Coronavirus - Covid 19 – Archive

19.07.2021

What changes on the 19th July?

Dear parents and carers,

Yesterday the Department for Education sent schools guidance on the implications when England enters Step 4 of the Roadmap out of Lockdown. Please find within this email some contextual information specifically for our school, as well as a template letter direct from the DfE (attached).

The biggest implication is that schools will no longer be responsible for identifying close contacts. This role will be taken on by NHS Test and Trace. This means that it is very unlikely that schools will send home whole bubbles.
Having taken advice for BPNS specifically, the Y2 class who were previously identified as close contacts, will finish their period of isolation and return to school on Tuesday 20 July as already stated.
Schools will rely on parents telling us if a child is symptomatic and needing to isolate and then consequently if they test positive. In more severe cases NHS Test and Trace may contact school. We will inform parents that there is positive case in school and that they may be contacted by Test and Trace.
Until the 16^th August children should stay at home for Covid-19 related reasons if:
- They or someone in their household is symptomatic
- They or someone in their household has tested positive with a PCR or LFD test
- They have been notified by NHS Test and Trace that they are a close contact – until August 16 when rules change and pupils no longer need to isolate.

Because of the prevalence of Covid-19 in the community and in the country at the moment, and also because of the potential of this to disrupt peoples’ holiday plans we would like to continue the following things until we finish on Tuesday 27^th July:

Visiting adults will be asked to wear face coverings (if possible) when INSIDE a school building.
We will maintain separation between the classes and class staff as much as possible for the remainder of this term.
We will maintain heightened cleaning procedures.
Children will still be expected to keep hands clean and sanitise as much as possible.
If a child presents as symptomatic we will send them home to be tested.

We are all truly hopeful that we are nearly at the end of what has been a really difficult 18 months, but as always if anything changes, we will communicate this with you as quickly as possible. At this point we are planning to begin the school year as normally as possible.

Thank you as always for all the support and understanding you have given our school, it is always appreciated.

Kind regards,

J Osprey

14.06.2021

School received this message from the Department for Education:

Prime Minister Announcement

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced today that he was not able to say that we have met all four tests for proceeding with Step 4 and thinks it is sensible to wait just a little longer. This will give time for the vaccination programme to protect people from the virus in light of the new variant. He felt confident we will not need to wait beyond 19 July. The government will monitor the position every day and if, after two weeks, the risk has diminished then Step 4 might proceed sooner.

Please keep your current protective measures in place until there is a further announcement on Step 4 of the roadmap. These measures in education settings will remain in place to help reduce transmission of the virus.

26.02.2021

Full return to school

Letter sent home to parents:

Dear Parents & Carers

I hope you are all well. As I am sure you are aware all children will be returning to school on the 8th March. We are incredibly excited about all the children being back at school and things being as ‘normal’ as they can be at the moment.

We have received some guidance from the DfE and what we know is that the staggered start and end to the school day, class bubbles, increased ventilation and handwashing/sanitising will all continue, at least for a while yet. In addition, staff at school are already taking lateral flow tests twice a week to check whether anyone without symptoms is carrying the virus.

Our breakfast club and after school club will continue in the Nook and be available to all children who require sessions. Anyone wanting to use these clubs can book places in the normal way using the Teachers to Parents app, or by contacting the school office directly.

We will not be resuming any other clubs, going on off-site visits, etc. until at least after Easter due to the requirement of maintaining children in class bubbles. We will review this situation over Easter and of course inform you of any changes which might start again after Easter.

Any guidance that was in place before our January lockdown is still relevant at this point. Please refer to our school website here. Some significant points to remember are:

There will be 2 drop off and collection times:
- Surname A – K……………… Drop off 8:45……………….. Collection 3:15
- Surname L – Z………….…….Drop off 9:00…………………Collection 3:30
Please continue to wear face masks/coverings in and around school, particularly at the beginning and end of school.

There is an expectation that all children are required to attend school from the 8th March 2021 and our normal attendance checks will resume again. That being said, we are very conscious that our priority will not only be academic performance, but the social, emotional and mental health of the children. One thing we will be making sure of, is that our planning is built around the children enjoying school and being happy… Right from the 8th March 2021.

We would normally have parent consultations at the beginning of March. We have discussed these and decided to defer them until the end of the year, when they will be more useful and meaningful. Please do contact your class teacher through Class Dojo if you have anything you need to discuss in the meantime.

I hope, like us, you can see light at the end of the tunnel of home learning and enjoy the countdown to the children returning to school.

Kind regards,

Jason Osprey

20.01.2021

BPS remote education information

This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education if local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.

Please follow this link for this information.

We have also produced some guidance and expectations for the use of online "live" sessions. These principles and guidelines are very important both for safeguarding reasons and also so that everyone can continue to enjoy our online learning.

27.05.2020

SHOULD YOU NEED TO GET A COVID-19 TEST FOR YOU OR YOUR CHILDREN PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK.

09.04.2020

As children inevitably seek answers to their questions regarding the strange and difficult times we now live in please have a look at the book in this link by Axel Scheffler (the illustrator that works with Julia Donaldson) using the knowledge of Professor Graham Medley, to help explain.

20.01.2021

BPS remote education information

Please follow this link for this information.

05.01.2021

National Lockdown - school closure

Following the Prime Ministers announcement Brinsley Primary & Nursery School will be closed to all children except those who fall within the category of key worker child or vulnerable child. Please follow this link for an explanation of this.

We have summarised any important information about:

Key Worker/Vulnerable provision
Free School Meals
Breakfast/After School Club
Home Learning
Access to technology
Etc

Please follow this link.

31.10.2020

Face coverings change:

Dear Parents/Carers

Apologies for the lateness of this message, but I thought it was important to convey it based on the latest news and evidence.

With this in mind we would ask that for the time being parents and any adults who come onto the school site for any reason wear a face covering. Teaching staff who are meeting other adults before, after or during school are also likely to be wearing a face covering. We would also strongly encourage adults to wear face coverings at the school gates where there are groups of parents waiting at the beginning/end of the school day. All other procedures at this point remain the same in school.

We have been one of the few schools that have not had to have any partial closures to date and we are very keen to keep this record for as long as we can.

As a school we will be listening to the guidance closely in the coming days and weeks and will adapt our procedures accordingly (There is likely to be a letter to follow in the coming week). But as always our priority will be to maintain a safe and happy environment for the children, where they can continue their learning.

As always we thank you for your understanding and goodwill.

We look forward to seeing you and your children on Monday,

J Osprey

Head Teacher

27/08/2020

WELCOME BACK

We are very excited to once again be a bustling primary school full of the joy and laughter of children.

As we welcome back all of our children for the first time in nearly 6 months, please read our September Plan below and find for your reference some government guidance about the return:

Returning to primary school: what parents need to know - please follow this link

There are also some useful videos from the government:

26/06/2020

As we get every closer to the end of the 2019-20 academic year we move into the last phase of our partial reopening. Please refer to the letter below: 'Keeping in Touch - results'

We are delighted to be able to offer the children who have been unable to access physical schooling at Brinsley the opportunity to come back and reconnect with their friends, their teachers and their community.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank and applaud the fantastic goodwill of the Brinsley school community for realising the importance of this and supporting us in making it happen.

J Osprey

27/05/2020

It is with a sense of excitement and cautiousness that we prepare for what is likely to be a partial reopening on Monday 1 June 2020. Please feel free to refer to the letters at the end of this page for more detail on what that opening may actually look like, at least to begin with. Please also follow this link for a school dinners menu for this period.

SHOULD YOU NEED TO GET A COVID-19 TEST FOR YOU OR YOUR CHILDREN PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK.

Overall we have tried to strike a degree of balance between following the guidance to keep children, staff and families safe and protecting the children's mental health by providing an environment that is familiar, caring and friendly.

We would once again thank you for all of your support at this challenging time and invite you to get in touch if you have any questions, concerns, comments, etc.

Can I also reinforce that if anyone changes their mind and decides they would like to send their child back to school, they need to contact the school office to give us warning, as we will need to see if we can fit new children in to existing 'bubbles.'

Can I direct you to the RISK ASSESSMENT below if you would like to see how BPS is trying to ensure the health and safety of all at school.

09/04/2020

We are now a few weeks into social distancing and 'lock down' and I just wanted to remind people to keep referring to the updates and newsletters posted on this website.

Can I also remind parents/carers that all of the distance learning materials that are mentioned below are on Class Dojo and the various other platforms that are being used across the school. I have been incredibly impressed at how well this work has been supported by families and children. Please keep referring to Class Dojo as this work is regularly updated.

Working remotely - Children's 'homework'

Teaching staff have given a lot of thought to what the children can do at home to support their learning and keep their brains ticking over. Please find below a link to a letter all of the teachers have shared regarding what work they are making available.

Please note this work can be shared with the teachers and every week or two it will be refreshed over the course of the school closure (excluding school holidays).

Please email your class teacher or phone school should you have any questions or concerns. The letters from the teachers can be found below.

As of March 18th the Prime Minister has said that all schools will close from 23/03/2020.

Of course that is with two exceptions:

"Vulnerable children" - those with an EHCP, Looked After Children and children with some sort of social care involvement.
Children with "key workers" as parents

Who exactly are "key workers?" Please follow this link.

What happens if these families do not want to, or need to send their children to school? The government's guidance is clear on this issue: If you can keep your children at home, you should keep your children at home.

How can Free School Meals children be supported? Please follow this link. As of 6/04/2020 Brinsley Primary School has accessed the government FSM voucher scheme.

Please keep looking at our website, our Facebook page, our emails/texts, Class Dojo, etc.

For information on the government's coronavirus action plan, please follow this link.

For information on what to do should you need to self-isolate, please follow this link.

For the latest information and updates on coronavirus, please follow this link.

Department for Education coronavirus helpline