Dear Parents and Carers,

Due to an increase in Covid cases within the school, and Birmingham as a whole, the red banner has returned to our website to keep you up to date with the very latest information as we get it.

We now have a positive case in almost every class, with multiple cases in some. Many of these are contacts of household members who had previously tested positive. 

Please can I remind you of the following: 

• Positive cases should isolate from the start of symptoms or the test date (if asymptomatic).  The day after onset of symptoms or the test date if asymptomatic, should be regarded as Day 1. You can take two Lateral Flow Tests 24 hours apart from day 6 and end isolation if both are negative.
• Isolation for positive cases has been cut to 5 days. You are free to end isolation from Day 6, but ONLY IF there has been a negative Lateral Flow Test result on Day 5 and on Day 6.
• Sibling and household contacts should take a PCR test and must do a daily LFD test for 7 days but do not have to isolate if they are fully vaccinated or are a child under 18 years and 6 months. Please DO NOT send children into school without a negative test result if there is a Covid case in the household.  You MUST test them and yourselves each day.
• If you are unvaccinated as an adult, you MUST isolate if you are a contact of a positive case. You should not be bringing or collecting children from school. 

In classes where there are multiple cases, or if the situation requires it, you will receive an email with instructions that may differ from other classes. Please read any communications carefully.

All this means that we have more children who are having to isolate at home.  Our Remote Education Strategy, developed over the last two years, remains in operation and can be found in the 'Remote Learning' section.  We are operating at Stage 2 of this strategy, in which school remains open with teachers teaching in school, but remote learning can be accessed for children who are isolating IF THEY ARE WELL ENOUGH TO DO SO. 

You will see from the strategy, that because staff are busy teaching in school, children in all year groups have video lessons from the Oak National Academy to complete each day.  They also have spellings, access to an online library, Mymaths and Numbots or Rockstars for which Years 1- 6 should have logins. Teachers cannot provide other work for children at Stage 2 of the strategy. 

You can email your child's teacher on their year group email address (e.g. year4@grendon.bham.sch.uk) if you need further help or for feedback. Please remember, teachers are teaching all day and covering for absent staff as well. They will not be able to access emails during lesson time and will not be able to respond as speedily as they did during lockdown. Please be patient with us! We have laptops available in school if you do not have devices at home. Please let us know if we can help with this. 

If your child is entitled to benefits related free school meals, we are able to provide food packages. Again, please let us know if you would like one.

Please note that all of the above only applies to children who are isolating with Covid.  If your child is off school for any other reason, it is assumed that they are too unwell to be learning at home. 

This is another challenging time for us all. Together WE CAN get over what I hope to be one of the last Covid hurdles that we face. Thank you for all of your support.

Kind regards

Mrs Ridley