Working Together to Move Forward With HOPE
‘Moving Forward Together With Hope’
WORKING TOGETHER TO KEEP EVERYONE IN OUR SCHOOL FAMILY SAFE
Reception New Starters September 2022
Do you have a child, or know a child locally, who is due to start school in September 2022? Remember the deadline for admission applications is 15th January.
Parents and carers can apply for a place at our school via Cheshire West and Chester Council’s website at https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/education-and-learning/school-admissions/reception-admissions/reception-admissions.aspx
It will continue to be vital that we work together over the coming months with regards to COVID19 as we move through Winter.
What should I do if my child is unwell with signs of an infection but does not have symptoms of COVID-19
Your child should not attend school if they are unwell. If concerned you should seek advice from your GP or Pharmacist, they will be able to advise you how long your child should stay off school. Otherwise we would recommend exclusion for 48 hours or until the child is symptom free, whichever is longer.
Positive Cases in School
The current national guidance has moved contact tracing from schools to NHS Test and Trace. As a result, contacts from a school setting are now traced via Test and Trace rather than through schools.
We continue to liaise closely with the Local Authority Public Health Team to ensure our practices and procedures for monitoring positive cases within our school community are in line with all the current guidance. This includes tracking any patterns or links within school.
Where we are notified of confirmed cases within school, we will notify parents of the affected class/es and advise that their child takes a daily LFD test for 7 consecutive days (even if they are non symptomatic). Children can continue to attend school during this time unless they become symptomatic or test positive on a daily LFD test.
What should I do if my child has a positive LFD test?
Anyone testing positive on an LFD test should self-isolate until the latest of:
- 10 days after the onset of their symptoms, or
- 10 days after their test day if they are asymptomatic
Self-isolation means your child should not go to school, attend any out of school activities or visit a friend’s house. They should not visit any public places, use public transport or go out to exercise. You should not have visitors into the home except for those providing essential care.
Please contact school via help@whitbyheath.cheshire.sch.uk and inform us your child tests positive on an LFD test
It is really important you let us know if your child has COVID-19 so we can monitor the number of children with COVID-19 across the school.
Household Positive Cases
The infection risk of household contacts is 10 times higher than other contacts
If one individual in a household tests positive, any children and young people in that household who attend school or college should:
- Take a daily LFD test for 7 consecutive days from the date of first exposure
- Continue to attend school provided that their test results (LFD) are negative
- Self-isolate for 10 full days from the date of the test if any of their test results are positive
What should I do if my child develops COVID-19 symptoms?
Regardless of age or vaccination status, anyone who develops any of the three main COVID-19 symptoms (see below) must get a PCR test as soon as possible and isolate until the result is available. People who get a positive PCR test must continue to isolate as usual.
The main symptoms of COVID-19 are:
- a new continuous cough and/or
- fever (temperature of 37.8°C or higher)
- loss of or change in, normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)
If your child develops any of these symptoms, you must arrange for them to have a PCR test as soon as possible. A PCR test can be arranged via the NHS UK (www.nhs.uk) website or by contacting NHS 119 via telephone if you do not have internet access.
Your child should self-isolate immediately and they should not attend school.
Please contact school via help@whitbyheath.cheshire.sch.uk to inform us your child has COVID-19 symptoms and you are awaiting a COVID-19 test.
Winter Weather
In line with our COVID19 risk assessment, we continue to ventilate all rooms in school throughout the school day, this does mean that temperatures in classrooms are cooler than they would usually be at this time of year. We therefore ask that children have layers with them to wear in class (i.e. an additional fleece to wear over their school jumper and/or t shirt/vest under their school shirt) during the winter months.
Please ensure children are suitably dressed for the playground as it is important that they get outside during breaks. Hats, scarves and gloves, as well as a warm coat are necessary. We would also ask that on snowy days children come to school in boots and bring a change of shoes to wear inside so they are able to have fresh air breaks without getting their indoor shoes wet. Please ensure that all clothing is clearly marked with your child’s name.
Please find below the arrangements for drop off and collection for the start and end of school day.
|
Year Group/Classes |
Drop off/collection gate/door |
Drop off time |
|
Collection time
|
|
|
Reception – Oak class |
EYFS gate on Clydesdale |
8.45am – 9.00am |
Gates will be closed at 9am – any child arriving after this time should be dropped off via the main school entrance |
3.00pm |
|
|
Reception - Elm class |
Wyedale main entrance gate |
8.45am – 9.00am |
3.00pm |
||
|
Key Stage 1 Year 1 – Beech and Ash classes |
Car Park gate on Clydesdale |
8.40am – 8.50am |
Y1 and Y2 children arriving after 8.50am should be dropped off via the main school entrance as their teachers will be in class and they will not have access to Key Stage 1 via the main playground |
2.55pm |
Parents/carers waiting to collect Year 1 children should wait in the main car park area. |
|
Year 2 – Fir and Cherry classes |
Main playground |
8.40am - 8.50am |
2.55pm |
Enter and exit via Clydesdale or Wyedale gate after dropping off/collecting from main playground. |
|
|
Key Stage 2 Year 3 – Rowan and Poplar classes Year 4 – Holly and Cedar classes Year 5 – Sycamore and Willow classes Year 6 – Birch and Maple classes |
Main playground |
8.50am – 9.00am |
Gates will be closed at 9am – any child arriving after this time should be dropped off via the main school entrance |
3.05pm
|
Enter and exit via Clydesdale or Wyedale gate after dropping off/collecting from main playground. |
Reminders
Considerate Parking and Road Safety
Please be mindful of our local residents and other families dropping off and collecting from school and, wherever possible, walk to and from school. If it is necessary to drive, park away from the gate areas and not across local residents properties. Please also bear in mind our informal one-way system at drop off and collection times.
Attendance
Please contact our school office by email or telephone if your child is absent for any reason or wish to discuss your child’s attendance with school staff.
Guidance concerning holidays taken in school term time is clear - absence will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances. We are not able to grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. An exceptional circumstance is usually a one-off, unique situation that is of significant emotional, educational or spiritual value which outweighs the loss of teaching time.
Please avoid booking holidays, appointments or visits during term-time. Please bear this guidance in mind when making bookings for any holidays. Please also be advised that where medical appointments must be taken during the school day, parents and carers will be asked to provide appointment letters for school records.
Silent Solution 55
IF YOU NEED CALL 999 FROM A MOBILE
If making a sound would put you or someone else in danger and the operator cannot decide whether an emergency service is needed, your call will be transferred to the Silent Solution system. The Silent Solution is a police system to help people who are unable to speak, but who genuinely need police assistance. You will hear an automated police message, which lasts for 20 seconds and begins with ‘you are through to the police’. It will ask you to press 55 to be put through to police call management.
Please see the attached Silent Solution 55 information sheet for further details.
Free School Meals
Free School Meals does not include Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) where all government funded schools offer free school meals to pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. If your child was receiving UIFSM but you believe you may be eligible for Free School Meals please apply here https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/education-and-learning/school-meals.aspx
ParentPay
Thank you to everyone who has activated their ParentPay account. We now use this system to send out whole school letters via email and for payments for both dinners and activities.
If you do not have a bank account, payments can be made at any Pay Point outlet. If you require a Pay Point card, please contact the school office to request one.
‘Moving Forward Together With Hope’
Useful Internet Safety websites:
jt5wIVC7DtCh18VQfWEAAYASAAEgKhyfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Thinkyouknow - https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/ (advice from the National Crime Agency to stay safe online).
Internet Matters - https://www.internetmatters.org/
Parent Info - https://parentinfo.org/
ICON - Speak to someone if you need support such as your family, friends, Midwife, GP or Health Visitor about infant crying. Click on the ICON link to take you to the webpage.
Paper copies of any letters are available from the office upon request.
