Dear Parent / Carer 

We are now getting firmly back into the routines of school following the re-opening for all students. All of our students have been pleased to be back but some have found it more difficult than others to get back into the school routine. It is no surprise when some students have only experienced four months of face to face teaching in the last year. Some year groups have only been on site from September to December last year and have been working remotely for the other eight months of the year.  

We have worked extremely hard to make sure those students who need support receive it. Those students who needed a firm reminder of the expectations and standards that apply in school have received this too. The classrooms feel purposeful and there is clear evidence that the work children did during lockdown has helped them keep learning. Teachers and other staff are constantly assessing and responding to what students have learned over the last few months. Our curriculum design has been based on building knowledge over time and through frequently revisiting concepts for the past few years and this has given us a really strong platform to work from for the future.  

INSET Days 

You will remember that we adjusted our INSET dates to avoid disruption to testing and to support students returning to school when we fully re-opened. I can confirm that the rescheduled INSET day will take place on Friday 21^st May. 

Face coverings 

Thank you for your support with face coverings. The compliance with the guidance around wearing face coverings in the classroom and other communal areas has been outstanding. The government initially put the guidance in to force until Easter. We have been told that the decision about wearing face coverings in the classroom will be reviewed over the Easter break. The guidance may remove or extend the requirement, either way we will make sure you know as soon as we can. 

COVID -19. SHOULD YOUR CHILD BECOME UNWELL – IMPORTANT INFORMATION 

If your child becomes unwell over the Easter break please follow the guidance below in terms of when and how you need to communicate with us if they become unwell.  

What to do if my child becomes unwell with COVID symptoms or tests positive after the 1^st April.  

Where a pupil tests positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), having developed symptoms more than 48 hours since being in school, the school should not be contacted. Parents and carers should follow contact tracing instructions provided by NHS Test and Trace.  

1. If your child becomes unwell from the 4^th April onwards, you do not need to contact us and can let us know when we re-open on April 19th as it will not have affected other students in school. 

2. If a pupil tests positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), having developed symptoms within 48 hours of being in school, please contact the school by following the instructions in 4a. below and we will assist in identifying and contacting close contacts to advise self-isolation for those affected, as the individual may have been infectious whilst in school.  

3. Between 2^nd and 8^th April, if a pupil tests positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), having developed symptoms within 48 hours of being in school, please contact the school by following the instructions in 4a. below and we will assist in identifying and contacting close contacts to advise self-isolation for those affected, as the individual may have been infectious whilst in school.  

4. For the first 6 days after the end of term (until the 8^th April), we have followed government guidance and allocated a dedicated contact number for a limited period to receive notification of positive cases and advise close contacts to self-isolate. 
   1. If you need to notify us of a positive case between 2^nd April and 8^th April, please call 07534689585 between 10.00am and 130pm. This number has been set up specifically for COVID 19 confirmed cases only. Do not call it for any other reason. If for any reason I am unable to take the call, please leave a voicemail and I will contact you as soon as possible. 
5. If your child is affected by contact tracing and required to self-isolate after the 1^st April, school staff will contact you by TEXT MESSAGE. Please make sure your main mobile contact number is up to date.  
6. There should be no contact from school beyond 8^th April as PHE have confirmed that this is the latest point in time when contact within school could theoretically affect your child needing to self-isolate 

Please use the information@buxton.derbyshire.sch.uk contact email for any other general enquiries. 

Home testing 

I want to thank you for your support with home testing; we have received around 1000 home test results so far and it is definitely playing a role in keeping school safe.  

Please make sure that you test your child and report the result using the online link on Sunday 18^th April or Monday 19^th April BEFORE school. We are sending home fresh batches of home testing kits on Wed 31^st March. Please keep testing twice a week throughout the Easter break too. 

Test results should be reported to www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result and to school using the following link https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=nCnxVVhfOkuiO1Bau4fh7jugOs8-Z8hClGNd6wqeimNURVg1WkpLODdIUjQ1MURNSDZYTFBKRkNMMy4u 

I would also like to remind you that that regular rapid testing is now also available for parents, their households and support or childcare bubbles. The government is encouraging all families to participate in twice weekly testing to help stop the spread. 

Parents and other adults in the household can access tests by: 

·      Ordering tests online www.gov.uk/order-school-household-tests    

·      Getting an assisted test at work, if it is available 

·      Attending a test site to get tested (where you will be able to see how to take the test) or pick up tests to do at home. 

Uniform expectations after the break 

We understand that for some families, it has been difficult to fully comply with the uniform policy following school re-opening earlier this month. After the Easter break we will be moving back to a more conventional approach to our uniform policy with some small adjustments, such as PE kit still being worn on the day your child has PE, remaining in place. 

Otherwise, please ensure that on return after the Easter break uniform is as per the school policy.  

We ask that it is clean, smart, and correctly worn so that there are no distractions to the learning process. With the warmer weather now with us, hoodies will no longer be permitted to be worn under blazers and coats will no longer be allowed to be worn in the school building. We will use our discretion if the weather should unexpectedly change and become colder again. 

Hair that is dyed a vivid colour should be returned to a natural look and excessive and brightly coloured nail extensions removed. In addition, please remember that jewellery is limited to a watch and one small stud in each ear. In accordance with Health and Safety regulations, no other piercings are allowed, including lip, nose, septum and eyebrow. Please ensure these are removed prior to entering the school site. Shoes should be all black and leather or leather look.  

Coming to school ready to learn is the most important thing that every child does each day. Being ready to learn means that the correct books and equipment should be in bags and homework completed in readiness for the lessons that day. As always, staff will be checking all equipment and uniform from the first day back after Easter and we thank you for your support with this.   

Summer 2021 grades and results 

Finally, we have now received a significant portion of the information we have been waiting for to help you understand how Y13 & Y11 students will receive their grades this summer. I will be writing separately to all our families in these year groups as soon as possible. 

As always, thank you all for your support and please continue to take care. I hope that during the Easter break, you are able to safely enjoy the additional freedoms that the changes in restrictions will bring. 

Craig Yates 

Headteacher