3 September 2021
3rd September 2021
September Return
Dear Parent/Carer,
I hope all of our families have had a lovely break over the summer period.
We are really looking forward to welcoming our students back to school over the next few days.
In this communication we are re-sharing links to two important letters that were circulated before the summer term that contain key information on the return to school. We will also outline some of the measures that will remain in place to keep our school community safe and some of the measures that will no longer be required in the short term at least.
New term information
As a reminder, we shared two key communications before the summer term.
Information for the new academic year, including start dates, was shared in this communication
Information on lateral flow testing including the schedule for testing and a link to the consent form was shared in this communication
Attendance and Punctuality
Students must attend school from September. Please follow the normal procedure of reporting absence if your son/daughter is unable to attend school. Students must attend school on time and sanctions in line with school policy will apply if students are late to school. Students should not attend school if they display any symptoms of COVID-19 and are advised to seek a PCR test.
Home testing
Students will continue to receive testing kits to carry out twice weekly testing at home during September; this is in addition to the two on-site lateral flow tests taking place at the start of September. Please continue to report your test results to the NHS and also to the school via this electronic form
It is very important that you continue to let us know if your child tests positive either on a Lateral Flow or a PCR test.
Close contacts and isolation
The current Public Health advice on self-isolation and close contacts is as follows:
Individuals are not required to self-isolate if they live in the same household as someone with COVID-19, or are a close contact of someone with COVID-19, and any of the following apply:
- they are fully vaccinated
- they are below the age of 18 years and 6 months
- they have taken part in or are currently part of an approved COVID-19 vaccine trial
- they are not able to get vaccinated for medical reasons
Instead, they will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace, informed they have been in close contact with a positive case and advised to take a PCR test. We would encourage all individuals to take a PCR test if advised to do so.
Young people aged under 18 years 6 months and have been identified as a close contact, should continue to attend school as normal. They do not need to wear a face covering within the school, but it is expected and recommended that these are worn when travelling on public or dedicated transport.
18-year-olds will be treated in the same way as children until 6 months after their 18th birthday, to allow them the opportunity to get fully vaccinated. At which point, they will be subject to the same rules as adults and so if they choose not to get vaccinated, they will need to self-isolate if identified as a close contact.
Close contacts will now be identified via NHS Test and Trace and the school will no longer be expected to undertake contact tracing.
Face Coverings
In line with government guidelines the wearing of a face covering or mask is no longer mandatory within a school setting.
It is expected and recommended that face coverings are worn when travelling on public or dedicated transport; this is a change to the advice we issued before the summer break.
Appropriate face coverings can continue to be worn in school at the students’ discretion.
Hygiene Routines
Frequent and thorough hand cleaning should now be regular practice. Students should continue to ensure that they clean their hands regularly. This can be done with soap and water or hand sanitiser.
The ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach continues to be very important.
Mobile hand sanitiser stations and wall mounted sanitiser dispensers will continue to be available throughout the school.
All classrooms are equipped with antibacterial wipes, hand sanitiser and tissues. These will be replenished on a daily basis or as and when required.
We will continue to operate an enhanced cleaning schedule across the school and ensure that touch points are regularly cleaned throughout the day.
Ventilation
Natural ventilation will be maximised. Please be aware that as the weather gets cooler, this means your child’s classroom will be cooler. You may wish to add additional layers under your child’s clothing so they feel more comfortable on colder days.
Mixing and ‘bubbles’
Students will no longer be kept in year group “bubbles” as advised in the latest DfE guidance for schools.
If your child has recently travelled outside of the country
Please ensure you follow all travel restriction procedures. If your child has travelled outside of the country, you must follow the correct travel rules, which can be found here. It is especially important that you check your child is following these rules if they have returned from abroad on or after 27th August 2021.
Outbreak Management Plan
The school will continue to work closely with the Local Authority and Birmingham health protection teams in the case of a local outbreak. If there is a substantial increase in the number of positive cases in school, or the local area, we may be advised to temporarily reintroduce some control measures e.g. face coverings or year group bubbles. The school has produced an outbreak management plan to cover this eventuality.
Building work
Over the summer there has been a large amount of major building work completed within school which will ultimately transform our learning environment for our young people. Students can expect to see significant progress on our new six classroom build at the front of school and the removal of a large staircase on our main corridor. Work continues on our downstairs toilet block and this will be completed a couple of weeks into the new term. Our new upstairs toilet block is now ready as are our sixth form toilet facilities. Our canteen is being extended and a new mezzanine is nearly complete which bring much needed space to the school. Students should anticipate some flexibility in both one-way systems and accessibility to various parts of the school site on their return. This is an incredibly exciting time for our school.
Pastoral and Well-Being Support
We appreciate that for some students the return to school may be an anxious time. We urge parents/carers and students to inform us if you or your son/daughter has any concerns about returning/starting school. The email addresses of key staff are on our school website and there are some excellent resources and signposting information on the Safeguarding and Well-being page which can be found here
https://www.bishopchalloner.org.uk/catholic-college/about/safeguarding/safeguarding-and-well-being.
There is some very useful information and resources that can be found on the Forward Thinking Birmingham website here- https://www.forwardthinkingbirmingham.org.uk/
We continue to hold in our thoughts and prayers all those adversely affected by this pandemic.
As always, thank you for your support,
Yours sincerely,
Dr J Coughlan
Principal
.jpg)