Weather update – Sunday 24th January – 5.45pm
Given the weather at present and the forecast for the next 16 hours we are making an extra request for all parents, including parents working in key industries, parents of invited children and parents of nursery children to begin making plans to keep their children at home on Monday 25th January.
We have teachers and staff that need to travel significant distances to get to St. John’s and at time of writing it is apparent that some of these journeys may not be able to be made safely. To open safely we require teachers, cleaning, catering, administration, midday and support staff to ensure that your children are safe at school.
Due to COVID regulations in schools we will not be able to mix year groups and have children from different year groups working in the same classroom. This will make staffing St. John’s safely tomorrow an extra challenge.
Due to COVID regulations at home we are aware that finding child care is very difficult due to the national lock down laws that still need to be followed, even in extreme weather.
With this in mind we hope to have the support of the community in asking parents to make plans now to keep as many children as possible at home tomorrow and use google classrooms and remote learning, rather than coming into school and putting an added pressure on safe staffing and safe pupil bubble structures. For example if you are a parent working in a key industry but are able to work from home tomorrow we are asking you to make plans to do so now and to have your child at home with you.
As always, we hope to be open tomorrow, to see children learning in school and to allow key workers to go to work knowing their children are safe at St. John’s.
A formal decision on the safe opening of St. John’s for any children will be made by 7.30am in the morning.
A copy of our winter opening procedures are available on our website. CLICK HERE.
Thank you
Mr. R. Averis
We have published a letter today for all parents today sent from the Executive Director of children's services and the Service Director of Schools and Learning at Derbyshire County Council.
This important letter clearly recognises the important role parents play in keeping us all safe by ensuring that if you are able to keep your child at home then you must, even if you are a key worker. I am sure that our community all appreciate Derbyshire County Council's support in this important matter.
We all want St. John's to stay open, we all want our children and staff to be safe and we all want to help each other as much as possible by following the government and local authority guidelines.
Thank you for your continued support in this matter.
To read the letter - CLICK HERE.
Unfortunately we are not able to welcome new families to have a look around St. John's at the moment.
New parents are invited to explore all our web site to help fins out about our school, however we have some pages that we hope are especially useful.
From Monday 11th January we will be using our new front door.
All parents and visitors that come to school will need to come to the front of the school and not to the metal gates at the side, by the kitchen. We all look forward to using this much nicer, friendlier and safer entrance.
To ensure that all visitors are as safe as possible only one visitor is allowed in our lobby at once. Please wait outside if someone is already in there.
Children still come to school and normal around the side of the school as they always have done.
We have published details of two sets of financial support families can receive during the lockdown.
Free school meal hampers
CLICK HERE. Parents of free school meal children need to click on the link and complete the form by 11.30am on Thursday 7th January
Mobile data for phones to help with remote learning
CLICK HERE. All parents are able to click on the link to see if they qualify for help with data costs whilst remote learning. This needs to be completed by 9am on Monday 11th January
Updated at 9.10pm on Monday 4th January 2021.
Following tonight’s announcement by the Prime Minister, St. John’s will only be open from tomorrow (Tuesday 5th January) for vulnerable children and the children of key workers.
The plans below are subject to change as more information is published by the government, but is intended to guide parents as to what to expect over the next few days at St. John’s.
On Tuesday 5th January
From Wednesday 6th January until further notice
Once again as we work together to keep all our community safe I thank you for your patience and understanding as we respond as quickly as possible to tonight’s information. Over the coming days I will continue to share any updated information on our website and by email. The first important update will be the online form that I hope to have available later this evening.
Mr. Averis
Updated Sunday 3rd January 4.50pm.
We hope you have had a happy and safe holiday.
School is open as normal tomorrow, Monday 4th January.
We look forward to seeing all of the children back in their classrooms with their friends and teachers as planned. CLICK HERE.
We have been notified today, Thursday 24th December, that a child in year three has tested positive for COVID-19. The child developed symptoms on Saturday 19th December.
All children in year three that were at school on Thursday 17th December or Friday 18th December, may have come into close contact with this child and therefore need to isolate for 10 days from point of last contact, until 23:59 on Monday 28th December.
Only children in year 3 need to isolate as children in other year groups will not have have close contact.
What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID 19
If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, they should remain at home for at least 10 days from the date when their symptoms appeared. Anyone with symptoms will be eligible for testing and this can be arranged via https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by calling 119 .
Other members of your family do not have to isolate.
Thank you for your support in this at this difficult time.
On Tuesday 15th December the government let schools know that asymptomatic COVID-19 testing would be taking place in school in 2021. Parents are invited to read the same information that we have in school about this on the government website. CLICK HERE.
On Friday 18th December the DfE shared that testing for the first few weeks in January 2021 will only take place in secondary school and not in primary schools.
During the Christmas break and then into January we will be following any other government announcements to ensure that St. John's is ready to follow government guidelines. We will post any information on our school website and share links by email throughout the Christmas fortnight.