Dear Parents and Guardians,
We hope that you found time over the festive break to celebrate the holiday with loved ones, despite the ongoing pandemic and wish you a positive start to 2021.
Remote learning for all students at Dwight from 5th to 15th January
Yesterday the UK government announced that in order to help contain the community transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19), all secondary school providers in England should enact a phased return to education in January. Furthermore, primary schools in areas with very high rates of infection or transmission of the virus have also been asked to delay the opening of school in January. Barnet has been identified as one of these areas.
Dwight School London will therefore be moving to our remote learning protocols for all students in the Lower and Upper School from 5th January until the 15th January. If you are a critical worker or your child is vulnerable, please complete this form by 5pm on Sunday 3rd January so we can make arrangements for your child to be supervised in school. Please note that there is a staff training day planned on Monday 4th January, so there will be no lessons for students on this day.
Upper School We are planning for all Upper School students to return to school on Monday 18th January. This time will enable us to fully plan and carry out the mass testing of Upper School students and staff before face-to-face lessons resume. It will also give time for our students who have been travelling to return to the UK. More details about the testing process is provided below. Until this time, the Upper School's Remote Learning Schedule will come into play and will make use of the Google Suite for Education tools.
Lower School In the Lower School we will be using Google classroom, Google mail and Google meets to share learning activities and provocations. We will be following our regular "in school" timetable and each class teacher will be providing regular updates for their class. Guidance on the opening of primary schools will be reviewed by the 18th January, and we hope to be able to welcome our Lower School students back then, but this is dependent on government guidance. We will, of course, keep you informed as we receive further guidance from the government. At this time the government has not made any provision for testing of primary age students.
Although we are disappointed not to be able to welcome your children back in school sooner in the new year, we are very confident in the quality of Dwight's remote learning and proud of its effectiveness and impact. All of our teachers are fully committed to maintaining the outstanding learning provision whether your children are at home or in school.
NHS Test and Trace: COVID-19 testing for Upper School Students
Before the return to face-to-face lessons in the Upper School, we will be providing optional COVID-19 testing for Upper School students and staff, which will go hand in hand with our previous protocols and procedures that served us so well in the first term.
You may have heard that testing for those without coronavirus symptoms is beginning across the country using new, quicker COVID-19 tests known as 'lateral flow tests'. Along with the other protective measures we are taking, these tests will help staff and students to remain in school safely. Up to one third of people who have coronavirus experience no symptoms. By testing, we will help to stop the virus spread and help to keep our school open as safely as possible.
The test is voluntary but we would encourage everyone to take it.
All staff and students are being offered two tests, three days apart. We are planning to test all staff and Upper School students who want to participate on Tuesday, January 12th and Friday, January 15th, at the following times:
11:00 - M1, M2 and M3 12:00 - M4 and M5 14:00 - D1 and D2
In order to facilitate this process, there will not be any online lessons for Upper School students, on Tuesday 12th and Friday 15th January, however, work will be set as usual for each lesson on Google classroom. More details with specific appointment times and a consent form will be shared after 5th January.
I enclose some further information on how the tests will be completed and what will happen if a student tests positive. Please visit dwightlondon.org/covidtesting for further resources which explain the process and will be updated when we have further information from the government.
Those taking the test will be supervised by trained staff and volunteers. The 'lateral flow' tests are quick and easy using a swab of your nose and throat. For under 18s, staff or parent volunteers will oversee the swab process. Results (which take around half an hour from testing) will be shared directly with staff and students participating. Parents or legal guardians will also be informed.
The NHS have advised us that in validation studies conducted by Oxford University and Public Health England, these tests were shown to be as accurate in identifying a case as a PCR test (99.68% specificity). The tests have lower sensitivity but they are better at picking up cases when a person has higher viral load, hence the need to test frequently.
Testing will be offered free of charge and timings of these will be shared in further communication.
Communication
As you will be aware, the situation with regard to the virus is dynamic, and guidance from the government changes frequently. Whilst we are making plans for the return to school and for testing of students we also understand that we need to be agile and flexible in our response to the changing circumstances. Please be assured that we are committed to keeping you informed and we will let you know as soon as we can of any changes that will affect your children and their learning. Do not hesitate to reach out to any of us if you have any questions or comments. We continue to work together to support everyone in our school community in order to ensure the best possible education for your children, while maintaining the health and safety of all.
Warm regards, Alison Cobbin Head of School Chris Beddows Upper School Principal Matt Parkin Lower School Principal |