Update from Miss Thorrington regarding the wider opening of Ipswich Academy
01 March 2021
Dear students, parents and carers,
Following on from the Government announcement last week, and my subsequent correspondence, I am detailing below key information relating to your child’s education provision from Monday 8th March 2021. Paradigm Trust and Ipswich Academy are currently updating their risk assessment for full school re-opening. Once this has been approved, I will be sharing it with you.
Full-opening of Ipswich Academy:
At present, the Government guidance states that students must return a negative lateral flow test prior to returning to the classroom. As a direct result, I have made the decision to stagger the start of the students’ return back into the classroom. The following groups will be attending on the to the following dates:
| Monday 8th | Tuesday 9th | Wednesday 10th | Thursday 11th | Friday 12th | |
| Open for | Key worker and vulnerable students | Key worker and vulnerable students | Key worker and vulnerable students. All year 10 and 11 students | Key worker and vulnerable students. All year 7, 10 and 11 students | All year groups back |
Students who have not consented to testing will start back to school on the same day that their year group does. We strongly encourage you to sign up for the lateral flow testing to ensure that we create the safest learning environment for all students and staff. Please consent to testing by clicking here if you have not done so already.
Work for students from Monday 8th March- their year group start date:
On Friday 5th March all students will be emailed their timetable for the week beginning 8th of March. Students will attend a live base group session each morning followed by a variety of pre-recorded lessons and written activities.
Asymptomatic testing:
In order for us to abide by Government expectations for students to undertake a lateral flow test three times on site and then again once at home in the first two weeks after school reopens, we will be following a precise testing timetable.
| Date | Year group AM | Year group PM |
| Thurs 4th March | 11 | 10 |
| Fri 5th March | 7 | 9 – PARDI |
| Mon 8th March | 8 | 9G |
| Tues 9th March | 11 | 10 |
| Wed 10th March | No testing | 7 |
| Thurs 11th March | 8 |
Text messages confirming exact times have been sent to parents – if you are still unsure please call us.
Will will continue testing beyond Thursday 11th March following a similar timetable to ensure students are tested 3 times in line with the guidance.
We will be sending out a separate text message detailing the specific time slot for students to attend Ipswich Academy for testing, testing will be done in teaching sets. Students should attend promptly and enter the school premises by the double gates by the carpark. Students will then be directed towards the Sports Hall. If you have not received a text message by 4pm on Wednesday 3rd March, please contact the school.
As per Government guidance, students will then be given their home test kit following the successful completion of their three in school tests. Students will not be given home test kits if they have not completed tests under supervision in school.
Students who have tested positive for Covid 19 in the last 90 days cannot have a lateral flow test until after this date. If this is the case for your child, please inform the school so that we are aware.
The school day from Wednesday 10th March:
We will be staggering the start and end of the school day. Year 10 and 11 students start at 08.45 and finish at 15.00. Year 7, 8 and 9 students start at 09.00 and finish at 15.15. Students will enter through specific doors, staff will be on hand to supervise students.
Face coverings:
Face coverings will be mandatory for all students and staff whilst on site at Ipswich Academy until at least Easter in line with Government guidance. The only exceptions will be:
- those who are exempt, if your child is exempt then please make contact with the school prior to the 8th March;
- when eating and drinking;
- participating in exercise or strenuous activity during PE lessons.
We encourage all students to bring their own face covering to school each day along with a sealable plastic bag for them to store their face covering whilst eating and drinking. We will have a small number of face coverings which we can supply students with in the event of theirs breaking.
We take the safety of the students and the staff very seriously at the academy and there will be a clear behaviour policy in place around the appropriate wearing of masks. We appreciate your support in reinforcing the importance of face coverings to your children.
School uniform and PE kit:
Other than in exceptional circumstances, or in line with changes to Government guidance, we will continue to follow our standard uniform policies and staff dress code.
Uniforms do not need to be cleaned more often than usual or using any different methods.
If you envisage an issue with your child wearing the correct uniform, please contact the school prior to our full re-opening so that we can support on a case by case basis.
On days where students have PE, students must come to school wearing their PE kit. There will be an opportunity for students to change into their school uniform after the lesson if they wish.
Free school meals:
The National Voucher Scheme will end on Friday 5th March. Students requesting a packed lunch will therefore need to collect it from the school between 12.00-12.30pm on the days prior to their full-time education commencing.
Laptop returns:
Until further notice students who were loaned a laptop can continue using them at home, this will enable students to complete additional work on Google Classroom at their convenience.
Work for students if they have to self isolate:
For students who have to self isolate we will continue to provide school work via Google Classroom. We will provide more specific information about this if your child has to self isolate.
Finally, and more positively, we are looking forward to welcoming students back to Ipswich Academy. As you know, we have been open during the whole lockdown and it will be good to get everyone back to classroom learning as soon as possible. The students are what make Ipswich Academy such a special place to be and I look forward to their return.
Thank you for your ongoing support. Your positive comments shared on the work we have been doing has been much appreciated and has been so reassuring to hear. I will communicate with you again once the risk assessment has been fully approved.
Abbie Thorrington
Principal