Further update on January 2021

31st December 2020

I am sure you have seen the news over the last 24 hours. SLT met this morning to discuss how we manage the current situation. At the heart of all our decision making is your child’s and staff wellbeing.
There are many unanswered questions surrounding schools rolling out mass testing. I am booked on a series of training webinars on Monday 4 January and will know far more after those.
What I do know is that we will not have any students in school ( except key workers/vulnerable students) week beginning 4 Jan 2021. We have several students booked in and if you require a school place for the first week and have not yet let us know please contact us : admin@wensleydaleschool.net.
North Yorkshire have been contacted this morning to find out if school transport will be running. As soon as we have an answer I will let you know. There will be no food service so any students attending school must bring a packed lunch and enough water/juice.
We will be providing project based learning for Yrs7-10.  Work will be set in the first week. Currently we are expecting these year groups to return to school week beginning 18 January. However, depending on mass testing this may be delayed.
Yr11 and 13 will have normal timetabled lessons online, with teachers setting work and being available during the lesson times for online support. Yr 11 and 13 are expected back in school from 11 January 2021. However, we will have to test all students. More details will follow.
Yr10 BTEC music students will be sitting their exam on 7 Jan and Mr Barnett will be making contact with those parents. YR13 will probably be the first students tested and will sit their BTEC exams on both 8 and  12 Jan.
SLT has a rough plan in mind for the testing, but we will know more after the training on Monday.
As ever if your child has symptoms they must not attend school and must get a covid test.
I am sorry to be vague, but there’s so much we simply don’t know yet.
I will make contact again on Monday 4 Jan, with an update in how we plan to test all students.
Have a peaceful New Year

Julia Polley