Headlines By James Saunders 17th September 2021
There are some key tests that will require us to step up measures and take further action such as masks becoming compulsory or asking groups to isolate. Open Evening
After only a couple of weeks into term we are already looking ahead to Open Evening and preparations for next year’s cohort of learners. Last year we were not able to offer a traditional Open Evening and just held a series of small Headteacher talks combined with personal tours of the school in the school day. These tours were really successful and parents commented on how great it was to be able to still see the school authentically in action. We have decided to continue with this approach to tours this year and welcome families to make contact to arrange their personal tour. We have risk assessed this approach to tours to ensure everyone remains safe. We are currently making plans to have a more traditional Open Evening too - dependent on any changes that may occur locally or nationally over the next few weeks. To enable a face to face Open Evening to take place we are looking at a range of measures to keep families and staff safe. These measures will include: • No tour guides to take you around the school -
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instead learners will be situated at key places around school to guide you and we will provide you with a map and directions to explore the school. Limit on numbers of people in classrooms Limit on numbers attending presentations Use of face coverings will also be required in the same way you will find in shops, banks and other public areas Hand sanitiser will be provided around the school
Covid update You will be aware of the changing guidance regarding managing Covid cases in school. I shared a useful diagram last week to help you decide what to do if you suspect your child has Covid or has tested positive via a lateral flow test. The guidance for learners is certainly more vague and less restrictive than before. Test and Trace are now responsible for tracking and should be asking learners about any close contacts. To date we have not had any further communications from any contact tracing personnel.
The threshold we must reach before we contact Public Health England is as follows: • 5 learners/staff who are likely to have mixed closely test positive within a 10 day period • 10% learners/staff who are likely to have mixed closely test positive within a 10 day period As it stands over the last 10 days we have been informed of seven learners who have tested positive - 3 in C7; 2 in C8; 1 in C10; 1 in C11. Combined, these cases do not yet meet the threshold to instigate any further contingency measures. We are monitoring things daily and will inform you should we need to take further action. We are not alone in having positive cases in school. Some schools have had upwards of thirty in the last ten days. As the landscape changes we may well need to reintroduce tighter measures. As a reminder, we are still encouraging the use of masks in communal and crowded spaces and always have them available should learners require them. Update on Vaccinations in Schools Second week in and we have quickly discovered that despite attempts to get to as back to normal as possible things are not quite there yet. It has been a busy week in the world of education - we now have a new Education Secretary and the much debated topic of child vaccines has been given the green light. Contrary to media rhetoric we are not spending our days extolling the virtues of vaccines. Our focus is on the business of teaching and learning and trying to get the school back to normal. We are, first and foremost, educators and whilst grappling with the challenges that have been thrown at us over the pandemic all we really want to do is get on with the business of running our school. Testing was one thing. Invasive medical procedures are quite something else and are well beyond the remit of school staff. Generally speaking, schools in England are required to work with the NHS and Public Health England in order to facilitate the delivery of any school based vaccine programme. For us this will be led by the School Age Immunisation Service who currently manage and administer vaccinations for learners - eg: HPV, or Flu. The role of the school is to provide a premises for this to take place locally.
Headlines contd... Any vaccines that are delivered in school require the health professional delivering the vaccine to satisfy themselves that the necessary consent has been obtained from either the individual learner’s parent or the young person themselves if they are assessed by the health professional of being of sufficient, age, ability and understanding. Such issues of consent are not matters for educationalists or the school, as has been made clear by the information that has now been released by the Government. I have received many emails this week before I have even sent a single communication connected to the topic of vaccinations. Most of the emails make assumptions before obtaining the full facts. The fact remains that just like any other vaccination it is entirely up to the individual and their family to make a choice. We will not be forcing any learners to have a vaccination. I never thought that I would need to say such a sentence but for the minority of people that have issues with the national vaccination programme I feel I need to be clear where efforts should be directed. I am expecting more information to be shared by the School Age Immunisation Service shortly, which I will duly pass on to you so you may decide what is best. The local authority has shared the following information about the approach that will be taken regarding consent: • If a learner wants to have the vaccine on the day but their parent has not completed the consent form – the SAIS team will either ask the learner to return the next day with signed form or try to obtain verbal consent from parent on the phone on the day • If the learner’s parent has declined consent but the learner wants the vaccine, the SAIS will attempt to discuss with the parent. • If the learner has consent of one parent but decline from another parent, the child’s wishes will take precedent, (if they are considered to be Gillick competent). • It will be very rare that Gillick competency will be used to overturn the decision of the parent. The SAIS will more likely try to discuss with the parent and/or ask the learner to return the next day (if the school has a 2 day session). • A senior member of the service will attend every clinic who is skilled in determining Gillick Competency should this be necessary.
This is as much information as I currently have. As has been the case throughout the pandemic, we will communicate further information and guidance as soon as we receive it. There are many websites you can visit to download pre written warning letters to address me or the school. I have received quite a few of these. My stock response will be paragraph’s two and three of this update. Hopefully this has helped to create some understanding of where we are in this topic. All things being equal I would rather not be disrupted further but we are we are and we will assist the School Age Immunisation Service as we have many times in the past by providing a space for them to work locally. We are used to doing this frequently for the many other vaccinations that are offered to learners. I expect the process to run in a similar way. If you do have concerns or complaints about this initiative I hope you can see it is an issue beyond the remit of your average Headteacher and that I have about as much information as you do. Complaints and concerns about the administration of such vaccines are best raised with the Secretary of State for Health, Public Health England and the local Health Protection Agency. As always we will do what is asked of us and continue to communicate as openly as possible. What we won’t be doing is turning into a mouthpiece for any political opinion - on either side of the argument. The vaccine is there and from my understanding it has always been, and remains, optional - it is a personal choice. Other vaccines are no different. You will have been faced with the decision many times whether you wish to vaccinate your child or not. I do not know what you chose on those occasions nor is it my business to know. You will have made the correct personal choice for yourself at the time. This is what you are being asked to do now.
You my find the following guidance useful: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/ uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1017171/ PHE_12073_COVID-19_guide_for_all_CYP.pdf Lateral Flow Testing We will be supplying further home test kits for learners next week so that they are covered up to half term. Should any families or learners require further test kits then they can collect these at any time.
Headlines contd... Well done
Thankyou to:
Congratulations to the following learners who have successfully completed the Bounce Back programme with the Wilderness Foundation. As a group they did amazingly well and the feedback from the facilitator was excellent. They joined in the activities, supported each other, took responsibility and behaved as role models. The facilitator stated that they were one of the very best school groups he had ever worked with. Well done to:
Recep Almas, Ellie-Marie Barraclough, Robert Ardern, and Eva Cousens who kindly showed our new trainee teachers around our school this week.
Charlie Jones (11CFr) Tom Birks (11RPh) Max Cherry (10KCo) Kye Stedman (11AGi) Shane Stedman (9HTr) Daisy Thomas (11CTh) Reece Williams (9MJa) Amber Coe (9MJa) Jack Langford (11CPa) Thankyou to: Emma Jullien 7CHA, Charlie Pellowe 7KBR/LPU, Frank Chapman 8CWA, Theodore McQuillan 8ATO, Tamar Milliken 8ACL, Clara Donnelly 9SAR, Peter Janes 9FJO, Luca McCracken 9CHO, Fern Hazell-Young 10MHA, Thomas Mardle 10KHO, Elliott Nash 10MGR/CFR for supporting our Fresheyes review this Tuesday. Thankyou to the following learners supported the Oracy review yesterday: C7 Alexander Acharya Sophie Bloomfield Radley Camps Avaline Zanatta Freddie Estall C8 Kaylee Tredgett Joe Western Jonathan Hardington Anya Scott C9 Frank Chapman Rose Collier Gabriel McQuillan Summer Brackpool Dominic Scherer C10 Jamie Agombar Holly Bates C11 Bethany Cutter
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Friday 24th September C8, C9 , C10 and C11 will be taking part in our postponed Sports’ Day.
The format of the day will be: LS1—C8 compete LS2—C11 compete LS3—C10 compete LS4—C9 compete LS5—all cohorts compete in relay
This year, teams will be divided into House teams by cohort and will compete in four activities: football, rounders, netball and pétanque. The day ends with relays. Good luck to everyone taking part!
Reminder to C8 families Please confirm your child’s attendance at Danbury Outdoors on the 1st October. If families require support with payment, please contact trips@honywoodschool.com to see how we are able to support with payment plans. Thank you
Dates for the diary Friday 24th September
C7 to Danbury outdoors
Friday 24th September
Rescheduled Sports’ Day for C8/9/10/11
Wednesday 29th September C11 Careers Fayre Friday 1st October
C8 Danbury outdoors
Thursday 7th October
Information Evening 5:30pm Early closure of school at 1:00pm
Friday 8th October
Non Learner Day—staff only in school
Monday 11th October
C11 mocks commence
Friday 12th November
Flu vaccinations
Monday 15th November
Flu vaccinations
Next week is a Week “B” Each term, we have a scheduled programme of PSHE for LS5. This term our topics are centred around Respect. Reporting Learner absence: Families are reminded of the protocol used if a learner is too unwell to attend school. A parent/carer must inform the school on the first day of absence by 8:30am, and each day thereafter. This will allow the register to be marked with an authorised absence. The school can be notified by a telephone call to the attendance line 01376 561 231, option1, or attendance e-mail attendance@honywoodschool.com. If a reason for absence is not received, a text via InTouch or a call home will take place during the school day.
Could families please remember to top up their balance on our cashless catering system. Thankyou.
Thankyou to our Cohort 8 Duty Receptionists
Freddie Brooks Hayden Camamile-Wright Dylan Clark Mylee Colton Sophia Cooper
Don’t forget, early finish on the 7th October and a non learner day on Friday 8th October. Follow us on...