Bedwas Newsletter 16.7.21
Arrangements for September 2021
The Welsh Government letter to Head Teachers that was shared on Friday afternoon has made some things clearer but also raised more questions for how schools will be expected to operate in the new school year. Although the requirement for bubbles has been removed, at the same time the new guidance that supports the WG announcement states that schools must ‘formally consider how to reduce contacts’. There is also the expectation that if there is a positive case a school will be able to (as we do now) notify TTP of all that child’s close contacts. We currently do this through our bubble / contact lists. However if these were totally removed we could be in a situation like many Comprehensives where whole Key Stages or even the whole school would possibly be asked to isolate and that is not something any of us would want.
To address this, most of the arrangements we have in place currently will remain in place for the start of the new term. The entrance gates for specific classes will remain and the children will be released from the same gates at the end of the day (this also helps to address the removal of our Crossing Patrol by CCBC by reducing the numbers leaving from the front gate). Yards will still be zoned and play-times split to allow the children more space in which to play. Lunches will continue to be delivered to the classrooms for the first few weeks at least, in order to maintain bubbles at the time of the day when there used to be the most mixing.
Breakfast Club should be able to open although additional measures will need to be put in place in order to meet the requirements stated in the Operating Guidance for schools as well as meeting the requirements of the world in which we find ourselves living in at the end of the summer break.
To ensure that the Breakfast Club is able to open safely and remain open the intended start date for the provision will be the second Monday of term – 13th September. The situation is changing so quickly that workable plans for this aspect of school provision can only be meaningfully prepared much closer to the time. There will be class groups and seating plans in place for Breakfast Club in order to aid with track and trace should the need arise. Should the situation change drastically by the beginning of September any plans for re-opening would have to be revisited and potentially postponed.
This means that for the first week back at least (w/c 6th September) will operate as we operate now – gates open at 8.30am for an 8.40am start .
When the Breakfast Club reopens (hopefully 13/9/21) the arrangements will be –
Breakfast Club (runs from 8am – 8.40am) will accept attendees from 8am - 8.20am. All Breakfast Club children will need to enter the site through the main back gate on Celtic Way opposite Glebe Street. As so much time has elapsed since the last time Breakfast Club was able to run they will need new application forms for all pupils who wish to attend whether they attended before or not. This is to ensure that their records / contact details are as up to date as possible. Although hosted on the school site Breakfast Club is mangaged by the Catering service. They will need a form per child meaning that siblings will have separate forms. These forms are available from the school office as well as being on the last page of the School Prospectus which is available on the school website. The forms can be handed in to the school office during the first week back in September. All other pupils – normal access gates (as they are this year) will be opened from 8.20am not the current 8.30am and the yards will be zoned for each class as they currently are. If it rains pupils will need to enter through their current gates and make their way to their classes and not the hall as they would have done pre-covid.
Survey
As we did last year we would appreciate your time to respond to our survey on blended learning which has been expanded to cover aspects of provision such as homework and support. After the first lockdown we worked hard to address issues that we had identified ourselves as well as those identified by parents and children and we appreciated the constructive feedback we received in our last survey. The survey will be accessible through the link on our website.
Bedwas Leavers
We haven’t been able to give our Year 6 the kind of send off we would have liked, but thanks to the efforts of the PTA, parents and staff they have been able to enjoy some Leavers’ activities and have completed their Leavers’ film. For this particular year group it was only their Year 3 and Year 4 experience that was uninterrupted by Covid but we are all very proud of how they’ve come through it all and wish them every success for the future.
Bedwas PTA
Thank you to the Bedwas PTA (and our hard-working liaison Ms. Storey!) for everything they have done for the school during this past year. Fund-raising activities have been re-designed to be possible in our current Covid-driven world and their continued support is very much appreciated!
Reminder - Notifying School of Covid Test Results
There is currently no change to the process in place. You will need to contact the school by e-mail or phone as soon as possible if a child’s test result comes back positive. If this is outside normal school hours please e-mail your message to the school address – bwaja@caerphilly.gov.uk Any notifications of class closures will be sent out via Text2Parents and posted on the Federation’s website. If you change your mobile number please let Mrs Dee in the school office know so that she can update your contact details. CCBC are still in the process of arranging an alternative system which should be ready for the new term whereby parents can inform a central hub who will then contact schools. Once this has been implemented we will pass on the details to you and post the information on the Federation’s website.
This has been an unforgettable year for many of the wrong reasons! One message I would like to share is an important one when we are faced with all the negativity from the press etc. The children in both of our schools have returned with positivity and their results and work have been exceptional. The work carried out during lockdown with the combination of teachers working remotely and the home schooling you did has definitely paid off. Our children are in a great place to build on next year. I do not recognise the negativity I see in news reports and online about children being ‘lost’ when I look at our schools.
I hope that you all have a lovely summer. Thank you for working with us to try and keep everyone as safe as possible.