Thank you for all of the useful feedback on remote learning. It has been really helpful for planning a way forward over the coming weeks.

Home Learning isn’t the same as mainstream schooling, and shouldn’t try to be. Both have things the other can’t offer. You can’t always do what teachers do in a classroom at the kitchen table, and teachers certainly can’t do what parents do at home. Work within your resources and abilities, and prepare to be as flexible as possible.

Read the full letter below (this has also been added to the Home Learning section.

Home Learning – Letter To Parents

Parental Reminders as we return to school in January 2021 (Tier 4)

• Pupils should only be dropped off and collected by one adult
• Adults are asked to wear masks when dropping off and collecting children
• Families should not car share to and from school
• Parents should continue to observe social distancing at the school gate and leave immediately. Please do not hang around to chat.
• All messages should come via email or telephone and not given to staff at the gates. Face to face discussions with staff shouldn’t take place wherever possible to reduce the risk to all.
• No bags, toys, unnecessary items are allowed in school. Overnight bags should be passed on via adults and not sent into school with a child.
• Reading books will not be sent home in the first week until the rate of transmission and local infection rate is clear.
• Parents must provide school with up to date contact numbers and be able to collect child within a 30- 45 minute window if requested to do so. This is very important when we have to isolate a bubble or send home a sick child. The mobile phone number registered to our texting service will always be the first point of contact for whole class isolation. If you know you would be unavailable on this number please email school on any day where this is applicable so we have an alternative and know to ring you separately.
• Packed lunches should be sent in in disposable packaging for the first couple of weeks to reduce the chance of transmission from home to school and back again.
• Water bottles should be thoroughly cleaned each evening and only your own child should handle it in school.
• Children must not attend school if they, or anyone in their family, has symptoms of COVID- 19. Where a pupil is displaying symptoms they will be sent home immediately and parents must then follow the government information on seeking a test.
• Children should arrive with their class bubble or their sibling group. Any late arrivals will need to ring the intercom and wait for a staff member from their bubble to collect them
• Any changes to breakfast and afterschool provision could be communicated at short notice if staff are absent or forced to isolate. This provision is only for children where there is no other alternative childcare. We have limited capacity. We will do our best to accommodate children on a short term basis in exceptional circumstances but it is reserved for those children who have already been attending under the keyworker arrangements we had in our original lockdown. Pupil must be at the gate at 8.15a.m. to be collected by named staff. The afterschool club closes at 4.30p.m. so all children should be collected before this.
• Pupils should wear clean clothes each day to reduce the chance of infection. This does not need to be school uniform. Change your child as soon as they return from school to reduce any risk to yourself.
• Please follow all the rules for Tier 4 so that you keep the risk to staff and pupils as low as possible during this time.

You can download this information by clicking the link below:

Parental reminders as we return to school in January 2021St Pius

Full School Opening January 2021– Infection Control COVID-19 General Risk Assessment Form

 All schools are advised to note the issues and suggested control measures in this document and then add detail specific to their school.

St Pius – Risk Assessment (COVID) January 2021

Firstly can I thank everyone, children, parents and school staff alike for their efforts during this first term back to school. Although it’s been a challenge for many we have started to see a steady rhythm within schools living under covid measures. Thank you.

Please view the COVID 19 Letter below for further details:

Covid Letter to Parents (October 2020)

As the term comes to a close, we are planning for the safe return of all of our children in September. We would like to share the details of what this will look like and how you can continue to support the measures we are taking to keep everyone in our school community as safe as possible.  The following advice follows the new local authority risk assessment for Durham schools. Any changes between now and September will be in response to local and national guidance.

Letter to Parents – Year 1 to Year 6 Arrangements

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we head into the summer holidays, we wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that Coronavirus is still with us and there are some very simple steps we can all take to help keep each other safe and healthy.

View our full letter below:

Letter to Parents – Summer Holidays

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View our letter to Parents (issued 30/06/2020) regarding safe and responsible social media use.

Letter to Parents – Safe and Responsible Social Media Use

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Opening of County Durham schools to more children

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all that you are doing at this challenging time. I realise that many parents / carers are thinking carefully about whether your child/children return to their childcare setting or school. For many this is a difficult decision and we want to reassure you that we understand how difficult this is.

View the full letter below:

DPH – Letter Schools Returning (8 June 2020)

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