Dear Parents/Carers,

Following the Government announcement over the weekend and the precautionary steps that are being taken in relation to the new variant, we wanted to write to update you about some measures that we are taking in school to keep our whole community safe.

We want life in school to continue to be as normal as possible for the children as they have really benefitted from being back in normal routines that are no longer affected as much by COVID. However, we have to ensure the safety of everyone and following the DfE guidance that face coverings should be worn in communal areas in all settings by staff and visitors, unless exempt, from Tuesday 30th November, we would ask that all parents wear a mask when entering the school building e.g. to give a message to the office or to meet with a teacher and would encourage parents to wear a mask at pick up and drop off as although you are outside, there can be large numbers of parents together.

In light of the new information that was shared over the weekend, we have made the very difficult decision to change our Christmas plays and nativities to be recorded performances which we will share with you via our school YouTube channel in the last week of term. Although we had very much hoped that we could go ahead with the performances in person, the number of parents we needed to accommodate given the size of our school and the proximity to Christmas and the family celebrations that you will want to enjoy this year, we felt this was the safest option.

We understand that new announcements in relation to COVID can cause alarm and worry but please be assured that we will continue to follow Government and DfE guidance. In addition, based on our local information and context will put in place measures within our school setting that are necessary.

Please be reminded that if your child displays any of the main COVID symptoms: high temperature, persistent dry cough, loss of taste or smell you must keep them off school until they have had a negative PCR test or completed the necessary period of isolation.

Thank you for your continued support.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Chamberlain   Mrs Gray

Head Teacher      Deputy Head Teacher