IMPORTANT INFORMATION  FRIDAY 16th April 2021

Dear parents/carers

We hope that you have managed to have a good break and we are looking forward to the return of pupils on Monday 19^th April.

We understand that some people might feel worried about the return to school. If this is the case, please get in touch with us to discuss your concerns.

Please be assured that any plans and procedures we have in place will be there to ensure we keep our school community as safe as possible. We will continue to follow health and safety guidance through assessing risks and putting in place control measures.

The information below includes some reminders about safety, plus some new information. Please take time to read it.

COVID-19 Safety and Managing Risk of Spread

We must minimise contact with individuals who are unwell by ensuring that nobody enters school if any of the following circumstances apply -

• they have one or more coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms
• a member of their household (including someone in their support bubble or childcare bubble if they have one) has coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms
• they are required to quarantine having recently visited countries outside the Common Travel Area
• they have had a positive test

If anyone in the school becomes unwell with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature, or has a loss of, or change in, their normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia), they will go to a room away from other people in school and wait to be collected to go home. Parents will be asked to collect their child from a separate entrance and will leave by the same way.
Guidance for households with possible or confirmed Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection sets out that symptomatic individuals must isolate for at least 10 days from the day after

• the start of their symptoms
• the test date if they did not have any symptoms but have had a positive test (whether this was a Lateral Flow Device (LFD) or Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test).

Other members of the household (including any siblings and members of the support or childcare bubble if you have one) should self-isolate. The isolation period includes the day symptoms started for the first person in the household, or the day the test was taken if they did not have symptoms, whether this was a Lateral Flow Device (LFD) or Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test), and the next 10 full days. If a member of the household starts to display symptoms while self-isolating, they will need to restart the 10 day isolation period and book a test. If anyone tests positive whilst not experiencing symptoms but develop symptoms during the isolation period, they must restart the 10 day isolation period from the day they developed symptoms.

In the event of a positive test, we will then contact Public Health England, who will guide the decision as to whether or not others in school, who may be affected also, need to isolate.

Please note, there are some changes to rules: 

Anyone with a positive LFD will be asked to go for a confirmatory PCR within 48 hours of the positive LFD test.

Those with a negative PCR test result need to confirm that the negative result has been received within 72 hours of the initial positive LFD test. If this is the case and the individual is well with no symptoms they can return to school and any contacts isolating as a result of the initial positive LFD test can come out of isolation. If it is after this time frame the status cannot change, isolation must continue and contacts also need to continue to isolate.

This timeframe period is to ensure the PCR test accurately reflects the LFD test result as much as possible, while still allowing sufficient time for someone to arrange a PCR test.

Contact tracing will begin immediately after a positive LFD result (i.e. without waiting for result of follow-up PCR). The tracing process will be stopped and self-isolation notices rescinded only where there is a negative follow-up PCR test result obtained within 72 hours of the LFD test result.

Pupils who had a positive LFD test result, and their close contacts and other members of their household, should self-isolate immediately in line with NHS Test and Trace guidance and while awaiting the PCR result.

We will support NHS Track and Trace and anyone who has received a positive test result will be contacted in line with the government system.

School staff are provided with lateral flow device test kits, so they can test themselves twice a week.

School staff will wear face coverings in situations where social distancing between adults is not possible (for example, when moving around in corridors and communal areas), but children in primary schools do not need to wear them.

We must ensure everyone in school cleans hands thoroughly and more often than usual. Hand washing will be built into our daily routines. All will be expected to wash hands thoroughly for 20 seconds with running water and soap and dry them thoroughly or use alcohol hand rub or sanitiser, ensuring that all parts of the hands are covered. Children and staff will wash their hands upon entering the classroom, and throughout the day, particularly before and after play and lunch times. If your child has any allergies to soap/sanitizer, please let us know and please could you provide one which they can use (for their personal use).

We will be the ensuring good respiratory hygiene by promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach, with posters in all areas to remind everyone.

We will be cleaning frequently-touched surfaces often and continue with additional cleaning during the school day, using safe products and practices, in addition to the end of day clean.

We will be minimising contact between individuals and maintaining social distancing wherever possible. We will continue to have a ‘bubble model’ in place, which will be class sized for most year groups and at the most, year group sized. Year groups will arrive at school and leave at staggered times. Yards will be ‘zoned’ to keep ‘bubbles’ separate, Key Stage 2 pupils will eat in their ‘bubble’ at a set time and FS and KS1 pupils will eat in classrooms, staying in their ‘bubbles’. The meals for FS and KS1 will be from the same menus as for KS2 pupils, but will be served in a food box.

We will have markings throughout school to show two metre distances and directions to walk. Staff will be monitoring and ensure that other bubbles have moved on before using spaces. 

It might be that a member of staff needs contact with a child in order to administer first aid, to help them if they have an accident or comfort them if they are hurt or upset, but we will only do this if necessary. 

Classrooms in Y1 to Y6 will be organised so that children are facing in the same direction, side by side and not face to face. Members of staff will be asked to maintain distance from the children wherever possible. 

We will be following advice to keep rooms well ventilated, which will involve opening widows as much as possible and doors where these are not fire safety doors. As it can still be chilly at this time of year, please ensure pupils come to school wearing warm clothes during colder weather.

We will not be offering Breakfast Bar. We will let you know when this can resume and will do so as soon as possible. It may be that we need to restrict numbers to ensure safety.

Wrap around care will continue and we will aim to resume some after school clubs.   

Pupils should wear their school uniform.

If you were loaned a laptop for home learning, this now needs to be returned. Please hand it in to a senior leader in the yard or get your child, if older, to drop it at the office.

You can help us keep everyone safe by doing the following-

You must wear a face covering when on school premises, including the yard, unless exempt.

Ensuring only one adult brings/collects their child/ren. Timings are staggered for drop off and pick up (see below). We need to keep parents/carers and children as distanced as possible, therefore, please ensure that you are punctual for drop-off/pick up. If you have two children coming to school and they have different timings, please arrive at the earliest of the two times and collect at the latest of the two times.

There are numbers in the yard to show where each ‘bubble’ should line up. These will remain the same as last time – please send your child to the correct number at the correct time, then leave the yard as soon as possible. When collecting, please do not approach the lining up points. Stay around the edge of the yard, away from entrances and gates and maintain a safe distance from others. Your child will be sent to you by their teacher. Please be respectful of our local residents; do not gather on Pipworth Road and please park sensibly and keep your distance from their homes. Please ask your children not to touch hand railings or gates on their way in and out. 

If you need to talk to a member of staff, please do not speak to the class teacher or go into the school reception. Instead, please call the school number and make an appointment.

Ensuring that your child only brings essential items to school, such as lunchboxes, coats, and water. No toys will be allowed and stationary will not be necessary, as each pupil will have an individual wallet of equipment needed.

Sending children, particularly younger ones, in clothes that are easier to manage, e.g. elasticated waist trousers, skirts, Velcro shoes / trainers, to minimise the need for adult assistance, will help.

Listening to your child read and reading books with them as often as possible will be a great help.

Staggered Arrival and Finish Times

Nursery- normal times. Access will be via the path that runs outside the school fence, leading from Pipworth road directly to the Nursery.

Staggered Arrival and Finish Times

Full government guidance for parents/carers about school reopening is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak

Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us: enquiries@pipworth-cps.sheffield.sch.uk

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the patience, understanding and support that has been given to us through these difficult times.

We look forward to seeing you all on April 19th.

Yours sincerely,

Julie Storey and Helen Kenyon

Director of Public Health Office

Sheffield Town Hall, Pinstone Street, Sheffield, S1 2HH www.sheffield.gov.uk

4th March 2021

Dear Parent/Carer,

I wanted to write ahead of the wider opening of schools. I recognise that the winter has been very challenging. Thank you for all that you and your families have been doing to keep each other safe and reduce virus transmission. Spring is around the corner and we need to continue to follow the restrictions so that we can hopefully enjoy the summer with our families.

Since January you have been home schooling your children and I know how much pressure this adds to things. Thank you for all the time you have invested into supporting your child and helping them learn at home.

We all know how important school is and I’m sure children are now ready to get back to school to see their friends and start learning again in the classroom.

Schools will continue to put all the measures in place so that they are as safe as they can be. Your child will be familiar with the way school operates with:

• School bubbles and contact tracing if positive cases are identified
• Staggered start and finish times if required
• Social distancing will be in place wherever possible
• Regular handwashing
• Enhanced cleaning and ventilationIn addition to this rapid Asymptomatic Testing with Lateral Flow Devices (LFDs) will now be in place for pupils in secondary schools. Testing for staff in both primary and secondary schools has been in place since January. 1 in 3 people who have the COVID-19 virus have no symptoms and do not know that they have it. Testing helps us find these cases. The testing programme is voluntary; however, I’d really ask that you take up the offer of testing for your child. Pre-school children and primary aged pupils do not need to be regularly tested.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-aboutearly-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-The Local Authority Public Health team will continue to monitor case numbers and will review the situation regularly. I recognise that you may be anxious and concerned about your child returning to school. This is understandable. The measures that are in place in school and the testing that is available will help us to monitor things carefully and enable children to get back to school safely.
• For pupils and school staff returning to school from 8^th March I’d remind everyone of what you can do to continue to reduce COVID-19 in your community.
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• Our webpage www.sheffield.gov.uk/backtoschoolsafely gives lots of other information about returning to school and detail about asymptomatic testing. The DfE parent/carer leaflet may be useful too:
• In secondary school pupils will be required to wear a face covering (unless they are exempt) in classrooms and during most activities unless it is possible to socially distance. They should also wear a face covering when they are moving around inside the school buildings, such as in corridors and communal areas.

What can you do to reduce Covid-19 in your community

Got Symptoms?

• a high temperature
• a new, continuous cough
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or tasteThe rapid asymptomatic LFD test kits should not be used if your child has symptoms. You should book a test at one of the test centres if you or your family start to develop symptoms.If people outside your family or bubble are coming into your home - e.g. maintenance workers or carers - reduce the risk by: Washing hands; wearing a face covering and keeping your distance if you can. Cleaning surfaces they have touched and opening windows for fresh air before and after their visit.Yours sincerelyDirector of Public Health, Sheffield                                    
• Greg Fell                                                                                                                      
• We have significantly slowed and reduced the spread of the virus in Sheffield. However, we need to continue to do this by following the restrictions. This will then allow us all to get back to enjoying more activities and time with our friends and families in the summer.
• Please remember that the country is still in `lock down` which means you still cannot have visitors at home or mix with people you don’t live with unless they are in your family bubble. Meeting up out-doors is MUCH safer than indoor and you are allowed to meet with one other person for exercise. So if you can, enjoy some spring sunshine, blow away the cobwebs.
• If you have any of these symptoms, however mild, even if you have got a negative LFD test result you must stay home, don’t go into school and book a free test via our easy, accessible tests centres here in Sheffield. Most test results are now coming back within 24 hours. You can book a test by calling 119 or online at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19