Dear Parents and Carers,

As we near the end of one of the most difficult school terms most of us will have experienced, I would like to start by expressing my gratitude to every single pupil, parent, carer and member of staff for working together to protect each other.

As we approach Christmas, we are all looking forward to putting Covid to the back of our minds and planning how we are going to spend that time. So, it is vital that we do not put this opportunity at risk by relaxing our behaviours now. We all have to face the reality that a positive case next week could lead to individuals and their contacts having to self-isolate over the festive season. This is a situation we hope does not occur.

Yesterday we received a communication from the Department for Education that encouraged us to make Friday 18th December a training day. While it is late in the day to receive this from the DfE we support this approach and will be making Thursday 17th December the last day of term for all our pupils.

I would now like to set out the procedure we need you to follow once the end of term is upon us:

• If your child:

Develops symptons between the end of school on 17th December and 4pm 19 December } Tests positive on or before 23rd December

You must inform your us. Please email:

Where a school receives a notification of a positive case, all close contacts will be informed and advised of the required actions. Please be aware that this message could be in the form of an email or a text message to you.

Alternatively if you child:

Develops symptoms after 4pm on Saturday 19 December } Tests positive

You do not need to inform us.

Since March 2020 we have had to respond to an ever-changing situation, and since September to the constant threat of Covid cases impacting on our ability to keep our schools open. We should be proud of how we have worked together in our communities through these dark and difficult times.

While Covid is not going to go away we can be confident that all our staff and pupils will get time to relax and enjoy the festivities for at least a few days over the Christmas break.

Season’s Greetings to you all.

With best wishes,

Laura Clarke

Head teacher