Dear Parents/Carers,

Home Time Feedback:

Thank you to everyone that gave us feedback on the home time system. 92% of you said that you preferred the new system, so we will continue as we are for the next few weeks. As the weather gets worse, we may need to think about doing things differently, but for now, we will put our coats on and wrap up warm! I really appreciate how supportive you have all been with this.

Midlands Today:

Mrs Hedges has made it onto the BBC again today!! Look out for her and some of our lovely Year 3 children on tonight's Midlands Today. She is talking about the hidden costs of Covid for schools. I think she might be planning a career on TV!

Children Isolating:

I understand that when your children's bubble is sent home to self-isolate, this can be a nightmare for you-particularly if you work. Unfortunately, once we have established that someone within the bubble has tested positive, we seek advice from Public Health. They advise us on who then needs to be sent home to isolate. The advice they give depends on who has tested positive, the age of the children and the types of activities they have been doing. Sometimes we are left with no choice but to send home the whole bubble, sometimes it may be just a class, or in some circumstances, just a group.

However, it is really important that if your child has any of the following symptoms, they STAY AT HOME. If they have siblings, they must stay at home too:

- a temperature

- a new, continuous cough

- a change to their sense of taste or smell

Test results are coming back much quicker now, generally within 24 hours. I know that it is an inconvenient 24 hours for you, but keeping your child and their siblings at home if someone in your house has symptoms, might stop a whole bubble having to be inconvenienced for 14 days.

If someone in your house has symptoms, everyone in the house should stay in until the person with symptoms has got a test result. If an adult in your house has symptoms, do not send your children in to school. If they come in and then become ill having caught it from someone at home, then we have to send the bubble home to isolate. If they stay at home whilst the adult waits for the result, then the bubble will not have to go home.

Your decision to send children in when they, or someone they live with, has symptoms, could cause 60 children to have to go home.

Best wishes,

Mrs Seymour