Students Returning to Face to Face Education at the Academy

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^th January 2021.

We know how hard our students and families have worked to engage with learning at home and we are so grateful to you all for your amazing effort, hard work and determination and for doing your very best. However, we know home learning is not the same as being in the Academy and we cannot wait to get back to life in the classroom together.

The Government have now issued guidance instructing schools to open more widely from 8^th March 2021. We are now half way through the school year and we are confident our students can look forward to a positive experience over the coming months. The government also issued guidance relating to COVID testing for secondary age students.

Secondary age students whose parents consent to testing should return to face-to-face education following their tests. The tests will take place over a period between 4^th and 12^th March, with students returning to lessons from 9^th March for Year 11 students and 10^th March for students in Years 7 – 10. If you do not consent to your child being tested, they will return to face to face education on 9^th or 10^th March with their Year Group.

We understand you may have specific questions or concerns about testing for your child. Testing is voluntary, although students are strongly encouraged to participate as testing regularly will help to identify positive cases more quickly and break the chains of transmission. Students who do not participate in testing should still attend in line with the mandatory requirement, and specific arrangements about the expected return date and time for their Year Group is as follows:

Those students in Years 11, 10 and 7 whose parents/carers have provided consent will have their first test on Thursday 4^th March. Specific times will be circulated shortly. Students will only be onsite to take their COVID test and then return home.
Those students in Years 8 and 9 whose parents/carers have provided consent will have their first test on Friday 5^th March. Specific times will be circulated shortly. Students will only be onsite to take their COVID test and then return home.
Those students in Years 11, 10 and 7 whose parents/carers have provided consent will have their second test on Monday 8^th March. Specific times will be circulated shortly. Students will only be onsite to take their COVID test and then return home.
Those students in Years 8 and 9 whose parents/carers have provided consent will have their second test on Tuesday 9^th March. Specific times will be circulated shortly. Students will only be onsite to take their COVID test and then return home.
Students in Year 11 will return to the Academy on Tuesday 9^th They will have a ‘re-induction’ session followed by normal lessons.
All students will attend the Academy on Wednesday 10^th March. Students in Years 7 – 10 will have a ‘re-induction’ session followed by normal lessons. Year 11 will have a session relating to arrangements for the awarding of their GCSE grades followed by normal lessons.
All students will have their third test during the academy day or at the end of the academy day on either Thursday 11^th or Friday 12^th Specific times will be circulated shortly.

At home testing will not begin before 15^th March and we will update you as soon as possible about how that will be carried out.

When students return to the Academy on either the 9^th or 10^th March we will revert to the ‘systems of control’ that were previously in place. This includes staggered start and end of the day and staggered break and lunch time. We have made some small changes to the staggered times for each Year Group as follows:

Year 7: Arrive 8.15am – 8.25am // Leave 2.50pm
Year 8 Arrive 8.25am – 8.35am // Leave 3.00pm
Year 9 Arrive 8.15am – 8.25am // Leave 2.55pm
Year 10 Arrive 8.25am – 8.35am // Leave 3.05pm
Year 11 Arrive 8.35am – 8.45am // Leave 3.10pm

Break and Lunch staggered timings will be shared with students on their return to the Academy.

The other systems of control we have in place are:

Do not send your child in to the Academy if they have COVID-19 symptoms
Wash / Sanitise hands frequently
Keep Left, keep moving, keep apart when moving around the Academy
Follow all one-way systems that are in place onsite
Keep 2m away from adults at all times
Do not interact with other Year Groups
Clean table, chair and any equipment after each lesson
Wear PE kit on days students have their PE lessons

In addition, the government is now recommending the wearing of face coverings in secondary schools is extended to all indoor areas, including classrooms, where 2m social distancing cannot be maintained. We are, therefore, asking that your child has a face covering each day that they will be required to wear indoors at all times.

It is also essential your child brings all essential equipment with them to the Academy every day. This includes:

2 black pens and 1 green pen
1 pencil
1 ruler
1 eraser
Calculator
Student Planner

We know that the vast majority of our students have engaged fully with the online blended learning and have developed independence and resilience during the national lockdowns. We want to capitalise on this and ensure we move forward positively with their learning. Their focus needs to be on ensuring they ‘get each day right!’ Students need to follow all guidance, be ‘Ready to Learn’ every lesson of every day, exhibit high expectations of themselves and others and fully immerse themselves in their face-to-face learning. You may have heard in the press about ‘gaps’ and catch-up?’ Our ambition is to work with you to ensure that the COVID-19 pandemic has no long-lasting negative impact on any young person. We will work out how to most effectively utilise any additional funding to ensure all young people reach or exceed their potential.

We understand that some students, parents/carers and households may be reluctant or anxious about students returning. This may include:

Students 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 students and families and will do our utmost to help your child return to learning on the academy site.

The usual rules on Academy attendance will apply from 10 March:

parents’/carers’ duty to secure their child’s regular attendance at school (where the child is a registered student 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 students to attend the Academy every day, unless they are really not well enough to. We believe 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 the Academy, 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.

The Department for Education has said that all students should return to school on Monday 8^th 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 students 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 students may not be able to return to the Academy straight away because of their health needs. We will continue to work with any of our students who cannot return yet, to ensure they feel as involved in the Academy as possible, and we will continue to provide remote learning.

If a student is too ill to attend the Academy, 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 Academy.

To report an absence, please contact the Academy by calling the absence line (0117440 8900 Option 1) or by emailing [email protected]

Please clearly explain the symptoms your child has, when the symptoms started, and when you expect them to be well enough to return to the Academy.

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 Academy 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.

Finally, and as previously communicated in my weekly newsletter, we were due to hold an Inset day on Wednesday 17^th March. 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 17^th March until Friday 28^th 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.

Many thanks for your ongoing support during these unprecedented times and can I take this opportunity to personally thank all those who have taken the time to send messages of thanks and support to myself or other staff at the Academy.

Your sincerely

Mr S T Kneller | Academy Principal