COVID 19 Testing over Easter April 2021
Letter to Parents 01 April 2021
COVID-19 Update
Key Communication
COVID 19 Follow Up letter March 2021
Letter to Parents 30 March 2021
Poltair Covid Letter to All Parents re-confirmed case
Letter to Parents 30 March 2021
KS4 Parent Bulletin March 2021
Letter to Parents 5 March 2021
KS4 Parent Bulletin February 2021
Letter to Parents 8 February 2021
Remote Learning Update 22 January 2021
Letter to Parents 22 January 2021
KS4 Parent Bulletin January 2021
Letter to Parents 20 January 2021
Year 11 Update
Letter to Parents
Letter to Parents 2021
Pupil Reference 06 January 2021
Working From Home
Remote Learning
The information in our Guide to Remote Learning is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education where national or local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.
It is intended to support understanding of what pupils, parents and carers should expect during periods of school closure relating to coronavirus (COVID-19).
The senior leader responsible for remote learning is, Deputy Headteacher Miss White ([email protected]).
Poltair Remote Learning Guide
Guidance - Working from home
Information about how Poltair School sets remote learning January 2021
Guidance - Working from home
Pupil Guide
The information in our Pupil Guide to Remote Learning is intended to provide support for accessing the school based digital platforms that support our remote learning education. Along with this, the Pupil SharePoint contains helpful video tutorials to support pupils and parents with using the features of Microsoft Teams.
DOCX
Using Microsoft Teams - Quick guide for students
Guidance - Working from home
Access to Support for additional mobile internet data
The DfE (Department for Education) are running a pilot scheme to support increasing children and young people’s access to increased mobile data allowances. This is to support their home learning whilst not able to access schools.
This scheme is open to children and young people who:
- don’t have access to a fixed broadband connection
- cannot afford the additional data needed to access educational resources or social care services
- have access to a mobile device that uses a participating network
- are facing disruption to their face-to-face education, or have been advised not to attend school
Information that will be needed in order for us to request additional mobile data includes:
- the account holder’s name
- their mobile number (a number beginning with '07')
- their mobile network
- whether they pay monthly or pay as they go
The available offers can be found on the attached from the following companies EE, Tesco Mobile, Three, Smarty, Virgin Mobile and Sky Mobile. At this time, there are no other offers.
Additional Allowance Company Offers
Guidance - Working from home
It is also requested that you read through the Privacy Policy found here https://get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk/increasing-mobile-data/privacy-notice before making any form of decision.
If this is something you feel you are entitled to access, please use the link attached here https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=jDFhQgs_1E26acpob0v1vDRPPTadTLJCkdW_NFvtnLlUNjdXNUdVTkJZSkVNWUdPS0ExUVA1OVJESC4u to enter some information to support your request. Please ensure this is completed by Wednesday 13th January, 2021 at 3pm to enable us to upload to the DfE.
We will monitor the link responses at the end of each week to update any further requests made.
Email Contacts for Staff
Email Contacts for Staff
Guidance - Working from home
Additional Support Resources
Boredom Bing Grid
Additional Support Resources
Safeguarding Support
It is important that all children, families and professionals are able to contact key staff to share information in respect of safeguarding and concerns. Following the wider opening of all CELT schools, there is now a member of the safeguarding team on duty in school every day. Please contact the school directly and ask for the DSL if you have any concerns you wish to discuss.
The dedicated CELT email address is still in operation and can be used if, for any reason, you are unable to contact the school: [email protected]
This will be monitored during office hours only, Monday to Friday.
However, you should contact the Police or Social Care if you feel that a child is at risk of immediate serious harm.
Student Support and Welfare
This resource is designed to provide you with advice and pathways to follow should you find yourself needing to access support.
It identifies three options of ways to access both internal and external support, alongside a lengthy list of contacts for a range of external services.
Student Support and Welfare 2021
Safeguarding Support Resources
What if I have a safeguarding concern as a student?
As a student in school, you would have easy access to be able to speak to a trusted adult if there was something you were worried about. Though it is more challenging in lockdown, there are still ways to do this and they are outlined below.
Student Support Helpsheet
Safeguarding Support Resources
A - Z Young People Resources
This resource has been created by the team at the NHS to support vulnerable young people access appropriate support, depending on their need. We have made some slight additions based on our work within the local community. This A - Z signposts relevant agencies to provide support online or over the phone.
it covers the following steps:
- Bereavement/Parental Illness
- Bullying
- Child Abuse
- Child Sexual Abuse/Sexual Violence
- Child Sexual Exploitation
- County Lines/Criminal Exploitation/Missing
- Deliberate Self Harm
- Domestic Abuse/Violence/Sexual Violence
- Drugs/Alcohol/Substance Misuse
- Eating Disorders
- Health, Wellbeing and Relationships
- Mental Health
- Modern Slavery/Trafficking
- Online Safety
- Sexual Health/Gender Identity
- Suicide Prevention
- Teenage/Young Parents
- Young Carers
A - Z Young Peoples Resources
Pupil Reference 19 March 2020
Well-Being Resources
During #Lockdown 1, we placed updates and quick activities on here to support emotional health and well-being. These are important aspects for us to ensure that we focus on- both as adults and children. These periods are challenging for all of us, and we must ensure to try and participate daily and weekly in activities that will support our well-being. We have identified below our 'top websites' for advice and guidance that we think could be helpful- there are so many agencies wanting to be helpful but it can feel overwhelming when reading through it all! These sites are simple but effective.
'It is ok to not be ok' is a good mantra, we all have days where it is harder than others. But don’t be afraid of using this page and these suggestions to try and find something that is useful for you! You might be surprised!
Action For Happiness Calendar- Happier January 2021
This website provides a monthly calendar with quick, simple daily activities to trial to support a happier and healthier approach to your well-being. This can be something the whole household engages in to share ideas and thoughts. 
Anna Freud for Children and Families- Coronavirus Support
This website is where our previous ‘Mentally Healthy Toolkits’ originated from and continue to be an effective source of ideas and guidance. There are sections directed at Young People as well as at Parents/Carers that you may find effective. It does also have specific guidance for us as professionals across a range of settings. Their support and activities are created by mental health professionals, alongside children and young people and their schools. It contains downloadable hints and tips, as well as guidance to apps to support the whole family in managing these challenging times.
https://www.annafreud.org/coronavirus-support/
Headstart Kernow- Start Now Well Being Plan
This website provides some good guidance for young people, but specifically provides them with an ability to create their own ‘action plan’ of how they can support their own well-being. It is a step by step guide, asking questions and encouraging thought as to what specifically works for them. Some of our students may have already completed this, but it is a worthwhile activity for them to review. In addition, there is an ability to download a toolkit, as well as requesting support if things are really tricky.
https://www.startnowcornwall.org.uk/startnow-cornwall/wellbeing-action-plan/sections/
Headstart Kernow- Advice and Guidance for Families
This section of their webpage is essentially a menu of support and allows you to access the following:
- A range of guidance videos for parents ('WFH and home schooling without tearing your hair out!')
- Help and guidance on coping with younger children
- Activities for staying active
- Activities for well-being
- Further external support contacts for well-being
- Alternative home education ideas to supplement their learning
- Links to support for the remote learning that is topic specific
It is well worth a visit for ideas and guidance https://www.headstartkernow.org.uk/sec-sch-support/covid-19/covid19-ideas/
Key Worker Provision
Critical key worker and vulnerable students booking form 1st - 5th February
Poltair School is able to provide ESSENTIAL childcare supervision for the children of CRITICAL key workers and students deemed to be 'vulnerable' between Monday 1st and Friday 5th February.
Students attending this provision will be supervised to independently complete school work. They will not be attending lessons.
If you require your child to attend this provision, please complete the booking form by Wednesday 27th January at 2pm.
Lateral Flow Testing - Students
As a school, we would like to thank you as a community for supporting our testing programme over the past few weeks. We have completed 2,449 tests on school site since mid January!
The Lateral Flow Testing programme now needs to continue, but with you supporting your child to test at home.
On Friday, 19th March 2021, your child will be issued the following:
- 2 boxes of 3 self-test kits
- 1 Guidance leaflet on how to prepare for, complete and report the test results
Lateral Flow Testing – Moving to Self-Tests
- Students will be issued test kits once every three weeks in tutor time
- We will expect students to continue to approach the testing responsibly, which means the kits once issued are expected to be placed in their bags.
- Any student who is found to be using the kits irresponsibly will be sanctioned by staff.
- Students are expected to test twice each week- either on the night before their ‘test day’ or on the morning of the ‘test day’ before arriving at school.
- These results must be uploaded by yourself or your child to both the NHS Test and Trace site as well as to a school link. More information on this below!
- e will send reminder texts on each of your test days to support you in this but will also follow up within the week if test results are not uploaded.
Letter to Parents - Home Testing March 2021
Letter to Parents 19 March 2021
This link below be used to provide your consent if you have not done so already:
Here is a video walk through of our testing process with our Staff Lead on COVID Testing Miss Owens
Self Test Kits
How to complete the Self-Test
There is clear step by step guidance in the booklet that accompanies your child’s test kit as to how to administer, including how to upload results. The tests must be left for 30minutes before recording the result.
There are 5 clear steps the guidance covers:
- Preparing the test area
- How to set up your test
- How to take the swab sample
-
IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT ONCE YOU BEGIN TESTING AT HOME, THE SWABBING INSTRUCTIONS VARY SLIGHTLY FROM WHAT STUDENTS WILL HAVE COMPLETED IN SCHOOL:
- 4 SWABS AROUND EACH TONSIL
- 10 TURNS OF THE SWAB WHEN UP THE NOSTRIL
- How to process the swab sample (it is quite specific and if you don’t follow the instructions you may end up with a void test!)
- How to read and report your result
Self-Test Schedule and Results Links
How to Upload Results
- Step One: uploaded to NHS Test and Trace either here Report a COVID-19 test result - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)? or by calling 119 between 7am and 11pm daily.
- Step Two: uploaded to school by selecting the relevant link below for your child
| Results Uploading | |
|---|---|
| Year 7 Students | Year 7 Results |
| Year 8 Students | Year 8 Results |
| Year 9 Students | Year 9 Results |
| Year 10 Students | Year 10 Results |
| Year 11 Students | Year 11 Results |
What to do if…
Your child tests 'Positive':
- They should remain at home and you should follow NHS guidance here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection in terms of self-isolation for your household.
- In addition, you should book a PCR test here https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or call 119 to book a follow-up test. If ordering a PCR test yourselves, you should choose to visit a drive-through test site if possible, as it is faster than requesting a home test.
- You will also need to email [email protected] directly, to allow us to engage close contact protocols. The results links you upload to are checked during the day, but this may not be until later in the day which therefore reduces the amount of time we have to identify students at risk from being a close contact.
Your child tests 'Negative':
If a student returns a negative test, they will be able to continue their normal activities, including attending school on the date they are invited to do so.
Your child’s test records 'Void':
You will need to record the result as void, but then repeat the test immediately afterwards. This is important as if there is a pattern of void tests, we may need to support you in completing the tests, as well as issuing more self-test kits sooner.
A close contact of your child tests positive:
If your child is identified as a close contact by staff, they will need to self-isolate as per the national guidelines identified above. This does not apply to other household members unless your child becomes symptomatic and tests positive themselves.
You have any further questions or concerns around testing
Please email Miss Gemma Owens using [email protected]
Free Covid-19 Testing Kits now available in St Austell
Parents of nursery, school and college-age children in the St Austell areas will be able to pick up free Covid-19 testing kits in the town from this week.
They are available for collection from:
- St Austell: Council offices car park on Penwinnick Road from 1.30pm to 4.30pm this Thursday (25 March) and then every Thursday after this from 11.30am to 4.30pm
The aim is to ensure all adults who live in households with children can test themselves with rapid-result Lateral Flow Devices (LFDs) twice a week if possible. As many as one in three people who catch the virus display no symptoms meaning they go about their daily lives unaware they are spreading it around. Results for LFD tests are typically available within an hour so anyone who tests positive can self-isolate immediately.
This means Covid will have far fewer opportunities to sneak into workplaces and schools, keeping our communities as safe as possible.
Other collection points in Cornwall are available at Liskeard, Bodmin, Truro, Falmouth, Camborne (Heartlands), and Penzance. To find your nearest, check out the map here - https://find-covid-19-rapid-test-sites.maps.test-and-trace.nhs.uk/
Adults over 18 years of age can pick up a maximum of two kits each per visit for their own use. Other adults in the household must pick up their own kits. People should not use these kits to test children. Where appropriate, children will be supplied kits by their schools.
Anyone who is unable to visit a collection point can order tests to be delivered to their home at www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests. However, stock is limited and people are encouraged to use the collection sites if possible.
Essential workers who are unable to work from home can also access drive-through LFD testing sites at Camborne, St Austell and Liskeard. To book visit https://getatest.vdt.app/cc
Anyone who tests positive with an LFD at home must self-isolate immediately and arrange to have a further PCR test. To book a test visit www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or call 119.
For more information on Covid-19 and testing in Cornwall visit www.cornwall.gov.uk/coronavirus
How can parents and carers support this?
- Ensure you have discussed the self-testing processes with your child to re-assure them that it is a safe and simple process that will help keep them and our community safe
- Report your child’s test results to both school and the NHS Test and Trace on the appropriate days.
- Get in contact with the school if you or your child have any questions or concerns. Please also see the 'Frequently Asked Questions' section below for some additional guidance, or also direct queries to [email protected] where our staff will aim to answer any questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Lateral Flow Testing
Lateral Flow Testing Guidance
