Letter to Parents-Carers- July 14 2020

15 th July 2020
Dear Parents/ Carers,
As we approach the end of the school term, we wanted to take this opportunity as a Trust to thank you for your
support and patience during the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite the hardships and personal sacrifices faced by families during the past four months, schools report that they
continued to receive many messages of support and kindness from families. Stories you shared with us of your
children’s achievements and courage, and your family’s ingenuity when facing new challenges has meant so much to
staff.
We want to express enormous thanks to you all, the children, their families, keyworkers, and school staff for your
efforts.
As we move forward, we would like to tell you about some changes you can expect when children return to school in
September.
In September, schools will continue to operate under heightened safety guidelines to minimise the transmission of
Covid-19. Some of these measures will include:
• Staggered or extended pick up and drop off times, and/or designated drop off areas to avoid parents and
children congregating at the start and end of the day – each school will confirm their approach to you in the
coming days.
• A temporary pause on whole school assemblies.
• Increased hygiene and cleaning, which include your child washing their hands regularly throughout the day.
• A change to lunch arrangements, which may include the requirement for some children to eat lunch in their
classroom.
• Break times to take place within class groups, with children unable to mix with children from other classes.
You will be contacted by your school with details of how your child’s day will look, and we ask that you read the
guidelines carefully. We all hope that these arrangements will be temporary, but for now we must work to these
government guidelines. Despite these measures we will be working hard to ensure schools are the fun filled and
caring learning environments that they have always been for your children.
In order that schools can stay open and operate safely, it will be the responsibility of us all to follow these guidelines
and to respond quickly should a child begin to show symptoms of Covid-19. Testing children who exhibit symptoms

of the virus is crucial to keep track of the potential spread to others who may have come into close contact. The
same safety guidelines apply to all staff.
What do parents need to know?
• From September the Government has said that fines for unauthorised school absence will return. This means
that schools are required to resume attendance reporting and you will need a valid reason for keeping your
child off school.
• Therefore, if your child shows symptoms of having the virus, we ask that you keep your child at home and
have a test carried out immediately by the NHS. This will not only provide peace of mind for you as a family,
but also help in supporting the safety of the school community.
• The NHS are routinely reporting test results within two days. On receiving the results, you should inform
your school immediately. If the test is negative and your child is well, they should return to school or the
absence may be deemed unauthorised and incur a fine. Where there is a positive test, our schools can then
seek the relevant guidance from the health care trust for that area to manage the safety of all children, staff
and families.
The motivation for asking that parents to report test results to school is primarily for the safety of other school users.
Our schools hold your child’s education, wellbeing, and health as a priority, and we want children to enjoy a safe
return to their school life. As such we hope you can support your school in these measures which we feel are for the
welfare of the whole school community.
Finally, may we wish you all a great summer holiday, and we look forward to seeing the children return to school in
September.
Yours sincerely
Chris Wheatley
CEO, Flying High Partnership