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Headteacher's Bulletin: Friday 19 March 2021

Coronavirus Bulletin   

Dear Parents and Carers,

LFD testing has gone very smoothly and to date we have completed 2324 tests in the past two weeks and no positives or voids! Students have been very sensible and respectful throughout this whole process and our staff in the Testing Centre are amazing!

We are now moving to home testing and have produced some documentation which I would ask that you read regarding this if you haven’t already. It can be found on our website at:

www.altrinchamcollege.com/information/covid19/information-for-parents-and-carers/covid-testing

Test and Trace Support Payments

Parents and carers of children who have been advised to self-isolate by their education setting or by NHS Test and Trace are now able to apply for a Test and Trace Support Payment or discretionary payment of £500, if they meet the eligibility criteria. The extension of the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme, which is administered by district and unitary local authorities in England, ensures that parents receive the financial support they need if they are unable to attend work due to childcare responsibilities.

Parents and carers should apply to their local authority to receive a payment. Applications for the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme are made via the local authority in which the parent or carer resides, not the local authority where the setting is situated, if these are different.

To be eligible applicants must meet all of the criteria that:

  • They are the parent or guardian of a child or young person in the same household and need to take time off work to care for them while they self-isolate. This is limited to one parent or guardian per household for the child or young person’s self-isolation period.
  • They are employed or self-employed.
  • They cannot work from home while undertaking caring responsibilities and will lose income as a result.
  • They meet all the other means-tested eligibility criteria for a Test and Trace Support Payment or locally determined criteria for a discretionary payment.

And that the child or young person:

  • Is aged 15 or under (or 25 or under with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)) and normally attends an education or childcare setting.
  • Has been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or by their education or childcare setting because they have been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).

If your child has been identified by school as someone who needs to self -isolate, we will provide you with a letter to that effect. The letter will be required should you wish to make a claim for payment.

Once an application for a payment has been received, the local authority will be in touch with our school to verify the details of the child provided on the application. This will include a check of the child’s name, age, address and days of self-isolation. This check is to minimise the event of fraudulent claims. It may be conducted before or after a payment is made, depending on the arrangements the individual local authority has chosen to put in place.

Punctuality

It’s really important that your child attends school every day if they are well. It’s also crucial that they arrive on time. As mentioned in last week’s bulletin, we have now started sending out emails to you to advise that your child was late to school. If your child had a medical appointment or the school bus was late, you will not receive this email.

Please can I urge you to discuss your child’s punctuality with them on receiving this email? If they are late, they are missing part of their first lesson and will need to catch-up on the work missed – in some cases this will mean missing their breaks and lunchtimes to complete the missed work.

If you know your child is going to be late, please let school know immediately. There are safeguarding concerns for us as a school if your child does not arrive on time.

We have put a new system in place to monitor and deal with poor punctuality which involves an after-school (Period 6) detention for one hour on a Friday (15.10-16.10). This is a non-negotiable day/time and will be staffed by a member of Senior Leadership.

Students will be asked to complete work they have missed/home-learning in silence and no phones will be allowed. Students must make their own way home after this detention so, if they usually use a school bus service, alternative arrangements will need to be made for their journey home.

We ask that you support us with our aims to ensure all students attend school and attend school on time.

If a student is in school but chooses not to attend detention and absconds, this is, again, a safeguarding concern for us as parents/carers will not know where they are. Safeguarding concerns will always be flagged up with our Designated Safeguarding Leads.

New Toilets

If you were to ask your child to name one of the areas of school most in need of a facelift, they will undoubtedly say “The Red Room!”

This was a most unwelcoming space with a lack of purpose and greatly in need of some TLC! Space is severely lacking in school, as you know, so it was important we made best use of it. Here are some photos of the room as it was before:

 

 

 

 

 

We have invested in this area of the building. Now look at the transformation!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lack of toilets was a big concern, largely due to the closure of the English block but also as we had to bring in a mobile toilet block to meet our Covid H&S regulations. We now have a large, open-plan toilet block and a new classroom!

The toilets will be used by students in Years 8 and 9 in the first instance, as they are located in their bubbles’ zone. The boys’ toilets opposite will be refurbished as part of the English Centre build but they are fully functional and in good repair at the moment.

Neurodiversity Week

The Neurodiversity Online Conference led by Mrs Noonan, Mrs Crossley and our Parent Governor, Mrs Stepanova, was a huge success this week! It was wonderful to hear all those presenting speaking in informed and passionate ways about the support their organisations offer! Our thanks go out to them and to all parents/carers who attended from AC, also parents of Y6 students who will start at AC in September!

End of Term

A reminder that students will finish school for the Easter break at 12.30pm on Wednesday 31st MarchSchool buses will be here for that time. Thursday 1st April is an INSET Day for staff.

School re-opens after Easter on Monday 19th April for all years at the usual time.

 

Student Star of the Week

The Headteacher’s Award this week goes to….Olivia S in 7.2! Well done Olivia! She has been nominated for her many acts of kindness towards another student which has made them smile for the first time in a long time! Olivia, you will probably never fully know what a difference you have made to the life of someone else. Thank you from us all at school!

Staff Star of the Week

We had lots of nominations this week: Mrs Waring, Ms Bowyer, Ms Wachter, Mrs Scholes, Mrs Careswell, Miss Bruckshaw, Mrs Talbot, Ms O’Brien and Mrs Armitage but the winner is ….. Mr Foreman!! Mr Foreman is an amazing Pastoral Support Manager for Year 9 and has especially been nominated for the support he has given staff, working with students in a quiet and respectful manner, even in the most trying of circumstances! Congratulations Mr Foreman – you are a STAR!!!

Governor Nominations

And finally, a reminder that ballot papers for the nomination of a Parent Governor can be brought into school now. Ballot boxes are situated in Reception. If you have mislaid your voting documents, or your child/ward never brought them home, please contact Clerk to the Governors. The deadline for your vote is 12 noon on Tuesday 30th March.

I hope you and your families are safe and well.

Stop the spread! Stay safe!

Kind regards
Ms. Earle
Headteacher