Welcome back!

31st August 2021

Dear Parents and Carers,

We hope you are enjoying a wonderful summer and that our pupils are looking forward to returning to school next week.

We are pleased to be able to have a slightly more ‘normal’ school day this term, with fewer of the restrictions that we had in place before the summer break. Pupils will still arrive at school in their outdoor year group zones between 8:40 and 8:55am (Year 5 will be met by their teachers on day 1), we will still sanitise our hands regularly and keep rooms well ventilated, but the ‘bubble’ structure we have got used to will end, there will be greater movement around school and our curriculum will be as rich and full as ever. School will end for all pupils at 3:35pm.

The start to the year will look like this:

Monday 6^th September -

Teacher Training Day

Tuesday 7^th September -

Y5 only day (in place of transfer day)

Y7 and Y8 attend school by appointment, for Lateral Flow Testing only (See below for further information).

Wednesday 8th September -

All pupils (Y5 Y6 Y7 Y8) in school for a pastoral day with their new form teachers

Thursday 9^th September -

All pupils begin their full timetabled lessons.

Of course, we want to start the term with no Covid infections in school. Therefore, pupils in Year 7 and 8 should attend school on Tuesday 7^th to take a Lateral Flow Test at the times listed below. These pupils will only be in school for a short time and should return home immediately after testing.

Time	Class	Surname	Time	Class	Surname
09:30 – 09:45	7EA	A - M	12:45 – 13:00	8TH	A - M
09:45 – 10:00	7EA	N - Z	13:00 – 13:15	8TH	N - Z
10:00 – 10:15	7JLX	A - M	13:15 – 13:30	8DB	A - M
10:15 – 10:30	7JLX	N - Z	13:30 – 13:45	8DB	N - Z
11:00 – 11:15	7RM	A - M	14:00 – 14:15	8JB	A - M
11:15 – 11:30	7RM	N - Z	14:15 – 14:30	8JB	N - Z
11:30 – 11:45	7FH	A - M	14:30 – 14:45	8CCU	A - M
11:45 – 12:00	7FH	N - Z	14:45 – 15:00	8CCU	N - Z

If you have not given consent for LFTs in school before (e.g. new Y7 pupils) then you will receive an electronic consent form via parentmail before the end of this week. Please return it as soon as possible. Year 7 and 8 pupils will take a second LFT in school during the following week. After that, pupils will be required to test at home twice per week, we will provide home testing kits for this purpose.

Pupils are expected to wear full school uniform when they return, in line with our clear expectations. Please see attached ‘quick guide’ for information, or our school website for more details. However, on days when your child has PE we would still like them to come to school dressed in their PE kit, along with a school jumper, as was the arrangement last year. This will continue at least for the first half term, when we will reassess the situation. Pupils will receive their timetables in week 1, and will not have PE until Thursday 9^th at the earliest.

Of course, if you have any difficulties providing your child with full school uniform, please get in touch and we will help in every way we can. You can also visit our friends at The Miners Lamp Café, who run a nearly new uniform bank.

We would like every pupil to have their own pencil case, equipped with all the basics and ready to learn from day one. Also, we will have a fresh focus on our ‘Healthy School’ status next year and request that you support us by providing healthy, well balanced snacks and packed lunches for your child. There is always a variety of healthy options for those having a school dinner.

We are REALLY looking forward to welcoming everyone back to school, especially our new ‘Highfielders’ who are joining us in Year 5. We hope that it will be a more settled and positive year for us all, where we can really start to make fabulous academic and personal progress, and make up for the time and the opportunities we have lost.

Kind regards

Mr Oades

Headteacher