Don’t forget to wear blue tomorrow as part of our activities to support Children’s Mental Health Week.
Tomorrow, we are launching a House Competition. We would like pupils to create a piece of art work to reflect the Five Ways to Wellbeing. Teachers will explain the competition rules and expectations during the morning meetings, this week.
Please read the attached letter from Hertfordshire County Council regarding school places for eligible families.
Since the beginning of Lockdown, pupil numbers at Bowmansgreen have risen from 55 to over 130. Whilst we will continue to provide places for eligible families, we have reached a point where we are having to review the organisation of classes, staff and timetables, to maintain the health and safety of all pupils and staff.
The overriding message from the Department of Education (DfE) and Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) is for families to stay at home whenever possible, to help reduce the spread of coronavirus within the community.
We know that current Lockdown measures are contributing to a stressful, pressurised balancing act for many households – with or without remote learning – and we will try our best to support families during this difficult period.
We look forward to being able to welcome all pupils back to school as soon as it is safe to do so and restrictions are lifted. In the meantime, we ask for your continued support in limiting the number of pupils attending school every day and protecting members our school community.
We are looking forward to seeing all those learning remotely this morning: EYFS 9.30am KS1 9am KS2 8.45am
Invites have been sent via email with a link to Microsoft Teams.
Don’t panic if you have difficulty accessing the meeting today or if things don’t quite go according to plan. Let the office know and we will hopefully see you tomorrow.
Expect there to be glitches and technical difficulties – it is new for all of us and might take a couple of meetings before we get it right so please bear with us!
We had been made aware of an issue with one of the questions, making it impossible to answer for some family situations.
Hopefully, that issue has now been resolved.
Apologies for the inconvenience.
Please take the time to complete this survey, to help us assess and support your family’s access to remote learning.
If you have several children attending Bowmansgreen, please only complete this survey for one child.
You may be aware that on Friday, the government u-turned on the re-opening of schools in London, extending the partial closures to primary schools in all London boroughs. There have been many questions and concerns raised by the local community about a similar situation in Hertfordshire, involving St Albans primary schools, including from Daisy Cooper, MP for St Albans. Currently, all Hertfordshire schools are in Tier 4. However, primary schools in the neighbouring ‘contingency areas’ of Three Rivers, Hertsmere, and Watford are to remain partially closed for face-to-face teaching but St Albans primary schools are expected to open to all pupils from tomorrow (Please be reminded that Bowmansgreen is closed for an INSET day tomorrow, re-opening on Tuesday 5th January).
COVID-19 Snapshot of Hertfordshire
There has been no new guidance from the DfE to suggest – at this stage – that the expectation to fully open schools in St Albans will change before tomorrow.
Decisions to open or close schools are complex. It is a very complicated situation with no best outcome that I can see, that will please or benefit all members of a school community, at once. There are many factors to consider and decisions to make, some of which are out of the control of the school leadership team and governors. The health and safety of all pupils and all staff is however, very much my responsibility and one that I do not take lightly.
A range of factors could affect how Bowmansgreen will open to pupils on Tuesday. They include a change in the law; a change in government policy or HCC guidance; staffing levels; and if our own school risk-assessment highlights any serious health and safety concerns that we cannot remove or mitigate. During our INSET day tomorrow, we will be reviewing our school risk-assessment, taking into account the local situation regarding cases of coronavirus and the health and safety concerns of the whole school community.
I have been contacted by families who have been worrying about sending their children into school whilst the number of cases are high and the new variant of COVID-19 is so virulent in the local area. I understand your concerns and the dilemmas that you face and would want to support your decisions to do what you feel is best for the health and safety of your family.
Whilst wanting to remain positive and optimistic, I also want to be honest and realistic and warn parents that we may face a scenario where the health and safety concerns of individual staff members mean that we cannot open fully, to all pupils. A situation where face-to-face teaching is not available for some classes is a likely possibility, from Tuesday. I will have a definitive picture tomorrow morning and will update families accordingly.
It is likely that for some classes, most pupils will need be taught via remote learning, which will continue to be published weekly, on our website. If this becomes the situation for your child, you will be notified as soon as is practicably possible. As was the case during the national Lockdown, school would continue to provide face-to-face teaching for a limited number of pupils.
I appreciate that this will immediately cause concern and worry relating to childcare, your children missing out on more time in the classroom and with their peers and the prospect of more home schooling. I am very sorry that this might be the situation but I cannot currently see an alternative solution that does not compromise the health and safety of members of our school community.
I will update families as early as possible tomorrow, once a review of our risk-assessment has been completed and the reality of the situation is known.
Yesterday, the government issued new and updated guidance about the opening of schools next week. A new Contingency Framework has been published, setting out guidance for schools in specific geographical areas of the country where:
-there is extremely high prevalence of coronavirus (COVID-19)
-other measures have already been implemented
Watford, Hertsmere and Three Rivers are all listed as ‘contingency areas’ but not St Albans. This guidance does not therefore apply to Bowmansgreen (as a St Albans school) or other primary schools in London Colney or the wider district of St Albans.
Bowmansgreen will therefore be open to all pupils, on Tuesday 5th January 2021 (Monday 4th is an INSET day).
We will update families if the situation changes, following further local or national advice or restrictions.
We know that some families will be worried about a return to school next week given the local and national picture, especially if you have vulnerable family members who are shielding. We also appreciate that some families live in or have other children educated within the local ‘contingency areas’ which makes life even more complicated. The times that we live in continue to be problematic, unsettling and anxious for us all.
The updated information and guidance from the Department of Education (DfE) has been issued to local authorities, schools and the public at the same time. So far, a brief statement has been published from Hertfordshire County Council (see below) but we expect further information and guidance, to follow.
We will be reviewing our COVID-19 risk assessment in light of these updates and the changing local and national picture and will update families with any changes and amendments accordingly.
We will continue to provide remote learning, via our school website, on a weekly basis, for any pupil who is unable to attend school due to COVID-19, including self-isolation.
Mass testing for secondary aged pupils: the Government expects a programme of mass testing in secondary schools to be fully operational by January 18th, 2021. There are currently no plans for testing to take place in primary schools.
Thank you for your continued support and commitment to the Bowmansgreen school community.
Wishing you a healthy and happy New Year.
HCC statement on schools returning for the spring term
Hertfordshire COVID-19 Public Dashboard
Schools and childcare settings: return in January 2021
Contingency Framework (Currently not applicable to Bowmansgreen)
Guidance on Shielding and Protecting People who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19
Thank you for continuing to send your children into school every day this term, despite your concerns about the continuing pandemic and balancing challenging family, school and work situations. Our school community has been amazing! Your continued support and confidence in the measures we have put in to place to keep your children healthy and safe have ensured that our whole school attendance is currently 95%. This is a very positive situation for Bowmansgreen pupils that we hope to at least continue, if not improve, next term.
Your child came home with workbooks today, to support their remote learning, should your family need to self-isolate or new National Restrictions are put in place. These books supplement the online remote learning that is published weekly, during term-time, on our school website.
If your child tests positive for COVID-19 at any point during the Christmas break, please notify school as soon as possible so that we can complete the relevant track and trace process with Public Health England. If required, we will then notify any other children or staff who have been close contacts and who need to self-isolate.
From today, we ask that you notify the school if your child tests positive, via the following email address: covidreporting@bowmansgreen.herts.sch.uk
This email address is to be used for this purpose only and will be monitored until Christmas Eve. Please do not call the school phone number or email admin@ as they will not be answered/covered during the Christmas holiday.
Remember, as soon as your child or any member of your household develops symptoms, they must start self-isolating immediately and book a test regardless of it being Christmas. If you are unsure whether symptoms suggest COVID-19 or an everyday cough or cold, you can consult this online NHS symptom checker: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/
Please take part in our Health, Relationships and Sex Education questionnaire, as part of our consultation to help shape and inform our new policies.
A Merry Christmas message from London Colney Parish Council… with a special mention for Bowmansgreen. Thank you and well done to Mrs Street, Zara and Lacey for representing Bowmansgreen so well.
Despite all of the very serious, confusing and sad news and events happening all around us, our school community has still managed to thrive this term. Pupils have worked hard, had fun, enjoyed being with each other and achieved a state of normality that seems to be working.
This week has been busy! Pupils have enjoyed pantomimes, parties, a delicious Christmas lunch, concerts and performances. Staff and pupils are exhausted – it has been a very long, often challenging term. Thank you everyone, for hanging in there and making it over the finish line today. A well deserved break is welcomed by everyone!
Well done and thank you House Captains, for helping to serve Christmas lunch to the whole school – great job!
As always, thank you for all of the cards, goodies and presents for staff – they are very much appreciated.
From all of the staff and governors at Bowmansgreen, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy and safe New Year.
Roll on 2021!
Hertfordshire County Council has asked us to share the following important information with you following a significant increase in coronavirus infections amongst 12-16 year olds:
Dear parent/carer
Thank you for everything you and your family are doing to play your part in the fight against coronavirus. Our schools and other education settings have worked extremely hard this term to help keep everyone safe. However, as we move into the Christmas holidays, it is of utmost importance that we continue to stay safe.
We have seen a significant increase in the number of coronavirus infections in 12-16 year olds and would therefore urge you to have a conversation with your child to make sure they understand, and are following, the Government regulations to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The actions you and your family can take to play your part are:
– Wash your hands regularly, for at least 20 seconds, with soap and warm water or use an antibacterial hand sanitiser if soap and water isn’t available
– Stay at least 2 metres (or 1 metre with other measures, such as a face-covering) away from those not in your immediate household
– Wear a face-covering where required and when it is difficult to socially distance
– Self-isolate and get tested if you develop symptoms
– Do not socialise indoors with anyone who isn’t in your immediate household and only meet in groups of up to 6 people outdoors
Some areas of Hertfordshire will be moving into Tier 3 restrictions as of 00:01am on Wednesday 16 December (Broxbourne, Three Rivers, Watford and Hertsmere). Residents in these areas will need to familiarise themselves with, and adhere to, Tier 3 restrictions: www.gov.uk/guidance/tier-3-very-high-alert
Please remember that while your child is in school, they are in a ‘bubble’, which is carefully managed by the school. However outside of school hours, they should continue to follow the most up to date Government guidelines, and we encourage you to explain this to your child.
If you choose to socialise in a bubble of up to three separate households during 23-27 December, which is the period the Government proposes to relax guidelines, please enjoy this time but please also remember to do so safely by continuing to follow good hand hygiene and socially distance where possible. Coronavirus is known to linger in enclosed spaces, so keeping windows open can also reduce risk.
We wish you all a safe and peaceful Christmas.
Hertfordshire County Council
