Newsletters

Dear Parents and Carers,

We hope that this letter finds you and your family safe and well.  We are very much looking forward to welcoming the pupils back to school over the coming days.

We hope you and your child have had the opportunity to read through Miss Collins’ letter dated 31 August (link to letter), which details how the school will be running over the coming months and in particular details of the staggered return to school for different year groups.  Miss Collins has also sent you a ‘Questions and Answers’ document (link to document) which covers many of the queries that you and your child may have regarding how the school will operate.

Return to school for your child

As promised, please find details about when and where your child should report to school on their first day.

Year 11 will be returning to school on Wednesday 9th September

Your child should report directly to the classroom highlighted in the table below.  The first lesson starts promptly at 0830 but pupils are reminded that they should arrive at school no earlier than 0815. If your child is unable to remember what set they were in last year or is confused in any way there will be senior staff on hand to direct them at either entrance to the school as the pupils arrive.

The end of the day will be staggered between 1355 and 1405 ensuring that all pupils have left the school site safely by 1415.

All of these details can also be found on the school website

We remind you that parents/carers must not enter the school premises or school site under any circumstances.  No visitors will be allowed on the school site at this time to ensure as few people as possible are on our school premises at the same time.  This is a key part of our risk assessment.  Telephone appointments and email will remain our main ways of communicating with you at this time.

PE Kit update

Pupils will not have PE on their first day of school, however any subsequent day that they have PE on their timetable they are expected to wear their PE kit to school.  On cold days pupils will be permitted to wear tracksuits, but must still wear their PE kit underneath.

Face coverings update

Following the recent Caerphilly Borough Council guidance, face coverings are strongly advised for staff and secondary school pupils where social distancing of 2m is not possible and where appropriate in corridors, classrooms, toilets, school buses and communal areas.

Following this latest guidance on their first day of school every pupil will be given a pack of 5 reusable masks in a resealable plastic bag.

What do we do if someone has COVID-19 symptoms in our household?

Please remember that, under no circumstances should pupils attend school if they: 

• feel unwell with any of the identified COVID-19 symptoms. They should remain at home and self-isolate and arrange a COVID-19 test.
• have tested positive for COVID-19.
• live in a household with someone who has symptoms of, or has tested positive for COVID-19.

Any pupil who shows symptoms compatible with COVID-19 while in school will be immediately isolated and their parents/carer will be called to collect them and their siblings immediately.  The pupil and their whole household should immediately isolate at home as per Welsh Government guidance and apply for a COVID 19 test.  The child and their siblings will not be able to return to school until the isolation period is over or on production of a negative COVID test result.

Please inform the school if your child is rightly kept at home because they or another member of your household feel unwell with COVID 19 symptoms or have tested positive for COVID 19.

Contacting the school

Please do not hesitate to contact the school by phone should you have any further questions.  Our switchboard will be open from 1030-1330 on Wednesday and Thursday this week, and our admin staff will answer your call and be pleased to help.  Other staff may not be immediately available as they will be involved in training, and in meetings preparing for your child’s return.  However, you can, as always, leave a message for them, and they will do their best to get back to you within 24 hours.  From Friday onwards, the school switchboard will be open from 0800-1600.

We are very much looking forward to seeing your children over the coming days.  As ever, we will continue to prioritise your child’s happiness, safety, wellbeing and learning.

Yours sincerely,