18th December 2020
Dear Parents/Carers,
Staggered Rollout of Coronavirus Testing for Secondary Schools from January
You may have seen that the Government has announced that all secondary schools in England will be able to test more of their staff and students in a round of free coronavirus testing from the first week of January. This is an integral part of the national priority to keep education open to all and to help fight the spread of the virus whilst keeping schools safe.
The Department for Education (DfE) have, yesterday, also informed us that, in order to support the implementation of this, secondary schools will operate a staggered return for students in years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12 with online/remote learning available to them from Monday 4th January until Friday 8th January. This means that students in these groups do not return to attending school until Monday 11th January. The remote learning available to them during this first week of term will mirror, as close as possible, the learning that students would have received had they been in school. Students in exam year groups, that being year 11 and year 13, will attend school from the start of term – Monday 4th January. As in the first lockdown, Shire Oak Academy will also ensure ‘on site’ education for vulnerable students and for children of critical workers during this first week back. (This includes students with SEND, those with a social worker and looked after children.)
If you do not have a device and/or internet access and your child is in years 7, 8, 9, 10 or 12 please email [email protected] to let us know. Collection of devices will take place on Monday 4th January from 9am. You can also use this email address if you are unsure about the start of term arrangements.
As the news regarding testing is very new to us, we will need time to digest and plan for what is expected of us and how we might go about this and this, too, will be shared with you during the week beginning 4th January. This information is, as previously stated, as fresh to us as it is to you and I am sure there are many questions that may arise. We will ensure that we communicate with you fully at the start of the new term.
In the meantime, I sincerely hope you can all have a restful, safe and healthy Christmas
Yours sincerely
Annabel Stoddart
Headteacher