Dear parents

Quick notices before we break up:

School closure and start date

School is closed after today (21^st December) until January 10^th.  The school site will not be open to parents and staff will not be available on site between these dates.

Covid changes

Should there be significant changes to practices from January onwards, I will share these as soon as we are made aware of them.  This would be done via text message and website Noticeboard updates.  Let us hope this will not be necessary.

Online learning and contingency planning

It is important that as the government are reviewing the situation ‘hour by hour’ that as a school we develop contingency plans for one or more of the following:

• Direction for partial or full lockdown
• A requirement for blended (part online part onsite) learning owing to multiple staff and pupil absences
• Contingency for isolation of small or individual absences

Online learning materials have now been issued.  I must reiterate that these are sent as a precaution only.  Please read the information carefully and keep them safe. 

There is no need to login at this time and you are asked to do so only when directed to do so.  Attempts to login early will not allow access, may trigger password reset notices and no materials are available for you.

Lateral Flow Testing

A reminder that guidance from gov.uk is that you should regularly LFT test and get a PCR test if either:

• You have symptoms of Covid 19
• An LFT test shows positive

I ask that prior to return to school on January 10^th children are lateral flow tested.  Please remember that a Lateral Flow Test (quick test) is for those not showing symptoms, whilst a PCR test (lab test) is for those with symptoms or if an LFT is positive.

Thank you

Thank you to all the parents and families who have been very supportive of the efforts to keep children and adults safe at Ashgate Primary School.  Thanks to you, the diligence of staff and effective systems, the cases of positive Covid 19 in the school have been extraordinarily low in comparison to other settings.

It is also appropriate to thank all my staff who have this term been flexible and uncomplaining about short notice changes and adaptations to matters beyond out control.  I am immensely proud of them all.

I wish you all, on behalf of the staff and governors, a very merry and safe Christmas.