First Federation Trust
Dear parents/carers
We all hope that you have had a relaxing and enjoyable break and that you have managed to stay Covid 19 and bug free during all the festivities.
This communication is to remind you of where we currently are with Covid 19 (as I write this, it is up to date, but of course this may change!)
It is absolutely the right intention that schools remain open during this new wave, however we are all aware that, at times this could be challenging, particularly with school staffing. As a school staff we have had very few positive cases throughout the pandemic and although staff have been keeping up to date with their vaccinations, it does not prevent them from catching the virus and with the new variant being so transmissible this could prove difficult to manage at times. We will of course do all that we can to maintain the highest standard of education and try to cause as little disruption to their learning and to you as possible by keeping all pupils in school, however the worst case scenario would be the need to close classes or the school but we would change to remote learning which we did this time last year.
Currently we are under the government's Plan B, as we were in the last week before the holidays. The expectation is that this will remain in place until the end of January. Of course, the data may change in the next few days/ weeks which could mean a change to the plan, and we will of course communicate to you any changes that effect education. As a school we will continue to follow all the guidance provided to us from the DFE and Public Health England.
As a reminder
Pupil Absence
- If a pupil is unwell they should remain at home
- If a pupil has covid symptoms they must get a PCR test (the same as adults)
- Pupils with positive results must remain at home during for 10 days, 7 if they have 2 negative LFT's on day 6 and 7
- Siblings of a pupil who test positive for Covid 19 can continue to attend school, but should take a daily LFT
- Parental concerns about Covid 19 are not a reason to keep your child/ren at home. This would be an unauthorised absence.
The start and end of the day drop off/pick up will remain the same as before Christmas. We would like to minimise visitors on the school site, so if your enquiry can be completed over the phone, email or Seesaw, then please chose one of these routes instead of coming into the school office.
We would be grateful if all adults and children over the age of 11 (Year 7+) could please wear a face mask (unless exempt) at drop off/ pick up times to protect the children, other parents/carers and staff.
I would anticipate a bumpy start to the new year, but as the last couple of years have shown us, as a community we will continue to get through these challenging times.
Thank you for your fabulous support.
Happy new year and best wishes.
Leila Naldrett
Head of School