Parent Letter - December 2020

Dear Parents/Carers, 

We are writing to let you know about our plans for supporting with the track and trace process during the Christmas period. 

To ensure we provide an effective service to you, your family and our community, the Central Team at the David Ross Education Trust will be on hand to respond to any reports of positive test results. 

During the period between Saturday 19 December and Thursday 24 December, we ask that the details of any positive cases are sent to us using the email address - cip@dret.co.uk. This e-mail address will be monitored daily and close contacts will be informed as soon as possible. 

It is important that only those positive cases where a child had symptoms within 48 hours of leaving school on Thursday 17 December are shared with us. In all other cases, parents/carers should follow the Coronavirus advice and isolate for 10 days from the date of the test. All close contacts should also self-isolate for 10 days from the last time they were in contact. 

As you may have heard from the announcements yesterday and today from Gavin Williamson, schools are preparing to provide testing in the new term for students on a voluntary basis, and we will stagger children’s return to school as a result: 

‘In schools with secondary-age pupils, vulnerable children, the children of critical workers and pupils in exam year groups (primarily years 11 and 13) are expected to access on-site education provision from each school’s advertised first day of term and should be prioritised for testing. All other pupils should not attend that week and must be provided with remote education until 11 January when they should return to school and resume face-to-face attendance. Pupils will not need to have had a test in order to return to school on 11 January.’ (Govt guidance) 

In our school therefore, we will expect years 11 and 13 on 5th January and all other year groups on  11 January unless your child is vulnerable or you are a keyworker.  If this is the case please contact school on enquiries@malcolmarnoldacademy.co.uk to let us know that you intend for your child to return with years 11 and 13 on the 5th January.

I would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas. I hope you and your family stay healthy and safe over the festive period and that 2021 will bring relief from the challenges of this year.