November 2021 Update

 17th November 2021

Dear Parents and Carers,
 
Thank you for all your support with the continuing Covid measures.  We truly know how frustrating these are!  Together, we are doing a brilliant job of minimising disruption and absences of children and staff, but it is still very tough.  We particularly appreciate your support and understanding while the Aviary Club has had to cease ad-hoc bookings.  Please note that the Aviary continues to operate normally apart from this (and the occasional change of venue due to school activities!).
 
The Director of Public Health in CBC has now reviewed the impact of these measures and, sadly, the rate of infection amongst school-aged children remains very high in CBC.  Consequently, she has asked us to continue with the existing measures, and further strengthen these.
 
The main change is, as of today:
ALL HOUSEHOLD CONTACTS OF A POSITIVE CASE SHOULD BOOK A PCR TEST. THEY SHOULD THEN TAKE 7 DAYS OF LATERAL FLOW TESTS (LFT), AND ONLY ATTEND SCHOOL IF THESE LFT ARE NEGATIVE.  CHILDREN WHO ARE HOUSEHOLD CONTACTS DO NOT NEED TO SELF-ISOLATE WHILE THEY WAIT FOR THEIR PCR RESULT, BUT SHOULD HAVE A NEGATIVE LFT EACH MORNING WHILST THEY WAIT.
Please note: prior to this, this was the advice for Year 3 and above, but it now applies to the whole school.
 
At this point, we have been allowed to continue with the few performances etc. we have said in the latest newsletter.  However, we have been warned that these must continue to have strict Covid measures in place and if cases rise further, they may have to be cancelled - even at the last minute.  We will do our very best to avoid any further disappointment!
 
Thank you again for working so closely with us.  As I said, together we are successfully keeping our community safe and at school learning. Thank you.
 
Please don't hesitate to contact one of the team here if you have any queries.  We do appreciate how complicated (and ever-changing) guidance is.

 

1st November 2021

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope this email finds you well and that you have had a good half term with the children.  Sadly, we know that some of your half terms have been impacted by Covid, which is increasing locally.  We wish our parents and children well if they are feeling unwell with Covid-19, and send our best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

As you may well be aware, rates of infection among school-aged children and young people in Central Bedfordshire increased to very high levels locally before half-term.  As we go into the next half-term, we are being warned that the local situation remains very challenging.  Consequently, the Director of Public Health for Central Bedfordshire is advising all schools and colleges to put in place additional temporary measures to reduce onward transmission and keep educational disruption as low as possible.

 

Please find attached a letter from Vicky Head, Director of Public Health for Central Bedfordshire, outlining the additional measures which she is asking all schools to consider.   

 

At Russell, we had been very fortunate to have very few cases before half term.  We will continue to take a 'measured' approach.  Where things are high risk, we will aim to stop or minimise them, where things are lower risk and very important to a child's effective education, we will try to continue and keep things as normal as possible, until we simply can't if the risk to health or consistent attendance becomes too high.

 

Initially, these are the measures (following PHE advice) that we will need to begin from tomorrow please:

 

1) Children must stay away from school if they are unwell with Covid symptoms: temperature, new, continuous cough or loss/change in taste or smell.  Please arrange a PCR test and only return to school if it is negative.  

 

2) Face covering will be reintroduced for all staff and visitors when not teaching and in all communal areas INSIDE the building.  Face coverings are NOT yet required outside unless you want to wear them, but WRENS and GREENFINCH parents, please wear a face covering (if you are able to) when you are inside the building in the morning dropping your children off. Parent volunteers, please wear face coverings when you are in school too. Thank you.

 

3) If someone in the household tests positive for Covid, the following should now be done please:

  • For children in FS/Y1/Y2 - all household members (including your child) should take a PCR test (children can still come into school while they wait for the result)
  • For children in Y3 - as above,  all household members (including your child) should take a PCR test (children can still come into school while they wait for the result) and IN ADDITION: children should take Lateral Flow Device (LFD) tests each morning for 7 days (from the start of the first symptoms in the house or from the positive test result if there were no symptoms).  Note: anyone who has tested positive in the last 90 days does NOT need to participate in daily LFD, or take more PCR tests.
4) School will reduce any indoor gatherings and reduce mixing where possible.  For example, this will include greater use of virtual assemblies and fewer 'parent' events in school.

As always, I will aim to keep you as fully informed as I can.

 

Please do contact us if you have any queries or questions.  We appreciate it is getting very difficult for parents as all schools are doing things slightly differently based on the advice.  If in doubt, please just give us a quick call on 01525 755664, or email: office@russell-lower.co.uk 

 

Thank you for all your on-going support.  We know that we are all very weary of this now, but Covid simply hasn't gone away yet so we must continue to work together as everyone's safety and the provision of on-going, consistent education for the children is of paramount importance. Thank you again for all your support in making these measures 'work'.  We really appreciate it.

 

We look forward to seeing nearly everyone back tomorrow.  We wish those of you who are poorly or self-isolating at this time all the very best.

 

Take good care.