Dear Parents & Carers,

As we approach the summer break, we are working hard to prepare for the implementation of the government’s plan for a return to full school attendance next term. We can confirm the details for the first four days are as follows:

• Wednesday 26 August 2020 Year 7 only – Full Induction Day
• Thursday 27 August 2020 Year 7 and Year 10 only
• Friday 28 August 2020 Year 7, Year 10 and Year 8
• Monday 31 August 2020 BANK HOLIDAY
• Tuesday 1 September 2020 All Year groups back.

Arrangements for Next term

Assuming no changes to government plans and subject to trustee approval, we hope to manage full attendance from 1 September but within some tight parameters, which are outlined below.

Students will be located in year group ‘zones’. That will mean teachers will move, not students. Students’ movements will be limited to moving within a suite of rooms that are zoned to them. Their social time will also happen in that same zone. That means minimised corridor congestion and limited contacts.

The distancing between students will be in place where possible but we will be running full classrooms with students facing the same way as per government guidelines. We will be offering the full curriculum with students taught in their ability groups where timetabled as such. Teachers will be crossing zones, which is why we will be enforcing the strict 2m distancing between staff and students.

You may hear talk in the media of changing or narrowing the curriculum. We have no plans to do that. With some modifications for safety purposes, we intend to continue all our subjects in some form. Catch up and intervention will be organised in addition to the normal curriculum as we have always done, albeit earlier and possibly more extensively than before and in response to an identified need.

There will be some staggering of arrivals, breaks and lunches and departures but we do aim to remain inside the 8.30 to 3pm parameters for most year groups. The detail about these times will be released later next week, but may have to be modified as we go along.

We will be opening the canteen for all students and we are currently looking at ways to accommodate a safe payment system and distancing with different year groups being served separately.

Hygiene routines will be stepped up as per our risk assessments and we are installing extra handwashing sinks and establishing routines for sanitizing hands and equipment.

Schooling will be compulsory for everyone and all our staff will be in school working with children. Remote learning will be available if a child is self-isolating or if a full or partial closure occurs. We will however continue to use Google Classroom for homework and for any catch up activities that may be recommended for certain students.

We will expect students to wear full school uniform including tie and blazer, apart from where we may suggest students arrive in PE kit. This has worked well with our key worker groups who have been able to have ‘distanced’ PE lessons due to the need for changing rooms having been removed.

If your child has been shielding, either for their own health reasons or for reasons that someone in the family is clinically vulnerable, we have been advised that this will end. We will however be willing to talk through your needs when the new term begins and when we know the most up to date levels of infection both locally and nationally. We are acutely aware that the situation in Leicester must make us both cautious and conscious that our own context must be taken into account.

Parents should be advised that all the existing guidance regarding keeping your child at home if they are showing symptoms, ordering a Covid -19 test and isolating the whole family for 14 days still applies. We will be cooperating fully with the government test and trace scheme and a privacy notice has been included on the school website explaining what this will mean.

 

 

A full letter containing the most up to date guidance will be shared the week before the start of the Autumn term, using our usual system of letter by email, and text and tweet with links to the letter on the website. Our Year 6 families will be included in this communication.

Possible arrangements for Examinations in 2021

We are contributing to a consultation about the examinations for 2021. If you have a child in Year 11 next year, you might like to contribute to the consultation.

The link is below - 

 

Woodbrook Virtual Sports Day

I have fantastic news for you that the Woodbrook Vale PE team have set up Sports Day for our students even though they are not here. I know so many of them will take part so please let them know that all the details are on the website .Reach, run, stretch, jump, strive, win!

Further Information can be found below - 

 

Year 6 moving up to Year 7

Our ‘Virtual Induction Evening’ film went live on the Transition Page of the Website on 1 July. We hope those of you who have children who are joining Year 7 have found it useful. The clear government guidance about severely limiting visitors to the school site have simply made it impossible to do this in any other way.

Uniform

Please visit our website for all details. You will definitely need full school uniform for your children by the start of the new term. Those who have needed help should have received it by now.

If you are planning a break abroad, please make sure you have allowed for the 14 days quarantine on your return so that it does not cut into the new term.

Communication over the summer break will only happen in response to a significant event or change to our published plans. You can still contact us all of next week through the office if you have any queries. We are always happy to help. We will monitor the office email over the summer in case you need to make contact.

 

We will resume the weekly update in the Autumn term. Have a safe summer and thank you for your support.

 

Kind regards,

Rachael Fraser

Headteacher