01763 242344

Covid-19 important update

We have become aware that a significant number of students from Bassingbourn Village College have tested positive for COVID-19. There is a concern that the meeting up of friendship groups during the Christmas holiday could cause the virus to spread further amongst young people and also into the wider population, including to vulnerable and older people. Cambridgeshire is currently a high alert Tier 2 area with positive cases rapidly rising, with the surrounding counties of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire being in Tier 4. It is also worth remembering that one in three people who have coronavirus have no symptoms and will be spreading it without realising it. Therefore, to help stop the spread of the virus and to ensure your school is able to open in the New Year, we urge you and your family to follow the rules around hands, face and space, including: hands: wash your hands regularly and for 20 seconds face: wear a face-covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult, and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet space: stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place (such as wearing face coverings) For those in Tier 2, when meeting people you do not live with, it is important to do so outdoors where possible or to make sure that any indoor venue has good ventilation (for example by opening windows so that fresh air can enter). Meeting outdoors (Tier 2)…

Return to school arrangements Spring Term 2021

Arrangements for our return to the Spring Term 2021: Dear parent/carer I am sure you will have seen the most recent announcements by the Government about the staggered start to the beginning of the spring term and the potential rollout of coronavirus testing for secondary schools and colleges. We are still working to fully understand the implications of this but have outlined the most important elements below.   To minimise transmission of the virus following the return of pupils after Christmas, the Government has confirmed that all secondary schools and colleges in England will need to make some changes to the start of term and that the majority of students will remain at home for the first week back.   The school will therefore operate as follows;   4th January 2021           this is a planned staff training day therefore no students will attend school and no work will be set. 5th January 2021           Year 11 students will be in school as normal (except students who are self-isolating or are unwell) Years 7-10 students will remain at home accessing online learning. 11th January 2021         All students will be back in school – They will be having lessons as  normal.   Online Learning: What to Expect   Timetabled lessons as per your child’s normal timetable (we return on a week 1) Lessons will be live and will include some interactive elements Attendance is compulsory ( a register will be taken and non-attendance will be chased) There will be a daily, compulsory tutor time for students with their…

Free School Meal Entitlement

We understand that the times we are currently living in are both uncertain and challenging. Alongside this many families are facing changes in their financial circumstances. If your circumstances have changed, and you believe that you now meet the following criteria, please complete an online application www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals to receive an instant response;  Income Support.  Income Based Job Seekers Allowance.  Income-related Employment and Support Allowance.  Child Tax Credit - but no element of Working Tax Credit - and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)) that does not exceed £16,190.  If you are supported under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.  Guarantee element of State Pension Credit.  Working Tax Credit during the four week period immediately after your employment finishes or after you start to work less hours per week.  Universal Credit with an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400 (as from 1 April 2018). If you have previously applied or been eligible for free school meals, you need not re-apply, as we will continue to re-check your entitlement each month and will notify you should you become re-eligible. Whilst schools remain closed they are continuing to support eligible families with provision to help ease the burden during this difficult time. This support may be in the form of packed lunches, food parcels or food vouchers. Once your eligibility has been confirmed, your child’s school will inform you of their own specific provision arrangements directly. If you have any…

Arrangements to support key worker and EHCP families during school closure

As you know, the Government has directed that schools must close from the end of the school day on Friday 20th March 2020. In response to this, we have worked to ensure that parents and pupils can access learning support online and will continue to keep you updated about how this will work and to make sure, if the period of closure is extended, that these resources are developed to support the education of your child. Please continue to visit the school website, Twitter and Facebook page to keep up to date with the arrangements we are making. We are making interim arrangements to provide vouchers for those eligible for free school meals and will be in contact separately with those families early next week. Our team is pleased that schools will continue to be able to make provision for the children of key workers to enable our communities to function effectively and provide the support that is necessary for the most vulnerable. This includes those whose roles keep us safe and those who support others receiving care, medical treatment and hospitalisation.  In these unprecedented times, we are committed to doing all we can to meet these needs and are looking at how we extend this support into the Easter break. We still do not have a definitive list of those identified as key workers but as a starting point, working with the Local Authority, schools and trusts  across the region we have identified the following groups: NHS staff Teachers and support staff Police and…

Latest update from Ms Poulter – Coronavirus

Given the address made by the Prime Minister late yesterday afternoon, I have taken steps to address some of the emerging issues. My immediate concern is how to manage the site safely in response to staff illness and absence due to self-isolation.  What follows is our direction and advice as it currently stands though it is quite conceivable that further updates will follow tomorrow. At this stage, I would like to confirm that we have no confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus, and lessons have continued as normal today.   We have however, decided to postpone the year 8 guidance meetings as from today (year 8 parents will be contacted separately regarding the rearrangement of these meetings), all clubs and extra-curricular activities have been cancelled, and the year 11 Preparation for Exams evening scheduled for 2nd April has been postponed. As a result of the current situation I have also taken the decision to cancel any external visitors to the College which unfortunately means all peripatetic music lessons will cease with immediate effect. The Government has suggested schools remain open for Key Workers children.  Whilst I am awaiting a definition of who these are, I would be grateful if you could email office@bassingbournvc.org if you work for the Police, Fire Service or NHS; please detail if you are frontline staff (e.g. doctors, nurses) or administrative support and/or management. Current Health Advice: Staff and students already in self- isolation should now increase their time from 7 days to 14 days; • Where one family member is showing signs of the mild…

Coronavirus Update

In light of recent developments with regards to Covid -19, I wanted to write and reassure you on the measures, as a school, we are taking to ensure that our students and staff are kept safe at this unprecedented time. All members of our community are, and have been for a number of weeks, reminded about following hygiene practises through posters in toilets which demonstrate effective handwashing techniques.  Furthermore, hand sanitizer is available throughout the school. However, in line with new government guidelines outlined yesterday, we do now ask parents to support additional measures introduced to keep our school safe.  As a result, if your child has a temperature of 37.8c and above or has as a new continuous cough, we ask you self-isolate for 7 days.  In addition, if your child has been in close contact with a confirmed case, we request you self-isolate for 14 days. More information on this can be found here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ Furthermore the Department for Education has a Coronavirus helpline for parents, staff and young people.  Phone: 0800 046 8687 Can I kindly remind you that with all absences, you will need to inform the school office on a daily basis via absence@bassingbournvc.org.  We do ask you email every day, even when self-isolating, as it is imperative we continue to follow our safeguarding practices. In addition, following the new government advice, we have cancelled all residential trips that were planned between now and Easter.  While we understand this is disappointing for students, we do feel this is the right…

Bassingbourn Village College

South End, Bassingbourn, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 5NJ

01763 242344

office@bassingbournvc.org
absence@bassingbournvc.org

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