Wednesday 6^th January 2022

Dear Parent/Carer

Happy New Year; I sincerely hope that you have had a peaceful and safe Christmas break and that you and your families remain as safe and well as possible.

Further to the letter sent by Mr Lindsay Harvey on 16^th December, Ysgol Bryn Castell have held two planning days in order to ensure we are as prepared as possible to welcome back learners to the school and start the Spring Term.

Schools were advised by the Welsh Government to review the operational arrangements based on the variable measures for the ‘Very High’ level as set out in the Local Infection Control Decision Framework for schools. As a result, staff have been working hard to ensure the environment is as safe as possible for pupils and have been preparing work packs and online learning activities should the school need to close classes for any reason.

As I am sure you are aware, the level of coronavirus infection remains very high and we have seen a high number of cases of coronavirus in Ysgol Bryn Castell in the Autumn term. The school has reviewed their arrangements and have implemented the following additional measures during the Spring term to promote that the school environment remains as safe as possible:

• Welsh Government updated their guidance for Special schools over the Christmas holiday period, with staff within Special Schools being strongly encouraged to undertake daily Lateral Flow Tests prior to attending school.
• Reduce movement and potential mixing of pupils around the school to prevent possible infection; this will mean that only KS2 pupils will access lunch provision within the main dining room and all other pupils will receive their lunch within classrooms.

Due to the high levels of infection which continue to circulate, Ysgol Bryn Castell may need to move to periods of blended learning for pupils in emergency situations where the school are experiencing challenging issues. Where this is necessary, the school will try to give Parents/Carers as much notice as possible, whilst recognising the dynamic nature of the pandemic and impact on staffing. The school will always ensure that any class closures are for the minimum period of time.

In-line with Welsh Government and Local Authority guidance, the school are offering twice-weekly Lateral Flow Testing to pupils in Years 7 and above. Please get in touch if you would like to discuss this in more detail.

Ysgol Bryn Castell’s priority continues to be the health and wellbeing of our pupils and staff and we will continue to act in the best interests of your children as we move forward, together.

Thank you for your support, encouragement and feedback.

Mrs Helen Ridout