Dear Parents and Carers
It has been lovely to welcome our pupils back to St Cenydd along with our new Year 7 classes. Although there are many changes to the way the school day operates, we have been delighted with the confident and happy start so many have made to the new school year. Staff have commented on how wonderful it is to hear laughter across the school, to see how quickly our pupils have adapted to and complied with the necessary changes across the school, and to be back together learning and teaching.
As happened at the weekend, if we have a positive case reported to us out of school hours regarding a pupil or a member of staff who has been on school site, I will write to you and inform you of this. I will not inform you of the name of the child or member of staff. My letter will set out the details in the same way as I did on Sunday afternoon. We will follow the guidance of Environmental Health exactly, and this will determine if other children or staff have to isolate at home for 14 days. In my letter I will give you details of the class or year group who must isolate at home, and if necessary the CCBC school transport bus also affected. It is important that your child knows their class code (e.g. 7.2.1) and the school bus colour code that they catch so that you will know immediately from my letter whether isolation affects your child.
If a positive case is reported to us during school hours of someone who has been on school site in the days prior to their positive test, we will strictly follow the guidance of Environmental Health as to whom their close contacts have been and what action we should take. It may be necessary, for example, to text all of the parents of children in one class to ask them to collect their child immediately during the school day. We will not be able to send a child home on a bus or in a taxi in these circumstances. Please consider your own emergency arrangements of how you would arrange the collection of your child in such circumstances. Thank you for your cooperation and support in doing this as quickly as possible if this is necessary.
Distance learning will be provided for children who are asked to self-isolate at home. This will be published on their google classroom by their class teacher, and may also be emailed to their school Gmail account.
As always, my letters will be sent to you via a text with a link to the letter which will also be on the school website. We will continue to put links on our school website to other organisations such as NHS Wales and Caerphilly County Borough Council.
I know that the process of what to do if your child has symptoms, or if someone else in your household has tested positive, etc. can be complex. I have set out below clarification to some of the main queries we have received. I will add these to our Questions and Answers document which is updated and on the school website.
