Dear Parents/Carers

I hope you and your families had an enjoyable holiday period with your families.

Prior to the Christmas holidays, I wrote to you with details about learners testing using the lateral flow devices (LFD) prior to their return to school this week.  That still remains the case but there are some changes to the frequency of testing going forward which I will detail as well as some changes to the self-isolation requirements.

The guidance from the Welsh Government is that learners should now test three times a week and so we ask that learners test using LFD on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evening.  This advice has changed from a communication yesterday. The reporting of the result on the NHS website remains unchanged https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result as does the reporting of a positive result to school on admin@lliswerryhigh.org If the LFD result is positive, then a PCR test must be booked and the results communicated to school on the above email address. 

Previously you may have not opted into the LFD testing process for your child.  If you now wish for them to do so simply complete this form  https://forms.gle/fddCR12dphF9Et6a8 and this will ensure that they receive the boxes of LFD going forward.

The Welsh Government have now updated their guidance over self-isolation. If your child has a positive lateral flow test or any Covid-19 symptoms, they should not attend school.  A PCR test must be booked for as soon as possible and begin to self-isolate.  If the subsequent PCR test is positive, they must self-isolate from the day symptoms started and for at least 7 full days. 

The self-isolation period includes the day symptoms started (or the day of the PCR test, if they do not have symptoms) and the next 7 full days. If your child did not originally have symptoms when the PCR was taken but they develop whilst self-isolating, the 7 days restarts from the day after symptoms started. The self-isolation period ends on day 8 as long as the LFD test taken on day 6 and another 24 hours later are both negative.

If either of the LFDs taken on day 6 or day 7 is positive, they should remain in self-isolation until 2 negative LFDs or day 10 whichever is sooner.

The guidance has also changed for close contacts of someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 and this includes their siblings.  An LFD test should be taken before leaving for school every day for 7 days or until 10 days since the last contact with the person who tested positive if that is earlier.  All test results should be reported to the NHS website and school as detailed above. 

If one of the LFD tests is positive then a PCR must be booked for within 24 hours and self-isolation begins.  If the PCR is positive, the 7 full days of self-isolation begins from the date the LFD test was taken.  If the PCR is negative, then there is no requirement to continue to self-isolate but do continue with the daily LFD testing.

For full details on the self-isolation please review the following link https://gov.wales/self-isolation

Finally, please can you also ensure that we have up to date contact details, on occasions learners are developing Covid-19 symptoms whilst in school and so it is vital that we are able to contact you immediately. 

Welsh Government are continually reviewing their guidance and therefore we will immediately update you with regards to any further changes as soon as we become aware.

Best wishes,

Mrs L Evans
Senior Assistant Headteacher

Please find a letter from Newport’s Chief Education Officer below/attached, regarding inappropriate use of social.

Dear Parent / Guardian,

Inappropriate Use of Social Media

Unfortunately, it has come to our attention that social media accounts have been set up on platforms such as TikTok, that are designed to look like official school accounts, to which pupils have been uploading short videos.

Recent incidents have involved inappropriate posts and videos being uploaded to such accounts that are offensive, discriminatory or defamatory. Such posts cause distress to others and may be illegal.

We would kindly request that you speak to your child / children and remind them of the dangers associated with the misuse of social media in this way and that activity of the kind described above could lead to serious consequences.

If the perpetrator of offensive content is found to be a pupil at a school within the Local authority, they will be dealt with according to that school’s disciplinary policy and could be reported to the police for further action if appropriate.

You may also wish to check your children’s devices / social media accounts to ensure any inappropriate videos, pictures or other content is deleted. Schools will continue to monitor social media channels including TikTok in future and will take action as and when appropriate.

Pupils should also be reminded that they are not permitted to film on school premises without prior permission of the school.

Thank you for your co-operation in this matter and let’s work together to keep our children and young people safe online.

Yours sincerely,

Sarah Morgan, Chief Education Officer

Please see below information from Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, who have launched a new website for young people, parents / carers and families to access health care information from local professionals. 

A great new way for young people, expecting parents, and parents to access local health care advice and guidance of choosing how to access care. Please visit: https://abbhealthiertogether.cymru.nhs.uk/

26^th March 2021

Dear Parents and Carers,

It’s been great having learners back in school over the last two weeks and we are really looking forward to the full time return for all learners after the Easter break. In the meantime, I just wanted to give you a few reminders/updates in readiness for this return.

Staggered End to the School Day

In line with Welsh Government guidance and our own risk assessment, some learners will leave school at slightly different times in order to reduce the likelihood of learners mixing across year group bubbles at the end of the day. These times will be as follows:

* Year 7 and 8 – 2.50pm
* Year 9 – 2.55pm
* All other Year groups – 3.00pm

As learners tend to arrive with natural gaps in the mornings, we currently do not need to have staggered arrival times at the start of the school day. This arrangement will be reviewed as the term gets underway.

Uniform

We recognise that it has been difficult to obtain uniform items during lockdown and we have taken a more relaxed approach towards wearing of full uniform over the last two weeks. We would appreciate it if you could make every effort to ensure that your child is wearing correct uniform when they return after Easter. However, we also appreciate that this may be difficult in some circumstances and if this is the case please ensure that you contact your child’s Head of Year to discuss this.

Canteen

We should have full canteen facilities back when we return after Easter. Please note that we are unable to provide change for learners to add funds to their cards whilst in school and please remember to top up Parent Pay accounts before learners return.

Lateral Flow Tests (also known as LFD tests)

There is no requirement for these to be taken over the Easter period, but a test should be done at the usual time on the Sunday before we return (11^th April) and results reported in the normal way. Please remind your child to double check that they are entering the correct result before entering it online.

Centre Determined Grades (CDGs) and Learner Leaving Date (Yr10, 11, 12 and 13 Learners)

We have now completed our Centre Assessment Policy for the completion of Centre Determined Grades (CDGs), in relation to the award of subject grades this year. The WJEC (exam board) will be checking and validating these for all secondary schools over the Easter break. Once this has been done I will make our policy available on the school website. In addition to information from their teachers, I have today given learners an assembly which explains the CDG process – what it entails, what is expected of them and how we will support them. This assembly has also been shared via Google Classroom. We are currently planning for the last day of school for Year 11 and 13 learners to be Friday 18^th June. This makes the most of the time available to us and learners whilst fitting in with the CDG timeline we must adhere to. Year 12 leaving date will be confirmed following consultation with St Julian’s, our Sixth Form collaboration school. Year 10 learners will remain in school until the end of term of course. Please note that these leaving dates are provisional.

As always, if you have any questions about anything in this letter or any other matter please do not hesitate to contact us. I hope you have a safe, positive and enjoyable Easter break.

Best wishes,

Neil Davies
Headteacher

Please watch the video about the lateral flow tests that will start on Wednesday 17 March.  

To opt in please click the link below:

https://forms.gle/GxhP16hCQhWR4xxFA

Here is a short video with tips and guidance that you might find useful to support you with home learning.

Dear parent/carer,

As I’m sure you will be aware, Welsh Government today announced that schools in Wales will now remain closed for face to face learning until January 29^th at the earliest for most learners. They intend to review the situation every three weeks. Of course, as I said in my last letter to you this is not unexpected given the current coronavirus situation in Wales and the rest of the UK.

We will continue to provide a combination of online blended learning, paper learning packs and in-school provision for a small number of learners. As I communicated to school staff a little while ago, all we can do for now is ensure that we continue to do the very best we can for our learners via our blended learning provision and to support learners and their families wherever possible. This extended blended learning period also gives us time to continue to develop and refine our online teaching skills, in the same way as it does for our learners to develop their online learning skills. I believe it’s always important to identify the positives amongst the challenges we face.

I would like to thank all parents and carers for doing their utmost to support and encourage their children with their home learning. I know how difficult this can be, especially with the other commitments you are all trying to juggle. However, the longer children are out of school and not engaging in home learning, the bigger the gap that is growing between them and those learners who are doing their best to work at home, whether online or with paper packs.

On that note, we continue to be acutely aware that a significant number of our learners do not have access to the internet or do not have a suitable device to undertake school work with. We are continuing to work on measures to address this and we are optimistic of being able to contact more of our digitally disadvantaged learners next week with some positive information about this. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Newport Uskmouth Rotary, who have been donating digital devices to us (and other Newport schools) to help us to address this issue. Their generosity is very much appreciated.

With regards to the awarding of qualifications and exams this year, it has been announced that the spring internal assessment window for GCSE, AS and A levels (planned to take place between 22^nd February and 23^rd April) will not now take place and that new arrangements will be made. I will update you as soon as any further information becomes available and have attached a letter to learners from Qualifications Wales that you may find helpful.

Of course, as we get further information about what is happening after the 29^th January I will contact you again. In the meantime, I hope that you and your family stay safe. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need any support with home learning or if there is any other matter you think we may be able to assist you with.

Best wishes,

Neil Davies
Headteacher

Please find a link below to information from ‘Mind’ for parents and carers of young people aged 11-18 who may be worried about their child’s wellbeing during the coronavirus outbreak, and want to know how to support them.

Supporting your teen’s wellbeing during coronavirus | Mind, the mental health charity – help for mental health problems

Dear parent/carer,

I’m sure you will have heard or read the announcement from Welsh Government yesterday evening regarding schools continuing with their blended learning provision until the 18^th January at the earliest. What we don’t know at this time is whether this will be extended beyond that date. Given the serious situation we now find ourselves in with regard to the spread of Coronavirus and the decisions already taken in England and Scotland to maintain blended learning into February, we have to be mindful that extending blended learning provision for Lliswerry High School learners beyond the 18^th is a distinct possibility, although not definite.

The government announcement also raised questions that still have to be answered regarding arrangements for the awarding of qualifications for our learners in Years 10, 11, and the Sixth Form. Before Christmas there was some clarity around this matter and we were expecting further details this week. However, at this point it has not been confirmed whether there will now be further changes to previously communicated arrangements and this will understandably cause further anxiety amongst parents, carers and learners.

So, unfortunately there are important things we currently do not know. What we do know however, is that whether providing blended (home) learning online or with work packs or face to face learning in school, we are ready to continue to do our very best to support all of our learners and families. Also, when there is confirmation and clarity of the arrangements for the awarding of qualifications this year we will do our absolute utmost to ensure that our learners are not disadvantaged and ultimately achieve the grades and qualifications they deserve.

Throughout this period of blended learning we will continue to offer childcare for children of critical workers (please see details below), which has been agreed by the school. We will also provide a learning environment for a very small group of other identified learners who will be contacted individually by school staff. Provision of vouchers for children receiving free school meals (FSM) will also be extended to cover this period.

Provision for Children of Critical Workers

This is for children of critical workers who are in Years 7 or 8 only.

Therefore, to qualify for this provision the following criteria must be met:

* the child concerned is in Year 7 or 8
* at least one parent is identified as a critical worker and
* one or both parents are unable to work from home, and
* there is no other childcare available

In the case of single-parent households, children are eligible to attend this school provision where that parent falls within the critical worker definition and is unable to work from home, and has no other available childcare.

Any child attending this in-school provision will undertake the blended learning that would previously have been provided for completion at home.

Should you meet the criteria above and want your child to attend the school based provision, please e-mail admin@lliswerryhigh.org stating your child’s name and form and how you meet the criteria. A member of school staff will then contact you in due course to discuss your e-mail. Please note that your request for a place in this provision must be accepted and confirmed by the school before your child can attend. We will, of course, do our utmost to deal with any requests as quickly as possible.

As we move into 2021, it continues to be a difficult time and this is made more worrying when we are considering the education and futures of our children. However, the vaccine brings cautious optimism that relatively soon we may be able to return to what we all understood to be ‘normal’ not too long ago, and it is important that through these continuing challenges we remain as positive as we can about the future.

In the meantime, thank you once again for your support and understanding. I will update you with any further information regarding a return to face to face learning and how qualifications will be awarded this year as soon as I possibly can.

Best wishes,

Neil Davies
Headteacher