A copy of this letter can be found here

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Dear Parents/Carers

Happy New Year.

I hope you had a very enjoyable and safe Christmas break.

Sadly, as we return for the Spring term covid continues to impact on school life and organisation. As I am sure you will be aware, one of the main concerns at the moment is the impact on school of staff absence as a result of covid. We will make every effort to minimise disruption to learning but it is possible that it simply can’t be avoided. If a year group is unable to be taught because of staff shortage then provision will be made for remote learning.

This morning we received the latest risk assessment update from NYCC. The complete document will be available to view on the school website later this week but the key changes are as follows:

Individuals may now take LFD tests on day 6 and day 7 of their self-isolation period. Those who receive two negative test results are no longer required to complete 10 full days of self-isolation

Adults who are fully vaccinated and all children and young people aged between 5 and 18 years and 6 months identified as a contact of someone with COVID-19 are strongly advised to take a LFD test every day for 7 days and continue to attend their setting as normal, unless they have a positive test result

There is no need for primary age pupils (those in year 6 and below) to regularly test, unless they have been identified as a contact for someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 and therefore advised to take lateral flow tests every day for 7 days

School strongly encourages parents and other visitors to take a lateral flow device (LFD) test before entering the school.

If a parent or carer insists on a pupil attending your school, you can take the decision to refuse the pupil if, in your reasonable judgement, it is necessary to protect other pupils and staff from possible infection with COVID-19.

In addition to the updated risk assessment, we have also had communication from NYCC Catering as follows:

As you will be aware, the start of the year has seen an increase in Covid-19 cases, which has led to increased work absences. Our teams continue to work diligently to reduce the impact that this has upon your school meals service, and we are hopeful that we can limit any disruption.

However, in certain circumstances, the short-term disruption to staffing may unfortunately cause us to alter our menu offerings, and there may be occasions where we are only able to provide your pupils with a packed lunch alternative.

Although this is a last resort, our packed lunch alternative has been developed by our team of development chefs to ensure that it is able to fulfil the nutritional standards and requirements needed for your pupils, including if they have special dietary requirements. We have used this option previously and the feedback from pupils has been that it has been a tasty, short-term alternative. We hope they will enjoy this while our teams put contingency measures in place.

We will keep you updated as the situation regarding covid impacts on school.

Yours sincerely

Mr. D. Johnson

Mrs. L. Nellist