Dear Parents/Carers,
It has been lovely to welcome the children back into school. They have been so well behaved and have settled beautifully into their new classes- they are a credit to you all and the school.
As mentioned in previous messages we are hoping for a more normal term and, as such, we have started to look at appropriate trips for the term as well as having limited visitors into school. This includes the school photographer who will be taking photographs on the 29th September.
COVID Update:
Unfortunately, the number of COVID cases in the Neath area are very high and you will now know that that the decision has been made to move the whole of the Swansea Bay area to a ‘high risk’ category.
This will mean some further changes in school, which we hope will be temporary. These changes include:
- Forward facing seats in the junior classes with a fixed seating plan
- Masks to be worn by all people aged 12 or above (unless exempt) in communal areas of the school
- A one way system in the school building
- Outdoor activities as much as possible
- Windows open as much as possible
- Reducing interactions and maintaining social distancing e.g. no assemblies
At the moment there will be no change to the current two class/year group ‘bubbles’, although, if the area moves to a ‘very high risk’, we may be required to return to single class ‘bubbles’ temporarily.
How can parents/carers help?
- Please do not send your child to school if they have COVID symptoms. This includes a high temperature, loss of taste and smell or new continuous cough. However, we have a had a number of positive cases which have involved ‘cold symptoms’ such as sore throat, runny nose and being bunged up. If in doubt, please get your child tested. They should not be in school until they have a negative result but these are coming back very quickly at the moment.
- Please wear a mask if you need to come into the school building.
- We have a number of staff absent and there is some difficulty finding supply staff to cover them. Please bear with us if communication is slower than usual and contact the school directly with any issues.
- Please report any COVID results to the school office by phone during the school day and using the school COVID email address outside school hours. The email address is: crynalltprimary@npt.gov.uk
- Please contact the school office if your child is absent for any reason giving details of the illness, as we have to keep careful records. On occasion, the office staff are making 30-40 phone calls daily to establish why pupils are not in school.
PERMISSION FORMS
As most of you will know, every year we send out an overarching permission form for trips, internet use, media and emergency medical care. This form has not changed for many years but, I understand, there have been comments on Facebook about the possibility of us giving pupils vaccines without parental permission if parents sign the emergency medical consent form.
Consent for emergency medical treatment is exactly that. It is for emergencies only and does not include any routine treatment such as vaccines, weight and height checks or dental checks. It is difficult to give exact examples of the type of treatment that could constitute an emergency as it is mercifully very, very rare for us to need it. However, if your child had a medical emergency in school (seizure, heart issues, diabetic coma, serious broken bone, head injury to give some examples) we would always act to ensure the best outcome for them, especially if parents are a distance away or unavailable. This could include calling an ambulance and/or following the advice of medics when it comes to treatment that is needed immediately.
If you chose not to give this permission, please ensure that we have at least three emergency numbers of contacts that are up to date and available at short notice. This is essential to ensure the safety of your child/ren in the event of an emergency.
OTHER NEWS:
- I am currently completing an up to date risk assessment for the current COVID situation. This will be put onto the school website, under the COVID tab, in the next couple of days.
- As part of the Upper School topic of Christo, we need paper of all kinds that is suitable for wrapping objects. This includes wrapping paper, brown paper, newspaper and thin wallpaper. If you have any in the house, it would be gratefully received.
- The Lower School has welcomed PC Harris and Rev Lynda into school to talk to the children about their jobs and roles in the community. It was lovely to see them back in school, albeit in a socially distanced way.
- The school website is being continually updated and has lots of information about activities and the curriculum in school. The link to the website is: https://crynallt-primary-school.j2bloggy.com/
- There will be an INSET Day on Monday 1st November and the school will be closed to pupils
- The school photographer will be in school on Wednesday 29th September to take INDIVIDUAL photographs only. This year, due to the need to reduce movement between classes, we will be unable to take sibling groups.
Many thanks for your continuing support.
Mrs Woodford