School Risk Assessment
Our school has worked exceptionally hard to ensure that all of our children, staff and parents are safe on our return to school from closure. Our environment and procedures have been fully risk assessed to support the safest return possible. Please find the attached risk assessment document for your information. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to telephone school and ask.
Covid 19 School Closure Week 45 – Parents Information
Information Directly From DfE, Sheffield City Council and School
National lockdown now in force
The Prime Minister announced a new national lockdown.
During the period of national lockdown, schools, alternative provision, special schools, and colleges will remain open to vulnerable children and young people and the children of critical workers only. All other children and students will learn remotely until February half term.
Higher education provision will remain online until mid-February for all except future critical worker courses.
During the period of national lockdown, childminders and childminder agencies can continue to allow children to attend as normal, except for school-aged children. Childminders caring for school-aged children (including reception children) should only open for children who are eligible for on-site school attendance including vulnerable children and children of critical workers.
In these circumstances, it is not regarded as possible or fair for all exams this summer to go ahead as planned. The Secretary of State for Education will therefore work with Ofqual to put in place alternative arrangements after consultation with the sector.
Detailed guidance to support parents and carers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak will be updated shortly.
Vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs)
In light of the evolving public health measures, schools and colleges can continue with the vocational and technical exams that are due to take place in January, where they judge it right to do so.
It is understood that this is a difficult time but we want to support schools and colleges whose students have worked hard to prepare for assessments and exams where necessary. This may be particularly important for VTQs which require a ‘license to practice’ which can only be fulfilled through practical assessment, such as an electrician.
Vulnerable children and children of critical workers who can attend school and college
During the period of national lockdown, schools and colleges should only allow vulnerable children and the children of critical workers to attend. Children with at least one parent or carer who is listed as a critical worker are eligible for a school place. It is not necessary for both parents to be critical workers.
Schools and colleges will be required to speak to parents and carers to identify who requires a school place. If it proves necessary, schools can ask for simple evidence that the parent in question is a critical worker, such as their work ID badge or pay slip.
The critical worker list has been updated to include new workforces whose work is critical following the end of the EU transition period. It is important these people are also identified as critical workers and their children can attend the education setting. This change will see a small increase in the overall number of critical workers.
National lockdown announced to combat rising Covid cases
The government has announced a new national lockdown to combat the rising number of Covid cases across the UK. The new rules came into effect today and mean that people in England have to stay at home and only go out for essential reasons such as shopping, exercise or medical appointments.
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Latest video from Greg Fell
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Youtube video
In this weeks video Greg Fell, Director of Public Health in Sheffield, outlines Sheffield’s weekly position as he goes through the latest epidemiology figures, vaccination updates and where we might be in a few months.
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Latest Covid-19 stats for Sheffield
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Covid-19 stats
The latest* figures for positive Covid-19 cases in Sheffield up to 11 January 2021. Click below to find out more about cases in the city.
*Due to the time it takes to process test results there is a 7 day delay in the reporting of these figures.
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Sheffield’s Covid-19 Prevention & Management Board live Q&A
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Question mark
Put your questions to Sheffield’s Covid-19 Prevention & Management Board on Friday 22nd January at 2pm. To ask a question you must sign up before hand as places are limited on a first-come, first served basis. Just want to watch the session? Visit the Council’s webcasting portal here https://bit.ly/2IVASet
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School Covid Closure Update
Dear Parents/Carers,
It has been rather busy since the Prime Minister announced the latest national lockdown!
Thank you for your patience whilst we worked through the requests for children of critical workers to attend school, made staffing arrangements, and activated our remote learning strategy for those children learning from home. We have made so many decisions and responded to no end of queries in this time that we feel the need to summarise the arrangements in place for children attending school during lockdown to avoid any confusion.
Attendance In School
Restrictions of the current lockdown state that only children of critical workers and vulnerable children should attend school as set out on the GOV.UK website. However, this does not mean that children of critical workers must attend school. We politely request that eligible parents only use this provision on the days when there is no other option for childcare. Please do not send your child to school because you can; please only book their place in school for days it is absolutely necessary.
Sheffield City Council offers further advice for parents and carers when thinking about children accessing a place in school. It can be downloaded below :
Letter to Parents AM and JM 18 Jan 2020 (1)
If your child is eligible to attend, please immediately email l.ross@stocksbridge-jun.sheffield.sch.uk to let us know that your child qualifies for a place during this latest lockdown. Please include in the email your child’s name, class, parents’ professions and the days required.
Please email by Friday each week listing the days you require the following week. Wherever possible, we will do our best to accommodate.
We must all play our part in minimising contacts in order to reduce transmission of COVID-19. For this reason, it may be necessary to limit the number of children within each bubble at any one time.
The government updated it’s guidance on critical workers late on Friday- and it can be found here:
There is clarification from the DFE that :
‘Children with at least one parent or carer who is a critical worker can go to school or college if required, but parents and carers should keep their children at home if they can.’
Attendance Update 22 01 21
We are continuing to receive requests for children of critical workers to attend on-site provision, leading to increasing numbers of children in school. The guidance sets out that parents and carers who are critical workers should keep their children at home if they can. We must, therefore, ask again that children of critical workers are ONLY booked into school on the
days that the critical worker is out at work AND there is no other option for a child to stay at home. Even when a parent is working from home, the guidance sets out that they should keep their children at home with them.
Limiting attendance at schools and colleges helps to support the reduction in the overall number of social contacts in our communities, which is a vital intervention in the context of current very high transmission rates. As a school, our first priority is to ensure vulnerable children attend school. We may soon find ourselves in a position where we then have to prioritise children whose parents are both critical worker before then making any remaining places available to children of one critical worker parent. We do not want to have to take this action, however, the increasing number of children requiring on-site provision may leave us no alternative.
Please remember, do not send your child to school because you can; please only book their place in school for days when there is no alternative.
Remote Learning For Those At Home
So what does remote learning look like in our school ?
A daily class Zoom at 9:30am for the children to have live, face-to-face interaction with their teacher and each other. The link to Zoom will be posted as an ‘activity’ on Seesaw for children to access.
Learning activities posted on Seesaw, which mirror the curriculum which would have been taking place had the children been in the classroom. Whilst some of these activities will require your child to complete them online, we hope to provide a balance of activities that may be completed away from the screen and then uploaded as a simple photograph.
o English including reading and spelling activities
o Maths including times table practice
o A foundation subject lesson e.g. music, art or PE
o A ‘school norm’, for example, access to the class read, Celebration Assembly or social and emotional activities.
Constructive feedback from the teacher on Seesaw contributions
As with everything we do, we have tried to make well-considered and informed decisions about how we develop remote learning in line with national guidance. We hope our offer is aspirational but also realistic within the capacity of both our staff in school and accessible for children at home. We hope that our remote learning offer enables pupils and teachers to remain connected, provides continuity of learning for our pupils and is also mindful of the workload of our teaching staff and parents at home. This recent article from the TES discusses two of the different
approaches schools have been taking: https://www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-schools-online-learning-are-livelessons-really-better-recorded-ones If you have any questions, comments or feedback regarding our blended learning approach, please do get in touch.
Reading At Home
We thought it would help to share a few options for children to access reading books:
Children should have their Myon login details in their diaries. There is a quiz on Accelerated Reader for every book on Myon.
If children are reading their own books at home, they can check whether it is on Accelerated Reader as ost popular/well-known books are. Children can also visit arbookfind.co.uk to find the level of the book too.
Details of library opening times are listed above.
Oxford Owl also has a large library of ebooks although not all books are ‘quizable’.
Usernames and passwords are available from class teachers.
If you need a little extra …..
If children would like to do a little extra, there are many sites to access. Work from here can also be uploaded to SeeSaw if children wish.
Some sites suggested by Sheffield City Council are here for you –
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Class Zooming
The feedback we are hearing from children, teaching staff and the many parents who have been in touch, is that the morning Zooms are turning out to be one of the highlights of their day! Children are enjoying staying connected with their classmates and teachers, and it is so helpful in these times where we need to ‘stay at home’ to have a clear start to the daily routine.
As we enter the fourth week of remote learning, we ask that parents remind their children of a few ‘Zoom etiquettes’. These have all been discussed with children last term when we were preparing them for the potential of their bubble needing to learn remotely.
Pupil behaviour should be in line with our normal high expectations for behaviour in school
Pupils should be dressed and ready for learning by 9:30am
Pupil should have had their breakfast before the start of the class Zoom
Pupils should mute their microphone – teachers will ask children to unmute when necessary
Pupils should edit their display name to the name their teacher addresses them in class
Pupils are asked to leave any toys (or anything else which could be a distraction) out of reach for the duration of the Zoom
Thank you for your support with this. Video calls have very quickly become a well-established part of working-life for many people. Just as we nurture children to develop many life skills including manners, organisational skills and timekeeping skills, for example, we hope that this unusual time in their education can be put to good use to develop skills such as independent learning, video conferencing skills and online safety too.
Technology – Should you have an issue …..
Devices
The government are providing laptops and tablets to schools to support remote education. All secondary schools have been invited to order their allocation of devices and primaries have now been invited to order their allocation.
We feel it is unfair to disadvantage any of our pupils by waiting for the government scheme and have begun preparing the iPads we have in school in order to loan this out to children learning at home. Mrs Lea-Jones is dealing with requests for this small stock .
Please contact Mrs Lea-Jones on j.leajones@stocksbridge-jun.sheffield.sch.uk should you wish to loan a device.
All loans are only for the duration of lockdown and are subject to parents signing a loan agreement form.
Internet access
To further support disadvantaged children, the government are providing internet connections where they are needed. If you do not have a broadband connection within your household, please contact Mrs Lea-Jones on the above email address.
Data
Vodafone is offering schools free data SIMs – with 30GB data for 90 days so children can continue to learn at home. See the link below for further details:
https://www.vodafone.co.uk/mobile/pay-as-you-go-plans/schools-connected
Please contact Mrs Lea-Jones on the above email address.
School Timings
The school gate opens from 8:15am each morning. As we have fewer children accessing the premises, it is easier for them to filter in without us requiring staggered start times.
Children may arrive anytime between 8:15am and 8:30am.
School will finish for all children at 3:15pm from Mondays to Thursdays, with the usual 12:30pm finish on Fridays.
Safety At The School Gate – We Need Your Help
With the rapid increase in positive cases, if your child is in school we must all play our part in keeping each other safe.
Please social distance (i.e. stand at least two metres) from people you do not live with.
Please ensure pavements are clear for children to approach the school gate safely without them having to pass you within two metres.
Where it is difficult to stay two-metres apart, please wear face coverings.
The school gate does not open before 8:15am. Please ensure your child does not arrive any earlier as this can lead to groups of children congregating on the pavement.. If you need to talk to a member of staff, please either email or ring to arrange a telephone call so we can keep the flow of children as smooth as possible.
Friday Childcare Provision
We appreciate that some arrangements for Friday afternoon childcare may have fallen through due to lockdown. If you have absolutely no alternative and need your child to remain in school until 3:15pm, please email office@stocksbridge-jun.sheffield.sch.uk.
Please see additions in the attached – 2021 01 05 – Children of Critical Worker Info
Headphones for school
Our children attending school on-site are accessing their learning via Seesaw in the same way to the children learning remotely. With several children joining their class Zooms simultaneously, it can become tricky for children to clearly hear the discussion. If possible, it would be helpful for children attending school to bring their own set of headphones.
Free school meal provision in schools
During the period of national lockdown, schools should provide meal options for all pupils who are in school, including vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. Meals should be available free of charge to:
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· all infant pupils · pupils who meet the benefits-related free school meals eligibility criteria |
The order for FSM Vouchers has been placed with Edenred. Once this order has been fulfilled, emails will be sent to all parents and carers of children are eligible for FSM. If you have more than one child entitled to FSM you will get the full entitlement in one e-code for all children.
Please note the email will come directly from Edenred, not Stocksbridge Junior School, so please check your Junk/Spam folders just in case they don’t go directly to your Inbox.
Instructions on how to redeem your e-code will be found within the email.
If you have any questions regarding free school meals vouchers please phone school and speak to our office staff.
Supporting Families With Children with SEND
Attached is an open letter from Vicky Ford MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families to children and young people with SEND, their families, and those who work to support them.
The council have co-produced some information about education during this lockdown for families of children and young people with SEND. They have worked with the Parent Carer Forum and Sheffield Special Educational Needs and Disability, information, Advice and Support (SSENDIAS) to respond to questions parents have asked. Please see attached below.
Family SEND information 21.01.2021
Calls From School
It is commonplace nowadays that we often screen telephone calls which appear ‘no caller ID’ to avoid sales calls, surveys or phishing scams. With many of our class teachers currently teaching remotely from home, they may need to call you to check in with your child and will withhold their number. If you do receive a ‘No Caller ID’ call it may well be your child’s class teacher. Please answer – we promise not to try to sell you something!
Staff Testing
The Department for Education has recently announced that it will start a programme of asymptomatic COVID-19 testing in primary schools, school-based nurseries and maintained nursery schools. Along with the other protective measures and keeping the number of people in school to a minimum, testing will allow us to take further measures to ensure our school is as safe an environment as possible. Up to one in three people who have COVID-19 have the virus without symptoms so could be transmitting the virus unknowingly.
As soon as we take delivery of our testing kits, our staff will begin taking routine tests twice a week, 3-4 days apart. In the event of a routine test identifying an asymptomatic case, we will immediately inform parents of any children who will need to isolate for the next ten days.
So what happens if you feel that your child may be showing signs of Covid19 ?
You have our assurance that whilst your children is in school, all symptoms that may indicate Covid19 will be considered immediately.
The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:
a new continuous cough
a high temperature
a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)
Staff will take action as soon as one or more of these symptoms are recognized and consult with parents and carers to ensure that all are kept safe.
It is important that all adults are clear about what to do in these circumstances :
Please download school advise here – Covid Flowchart for Parents
Further information is available at :
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
Pupil Isolation Leaflet A41-min
Isolation Is Key
- All parents, carers and pupils should be reminded that that if they have symptoms of Covid19, they must self-isolate, get a test and return home straight after the test. The household should self isolate and children and young people should not come into school. Children should not come into school when they are awaiting a test result themselves or have family members whom they live with awaiting test results.
- Parents, carers and children should be reminded that ‘class bubbles’ do not mean that children and young people can continue to meet up outside of school. Play dates and sleep overs with children from the same friendship groups or school classes should not be taking place. The bubbles in school are to support contact tracing and to minimise risk of virus transmission. Outside of school pupils should not be mixing. This follows the current national restrictions that are currently in place.
From 28 09 20 , people in England will be required by law to self-isolate if they test positive or are contacted by NHS Test and Trace. This law was introduced to ensure compliance with self-isolation rules and to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Fines were also introduced for those breaching self-isolation rules, starting at £1,000, in line with the existing penalty for breaking quarantine after international travel. To increase to up to £10,000 for repeat offences and the most serious breaches, including for those preventing others from self-isolating.
Employers who force or allow staff to come to work who they know should be self-isolating will also be liable for fines of up to £10,000.
Self-isolation period reduced from 14 days to 10 days
Self-isolation is essential to reducing the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) as it breaks the chains of transmission. After reviewing the evidence, the Department for Health and Social Care is now confident that we can reduce the number of days that contacts self-isolate from 14 days to 10 days. This was set out in the UK Chief Medical Officers’ statement on the self-isolation period on 11 December.
From 14 12 20, the self-isolation period for close contacts of a positive case of coronavirus (COVID-19) has changed from 14 to 10 days. This change applies to all those who are currently self-isolating including those who commenced self-isolation before today. This means that if you are on the 11th, 12th or 13th day of your current self-isolation period today – you can stop isolating. Any new cases identified for self-isolation will be advised to self-isolate for 10 days.
We have updated our guidance to reflect this change.
The NHS test and trace app will be updated to reflect the change on Wednesday 17 December. Anyone who is, or has been, contacted by the NHS app to self-isolate before 17 December can reduce their isolation period by 3 days. From 17 December the NHS app will tell people to self-isolate for 10 days.
Self-isolation financial support
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If you are on a low income and will lose income because you are self-isolating you can apply for a payment of £500. To claim, you must be employed or self-employed and unable to work from home.
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New variant of Covid-19
Eleanor Rutter, Public Health Consultant at Sheffield City Council, said: “During the second national lockdown, while rates of Covid infection slowed down in most areas of the country, rates in the south east increased. With this increase in cases, a new strain of the virus was identified. It is normal for viruses to undergo mutations and it was always a possibility that this could happen.
“Unfortunately, this new strain is much more infectious than the dominant strain which has been circulating over the last nine months. Estimates suggest it is up to 75% more transmissible and this is being looked at meticulously amongst professionals.
“Importantly, there is nothing to suggest that current testing methods or the effectiveness of vaccination will be affected.
“In common with other parts of the country, it is highly likely that we have cases of the new variant of Covid. We are asking anyone, even with the mildest of symptoms to self-isolate and get a test.
“The good news is that the new variant can be controlled by the same measures that we are all familiar with. However, following the announcement from Government on Saturday, we want to urge anyone who has travelled from the south east, over the last several days, to Sheffield to stay at home to prevent the spread of the virus. We also want to remind people to be cautious; it is imperative that we all now stick firmly to the guidance by maintaining a distance of at least two metres from people you do not live with and washing your hands frequently for 20 seconds as well as wearing a face covering.
“We know how hard people have and continue to work to limit the spread of this disease in Sheffield and how much people wanted some sense of ‘normality’ over the Christmas period, but it is more important now than ever to do whatever we can to keep our friends and families safe over the coming weeks.”
Vaccination Campaign
This week, as the NHS begins the biggest mass vaccination campaign in its history, we are being urged to remain vigilant. After the national lockdown restrictions were lifted on 2nd December, Sheffield has been placed in Tier 3: Very High Alert Level, and restrictions remain in place. Remember that you control the space around you.
Please continue to remind your children of the routines within school, and follow the key principles outside of school, particularly during the easing of some restrictions
over the Christmas holidays.
Wash Hands – keep washing your hands regularly
Cover Face – wear a face covering in enclosed spaces
Make Space – stay at least 2 metres apart – or 1 metre with a face covering or other precautions.
Covid-19 vaccination reminder
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Covid-19 vaccination
Please note that you will be contacted when it’s your turn to have the vaccine.
If you or your family member has an appointment to attend your GP Surgery for a Covid-19 vaccination please remember;
- Arrive on time, not too early.
- To ensure safe social distancing you may have to wait outside the Surgery before or after your vaccination. Therefore please dress warmly and don’t forget sensible footwear.
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The NHS COVID-19 app launched this week and we are encouraging everyone who can to download and start using the app straight away. It is part of the NHS Test and Trace service and has a number of tools to protect people, such as alerting people at risk of coronavirus and asking them to isolate before they potentially pass the virus on. To download the app click below.
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Guidance To Help Us Keep Safe
Or please see
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Covid testing centre to move location
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On 11th January the Hillsborough mobile testing centre will move location to the site of the former Hazlebarrow Primary School.
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Rapid coronavirus (COVID-19) testing in secondary schools and colleges
Secondary schools have now received lateral flow device test kits and many schools have now started testing. Rapid testing helps identify those asymptomatic cases that might otherwise not be detected, causing the virus to spread further.
Secondary schools should now offer:
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· initial testing of vulnerable children and children of critical workers who are on school and college sites (two tests, three to five days apart) · weekly testing of staff who are on school and college sites · daily testing of close contacts of positive cases in schools and college as an alternative to self-isolation, reducing disruption in schools and colleges. |
Staff, pupils and students who are on site can take daily lateral flow device tests for seven days. As long as their results are negative, they will be able to continue to access school as usual.
Clinically Extremely Vulnerable People
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People who are classified as Clinically Extremely Vulnerable are being asked to take additional precautions during this lockdown to reduce the risk of catching Covid-19. Letters from the Government, Sheffield City Council and the NHS will be sent out to everyone who is clinically extremely vulnerable to explain the changes and how to access help and support; these letters will be delivered over the next few days.
Guidance is available on the Government’s website, including the updated list of conditions covered.
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- Children and young people at “high risk” from COVID-19 were and continue to be identified based on the guidance published by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH)
- Over the last few months clinicians from Sheffield Children’s Hospital have reviewed all children / young people who had been advised to shield, and removed them from the shielding list where appropriate. This was the vast majority of children on the original list.
- All clinical decisions around which children are identified as CEV have been made by clinicians at Sheffield Children’s or their GP.
- All children or young people in Sheffield who need to stay at home and not come into school will have received this information from either Sheffield Children’s hospital in the form of a letter or their GP
- Some children and young people will have received a letter from the national NHS database telling them they were CEV. In some cases this information was not correct due to the ongoing review of patients changing their status. Where this has occurred Sheffield Children’s hospital has contacted these families and confirmed that their child is no longer CEV and is able to attend school .
- Children who are not categorised as CEV should be in school as per government guidance
- Children and young people who received a letter in error by the national database and have subsequently been contacted by the Sheffield Children’s to say that they are not CEV should be in school
The Children’s Hospital continues to work closely with Sheffield CCG, the Local Authority Public Health teams and other staff within SCC Education and Skills to ensure that as government guidance changes throughout the pandemic we remain multi-agency in their response.
Advice and support for care homes visits
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People walking outdoors
We know how important visits are for the wellbeing of people living in care homes so we’ve written to all care homes to support them in continuing to provide safe visiting opportunities during this third national lockdown.
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Public Transport update
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Travel South Yorkshire have updated their guidance on using public transport in line with South Yorkshire moving into Tier 3 ‘Very High’ alert category. Please check the Travel South Yorkshire website for the latest advice ahead of your journey.
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Guidance on use of face covering when travelling to school or college
Children aged 11 and over are legally required to wear a face covering on public transport in England, unless exempt for health, age or disability reasons.
In accordance with advice from Public Health England, we recommend that local authorities advise children and young people aged 11 and over to wear a face covering when travelling on dedicated school transport, unless they are exempt. Coronavirus (COVID-19) usually spreads by droplets from coughs, sneezes and speaking. When used correctly, wearing a face covering may reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) droplets in certain circumstances, helping to protect others.
Schools should support local authorities in promoting the use of face coverings when travelling to and from school, and help them to resolve any issues of non-compliance where appropriate.
The ‘Hands. Face. Space.’ campaign urges everyone to continue to wash their hands, cover their face and make space to control infection rates. The NHS has released a ‘Hands. Face. Space.’ video that may be a useful resource when communicating the importance of wearing a face covering on transport directly to children and young people.
Further information on face coverings can be found in our guidance on transport to school and other places of education: autumn term 2020.
Helping taxi drivers be Covid secure
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Sheffield taxi drivers are being encouraged to access free face coverings, hand sanitiser and gloves to help them continue to operate safely over the festive period.
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Exceptional measures to support students sitting exams in summer
Students sitting exams and other assessments next year will benefit from a package of exceptional measures to make them as fair as possible and manage the disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.
In recognition of the challenges faced by students this year, grades will be more generous, students will be given advance notice of some topic areas, and steps will be taken to ensure every student receives a grade, even if they miss a paper due to self-isolation or illness.
The government has been clear that exams are the fairest way to judge a student’s performance and has made keeping schools and colleges open a national priority throughout the pandemic in order to minimise disruption to education.
Read more about this announcement on GOV.UK.
What do these new measures mean for students, teachers and parents?
We have developed a parent Q&A document that goes into the detail of this announcement and aims to address any queries they may have.
The Secretary of State has also written a letter to all students taking exams this year to explain these changes, show why they are necessary and help them understand how they will be impacted. We would be grateful if you would distribute this amongst your students.
Coronavirus Support
Sheffield City Council offers a whole host of support services to help residents through the Covid19 period. Please access below :
What support do you need?
Covid-19 community helpline
You can contact the city council for support on 0114 273 4567
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There is lots of support available to help you through lockdown. If you need help with shopping, medication collection, social contact or urgent support, please call our Community Helpline on 0114 273 4567.
For full details of all the other support available – including for drugs, alcohol, domestic abuse, money, homelessness, foodbanks, and more – please click the button below.
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Covid-19 Emergency Assistance Grant
Covid-19 Emergency Assistance Grants are provided to support Sheffield residents who are having difficulties paying for food and other essentials due to Covid-19.
The grant can pay for:
- food and housekeeping (groceries, toiletries, baby essentials etc)
- essential travel costs (job hunting, starting a new job, medical appointments etc)
- telephone and broadband (mobile phones, top-ups, broadband charge etc)
- gas and electricity
- clothing, including school uniforms
- essential furniture / white goods
- rent in advance if you are under immediate threat of eviction due to Covid-19 and your landlord agrees to stop the eviction if we pay some or all of your arrears
- mortgage arrears that you can prove are because of Covid-19
It cannot be used for:
- paying loans
- statutory activities/requirements that either the Council or another public-sector organisation is responsible for delivering
Who can apply
- you need to live in Sheffield
- you are struggling to afford food and other essentials due to Covid-19 eg if you had your hours reduced at work
- or you are indirectly affected eg someone who you rely on is not able to provide you with essential support
- one grant will be issued per household except in very exceptional circumstances
If you need help to apply for the Emergency Assistance Grant call us on 0114 273 4567 and we will go through it with you.
Furlough
If your job has been affected by the most recent lockdown you can check if your employer can use the Government Job Retention Scheme (furlough) at the button below.
Check here
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme extended until the end of March 2021
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) will be extended until the end of March 2021. Workers in any part of the UK can retain their job, even if their employer cannot afford to pay them, and be paid at least 80% of their salary up to £2,500 a month.
Community COVID-19 Response Fund now open
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This week we have launched the Community COVID-19 Response Fund. This short-term funding is designed to support the Voluntary and Community Sector in their work around preventing the spread of COVID-19, testing and outbreak management and supporting people to isolate.
More info
Help for parents to cope with infant crying
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Sheffield health and care partners have launched a programme to help parents cope with crying babies in response to concern that social isolation and increased family pressures during the COVID-19 pandemic may result in a higher incidence of abusive head trauma.
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Domestic abuse
Social distancing and social isolation can be hard for everyone. For people living in a situation where they are experiencing domestic abuse and violence from someone at home the current situation is likely to make things worse.However, peo ple need to know that they are not alone. The police and specialist services are still here to help them. Click the button for full details of support. |
Social distancing and social isolation can be hard for everyone. For people living in a situation where they are experiencing domestic abuse and violence from someone at home the current situation is likely to make things worse.
However, people need to know that they are not alone. The police and specialist services are still here to help them. Click the button for full details of support.
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Domestic abuse, drugs and alcohol support
Sheffield DACT can offer helpline support if you are struggling with:
- domestic abuse 0808 808 2241
- drugs 0114 272 1481
- alcohol 0114 305 0500
Maternity Appointments
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If you have a maternity appointment, or have any concerns about your baby, don’t ignore it. Speak to your midwife or call the Ask the Midwife Hotline on 0114 226 8091. Available 24 hours a day, you can call the hotline:
- If you are unsure about whether to attend an appointment
- If you need to rearrange an appointment because you have COVID-19 symptoms or have been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed
- If you have any questions about pregnancy or maternity care and COVID-19
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Help to stay safe and well – for young people and adults with learning disabilities (Mencap)
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Mencap have a series of easy-to-read to help communicate clear messages about keeping safe from coronavirus. You can find the guides here: https://www.mencap.org.uk/advice-and-support/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-help-stay-safe-and-well |
Sheffield Mind
Sheffield Mind are running their Listening Line phone support service. They offer conversation and signposting to people aged 50+ who are anxious, lonely or isolated. Mon-Fri 10-4pm 0114 312 2209 or info@sheffieldmind.co.uk to book a call-back.
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Here to Help: Mental Health Support
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NHS mental health services in Sheffield are urging people to ask for help if they need it during lockdown. There is a range of mental health support available in the city, including one-to-one support over the phone, online group sessions and self-help guides. Find out more about the free support on offer.
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Supporting your child’s mental health
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Introducing Ollee – a virtual friend (ParentZone/BBC Children In Need) Ollee is a digital friend for children aged 8-11, created by Parent Zone and funded by BBC Children in Need’s A Million & Me initiative, which aims to make a difference to children’s emotional wellbeing. It’s designed to help children reflect on how they feel and to process their experiences with the support and help of their parents and carers – and it does this by offering them advice about a range of subjects: school, family, friends, their body, the internet and the world. For each of these subjects, children can choose an emotion that matches how they feel about it: happy, angry, sad, confused, frustrated, stressed or worried. Next, they can choose from a list of topics – for instance, a child who was worried about school might be able to select ‘I haven’t done my homework’ as the cause of their worry. Finally, they’ll see a page of advice about the topic, presented in child-friendly bite-sized chunks they can read then or save for later. You can more information and download the Ollee app here: https://parentzone.org.uk/Ollee |
Business trading in lockdown
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Highstreet with cafe
Following the announcement of a national lockdown, many businesses able to operate in Tier 3 must now close, or operate differently. More information and support is available on our website.
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Which businesses can stay open in lockdown?
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Government have issued further clarification on which businesses can remain open during the new lockdown period, with restrictions in place until 2nd December.
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Visiting parks and green spaces
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Sheffield’s parks and green spaces will remain open during the current national lockdown, but with some facilities closed in line with Government guidance.
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Discover Sheffield’s outdoor hidden gems
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We’re sharing some of Sheffield’s ‘hidden gem’ green spaces to help people discover new places to visit and reduce crowds at some of our busiest parks.
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Make the most of your Outdoor City
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There are so many fantastic outdoor spaces in Sheffield, but our most popular parks are beginning to get overcrowded at peak times, which could compromise our ability to control the spread of Coronavirus. Have an adventure and help to relieve the crowds at our busier parks by trying somewhere different. Watch this new video to find out how we can make the most of our wonderful Outdoor City.
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Bin collections and recycling centres
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in collections in Sheffield will continue as normal throughout the six week national lockdown period and all five of the city’s household waste recycling centres will remain open for disposal of waste.
Residents can check their bin collection calendar online and can check the current queuing times before travelling to a recycling site.
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