Newsletters

Headteacher message

Hello all,

What an amazing week.  Your children have been absolute superstars. They have adapted seamlessly to the various changes in school and still managed to come bouncing and smiling into school in the morning.  We truly do have our school back!  At this point I would like to thank you.  This week we have an overall attendance figure of 97.1%.  Now I am not competitive (I am really) but when you compare this to the schools average for Richmond of 86%, Darell compares extremely favourably.  I know from personal experience that sending your children to school is a leap of faith and it is very reassuring to know that you have placed your trust in us.  We will continue to focus on making the school as safe as it possibly can be and ensure that your child is safe, happy and learning in school.  Please contact me if you have any concerns at all.  It is really important that we continue to respond quickly and efficiently as we feel that currently communication with the parental body is working really well. It is a two way process as it enables us to reflect and refine making the school better for all.  

This week has been a learning curve for us.  As such there are some changes to how we are going to operate.  Currently,  if there is a suspected Covid case in your class the following will happen.  From Monday the changes underlined will be in place.

• The child will be isolated within the school and parents called to school to collect.  They will be asked to isolate at home and book a test as soon as possible.
• Previously as a school, we would phone all parents/carers in the child’s class and let them know what action has been taken.  Parents are encouraged to keep their children in school. From Monday, the school will send a text to the parents/carers class and let them know what action has been taken.  Parents will be encouraged to keep their children in school. 
• If the test is positive, then the parents of the class involved will be contacted by the Test and Trace team and will be told to isolate.
• If the test is negative then the parents/carers in the class involved will be sent a text letting them know the negative result.

We will be texting not phoning because of the amount of time it takes to contact all Parents and Carers by phone.  We had a suspected case this week, followed protocols and have just been informed that the result was negative.  

If your child is unwell but does not display the identified symptoms of coronavirus the following will occur;

• Parents/Carers will be called and asked to collect their child.  Parents/Carers will be advised to call their GP or 111 for advice.

We will not be sending a text message because they have not shown coronavirus symptoms.  As winter approaches we expect the usual illnesses to arise and it is important that we remain calm and differentiate effectively.  If a child is sent home without coronavirus symptoms we will advise parents to contact the experts (GPs) for further advice.  A reminder of the recognised symptoms of Coronavirus.

• a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
• a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

Most people with coronavirus have at least one of these symptoms.

Government guidance for schools continues to be updated, sometimes on a daily basis and we will inform you as soon as we know of any significant changes. 

Please ensure that you do not send your child into school if they are unwell.  If you have felt the need to give them Calpol or any other pain relief in the morning then this is a good indication that they should not be in school.  If you are unsure please give the office a call.  I continue to have access to local figures and whilst there has been a small increase in local cases the overall rate of infection remains low.

You will have seen in the news that, from Monday, there is going to be a limit of six people able to socialise at any one time.  Please can you ensure you follow these protocols.  Some schools are not letting parents onto the school site.  We actually think this would cause more of a bottleneck and inhibit social distancing so will continue with the drop off/collection routine we have in place.  Please ensure that you maintain social distancing at all times. Thank you to all who have been increasing their steps quota by using our strict one way system.  I know it is a pain but it really does help with the flow of human traffic. 

In other news, we are working very hard behind the scenes and are looking to launch the new look website by the end of the month.  I am also very pleased to announce that Sumru Satici Ince has agreed to lead the PSA for an interim period.  It is really important that we have a fully functioning parental body in our community and I would urge you to support in any way that you can.  There will be further information to follow.

As I write it is breaktime and it is so lovely to hear the sounds of a full school.  Thank you for your ongoing support in enabling this.  In challenging times, our community has stayed strong and we are now in a position to continue to develop the school.  Look after yourselves, your families and friends and enjoy the weekend.

Joe Porter