Care – Inspire – Succeed

Parent / Carer Bulletin

Friday 25th September 2020

Week A

28/9

29/9

30/9

1/9 3-5pm Y12 BBQ – Home Field

2/9

Collective Worship Term Theme: Celebration

Headteacher’s Update:

Outcome of Headteacher interviews

Following a rigorous recruitment process, I am delighted to

announce that the Governors have appointed Mr Tim Farrer as the

new Headteacher of St Laurence School from 1st January 2021. Mr

Farrer is a highly experienced school leader and is currently

Headteacher of Shaftesbury School in Dorset. I will be working

closely with him to ensure a smooth transition.

Virtual Open evening

This is now available to watch as a recorded session on our website

(LOCATION). Do remember that an application is required through

Wiltshire for a secondary school place in year 7 from next

September, even if you already have children attending St Laurence.

Duke of Edinburgh achievement

Congratulations to all our students who completed their Duke of

Edinburgh Silver expedition last weekend – while the format was

slightly changes due to Covid restrictions, nevertheless they have a

lot to be proud about.

Masks in school

We are very grateful for your support in encouraging students to

have their mask in school for indoor communal areas. A few

students have been forgetting to bring a mask each day despite

having been given three. We would really value it if parents / carers

could ask their child whether they have a mask before they leave.

We would also encourage a routine of regular washing, using the

three masks in rotation.

Your child should have received three, free re-usable masks from

the school. However if you would like to purchase additional or

replacement masks these are now on parent pay priced at £3.00

each. For students who forget their own mask from Monday 28th

September, we are able to provide a disposable mask priced at

0.35p each. This would be charged to you through your parent pay

account. However we would prefer students to carry their own re-

usable mask, possibly with a spare mask with them each day in case

of losing it or it getting damaged.

Light in the darkest times

Let us try and find light that

shines in the darkest times,

May we comfort each other,

even as we keep apart.

May we find celebration in a

time of confusion,

May we follow the light of love and

spread hope.

Let our hearts be moved by acts of

generosity,

May we be led to share what we

have with those in need.

We thank you for the signs of

your light in the midst of our

darkness,

May we be signs of compassion in

the heart of the world.

John 1:5

Care – Inspire – Succeed

Headteacher’s Update Continued:

Training day

Thank you for your patience with regard to the staff training day

today (25th September). This is really important for us every year at

this stage, facilitating staff appraisal meetings to be held.

Covid testing

Thank you for your vigilance and support in keeping children off

school if they are displaying any of the key symptoms of Covid (see

attached poster). We do realise the frustrations many of you are

experiencing in getting a test for your child. Together with all

schools We are pressing the government to get this sorted out. You

may want to contact your MP about this as well. It is vital that more

capacity is made available to support the continued opening of

schools.

CYCLE LANE

Fergus Stewart

Thank you for the responses to the survey we sent out

last Friday. This is essential information for us. If you

haven’t yet completed it, if you could do so by 9am on

Monday 28th September that would be very much

appreciated.

Medical

Please could parents of students who have a

new medical diagnosis, or students with a

previously reported medical diagnosis that is no

longer the case, please contact Mrs Martin on

vanmar@st-laurence.com

Exciting news - Wiltshire Council

have made a successful bid for

funding under the Government’s

emergency Active Travel fund. One

of the projects that is now almost

complete is the “popup” cycle lane

between Winsley and Bradford on

Avon. This means that you can now

cycle from Winsley to school on a

dedicated cycle way – more

information on the link

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/highw

ays-road-reallocation-schemes

As one of several initiatives at St.

Laurence School, we were

encouraging more Sustainable

Transport and Active Travel for staff

and students. As the number of

students that are cycling increases,

we are increasing the cycle storage

options, with more infrastructure to

install on site. There will be further

information later in the term during

our Sustainable Transport Briefing.

If you have any queries, then please

email me at matcro@st-

laurence.com

Mr. M Croft

Sustainable Transport Coordinator

COVID 19- Related Absence

It is important that we have the right information about absence and the nature of absence from school at

this current time. Please can we ask that you are familiar with the details in the grid below which is part of

the addendum to our Attendance Policy which was shared with parents and carers last week.

Circumstance Action needed Return to school when…

Your child has coronavirus symptoms

• Do not come to school

• Contact school daily

• Self-isolate

• Get a test • Inform school immediately about

test result

…the test comes back negative.

Your child has a positive test result for coronavirus

• Do not come to school • Inform school immediately about

test result

• Contact school daily

• Self-isolate for at least 10 days

…they feel better. They can return to school after 10 days even if they have a cough or loss of smell/taste as these symptoms can last for several weeks once the infection is gone.

Somebody in your household has coronavirus symptoms

• Do not come to school

• Contact school daily • Self-isolate

• Household member to get a test immediately

• Inform school immediately about test result

…the household member receives a negative test result.

Somebody in your household has a positive test result for coronavirus

• Do not come to school

• Contact school daily • Self-isolate for 14 days

…your child has completed 14 days of self-isolation.

NHS ‘Test and Trace’ have identified your child as a ‘close contact’ of someone with either confirmed coronavirus or coronavirus symptoms

• Do not come to school

• Contact school daily • Self-isolate for 14 days

…your child has completed 14 days of self-isolation.

Your child has to quarantine as a result of travel

Before travel

• Do not take unauthorised leave in term time

• Follow guidance in the school attendance policy relating to authorisation of term time absence

• Consider quarantine requirements and FCO advice when booking travel

If quarantine is necessary: • Do not come to school

• Contact school daily • Self-isolate for 14 days

…the quarantine period of 14 days has been completed.

Your child has received medical advice to commence/recommence shielding

• Do not come to school • Contact school to inform

• Share shielding letter with HoH/AHoH

• Shield until you receive medical advice that shielding has paused again

…you are informed that shielding restrictions have been lifted.

Care – Inspire – Succeed

Year 12 Summer Art Work Over the summer term, our students who

were moving on to A level Fine Art this

September were asked to produce a series

of work based on the theme of Still Life

and objects founds around their home.

Here is some of the fantastic artwork that

they produced, using whatever materials

they had to hand.

https://adtblog.st-

laurence.com/2020/09/17/year-12-

summer-work/

Care – Inspire – Succeed

COVID 19- Related Absence (ctd from previous page)

If your child is absent from school, contact must always be made by calling the absence line 01225

309501, on the morning of the absence and every day of absence following that.

When you leave a message, please be very clear regarding the nature of your child's absence. If their

absence is COVID related, please state if your child is awaiting a test or the test results. A member of

the pastoral team will make contact to discuss the absence. If it is confirmed that the absence is COVID

related, our progress team will send work via the child's school email.

If a child or family member has a positive test, the school must be alerted immediately.

Please log into your ParentPay account to

pay for the following items if relevant.

Trip/Item Calculators

Geometry Sets

Payment Due £9.20 All Year

£1. All Year 0

£20.25

Various

£3.00

A Level Calculator

Sketchbooks

Face Masks – COVID 19

All Year

All Year

School Uniform It has been fantastic to see so the vast majority of students wearing their uniform with pride and we are pleased that the flexibility we have offered for the return to school has supported families to achieve this. However, we are beginning to see some inconsistencies so would like to take the opportunity to remind you of the temporary adjustments we have made to our uniform. The only current adjustments are that students can:

a) wear UNBRANDED items where they have not yet had branded items delivered or

where they purchased unbranded items and are choosing to continue to wear these

e.g. logo on polo shirt or PE Kit items

b) choose to wear PE Kit instead of school uniform

c) wear PE hoodies in lessons when wearing PE Kit as this acts as a layer over their PE

top in the same way that the jumper is a layer over the polo shirt

All other aspects of our School Uniform Requirements have not changed and remain in place. In addition, students cannot mix and match PE Kit and standard school uniform. Next week, tutors will be reminding students of the uniform requirements so that all students are wearing their adjusted uniform appropriately from the week commencing 5th October 2020. We are grateful for your support to help us achieve this. If you are still having problems accessing the appropriate uniform, please contact your Head of House/Assistant Head of House so that we can support you.

23 September 2020

Dear parents and guardians,

This is an important letter to share some information on how we can work together to make sure we can continue to give children and young people the best education in the safest way possible.

One important part of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of pupils, parents and our communities is testing for coronavirus. We all have a duty to make sure that the right people have access to get tested at the right time. Every time a test is used inappropriately, a person with Covid-19 symptoms may miss out on getting tested.

Therefore, I ask that you all follow these principles:

You should only book a test if your child has any of these three coronavirus symptoms:

1. a high temperature: any new high temperature where your child feels hot to touch on their chest or back (you do not need to measure the temperature)

2. a new continuous cough: coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three

or more coughing episodes in 24 hours

3. a loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste: a noticeable loss of smell or taste or things smell and taste different to normal

Your child does not need a test if they have a runny nose, are sneezing or

feeling unwell but do not have a temperature, cough or loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste because these are not normally symptoms of coronavirus.

If you are unsure about whether to get a test, please check the official list of symptoms on the NHS website, which is reviewed regularly: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/

Only the person with symptoms should get a test. You do not need to get a test for anyone else in the household unless they also have any of the three symptoms listed above. All members of the household need to self-isolate whilst waiting for the test result.

If the person with symptoms’ test comes back positive, other members of their household should continue self-isolating for 14 days and only get a test if they develop coronavirus symptoms.

If a pupil in a class or bubble tests positive for coronavirus, anyone who is advised to self-isolate does not require a test unless they subsequently develop symptoms.

No one else in the same class or bubble as the symptomatic person needs to take any action unless advised by the school. Schools have detailed guidance and access to a Department for Education and Public Health England helpline for advice and support.

Contacts of a person who has tested positive must follow the guidance carefully and in full, which means they must stay at home for 14 days. This is because it can take several days following contact with an infected person before an individual develops symptoms or the virus can be detected. Students should only book a test if they get symptoms.

The NHS has produced some guidance to help parents understand when their child can and cannot attend school which you may find useful: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy- body/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

It is vital for children’s learning and future opportunities that they are able to return to school and college. It is therefore vitally important that all we work together and do our bit to make this possible.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Viv Bennett CBE

Chief Nurse and Director Maternity and Early Years | Public Health England

Head of World Health Organisation

Collaborating Centre for Public Health Nursing and Midwifery

Follow me on Twitter: @VivJBennett

Dr Susan Hopkins

Interim Chief Medical Officer | NHS Test & Trace

Deputy Director | Public Health England

Consultant in Infectious Diseases &

Microbiology Royal Free, London

Digital

Parenting We recognise that parents and carers wish to provide digital protection for their children and promote safe usage. As within school, there is a need to combine education with responsible oversight and to impose age appropriate controls over access to online materials and time spent with multi-media devices. We regularly publish an infographic with some excellent examples of advice in respect to discussing e-safety with young people and understanding how to deploy home filtering. We are aware that these might not always reproduce well in this format and recommend that you access the link below to the weekly infographic. When we publish an infographic in future we will also post an accompanying link for you to access the information in larger format. This week’s theme is “What parents and carers need to know about Overwatch”. These and other really valuable resources can be accessed https://nationalonlinesafety.com/training.