March 8th Return to School – Information Letter
Our ref: TSE/LTI
26th February 2021
Dear Parent/Carer
We want to thank you and your children for your hard work and support over this last period of lockdown, since 5 January 2021.
We know how hard our students and families have worked to engage with learning at home and we are so grateful to all of our pupils and families for their amazing effort, hard work and determination and for doing their very best. However, we know home learning is not the same as being in school and we can’t wait to get back to life in the classroom together.
Hans Price Academy will reopen for Covid testing of all pupils between March 5 and 9, with a full return to lessons for all pupils from March 9. Students that have been attending an in-school ‘bubble’ throughout the lockdown should continue to do so throughout this period.
We are now half-way through the school year, and we look forward to ensuring a positive experience over the coming months.
As a part of the Cabot Learning Federation our staff continue to work alongside colleagues across the trust. Our focus remains, as ever, on keeping your children safe and on ensuring great progress for every child in their learning. This shared expertise in teaching, a shared curriculum along with our very experienced health and safety teams means we are well placed to bring your children back safely and continue to secure excellent learning experiences for them.
Face Masks
The Government now recommends that the use of face coverings in secondary schools is extended for a limited period to all indoor environments – including classrooms – unless 2m social distancing can be maintained.
- Masks must now be worn by all students, at all times, within the school building including in classrooms, corridors and social spaces.
- Students who are eating or drinking in their designated dining zone may remove their mask for the duration of the meal and then should replace it before moving away.
- Students with medical exemptions will be given a personalised rainbow lanyard to wear. If your child is exempt from wearing a face covering, please do contact us on [email protected] to confirm before Friday 5th March, so that we can have their lanyard made.
Testing
You have already received a separate communication around testing from us. Please check your texts for a link to testing information.
At home testing will not begin before 15 March and we will update you as soon as possible about how that will be carried out.
INSET day postponed
In light of recent developments, and our intention to commit fully to supporting the return of all learners, we have postponed the trust-wide INSET day that was planned for 17th March. This will now take place on Friday 28th May (the final day of term 5). This is so that we can dedicate our time in the short term, to supporting our children to re-engage with learning and with their peers.
Schedule for the return to school
With effect from Monday 8th March:
- Year 10 and Year 11 students will return to their usual timetable (starting on WEEK A) from Monday 8th March, having had their initial Covid test on the previous Friday.
- Please check your text messages from the school for a separate letter containing the initial testing schedule.
- On Monday 8th March, Year 10 should arrive at 8:30am and line up as usual at the Sport Centre door, for an 8:35 entrance.
- Year 11 should arrive at 8:35am and line up on the front playground, for an 8:45am entrance.
- Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 students will have their initial Covid tests scheduled for Monday 8th March. They will have a reduced amount of remote learning to complete on this day which they can fit around their test appointment. Instructions will be set in the SIMS parent and student apps as usual. There will be no live, online lessons on Monday 8th
- On Tuesday 9th March, all students will return to their normal timetable (Week A).
- Year 10 enter through the sport centre doors at 8:35am
- Year 8 enter through the front playground doors at 8:35am
- Year 9 enter through the sport centre doors at 8:45am
- Years 11 and 7 enter through the front playground doors at 8:45am
- All students must be in full school uniform at all times. If you are awaiting delivery of new uniform items, please contact your child’s college leader with details prior to their return to school so we are aware before they enter the building and can support them appropriately. We have some supplies of uniform items that we can lend on a short-term basis.
- We will be teaching the full curriculum from Monday 8th March, so please ensure your child brings all their equipment, including school bag and their PE kit.
Arrangements in school
Routines and social spaces will remain in place as they were prior to lockdown with each year group having their own dining and social spaces away from other year groups. Staggered lunches, toilets identified for each year group and staggered start and ends to the day will all support us in our drive to ensure your children and our staff can remain in school as safely as possible.
Coronavirus Symptoms and how to book a test
If your child, or anyone else in your household, has any symptoms of coronavirus (fever, a new cough, loss of smell/taste), your household must isolate and anyone who has symptoms should get a test as soon as possible. Please contact the school by 8.30am on the first day of absence to let us know. To book a test online go to: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
If you cannot book a test online, you can book a test by telephoning the NHS on 119. If the test result/s are negative, your child should return to school as soon as they feel well enough.
You can find more information here, including information about the isolation period if your child or someone else in your household tests positive for coronavirus: https://clf.uk/covid-19-related-pupil-absence/
If you have any queries about symptoms, call 111 or go to: https://111.nhs.uk/service/COVID-19/ or call 111 to speak to an operator.
Mandatory attendance
We understand that some pupils, parents and households may be reluctant or anxious about pupils returning. This may include:
- pupils living in households where someone is clinically vulnerable; and/or
- those concerned about the comparatively increased risk from coronavirus (COVID-19), including those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.
We would like to reassure you that we are here to support all our pupils and families and will do our utmost to help your child return to learning on the school site.
The usual rules on school attendance will apply from 9 March:
- parents’ duty to secure their child’s regular attendance at school (where the child is a registered pupil at school and they are of compulsory school age)
- the ability to issue sanctions, including fixed penalty notices in line with local authorities’ codes of conduct
As usual, schools are responsible for recording attendance, following up absence and reporting children missing education to the local authority.
We want our pupils to attend school every day, unless they are really not well enough to do so. Evidence consistently shows that children and young people who attend school regularly are more likely to feel settled in school, maintain friendships, keep up with their learning and gain the greatest benefit from their education.
If you have any questions or worries about your child coming back to school due to the risk of COVID-19, please contact us as soon as possible. We want to listen to any concerns you may have and do our best to help.
Clinically Extremely Vulnerable
The Department for Education has said that all pupils should return to school on Monday 8 March unless they have a letter to say they are Clinically Extremely Vulnerable and should continue shielding, or they are one of the very small number of pupils under paediatric or other NHS care who have also been advised by their GP or clinician not to attend school.
We are really sorry that some of our pupils may not be able to return to school straight away because of their health needs. We will continue to work with any of our pupils who cannot return yet, to ensure they feel as involved in school as possible and we will continue to provide remote learning.
If your child is too ill to attend school
If a pupil is too ill to attend school, parents/carers should notify the office before 8.30am on the first day of absence. If your child is ill for more than one day, you will need to call on each morning of the absence, unless otherwise agreed by the school.
To report an absence, please contact the school by calling the office on 01934 629307.
Please clearly explain the symptoms your child has, when the symptoms started, and when you expect them to be well enough to return to school.
Yours faithfully
Tony Searle
Principal
