SPRING 2022:
Test to release
The 10 day self-isolation period for people who record a positive PCR test result for COVID-19 has been reduced to 5 full days in most circumstances, unless you cannot test for any reason.
- Individuals may now take LFD tests on day 5 and day 6 of their self-isolation period. Those who receive two negative test results are no longer required to complete 10 full days of self-isolation. The first test must be taken no earlier than day 5 of the self-isolation period and tests must be taken 24 hours apart. This also applies to children under 5, with LFD testing at parental or guardian discretion. If both these test results are negative, and you do not have a high temperature, you may end your self-isolation after the second negative test result and return to your education or childcare setting from day 6.
- Anyone who is unable to take LFD tests will need to complete the full 10 day period of self-isolation. Further information is available in the stay at home: guidance for households with possible or confirmed COVID-19 infection.
Daily testing for close contacts:
People who are fully vaccinated, or children and young people aged between 5 and 18 years and 6 months, identified as a close contact of someone with COVID-19, should take an LFD test every day for seven days and continue to attend their setting as normal, unless they have a positive test result or develop symptoms at any time.
- Children under 5 are not being advised to take part in daily testing of close contacts. If a child under 5 is a contact of a confirmed case, they are not required to self-isolate and should not start daily testing. If they live in the same household as someone with COVID-19 they should limit their contact with anyone who is at higher risk of severe illness if infected with COVID-19, and arrange to take a PCR test as soon as possible. They can continue to attend an education or childcare setting while waiting for the PCR result. If the test is positive, they should follow the stay at home: guidance for households with possible or confirmed COVID-19 infection.
AUTUMN 2021: New Contingency Plan:
SEPTEMBER 2021: What are the new rules?
From Monday 16 August, people who are double jabbed or aged under 18 will no longer be legally required to self-isolate if they are identified as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case.
Poorly Children:
Always contact school by 9am to advise if your child will be absent from school inline with our Attendance Policy – if this is due to COVID we need to know the date of symptoms starting (or positive test if no symptoms). If your child becomes ill at school, we will move them to the First Aid room and contact parents inline with our COVID Risk Assessment.
NOTE: The school may decide to refuse a symptomatic pupil if, in our reasonable judgement, it is necessary to protect other pupils and staff from possible infection with COVID-19.
The school will continue to:
- Ensure good hygiene for everyone, providing hand sanitiser or hot water and soap for regular use
- Maintain appropriate cleaning regimes, ensuring regular touch points are included
- Keep occupied spaces well ventilated
- Issue LFTs to staff for twice weekly testing, and encourage our pupils’ families to continue to test on a regular basis
- Follow public health advice on testing, self-isolation and managing confirmed cases of COVID-19
SUMMER 2021: Children, Parents and Families – Let’s do the right thing for Warwickshire
To continue to keep yourselves and our school community safe, we encourage you to:
- Hands: Regularly wash your hands.
- Face: Wear a face covering when you’re in enclosed public places, on public transport or where social distancing is not possible – find out more about face covering exemptions.
- Space: Where possible, stay two metres apart from people outside your household, or support bubble.
- Fresh air: Fresh air is important to disperse the virus, open windows or meet outdoors
- Get tested regularly even if you don’t have symptoms.
- Book your COVID-19 vaccine online or by phoning 119. For the best protection you will need to get a second dose 8 weeks or more after receiving the first dose.
- Download the NHS COVID-19 contact tracing app which is helping us all to play our part in stopping the spread of the virus.
- Continue to follow the latest government guidance.
Support:
During the holidays the Family Information service is available as normal Telephone: 01926 742274 or email: [email protected]. Website: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/children-families
15.04.21 Returning to School Safely Video
Should I send my child to school?
Attendance at school is mandatory from Monday 8th March. To help keep your child and fellow students safe, your child should not come to school if:
- They are feeling unwell or are experiencing any coronavirus symptoms (If in doubt, book a test. If positive, isolate for 10 days from start of symptoms)
- They have tested positive for coronavirus and are within the 10 day isolation period
- They have returned from abroad and government guidance states they need to quarantine
If you are not sure if you child should or
should not go to school please call the school office.
FAQs
(Updated September 2021)
We have put together these frequently asked questions to help you:
Does my child have to attend school?
Yes, all children are expected to be in school unless ill.
If you insist on your child attending school when they have symptoms, we can take the decision to refuse your child if, in our reasonable judgement, it is necessary to protect other pupils and staff from possible infection with COVID-19. This decision will be carefully considered in light of all the circumstances and current Public Health advice.
What are arrangements for the start and end of the day?
School will be open to ALL children at 8.45am and children MUST be in class for registration at 8.55am.
Registers will be closed at 9.00am.
Break times for KS1 and KS2 are 10.30 – 10.45am in the morning, each key stage has its own playground. Lunch will be at 12.00pm where the children will eat as a key stage in the hall and then play on their relevant playgrounds.
| Robins (Nursery and Reception) | To enter through the school main gates and then to continue going through the little gate to right of the school. |
| Doves (Year One) | To enter through the school main gates and then to continue towards Nursery and Reception through the door opposite the wooden pagoda. |
| Goldfinches (Year Two) | To enter through the school main gates and turn left to go through the gate labelled for After School Club. They will go through the doors (currently blue) that are labelled. |
| Kingfishers (Years Three and Four) | To enter through the school main gates and turn left to go through the gate labelled for After School Club. They will go through the doors (currently blue) that are labelled. |
| Skylarks (Years Five and Six) | To enter through the school main gates and turn left to go through the gate labelled for After School Club. They will go through the fire door that is labelled. |
All children will be ready to be collected at the end of the school day at 3:20pm, collection will follow the same basis as dropping off in the morning
Staff will not be able to stop and chat due to teaching commitments – all communication should be emailed to the office: [email protected]
What are the arrangements for hand washing?
The children will continue to wash hands on entry and throughout the day. We also have a large quantity of hand sanitiser available.
What about masks?
The DFE expects and recommends that they be worn in enclosed and crowded spaces where you may come into contact with people you don’t normally meet. This includes public transport and dedicated transport to school or college. Therefore staff will continue to wear them in corridors and on the playground. They may also wear them in face-to-face meetings with visitors to school if they wish, we will also ask visitors inside the school to also wear one too.
What are the cleaning arrangements?
The tables will be cleaned at lunchtime and after school. Other contact points such as light switches and door handles will be cleaned with antibacterial solution several times throughout the day. Any iPads or class PCs that are used will be cleaned before and after use. Toilets and other shared facilities will also be cleaned regularly throughout the day.
Will the staff wear PPE?
When staff are dealing with first aid or children who may become ill during the day, they will wear PPE. It would be helpful to explain what this might look like to your child. We will be relying on parents to make a sensible decision to not send a sick child to school.
Will my child be in their own classroom?
Your child will be in their new classroom with their regular staff and will not move rooms. We will still be covering teachers’ PPA (planning, preparation and assessment) lessons with our own staff and sports coaches.
What are bubbles and will they be in place?
Bubbles are not required for September 2021. The children will be taught in their usual classes in lesson time. However, Public Health England may advise us to reintroduce this if cases rise.
What about playtimes and lunchtimes?
We recognise the importance of social interaction for all our children as well as their physical health needs. At playtimes and lunchtimes we will use the allocated areas for key stages.
Do children have to sit in rows facing the front?
No, but some older classes are arranged like this anyway.
Will my child need to wear uniform?
Yes, the children are expected to be in full uniform from September except on PE days – see below.
Can my child wear PE kit to school?
The children are to come in their PE kits on PE days. They may wear shorts under their jogging bottoms and their school jumpers on top of their PE shirt. PE days for each class will be communicated to you by the class teacher in the first week back to school. Sports coaches will continue to deliver some lessons.
How will the school lead Collective Worship?
This will be done in a variety of ways. We will continue to use technology, but we are hoping that we will begin to have Collective Worship in the church again with a specific class attending each week. At the moment this will be restricted to just children and staff only but, as soon as we can, we will return to whole school masses with parents invited too.
Can I go to the office with a query or letter?
We would request that you continue to contact the school via email and telephone. However, there may be occasions that we invite you in to the school, where we will wear face masks and be socially distanced, this will enable us to keep our school community safe. Over the last eighteen months we have seen how much more efficient it is for any papers to be delivered via the children and most queries to be dealt with by phone or email. We have seen the children’s sense of responsibility increase too in having everything ready at the start of the day.
What are the arrangements for Parents evenings?
Following the current guidance, we will be offering a blended approach of onsite shared learning and online meetings. More details for this will follow once a review of current measures has taken place mid-October.
Can I attend class assemblies, plays, Sports Day and other school events?
These are important events that we intend to resume and we will communicate arrangements for these as early as possible in the Autumn term. It is looking very likely that assemblies will take place online for our Friday Celebration assembly, although we hope to invite you back to join us in-person as soon as possible.
What are the arrangements for homework from September?
Homework will be sent home as a paper copy; spelling lists for example. We will continue to use the online resources we have invested in previously – Times Tables Rockstars.
Will my child be going on any school trips?
Yes, we intend to resume these from the Autumn and all information will be communicated to you separately as appropriate.
What will my child need to bring each day?
On their allocated PE days children will need to come to school in their PE kit. Days for PE will be communicated by your child’s class teacher. Reception and KS1 will need a bookbag. KS2 may bring a small rucksack or a bookbag as we do not have the space to accommodate large bags. All children will need to bring in their packed lunch (if needed) and their reading book/record. They need to bring a filled water bottle, a coat and a sunhat.
We have planned for the new Year 3 and 4 to start swimming in the Autumn. Further details will be communicated to you as soon as possible.
How will the school support remote learning for children who have to isolate?
A copy of the Blended and Remote Education policy is available on the school website.
(see also Homeschool and Homelearning)
What about holidays?
You should plan your holidays within school holidays as usual. Avoid seeking permission to take your children out of school during term time as this cannot be granted. You should make sure any travel is in line with national travel guidance.
Keep in mind that you and your children may need to self-isolate when you return from a trip overseas. Any self-isolation should also fall within the school holidays.
Where your child is abroad and unable to return, we will continue to work with you to understand your circumstances and your plans to return. A child’s name can only lawfully be deleted from the admission register on the grounds prescribed in regulation 8 of the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 as amended.
Where able, we will provide remote education for pupils unable to return from abroad due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, for the period they are abroad.
All pupils travelling to England should adhere to government travel advice. You should plan for any required quarantine of self-isolation to avoid any impact on your child’s education.
The red / amber / green classification of countries can be changed at any time and at short notice and you will need to respond to the latest rules on international travel, even if you have already left the UK, while also minimising the impact on your child’s education.
What happens if someone in my household develops symptoms?
Where can I find further information?
Our information is taken from the Department for Education Step 4 update – what parents and carers need to know about early years providers, schools and colleges. The link to the full document is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-yearsproviders-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/step-4-update-what-parents-andcarers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges
What happens if there are future COVID outbreaks?
If there is an outbreak in the nursery/school or it is in an enhanced response area, the school may reintroduce bubbles or keep groups apart for a temporary period to reduce mixing between groups. Face masks have been re-introduced for all adults in communal areas.