Dear parents/carers,

We hope that all of you are well.  You may be aware that we have some staff members who are not in school currently.  Across the country, staff are not in school for a number of reasons.   

These are some of the reasons, amongst many others:

• generally unwell
• illness
• sickness
• self-isolating due to a household member testing positive
• contacted via the track and trace app and told to self-isolate
• identified as a close contact of a case in school and have been instructed to self-isolate
• recovering from an operation
• caring for a sick child/relative/spouse/partner
• treatment for an illness
• bereavement etc.

We are unable to share with parents the reasons for individual staff absence for confidentiality reasons, which we are sure you will appreciate.

In school, we are making every effort for your child to continue their education both in school and remotely, if needed.   Staff work in teams and we have been able to provide continuity for children in school.  Staff, although they may not be in school, may be working remotely from home to ensure your child’s well-being and learning is not disrupted.

We understand that parents will be concerned when a positive case of Covid 19 is identified in school – these are extremely difficult times for all.  It may be helpful for you to know the procedure if a positive case affects school. 

• School receives a confirmation of a positive test from a parent or staff member
• School consults the Department for Education for guidance
• School informs Dudley Public Health and the Local Authority of the case
• School follows the guidance received to identify ‘direct contacts’ and will advise parents/staff if they are affected and need to isolate
• The guidance states that ‘the aim is to find the balance between identifying all actual contacts while not asking people to self-isolate unnecessarily’
• School may send a general letter to parents/staff where a positive case has been identified – if the bubble is affected

We will notify parents if their child is directly affected - no news is good news and means that your child is unaffected!

We are trying our best to keep our children, parents and staff safe and well.  Our priority will always be the well-being and education of all of our children.

Keep safe and have a good weekend

Mrs Miller and Miss Stanton