Dear parents and carers,
I hope that this email finds you well and that you have enjoyed a restful, happy Christmas.
As you already know, at the end of last term secondary schools were told to have mass testing programmes in place for all students and staff for the start of term 3. Our Trust has been working hard throughout the Christmas break to get that in place for all students at The Canterbury Academy and for all of our staff across our schools. I write to you today, as promised, in light of further changes to the government guidance announced last night for the reopening of schools in England from 4 January.
I will attempt to map out our position, as follows:
City View Pre-School and Nursery, and The Canterbury Primary School will open as normal on Monday, 4 January 2021. Your child/children should attend as normal.
The Canterbury Academy will be CLOSED to ALL students for face to face learning on Monday, 4 January 2021. As per government guidance, this is to allow a day for staff training to begin on our testing programme and for further remote learning to be planned. Guidance for all students to access our remote learning and online support packages will be sent by Heads of School at 5pm this afternoon.
Remote learning will continue for ALL students through the week beginning 4 January. Please be aware that because of staff training, any messages to staff may not be responded to until Tuesday, 5 January.
Years 11 and 13 will be able to return for face to face learning week beginning 11 January, and all other year groups will be able to return week beginning 18 January. Although the government have said they will keep these dates under constant review.
The public examinations planned for the weeks beginning 4 and 11 January will go ahead as planned. Mr Hadlow and our Exams Team will be in touch with you separately to tell you how these will work.
If you are a critical worker and/or your child is deemed vulnerable by the government according to this list https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision your child will be able to access face to face learning on site from Tuesday, 5 January.
In order for us to be able to plan as effectively as possible, please can you let us know by midday on Monday, 4th January at the latest, if your child will be attending school from 5 January, by contacting:
Mrs Banbery on abanbery@canterbury.kent.sch.uk or call 01227 463971, if you are in year 7, 8 or 9.
Mr Brooke on jbrooke@canterbury.kent.sch.uk or call 01227 463971, if you are in year 10 or 11.
Mrs Winslow on lwinslow@canterbury.kent.sch.uk or call 01227 463971, if you are in the sixth form.
As regards ‘Rapid Lateral Flow Testing’ at The Canterbury Academy, we are starting to see now some more concrete guidance on how we are to administer this from the government, with more information and training to be provided to schools at the start of next week. As a result, it is not likely that we will be in a position to begin administering our mass testing programme until the middle of next week, at the earliest. The test kits themselves are not due to be delivered to us, for example, until sometime on Monday, 4 January. We have also been told to expect large deliveries of PPE from the government which, likewise, is not due to arrive until 4 January. With that said, it is extremely unlikely that any student sitting examinations on site next week, or accessing face to face learning as the child of a critical worker or a vulnerable learner, will be offered the opportunity of a test.
You will, of course, be the first to hear when we are in a position to begin offering asymptomatic RLF testing, and I would urge you to please be patient with us as we continue to plan for this significant logistical undertaking. I should remind you again, also, that RLF testing is NOT compulsory. It remains, quite rightly, your (and your child’s) choice as to whether they take a RLF test. The government’s position is that all secondary aged students and staff should be “strongly encouraged” to access testing, but should you not consent it will not affect your child’s ability to attend school and learn with their friends. Access to education and learning is a right that every young person has and although, clearly, I would also strongly encourage your child to access RLF testing, consent will need to be provided for the test to be administered and for us to share the result appropriately. This will all be explained to you in more detail once staff have been trained in the processes at the beginning of next week.
In the meantime, please do be assured that senior staff across the Trust have been working hard through the Christmas break to plan for the roll out of mass testing at The Canterbury Academy from the start of term 3. Additional staff have already been temporarily recruited to administer the testing programme, under the constant supervision of Trust leaders. This means that we will not have to divert already stretched staff resources away from teaching and working with children. Likewise, it means that I will not have to ask our parental body to volunteer their time to help administer testing. Also, our Estates Team have already devised and built several testing pods to provide privacy for young people and colleagues taking a RLF test. Once we have taken delivery of the testing kits and other PPE resources from the government promised at the start of next week, our testing site will be ready to operate and we will begin to communicate with you to offer your children, our students, the chance of a test.
Finally, the only other thing I feel able to offer you at this time are my apologies for having to communicate with you again over the holiday period and especially on New Year’ Eve. The situation with COVID-19 remains incredibly challenging, fluid and ever changing; as such I am very sorry that we will now not see all of our children back, face to face, at The Canterbury Academy until the week beginning 18 January. For those returning to City View and The Canterbury Primary School, I know I speak on behalf of all my colleagues when I say how very much we are looking forward to seeing you again on Monday.
I shall be back in touch again next week.
Here’s to a happier and healthier 2021!
Jon Watson
Trust Executive Principal
