Dear Parents/Carers

As we settle into the term, we felt it would be useful to highlight a few reminders that will help school continue to run smoothly.  I would also like to thank the students, parents and carers for the way in which everyone has supported our determination to get back to school life.

Break and Lunch
Students have worked brilliantly with the new arrangements and we have opened up another till to speed up the process.  Thank you to all for your continued support.

Winter Weather
As we have moved into more cooler and possibly wetter weather students have been very sensible.  They have coped well with moving to their wet weather locations but they must bring a coat to school for days when rain or cold weather is forecast.  We will keep students outside where at all possible both for their own health and well-being and as part of our Covid-19 secure mitigations throughout their lunch break.

Uniform
Thank you for your support in ensuring students have the correct uniform and look smart.  We are proud of the way they look and represent themselves and we appreciate parent/carer support in ensuring that is the case.  As we move into colder weather it is vital that we are clear about the expectations, especially at this time when Covid-19 precautions can add extra complications.  Students should bring a coat but this should be removed once inside, along with hats, scarves and gloves.

Face Coverings
There is very clear guidance from the government that: “you should also wear a face covering in indoor places where social distancing may be difficult and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet.”  As a school and Trust you will know we have taken the decision to wear face coverings in communal areas.  There is a requirement for all of our community to play their part in taking care of each other.  We support the small number of students who have reasons why they cannot wear a mask, however, for everyone else, we insist that they be worn in communal areas.  The vast majority of students are fantastic and do follow the recommendation but a small number of students do have masks provided by parents/carers, but have to be reminded to wear them or have to have them replaced every day due to losing them.  It is not acceptable to carry a mask in pockets but be reluctant to wear it, it is equally not acceptable to ignore requests to wash hands or sanitise.  Can we ask that, unless you have a reason for your son/daughter to not wear one, that you please encourage your son/daughter to follow this recommendation and check that they have their covering(s) the night before.

School Closures and Compliance with Precautions
You will be aware that some schools have experienced incidences of school partial closures under Covid-19 restrictions.  I cannot stress strongly enough how much I wish to avoid this eventuality at Heworth Grange School for as long as possible.

We will shortly be publishing online our contingency planning and remote learning protocols in the event of any closure of small groups or years.  This, I hope will provide the reassurance of the continued high-quality curriculum and learning experience your son/daughter will enjoy in any eventuality.  Should we need to trigger these actions as part of increased restrictions we will write to you with clear guidance.

Sickness Absence
If your child is absent from school due to sickness please remember that you must contact the school every day that your child is off to avoid receiving a phone call. 

We do understand that these are changing times and that for students are particularly anxious about what is happening at the moment.   We are working hard to provide a safe, secure and consistent environment that allows them to learn and be happy.  We are managing the external inconsistency in order to keep the school environment as calm as possible.

We thank you for your support in ensuring they also do their bit to help us to maintain that and keep our fabulous school open and purposeful.

Yours sincerely,

Ms A Denholm
Headteacher