News and Views
Visit this page for news, information, ideas, celebrations of success and opportunities to support our Christian community.
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Covid Cases Year 7
Sat 20 Mar 2021Unfortunately we have had several confirmed cases of Covid in Year 7, and as a result the whole class are required to isolate, with their last day being Friday 26th March. Parents of these pupils were informed on Friday.
Furthermore, several staff members are also counted as Close Contacts of the confirmed cases, and after consultation, we have clarified who they are. These teachers also need to isolate and have been informed.
In addition, Mr Worsley and Mrs Boulton have also made the decision that Years 8 and 9 will not be in school for the last week of term. This in part because there are several siblings in Year 9 and there is some contact between Year 7 and 8 at various points of the day. This is a precautionary measure and children do not need to isolate and can go out for daily exercise as per government guidelines.
A full schedule of home learning including Google Meets will be shared with parents as soon as possible. We will be arranging for pupils' belongings and required learning materials to be delivered to them by Monday evening and teachers are aware that on Monday pupils may not have their usual equipment, textbooks and exercise books.
We would like to thank all parents for their support and recognise that this situation will put added pressure on many parents. The nature of a family school like ours means that we have to consider siblings and also parents who are teaching staff when considering keeping classes running in a Covid secure manner at school.
Years 7-11 must continue their twice weekly testing on Sundays and Wednesdays. All results should be registered with NHS Test and Trace and positive cases reported to school on info@cfschool.org.uk next week and throughout the holidays. Please put "Positive Covid Test" in the subject of the email.
Let's continue to pray for our community; for those families who are unwell, and for those who are anxious. We are very grateful to the Lord for keeping us, and know that we must rely wholeheartedly on his faithfulness and mercy. -
Digital Resilience
Sat 13 Mar 2021We're back at school for face-to-face learning, but there are still restrictions in place. After school and at the weekend, it's likely that children are spending a significant amount of time on their screens to socialise, learn and play.
While most children will only have positive experiences online, there are things families can do to ensure their children know how to seek help if something goes wrong.
Please take a look at these five online activities* on the Parent Zone website to build digital resilience.* Although this article has much that is useful, as a school we do not necessarily endorse all the recommendations and judgements in ParentZone articles, as they may not necessarily be fully in line with a Christian worldview, so we advise parents to exercise their own judgement about the suitability of any recommendations.
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Wearing of Masks - Years 7-11
Mon 08 Mar 2021A quick update email as we prepare to welcome pupils to school on 9th March.
Firstly, thank you to all those who came for their Rapid Lateral Flow Testing today. Everything went very smoothly and we did not have any positive results amongst those tested, which is great news.
A reminder about wearing masks in school, and especially in classes starting 9th March, until the end of term. Some parents have written in to let us know that their child is asthmatic or has similar medical concerns. We already have a note of these conditions and these few children are granted an exemption. Others have asked for their child to be exempt because they wear glasses. For these pupils and everyone else we would just like to reiterate that we would really like everyone to come to school with a clean mask every day and expect to wear it even in class. Please also provide your child with a plastic bag so store their mask in when not in use.
We will be spending a bit of class time looking at this whole issue including how to wear and remove masks, and would like to reassure both parents and pupils that teachers will be reasonable and considerate, allowing some comfort breaks as and when appropriate.
However, our position is that according to government guidance, while infection rates are still high (over 100 per 100,000) masks should be worn in class as well as corridors. We fully recognise that this is far from ideal. However, while some parents would prefer no mask wearing in class, others feel strongly in the other direction. So, we feel the wisest course of action at this time is to encourage everyone (except those with medical conditions) to do their very best to do so as much as possible to keep the school as safe as possible. -
Returning to School
Sun 07 Mar 2021As we prepare to return to school from Monday 8th March, and following our previous communication earlier this week, we would like to remind parents of a number of practical considerations. Please read carefully. Your support and cooperation is greatly appreciated.- Years R-6 return on Monday 8th March
- Years 7-11 return on Tuesday 9th March
- Testing for Years 7-11 on Monday by appointment (see email sent Thursday 4th March).
Arrival times: 8.30-8.50am
As in September the arrival has been extended so that the gates and playground area do not become too congested. Please do not arrive before 8.25am. Children should not be playing on the yard. They should wash hands and go in as before. Lower School wash hands inside.
Parents must ensure that there is no congestion at the road gates, at the side gates or on the playground, at drop off and pick up time. Please be aware of others passing and create space for pupils to pass into the playground and not cluster in groups. Please ensure 2m distancing from other families. Parents should ideally wear a face covering - this is an enhanced measure. Staff will wear face masks outside when available at the beginning and end of the day as an enhanced measure.
Parking:
Please do not leave your car (even for a few minutes) on the road in front of school or across the road from school. There are a few places available in front of the Church or in front of the student halls where you can park and leave your car. Otherwise please park at Jack’s and walk down.
End of day collection: 3.25-3.45pm
Gates will open no earlier than 3.20pm. It is important that children stay with their parents as we do not want children from different bubbles mixing at the beginning and end of the day; and to limit those collecting children to one member of the household to avoid overcrowding.- Lower School pick up: 3.25pm
- Middle School pick up: 3.30pm
- Upper School finish at 3.45pm and leaves via the playground.
Other considerations:
- Pupils going home on their own (Years 7 and up) should not linger to chat and need to leave for the bus straight away.
- Staff children will not mingle or play across bubbles and will wait outside or with masks in the foyer (by arrangement) or with their parents until they leave.
- Parents and pupils should not congregate by the main gates, so as to not create congestion and mingling across households and bubbles.
- Children should not play in the playground or grass area at the beginning or end of the day. Parents should kindly reinforce this with their children at home.
- Pupils should not be sharing food at lunch times or break times. This includes bringing in cake or other items for birthdays even if these are for taking home. If you have questions about this please email ks@cfschool.org.uk before you make any arrangements.
Parents coming in to the school building:
Parents are asked not to come into the School Office to make payments or pass anything to us if it can be avoided. A limited number of parents may be invited in for meetings by arrangement with specific staff. A limited number of Vision Tours may also take place but entering classrooms will be significantly restricted.
If you need to speak to your child’s teacher, please speak to them on the yard or make an arrangement with the class teacher by email. Ideally such emails should be sent to info@cfschool.org.uk and we will forward them to the teacher who will endeavour to get back to you within 24 hours. In case of emergency we will get back to you quickly.
Reporting illness:
If your child is ill, please keep them off school. If they have vomiting or diarrhea, they should be clear for 48 hours before returning to school. Sometimes this can be a symptom of Covid especially in children so please consider booking a PCR test. If you or your child have any classic Covid symptoms, the whole household should stay at home and those with symptoms book a Covid test. Symtoms are: a new cough, a high fever or loss/change in taste or small. However, fatigue and stomach problems and a cold can also be symptoms and everyone is encouraged to book a PCR test if you have symptoms or seek advice if you are unsure. The key is to stay home if in doubt until you gain a clearer picture.
Please phone or email school and let us know on the first day of illness and when you receive a positive test as we will need to work out close contacts and mostly likely send children home.
Please see the enhanced risk assessment HERE, which aims to draw out some of the main ways we are addressing the possible risks of contamination and passing on infection at school. A more in depth risk assessment will be updated on the website in the next few days.
We look forward to a great three weeks back at school and trust that we will all work together to build a supportive learning environment for our children. It is so good to belong to such a faith filled community and we look to God to protect us and fill us all with His hope and joy.