Updated arrangements for the return to school in January 2021

Dear Parents and Carers,

Firstly, I hope that you and your families had a lovely Christmas and I wish you all a very Happy New Year.

I am writing to you as a follow-up to my letter of Friday 18^th December. I’m sure that many of you will have seen in the news over the last 24 hours that the government has made further changes to the arrangements for the start of the new school term in January. This letter explains these additional changes to you.

As a result of the guidance issued by the DfE on 30^th December, I can confirm that the arrangements for The Radclyffe School will be as follows.

For the week Monday 4^th – Friday 8^th January 2021:

• Students in Years 7-11 who are categorised as ‘vulnerable’ or who are the children of key workers may attend school during that week if their parents or carers request this. Parents/carers who are key workers and wish their child to attend during this week must complete an online form. Please note we have added in additional dates now for the 11th-15th January so if you previously completed this form for the 4th – 8th January, please complete the form again selecting the additional dates.  (see link at the foot of this letter).
• All other students in Years 7-11 should remain at home for the entire week and access remote learning. Updated resources, including recorded lessons, will be available on the ‘Frog’ section of the school website. This can be accessed by your child in the usual way using their regular login details. Paper packs of resources will also be sent if requested by families  (see link at the foot of this letter).
• Please note the change of arrangements for Year 11 students – unless they are in the category of Vulnerable/Key Worker Children then they should not attend school during the week Monday 4^th – Friday 8^th January

 

For the week Monday 11^th – Friday 15^th January 2021:

• All Year 11 students must attend school as normal from Monday to Friday for face-to-face teaching during this week.

• PPE exams for Year 11 students will now take place during this week. The timetable of exams on each day of the week will remain the same, i.e. exams originally scheduled for Monday 4^th will now take place on Monday 11^th

Students in Years 7-10 who are categorised as ‘vulnerable’ or who are the children of key workers may attend school during that week if their parents or carers have requested this (as above).

• All other students in Years 7-10 should remain at home for the entire week and access remote learning (as above).

 

From Monday 18^th January onwards:

All students in all year groups must attend school full-time in the normal manner and follow their regular timetable and curriculum.

As outlined in my previous letter, secondary schools have been requested by the government to draw up plans to prepare to become a Covid-19 testing centre. It is still the government’s aspiration that students and staff should be tested in school on a periodic basis and also tested daily for several days if they are found to be a contact of a confirmed positive case.

Our school has started the process of planning and preparing to deliver such testing but this is still at a very early stage. We are awaiting further guidance and information from both the local authority and the government before any actions are taken. Please be assured that we will continue to communicate with you and provide much more detail regarding this and that no children at the school will be tested unless their parents or carers give their specific consent for this.

I once again apologise in advance for the inevitable disruption that the phased start to the new term will bring.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support of the school and your child’s education. We look forward to welcoming your children safely back to school from next week onwards.

With best wishes,

Mr Cregg

Headteacher

Link to Request to attend school Monday 4th – Friday 15th January 2021 (Vulnerable and Key Worker Children Only)

Link to Request a paper pack of work for Monday 4th – Friday 15th January 2021