Dear Parents and carers,
The Government has issued its final advice for schools in relation to the return to school for students from 4 Jan 2021.
I appreciate that this all seems a little bit last minute and it is!
One thing we have all learned in the last year is to expect change and for our changes to be changed!
Most of the mainstream media is focused on the impact that changes are having on mainstream schools, not the type of school which we are, which is an AP School.
The response that we have to take is different from our mainstream colleagues but nonetheless still requires some changes.
The school will have to remain closed to students on Monday 4th Jan 2021 as there is a lot of work to be done in training staff and setting up the test centre, however we will be fully open to all students on Tuesday 5th January.
Consent forms have been emailed to you, these must be completed and returned to the school on Tuesday 5th Jan 2021, as we can only test students who have given consent.
- We are expected to test all of our students and staff when we return after the break in the first week.
- For staff this will be a weekly test, ongoing until further notice.
- For students this will be two tests as soon as we start back, each test spaced 3 or 4 days apart.
The idea is to identify as many positive cases as possible of non-symptomatic carriers of the virus.
If your child has symptoms do not send them to school, follow the existing guidance.
- If someone in your household has tested positive and your child has no symptoms they should still come to school but will need to be tested every day, it is vital that you inform the school if this is the case in your household.
- If a child tests positive at school then they will have to be collected asap and isolate for the required time before returning to school.
- If another child in the same class tests positive then all the other students can still come to school if they have no symptoms but will be tested daily to ensure they are still negative.
It does look like there is light at the end of the tunnel and it is crucial that we support this national initiative and get the country back on track. The more we test, the more we restrict the opportunities for this virus to spread. We can all make a valuable contribution to the health and well being of our families and the nation so please complete the consent forms and return them to school when we come back.
Thank you for your support.
Andrew Murray, Headteacher