Dear Parent / Carer
Re: Coronavirus (COVID-19)
I would like to take this opportunity to share with you the health and safety measures the school has already taken, the plans we have in place and the changes that we will be making to ensure that the school can operate safely for pupils and staff over the coming challenging weeks. We continue to liaise with the local authority regarding the virus, responding appropriately and swiftly to NHS and government advice and direction.
The current position, which is subject to change, is that anyone with a new persistent cough or high temperature must not come to school. They must stay at home and self-isolate for 7 days. There are useful links on our school website www.stcenyddcommunityschool.co.uk regarding NHS and government advice and guidance.
We have been promoting good hand and respiratory hygiene across the school. I know that you will be supporting this at home as well. There are additional hand sanitisers on every corridor. Pupils have been keen and sensible in their use. We have increased our cleaning arrangements, concentrating on surfaces. Regular checks of all toilets ensure that soap is available. Pupils have been told to report to reception if a hand sanitiser or soap dispenser needs to be refilled.
In line with national government advice, school visits abroad are cancelled for the foreseeable future. As a further precaution to reduce the impact on staff absence, we will be suspending all but essential visits out of school e.g. school trips in the UK, training events and external meetings. Sporting Associations are directing schools to cancel fixtures.
As of Tuesday 17 March, we will also be restricting the number of people coming into school to essential visitors only. Therefore, please could you refrain from visiting the school except in exceptional circumstances. Staff will, of course, be available for telephone calls in the usual way. All staff will be rearranging meeting commitments off school site to ensure that we have the maximum number of staff in school to support the learning and wellbeing of our pupils.
Government advice is that schools should remain open. We are preparing to remain open with potentially reduced staff and pupil numbers, as well as preparing for the possibility of school closure. We are preparing for this in assemblies with pupils, explaining how they will access materials and their lessons. In the event of school closure, teachers will use Google classroom, Classcharts and/or Gmail to communicate resources and instructions to pupils. Pupils are advised to take their books home with them, to borrow textbooks and reading books from the school library in advance to use at home, and to speak to their teachers about additional materials they would like to take home. Teachers will also be collating paper copies of learning materials, including revision resources for pupils in Y10-Y13 in preparation for their examinations later on this year. We are working hard to ensure that we can support the learning of all pupils, especially those preparing for examinations, in the event of school closure. Pupils should continue to prepare for their examinations this summer as per their draft examination timetable.
We will continue to use the school website and text service as our main ways of communicating with you as parents. Please ensure that we have your up-to-date mobile number. Thank you for your understanding and continued support of our school. By working together we can provide a safe and caring environment for all within our school community.
Yours sincerely
Miss Rebecca V Collins
Headteacher