, various South African government departments and legislation and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (USA).
Covid-19 Policy
This policy is based on the published regulations and information available as the date of approval / review and remains subject to change as government guidelines and regulations are gazetted and published from time to time
Stigma Policy
This policy exists to protect both staff and learners within the school environment from stigmatisation of any sort. In order to promote mental well-being and a harmonious schooling environment,
stigmatisation for any reason will not be tolerated.