National lockdown to come into force on Wednesday 6 January
The Prime Minister has announced that a new national lockdown will come into force at 00:01 on Wednesday 6 January.
During the period of national lockdown, schools, alternative provision, special schools, and colleges will remain open to vulnerable children and young people and the children of critical workers only. All other children and students will learn remotely until February half term.
All early years providers including our school nursery (but not including reception years in primary schools) can remain open during this period of national lockdown.
The DfE do not think it is possible for exams to go ahead fairly this summer. The Secretary of State for Education will be asking Ofqual to consult rapidly on an approach for alternative arrangements that will allow students to progress fairly.
The DfE know that receiving face-to-face education is best for children’s mental health and for their educational achievement. They will be reviewing the restrictions on schools, colleges and universities and will ensure that children and young people return to face-to-face education as soon as the pressures are easing on the NHS.
This Government decision does not suggest that schools and colleges are no longer safe places for young people. Instead, limiting attendance is about reducing the number of contacts that all of us have with people in other households.
The DfE have resisted closing schools until now, but in the face of the rapidly rising numbers of cases across the country and intense pressure on the NHS, they now need to use every lever at their disposal to reduce all contacts outside households wherever possible.
For vulnerable children and the children of critical workers, who can still attend school or college, as they did in March to May, and their teachers, the system of protective measures means that any risks are well managed and controlled.
The Government are responding to the intense pressure on the NHS, but that pressure is not driven by children. They are not seeing significant pressure from coronavirus (COVID-19) in paediatrics across the UK. The new variant appears to affect all ages but we have not seen any changes in the severity among any age groups, including children and young people.
The overwhelming majority of children and young people have no symptoms or very mild illness only. As cases in the community rise there will be a small increase in the number of children we see with coronavirus (COVID-19) who only rarely require admission to hospital.
Vulnerable children and children of critical workers who can attend school and college
During the period of national lockdown, we will only allow vulnerable children and the children of critical workers to attend. Children with at least one parent or carer who is listed as a critical worker are eligible for a school place. It is not necessary for both parents to be critical workers.
The critical worker list has been updated to include new workforces whose work is critical following the end of the EU transition period – please visit the following link for more information https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision?utm_source=4%20January%202021%20C19&utm_medium=Daily%20Email%20C19&utm_campaign=DfE%20C19
Attendance recording in schools
Vulnerable children are still expected to attend school full time (except if they are shielding, self-isolating or quarantining). We encourage vulnerable children to attend school but if the parent of a vulnerable child wishes their child to be absent from school, please let the school know that they will not be attending. The Department for Education expects schools and colleges to grant such applications for leave given the exceptional circumstances.
As with vulnerable children, critical worker parents and carers should let schools know if their child will not be attending.
All pupils who are not expected to be in school are not attending because they are following public health advice and there will be no impact on their school attendance figures.
Free school meal provision
During the current school closure due to the national lockdown in England, Warrington local authority have decided to issue vouchers for children who are entitled to benefit related free school meals. Vouchers will be issued for children who are not in school. If your child is in school they will receive their free school meal as normal.
You can collect your voucher from the school office or if you prefer we can post your voucher to your home address (please note that we will use the address on our system for the priority 1 carer). At this stage we are only issuing Tesco vouchers and a voucher will be issued for £12 week commencing 4/1/21 and £15 per week thereafter during term time until lockdown ends. As this is a Warrington decision at the present time we will update you on the DfE vouchers system as soon as we can. Vouchers can be collected from 2pm on Friday 8/1/21 from the school office.
If you have any queries about school meal vouchers we ask that you email the school at Christchurch_Primary@warrington.gov.uk rather than phoning due to reduced staffing in school.
Lockdown January 2021 Update
Dear Parents and Carers
Here are the arrangements for education at Christ Church from tomorrow, Wednesday 6th January 2021 in response to the latest Lockdown measures:
- For children attending school – Keyworker / certain other categories of ‘vulnerable’ children:
Today your child has been allocated a new class based on their current year group. A PING INFORMING YOU OF YOUR CHILD’S CLASS WILL FOLLOW TODAY (it will be obvious which class your child is in from their current Year group, except for the two Y5/6 classes). The classes and arrangements are as follows:
|
Class name |
Year Group |
Start time |
Collection time |
Waiting Zone |
Teacher / Teaching Assistants: |
|
‘Reception Keyworker’ |
Reception |
8:50am |
3:15pm |
The Reception outdoor area outside Class2 accessible via the Nursery playground gates. |
Mrs Jordan and Mrs Kirkham with Mrs Akinyemi and Miss Telfer |
|
‘Year I Keyworker’ |
Year 1 |
8:50am |
3:15pm |
ZONE A |
Miss Simpson with Mrs Haynes and Mrs Holland |
|
‘Year 2 Keyworker’ |
Year 2 |
8:50am |
3:15pm |
ZONE B |
Mrs Mistry and Miss Walters with Mrs Rowe and Mrs Biddle |
|
‘Year 3 Keyworker’ |
Year 3 |
8:50am |
3:30pm |
ZONE G |
Mrs Dowling with Mrs Clare |
|
Year 4 Keyworker |
Year 4 |
8:50am |
3:30pm |
ZONE F |
Miss Axon with Mrs Tickle |
|
‘Y5/6 Keyworker A’ |
Years 5 and 6 |
8:50am |
3:30pm |
ZONE H |
Mrs Burgess, Mrs Shaw with Mrs Pollard |
|
Y5/6 Keyworker B’ |
Years 5 and 6 |
8:50am |
3:30pm |
ZONE J |
Mrs Haury with Mrs Rostron |
Teachers and Teaching Assistants not listed above will be undertaking full Remote Learning duties for the children not able to attend.
Please note the reversion to our more normal 8:50am / 3:15 (KS1) or 3:30pm (KS2) start and finish times, and any changed waiting Zones for drop-off and collection.
Children should all wear PE kits tomorrow. From Thursday onwards, your child will be told their PE days and will usually wear school uniform except on those days when they have PE, in which case they can attend in their PE kits.
Lunchtimes: The meals service will operate as per the Autumn term’s arrangements.
Children will receive the education that they would have had if this lockdown had not occurred; they will follow the full current curriculum for their year group, with an additional reading / writing/maths focus to address any remaining gaps from the previous lockdown.
Breakfast club (school-run) will continue for the PP-eligible children who usually attend.
WASPS breakfast club and after-school care will continue to be available – please contact them directly.
Snacks: Nursery (open to all pupils) will continue to provide snacks. Reception children and all other children – please provide your own (healthy please – no chocs/crisps!) snacks this week.
All current COVID risk assessments and operating systems used in last summer / last term will still apply and you can view these on the COVID page of our website. Please follow all our COVID-safety measures -social distancing, strictly remaining in waiting zones and not allowing your children to play with children from other classes when doing so, mask-wearing whilst on site (all adults unless medically exempt) and using our one-way systems.
- For children not able to attend school currently:
Your children will receive education remotely via TEAMS as per our Remote Learning Plan. Their teachers will explain the arrangements to them online via their current Class TEAMS group today, 5th January, at 2pm.
After this, those class TEAMS groups will be temporarily archived and children will access the lessons by new TEAMS groups organised by Year (children will be automatically enabled to access these pages using their existing TEAMS log-ins). Daily live teaching will be provided as per timetables posted on these new pages, and tasks will be uploaded with the expectation that they are submitted to the teacher via these pages for teacher review and assessment / feedback.
The first live sessions will be timetabled on the 6th Jan from 1:30pm to enable the pack-collection below. In subsequent days they will be timetabled to start in the mornings.
Additionally, you are asked to collect paper-based packs for your child from the school playground / waiting shelters tomorrow, 6th January, between 9:15am and 10:30am. These will provide resources for your child to use to support online-set tasks.
Children eligible for Free School Meals: It is our current understanding that vouchers will not be issued as yet but that packed-lunches will be available for collection. A separate PING has detailed arrangements for collection of provided packed meals from the school Office from tomorrow.
There is a vital necessity for all children not able to attend school currently to fully engage with the online tasks set and teachers will maintain registers daily of children attending online /submitting tasks. Without such engagement, this enforced absence from school will leave your children further behind their classmates. I know that the love and care you always show your children extends to a determination that they get the best from their education and I also know how difficult home-schooling can be. I greatly sympathise with the position in which you find yourselves again; please remember we are here to help at all times.
With best wishes
Yours Sincerely
I Williams
Useful information
Please find below some guidance we hope you will find useful.
Coronavirus Guidance
Coronavirus - IMPORTANT
What parents and carers need to know about early years providers, schools and colleges during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
We have updated the guidance on what parents and carers need to know about early years providers, schools and colleges during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak to include the latest information on self-isolation and shielding, who needs to get a test for coronavirus (COVID-19), face coverings, assessment and exams.
Please read this information carefully before contacting school.
Remember the guidance on whole household isolation in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak:
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The symptoms are:
The following ARE symptoms of coronavirus
Individuals will need a test if they have any of the following:
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Individuals do not need a test if they have a runny nose, are sneezing or feeling unwell but do not have a temperature, cough or loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste because these are not normally symptoms of coronavirus.
The full stay at home guidance for households with these symptoms can be found here:
Coronavirus Testing
For guidance on coronavirus testing, including who is eligible for a test and how to get tested please follow link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested
Department for Transport travelling advice for parents and pupils
The Department for Transport has issued advice on how parents and pupils can travel to school safely as part of the #TravelSafely campaign. Resources have been developed to ensure that parents, pupils and staff have the information they need to stay safe on the public transport network. This includes information developed in collaboration with respected partners on how to cycle and walk safely, where possible.
Resources can be found here:
https://extranet.dft.gov.uk/safer-transport-campaign/schools/
Coronavirus Information
Self-isolation period reduced from 14 days to 10 days from 14/12/20
Self-isolation is essential to reducing the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) as it breaks the chains of transmission. After reviewing the evidence, the Department for Health and Social Care is now confident that we can reduce the number of days that contacts self-isolate from 14 days to 10 days. This was set out in the UK Chief Medical Officers' statement on the self-isolation period on 11 December.
From 14/12/20, the self-isolation period for close contacts of a positive case of coronavirus (COVID-19) has changed from 14 to 10 days. This change applies to all those who are currently self-isolating including those who commenced self-isolation before today. This means that if you are on the 11th, 12th or 13th day of your current self-isolation period today – you can stop isolating. Any new cases identified for self-isolation will be advised to self-isolate for 10 days.
