Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
Dear Families,
Welcome back to St Bart’s for our new academic year. We have lots in store for this coming year and we welcome some new staff to the team.
There are always some important pieces of information to share in September, so here are the first few.
Any snacks, drinks or packed lunches should be healthy. We do not allow fizzy juices or chocolate – and especially anything containing nuts! Morning breaktime snacks will be kept away from packed lunches and should not include crisps.
The children from Classes 1 to 6 may come to school in their PE kits, on their PE days. This means less time changing and more time learning.
PE Days:
Remember that earrings should only be of the stud-type and need to be removed for PE. If they can’t be removed due to a new piercing, you must tape them up securely for PE days.
We always ask for updated contact information from families, as well as permission for certain types of school activities. Please visit bit.ly/StBartsData2022 and complete this form as soon as possible.
Children in Classes 5 and 6 may also walk to and from school without adult supervision. If you would like this for your child, please complete the form at bit.ly/WalkingHome22
Homework will begin next week, so watch out for this in book bags.
We are very hopeful for this coming year – I trust that you are too.
Yours sincerely,
Mr Restall
Following the Government's announcement to remove the remaining legal restrictions for COVID-19, as we learn to live with the virus, here are the updated measure we should follow:
Testing
The Government has removed the guidance for pupils in most education and childcare settings to undertake asymptomatic testing. All settings may be advised Public Health to recommend lateral flow device (LFD) tests to manage an outbreak.
What if a child has symptoms?
They should not attend school.
National guidance recommends that people take a PCR test if they have symptoms. Anyone who tests positive is still advised to stay at home and avoid contact with others for at least five full days. They are advised to continue to follow the guidance until they have received two negative test results on consecutive days.
What about a confirmed positive case?
Children and young people with COVID-19 should not attend school whilst they are infectious. They should take an LFD test from 5 days after their symptoms started (or the day their test was taken if they did not have symptoms) followed by another one the next day. If both these test results are negative, they should return to school as long as they feel well enough to do so and do not have a temperature.
Contacts of a positive case are no longer required to self-isolate or advised to take daily tests and contact tracing has ended. Children and young people who are contacts of a positive case should attend school as usual.
The contingency framework for education and childcare settings guidance still says that school should consider taking further action if they face severe operational disruption to face-to-face education. We will do all we can to remain open for all pupils.
Please be assured that school continues to implement good infection, prevention, and control measures to provide protection against infection and associated education disruption.
If you have any questions, please contact school directly.
Dear Families,
Please check you email for news about this term and the impact of rising COVID cases in school.
Thank you,
Mr Restall
Dear Families,
School reopens to pupils again on Tuesday 7th September. It has been a long summer break and we are looking forward to seeing you and the children again, as well as beginning to welcome our new pupils and their families.
Following the relaxation of the Government's COVID restrictions and the latest publication of guidance for schools, we expect to be able to return to as much of the normal that we have all craved for a long time. We still must be cautious, so school will be relaxing their measures gradually.
As the "bubble" system is now not necessary, our start time returns to 8:55am (8:45am for Nursery), and we ask that all children arrive promptly in the appropriate part of the playground ready for the beginning of their important learning. Both site gates will be open, but there is no need for a one-way system - either can be used to access the school playground. Please continue to be considerate to those coming in the opposite direction. Remember, no dogs are allowed on site. cycles and scooters must be pushed, and please park in a way that respects our local residents. If you must drive into our visitors' car park, please enter the gates slowly, as many children need to cross the driveway.
The end of the school day for Reception to Class 6 is at 3:25pm. Again, both gates will be open. For Early Years families, please continue to queue at the entrance, leaving lots of space for visitors and those accessing St Stephen's.
All children are expected be smart, wearing our school uniform. We recognise that there have been some issues with some suppliers over the summer so please let us know if you would like to borrow a spare school jumper.
We are very excited about our new school lunches - eaten in the Dining Hall again. All families should have received an email from Hutchison to set up an "Appetite" account. This will enable you to pre-order your child's lunch. All children who wish to take a lunch, even for part of the week, must order in advance. We currently do not have the capacity to order enough food for every choice unless we have advance warning. Children cannot change their minds on the day, so please spend a little time involving them in their choices. Or new system will take a little getting used to but is so much better, and the quality of the food will be excellent. Payment is in advance, unless the children receive free meals (Reception, Class 1, Class 2 and those on benefits-related Free School Meals). Visit our Useful Information page for all details.
Breakfast Club will begin again on the 7th, from 7:45am. This is for all St Bart's pupils, from Nursery to Class 6 and booking is not required initially. Our daily cost remains the same, but there will be an increased choice of food options. Please ensure that payment is made promptly, as we cannot accept regular arrears.
We are hoping that the number of COVID cases is limited, but do not send your child to school if they have any COVID-19 symptoms. We will continue to monitor the situation and ask that you pick up your child straight away if they develop any symptoms whilst in school. We will not be sending home whole classes to self-isolate. If there is a positive case in school, individuals will be contacted by "Test and Trace" and asked to isolate and carry out a PCR test. If this test is negative, then they can return to school straight away. Obviously, any positive cases will still need to remain at home for 10 days and only return after this if they do not have any continuing symptoms. Remote learning will be made available to all those who have to isolate, usually via our Class Pages.
If we have 5 people within our school who test positive for COVID-19 within a 10-day period, we have an outbreak plan which, following discussion with our local Public Health team, we will then initiate. Any further action will be communicated to those involved directly, so please ensure we have your up-to-date contact details.
Each day, staff will be at the doors to greet and hand over the children. This enables brief messages to be passed on, but more detailed conversations should be kept for another time. All adults should still keep a respectful distance from each other and some my still continue to wear face-coverings.
There is much more to communicate with you over the coming days. In the meantime, please use our office email address as the main way to ask any questions.
We hope that this is helpful.
Kind regards,
The St Bart's Team
All children are expected to return to school from Monday 8th March 2021. Full attendance is required unless a child has a particular reason, such as shielding or isolating.
Whilst Government guidance remains in place for COVID-19 and its variants, our bubble structure will continue, as part of our risk assessed control measures, limited mixing and maintaining appropriate physical distancing.
Families and visitors to the site will be expected to wear face coverings. Staff will wear a face covering when meeting families at drop-off and pick-up times. The one-way system will be reintroduced.
Enhanced cleaning, including handwashing etc, will also continue.
Staggered start, break, lunch and finish times will also remain, to minimise physical contact:
|
Class |
Start time |
Break (15mins) |
Lunch (eating) |
Finish |
|
Nursery |
8:45am |
|
|
11:45am |
|
Reception |
8:55am |
|
11:45am |
3:25pm |
|
Year 1 |
8:45am |
10:15am |
12:00pm |
3:15pm |
|
Year 2 |
8:55am |
10:30am |
12:30pm |
3:25pm |
|
Year 3 |
8:55am |
10:30am |
12:30pm |
3:25pm |
|
Year 4 |
8:45am |
10:15am |
12:00pm |
3:30pm |
|
Year 5 |
8:45am |
10:00am |
12:30pm |
3:30pm |
|
Year 6 |
8:55am |
10:45am |
12:15pm |
3:25pm |
Breakfast Club will continue. Please book in advance here.
If anyone is unwell, displaying symptoms of COVID-19, they should self-isolate and be tested without delay. If the test is returned positive, the self-isolation should be for at least 10 days. Please let the school office know. School will continue to liaise with NHS Test and Trace, following their advice and guidance. In the event of a positive test, others within the appropriate "bubble" may be asked to self-isolate. A class bubble could be sent home at very short notice.
If any of our children become unwell with COVID-19 symptoms within school, we will contact families immediately and expect that they will come to collect their child straight away. Whilst waiting, the child will be isolated away from other children - but always reassuringly supervised by a familiar member of our staff. It is, therefore, vital that we have your most up-to-date contact information and that you are available to be contacted throughout the day. We are sure that you will understand.
Dear Families and Friends,
Thank you, and a hopeful New Year to you! As we all looked back on 2020 over the Christmas holidays, I am sure that we also looked forward to a more positive year to come. Whilst it has been a shaky start, we must remain hopeful, and encourage each other to stay confident, determined and optimistic.
Our online nativities were viewed by so many of you and your families - and the feedback was so encouraging and positive. I hope that you enjoyed each of them whilst they were available. We can't make them available to buy or keep, but we are planning further online offerings in the coming months, so watch this space!
Restricting attendance during the national lockdown (as the Government have called it) did not come as a surprise to me. The news and announcements in the run up to 4th January were all leading to some sort of action to curb the growing spread of Covid-19 and its variants. For us, it was a considered, necessary decision to limit the number of children in the school building, as we awaited further information, scientific data and instruction. These eventually came and, even yesterday evening (Saturday), the Government was updating and tweaking their guidance to schools and our families. I am sure that there will be more to come.
One of the hardest parts of this new lockdown, is that we have many more children of critical (key) worker families to teach in school - in every year group. Some classes have over half of their children in the building, and we have had high expectations placed upon us to cater for both "in school" and "at home" children's learning. As we became aware of the demand for the "in school" places, we have had to adapt our plans for the coming weeks to make them manageable and effective. Our website is the place to head for everything you need, and we will use our App and email to keep our families updated. Please keep us updated with any changes of contact details.
Many have asked about who can attend school during this lockdown period. As last night's Government guidance for families says: “Children and young people are eligible to attend school or college if at least one parent or carer is a critical worker, and they can’t keep their child at home. Critical workers are those whose work is critical to the coronavirus (COVID- 19) and EU transition response’ This means that, currently, we have about a third of the pupils in the building, and all staff are in school each day. Whilst we will endeavour to offer places to all who need them, please consider whether this is actually necessary for you. The Government changed their criteria during the last lockdown, which disappointed some families, and they may do so again this time. We do not want to turn anyone away, but our local health and safety risk assessment may mean that we have to, in order to provided the safest place possible for all. Our most vulnerable children will always be catered for, the best we can.
Another question that I want to answer here is this: will we be offering "live" lessons? The simple answer is no, but let me briefly explain the three main reasons:
Dear Families,
As we establish new routines, we are very aware that all the children should receive the best possible teaching, whether in school or at home. We know that you all carried the burden during the first lockdown, but this time is different. Whilst we work within the capacity given to us, we intend on building up new routines for the coming weeks, where our staff team deliver the teaching and follow-up activities, mainly online. We must also continue to work within the safeguarding guidelines.
The main place we will be sharing resources is via our website Class Pages. Each class has its own page, and the activities will be placed in the Home Learning section, dated for each day. There will be an English and maths lesson, as well as some other subjects including science, RE and PE. During the week there will also be a mixture of video content for new learning, written activities and some that involve being as active as possible.
Whilst we aim to provide this range for everyone, each class will have age and curriculum-appropriate content.
There will be some direct communication, each week, with all families – including using some live video – with the expectation that every child will have completed the tasks set. Time capacity means that feedback will only be given at the end of the week. Therefore, Class Pages will be updated from Monday to Thursday, and Friday will be used to respond to the work submitted and issues raised.
As you will know, every class has a its own home support email address. This is where any work may be submitted for the class teachers to look at, but please do not expect an immediate response. Remember, it’s Feedback Friday – but anything urgent can be sent to the main office address.
The number of critical (key) workers in the school building is much higher than during the previous lockdown. This limits the amount of time staff have, and a fair balance needs to be struck between those in school and those at home. Thank you for your patience as we work this through over the coming days.
Please also remember that, if you have any safeguarding concerns – either contact school directly or ring the Front Door on 0345 2000 109.
There will be further updates in the coming days.
We hope that you are all well.
Take care,
The St Bart’s Team
Dear Parents and Carers,
On Tuesday afternoon, very late in the term, the Government asked all schools to consider making Friday 18th December an INSET (Teacher Training) Day. This is to support the contact tracing which we do, in the pre-Christmas period. After some careful consideration, and speaking with our Chair of Governors, St Bart’s will have our final day of the term on Thursday 17th December. Friday will be a training day for staff, replacing the day planned for the summer term.
I do understand that this change will put some of you in a tricky situation for childcare, and I am sorry for the very short notice. Under normal circumstances, it is something we would never want to do. My hope is that, as well as supporting contact tracing, and aiding the provision of free school meals in the holiday period, the date change will reduce the likelihood of our families having to isolate for the Christmas period and make for a more enjoyable time.
Please bear in mind that, even with this reduction in term length, the school and Public Health England may contact families with a request to self-isolate. If you are not contacted by 23rd December, then there will be no further Covid-19 infection risk linked to your child attending school during the last week of term.
If your child develops symptoms during this time, especially if they receive a positive test, please contact school directly on our dedicated mobile number (07496 530251) or, even better, email our office so that we can follow up. These will be checked daily, between 9am and 3pm, up to and including 23rd December.
I have included the full brief from the Government at the end of this message.
Thank you for the tremendous support you have shown this term. It has been a term like no other, but it has been a great success.
Yours sincerely,
Mr. Restall
Communication from the DfE – to schools (Tuesday 8th December 2020)
End of term planning
We know that school and further education leaders, teachers and staff, as well as nurseries and childminders, have worked tirelessly over the last term. This has included their important role in contact tracing, to help in the national effort to limit the spread of the virus. We are aware that this has led to additional work over weekends and holidays and we are incredibly grateful for this.
We recognise the challenges of this responsibility at the end of term. Public Health England has agreed a 6 day window after the final day of teaching in which schools and further education providers are asked to remain contactable so they can assist with contact tracing where necessary. This will allow enough time for positive coronavirus (COVID-19) cases to be identified and confirmed by a test and for relevant contacts in the education setting to be traced. We are clear that beyond 6 days after the final day of teaching, school and further education staff are not asked to play a role in any contact tracing. It is also likely that the need to support the tracing process will reduce dramatically over the course of the 6 days as the majority of cases should be identified earlier in the week.
End of term – advice for schools
To ensure that staff get the time off they need and deserve, schools may wish to use an INSET day, making Friday 18 December a non-teaching day and using the day for staff training, which could be delivered online. Where term would normally finish in the week commencing 21 December, schools may wish to consider adjusting term dates to make Friday 18 December the last day of term (which could be an INSET day), and bringing forward the start of term in January by the same number of days.
In all circumstances, teaching time must be made up at another point in the academic year. You should not limit attendance at school before Friday 18 December. It remains vital for all children to be in school up to the last day of teaching.
We recognise this communication has arrived with schools late in the term but would ask schools to be as helpful to parents as they can by sharing any changes to end of term arrangements as soon as possible, particularly where schools choose to make Friday 18 December a non-teaching day.
Your support with this is appreciated.
We recommend all schools ensure staff, parents and carers are aware of the following information and relevant arrangements regarding positive cases in the holidays:
Where a pupil or staff member tests positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), having developed symptoms more than 48 hours since being in school, the school should not be contacted. Parents and carers should follow contact tracing instructions provided by NHS Test and Trace.
For the first 6 days after teaching ends, if a pupil or staff member tests positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), having developed symptoms within 48 hours of being in school, the school is asked to assist in identifying close contacts and advising self-isolation, as the individual may have been infectious whilst in school.
School staff are not asked to remain on-call or conduct any contact tracing more than 6 days after the final day of teaching. Where a schools last teaching day is on Thursday 17 December, there should be no pupil contact tracing asks beyond Wednesday 23 December.
For the first 6 days after the end of term, schools are not asked to be on-call at all times. Staff responsible for contact tracing may designate a limited period in the day to receive notification of positive cases and advise close contacts to self-isolate (this can be done by text or email). The Department for Education coronavirus (COVID-19) helpline and PHE advice service are available to support with any queries you have about positive cases in your school.
Where pupils are required to self-isolate due to contact with a positive case after the first 6 days following the end of term, schools do not need to be informed about their absence until the first day of the new term.