Christmas Holiday COVID Notification Expectations and Associated Date Changes
CHANGE OF DATE: Friday 18th December – SCHOOL CLOSED
On 8th December, the Department for Education (DfE) declared that if schools stayed open until Friday 18th December then school leaders may have to communicate isolation decisions to families up to and including Christmas Eve. As a result, the DfE decided to announce that schools could close to pupils a day early and make Friday 18th December an INSET Day.
All Raedwald Trust schools will be taking up this option. This means that our previously published INSET Day on 12th February 2021 will be cancelled and will now be a normal school day. We hope that this action will reduce the risk of lots of people having to isolate over the Christmas holiday. It also means that if we are unfortunate enough to have to isolate pupils or staff, they should know by Wednesday 23rd December at the latest, so that families’ Christmas Bubble arrangements can be changed and elderly relatives are not put at further risk.
I am aware that this may impact on some people’s working arrangements and we are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
Even though our schools will be closed to pupils over the Christmas break, it is important that if your child develops symptoms within 48 hours of being at school (i.e. before end of the day on Saturday 19th December) and subsequently tests positive for COVID-19, you should contact the Raedwald Trust by emailing covid@raedwaldtrust.org and a member of Raedwald TrustTeam will contact you to discuss next steps. This email address will be checked regularly up until late afternoon on Wednesday 23rd December.
If your child develops symptoms on or after Sunday 20th December, you DO NOT need to contact the school.
You must, however, follow the directions you are given by NHS Test and Trace.
If your child is required to isolate during the Christmas holiday and this means that they will not be able to return to school on Tuesday 5th January, please phone the school on Monday 4th January to make us aware of their predicted return date.
It is a pleasure to welcome you to Parkside Academy, a Key Stage 3 and 4 Alternative Provision that caters for students out of mainstream education. Students are referred to Parkside Academy through the Local Authority. Parkside Academy is a split site provision working out of Parkside Key Stage 3 at Spring Road and Parkside Key Stage 4 at Lindbergh Road. Age at admission will determine which campus young people access. At Key Stage 3, we offer short-term and targeted intervention to help young people successfully return to their mainstream setting and/or move on to their next educational provision. At Key Stage 4, pupils can access support for up to two years. During this time, mainstream school and Parkside Academy will work together to ensure access to a broad curriculum and successful transition into Post-16.
We are committed to providing the best education for our students and passionate about providing them with meaningful learning experiences which offer them a fresh start and promote their development. Our flexible curriculum offers a student centred focus within a supportive alternative learning environment. Students are encouraged to achieve academically, to develop personally and access work related activities in preparation for their future.
Across Parkside Academy, our team of dedicated professionals will help pupils to learn, develop their social skills, gain in confidence and be able to take full advantage of their educational options. We prepare pupils for life after school by developing skills that are relevant in the workplace as well as the classroom. We consider it a privilege to be working with, and helping, our young people and their families and look forward to meeting you soon.
Parkside Academy KS3
291 Spring Road
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP4 5ND
Tel: 01473 717013
Email: adminparkside@raedwaldtrust.org
Parkside Academy KS4
Lindbergh Road
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP3 9FA
Tel: 01473 719559
Email: adminparkside@raedwaldtrust.org