Update for Parents: Tuesday 22nd September 2020
Dear Parents/Carers
It has become clear very quickly that we are all going to have to play a much bigger role in trying to combat the resurgence of the virus. As the medical professionals said on TV on Monday morning everybody needs to play their part.
Reminder about face coverings
Whilst the vast majority of students are bringing their face coverings to school every day and wearing them as requested, we have a significant minority of students who have not yet accepted that they must do the same. Can you please check with your children that they have at least one mask with them when they leave for school in the morning, as we have had several children break theirs in the last week. We do not have an inexhaustible supply of masks to hand out. It is the personal responsibility of every member of our school community to bring and wear a face covering when asked to.
Whilst we don’t want to give consequences for students who are going against our Covid-secure rules, we now feel that we will have to give sanctions to those young people who persistently flout the expectations we have of everyone on site. We have avoided having a positive case for the last few weeks and I would like to think that we can hold out for as long as possible.
Sylvia Thomas
Principal
Revised campus protocols from Monday 14th September 2020
Dear Parent/Carer
I wanted to thank you for helping make our first week back at school a positive one in so many ways. Your children have been remarkable considering that so many of them have not stepped foot on the campus for months. It has made us all very proud and we commend their resilience and fortitude.
Thank you all for your endeavours in ensuring your children have the correct uniform. We are aware of the issues at Cross Embroidery with blazers in particular, but we have been assured that this will be rectified in the next fortnight.
The senior leadership team met last night to reflect on the week and review our protocols to ensure we are as Covid-secure as we can be. We are conscious that places like Birmingham are now seeing greater restrictions from next week and we would like to work hard to ensure that our town and community is not affected in the same way.
Please read the following carefully as these will be our new arrangements from Monday 14th September 2020.
Arrival at school
We were so pleased that so many of our students have been arriving promptly to school. This has had the unintended consequence of groups of children lingering around on Ruskin Road and we are concerned about the impact of this on our local neighbours many of whom are elderly.
Therefore, we have decided that from Monday 14th we will ask parents to ensure that students arrive at the following times and move straight to their mentor rooms in their zones where their mentors will be waiting for them:
8.30 a.m. Year 7, Year 9 and Year 12/13
8.40 a.m. Year 8, Year 10 and Year 11
We ask that students do not arrive before their allocated time.
Departure from school
We are going to simplify the staggered end of the day so that students will leave as follows
3.00 p.m. Year 7 and Year 10
3.10 p.m. Year 8 and Year 9
Year 11, 12, 13 will have different arrangements as per letters we will have sent parents/carers of students in those year groups.
Face coverings
Although the DfE continues to say that face coverings need not be worn in school, we have looked at what is happening in other areas of the country where localised restrictions have come into force and decided on the following for our campus:
- Students and staff will be asked to wear face coverings when they are walking anywhere on the campus or standing in corridors.
- Students will be invited to remove their face coverings in assembly or in lessons but may continue to wear them if they feel more comfortable doing so
- At lunchtime, when the students are outside enjoying the fresh air, face coverings do not need to be worn
- PE lessons will be outside and therefore face coverings will not be required
It is vitally important that everyone follows these rules at all times. Students who have failed to bring face coverings have been reminded to do so from Monday onwards.
If your child has a medical issue which means that wearing a face covering is not appropriate then we need you to let us know and, if you have not provided them with a means of identifying that they are exempt, we will need to do so to remove the likelihood that they will be challenged by staff.
School lunches
Thank you to everyone who filled in our questionnaire on whether your child will be bringing their own lunch or whether you will be ordering via School Gateway. Thank you for your patience whilst we have been setting up the new system. Mrs Vigne wrote to all parents yesterday to explain where we are at with the system. I am certain that there will be glitches we will smooth out, but we are confident that by the end of next week everyone who wants to, will have the ability to order via the new gateway.
Google classroom
We are busy preparing for a situation where we have to return to some form of localised lockdown or whole year groups/classes have to self isolate. We have been fortunate so far as none of the children who have been tested have been found to be positive for the virus. Google classroom and online learning may therefore be a possibility again and therefore we need to make sure that all students have adequate access to technology to access their learning online again. We will be posting a PSHCEE lesson on the google classroom for all students in the next few days so that we can check who is able to work online from home. We will also be setting up Google Guardians which will give you a report of what your children are being set. This is primarily for you to check on homework tasks but will also be useful should we go back to a remote learning scenario.
Thank you to everyone who has given us useful feedback this week. Please be assured that we will respond to all emails but that we are getting more than normal and therefore response times are slightly longer.
Sylvia Thomas
Importance of Social Distancing Letter to Parents/Carers
OCC Director of Public Health
15th June 2020
Read the letter to parents/carers here.
How to order school uniform from Cross Embroidery
Cross Embroidery have now completed the changes to their website and have launched their fitting appointment and click & collect services. All the relevant information is posted on the site with clear instructions on how to order school uniform from now onwards. The shop is open for Reception and Year 7 appointments only throughout July with restrictions in place in accordance with government guidelines. For existing pupils and those who know their sizes, they can order via click and collect, and are strongly advised that customers book appointments and place orders as soon as they can to avoid a last minute surge in August, as this could result in unfulfilled orders.
They are also asking customers not to turn up without an appointment or collection instructions.
https://www.crossembroidery.com/
See their Coronavirus (COVID-19) information for customers here: https://www.crossembroidery.com/covid
Health and Wellbeing
See our Health and Wellbeing page for web links for community health groups, statutory sick pay and entitlements due to the Coronavirus, stress and emotional health advice and Covid-19 resources.