See here for the latest news and updates

• Arrangements for 4 January 2021

  Thu 17 Dec 2020 Julie Fardell

  You may be hearing / seeing speculation or announcements about some students not attending schools in the week beginning 4 January 2021. However, an official announcement from the Secretary of State for Education today states that:

   

  "Students in exam year groups, vulnerable children and children of critical workers will all attend school or college in person from the start of term, as will all students in primary, special and alternative provision schools and colleges."

   

  This means that Victoria School, Victoria College and Cherry Oak School will all be open as normal from 4 January 2021.

• Various Supports at Christmas

  Wed 16 Dec 2020 Birmingham Education Partnership (BEP)
  The number of young people and families facing different levels of vulnerability and need is higher than ever right now and with holidays there is potential for things to get worse when people miss the normal support they may rely on in term time.
  
  For Parents/Carers

  1. Urgent mental health help line:  ring 0121 262 3555 for advice and support. This line is available 24 hours, 7 days a week and can be used whether you are known to the service or not.
  2. Foodbanks: https://www.findfoodbanksbrum.org.uk/project_category/food-banks/
  3. Domestic Violence: Birmingham & Solihull Women’s Aid  www.bswaid.org
     Helpline: 0808 800 0028. Open 7 days a week 9.15am – 5.15pm (closed bank holidays)
  4. Finally, a reminder that there is a lot of other early help in the city for all young people and families.  Click here for see a whole range of offers:   Birmingham Children’s Partnership - Resources | Birmingham Children’s Partnership - Resources | Birmingham City Council

  
  For Children and Young People

  1. Kooth:  www.kooth.com  (Online chat, resources and direct help for 10-25yr olds)
  2. Pause (Mental health and emotional wellbeing support): to register and request support online via https://www.forwardthinkingbirmingham.org.uk/services/13-pause or call the registration line 0207 841 4470. 

• Pupils who require regular suctioning at school - update

  Tue 15 Dec 2020 Julie Fardell

  My apologies to the parents of children who require regular suctioning at school, that I have not recently updated you as to where we are up to in enabling these children to return to school.

   

  Initially, regular suctioning of children was deemed by Public Health England (PHE) to be an aerosol generating procedure. Therefore, these children were not permitted to return to school as if anyone of them did have COVID, there would be very substantial risk to others of airborne infection.

   

  In order to address this, Birmingham City Council (BCC) commissioned Acivico to source and install "Pods", one per child, which could be used to carry out suctions, exclusively for one child only, thus removing the risk of infection. At Victoria School, we have 13 children requiring regular suctioning. 

   

  Two pods were delivered. However, these have not been installed as the government subsequently changed its definition of what constituted an AGP and advised that children requiring suctioning could be suctioned in their classroom as long as they were 2 metres distant from other children and staff and they were by an open window.

   

  However, Birmingham Complex Care and the NHS School Nursing Service directed schools not to return these children to school until they could be assured that it was safe for the children and others in the school environment, for the suctioning to take place in the manner described. We are still awaiting confirmation from these two bodies that it would be safe for these children to return to school.

   

  Two as yet unanswered questions are whether the space used has to be cleaned after use and whether it is safe for other users of the classroom to enter the space within an hour after the suctioning has taken place.

   

  In the Multi-Sensory Impairment (MSI) Unit, we do not have sufficient windows to enable the conditions to be met. However, MSI does have use of a smaller adjacent room that has a COVID-safe certificate for use by one MSI pupil per day to be suctioned there.

   

  I will keep you updated as further information is received.

• Coronavirus Testing in Schools from January 2021

  Tue 15 Dec 2020 Department for Education

  Coronavirus testing for schools and colleges from January

  Today we have announced that from January teachers and pupils will have access to rapid testing to help keep schools and colleges open throughout the spring term.

  From January, and starting with secondary schools, including all special schools and alternative provision, the education workforce will be eligible for weekly on the spot tests. This will help identify asymptomatic cases – which make up a third of all cases – limiting the spread of the virus. This will be backed up by daily testing for staff who have been in close contact with a positive case therefore eliminating the need for self-isolation; allowing them to continue to come into school or college.

  Students and pupils will be eligible for daily testing if they have been in close contact with a positive case.

  You can read the press notice and a detailed Q&A for parents, but here is a summary of the key details of the announcement:

  Teachers and pupils will have access to rapid testing from January. Staff who are in close contact with cases will be eligible for daily testing, eliminating the need for immediate self-isolation. Only if a daily test returns a positive result will the staff member need to isolate. Testing will roll out as rapidly as possible from January, starting with staff and moving quickly on to serial testing of students. It is the decision of the individual school or college when they would like to begin accessing this new dedicated testing capacity.

  Detailed operational guidance and training materials are available to secondary schools and colleges so they are able to use the new testing capacity from the first week of the spring term.

• Last day of Autumn term

  Wed 09 Dec 2020 Julie Fardell
  Victoria School will be open as usual on Friday 18 December 2020. The first day back after the Christmas break is Monday 4 January 2021.

• Notifying the school of any COVID-positive cases over Christmas

  Wed 09 Dec 2020 Julie Fardell

  We hope that all of our Victoria Community families have a happy, safe and healthy break over Christmas.

  However, if your child who attends Victoria School tests positive for COVID at any time up until Sunday 20/12/2020, please email me immediately on: j.fardell@victoria.bham.sch.uk

  This will be necessary for the school to identify any close contacts during your child's potentially infectious period so that they can be instructed to self isolate. You will also need to engage with NHS Track and Trace to identify any personal close contacts.

  If your child contracts COVID or needs to be in self isolation at any time later in the Christmas holiday, simply call the school on 0121 476 9478 and leave a message if your child will not be in school on Monday 4 January 2021.

  Despite all of this - we wish you a happy and restful Christmas break.

• Enteral Feeders back on deck tomorrow

  Thu 03 Dec 2020 Julie Fardell
  More good news - Children who receive enteral (Tube) feeds can return to school tomorrow. This does not include those children who are isolating (LOR, LJA, RKH and MSI Unit) or those who require regular suctioning. We are still awaiting confirmation from Birmingham Complex Care and NHS School Nursing Service as to when those children who require regular suctioning can safely return to school.

• COVID 19 - Good News!!

  Thu 03 Dec 2020 Julie Fardell
  Great news - no new COVID cases for 3 days now and those who have been isolating are beginning to return.

• PE at Home Advent Calendar

  Wed 02 Dec 2020 Helen
  There are some ideas of things you could try saved in the PE section of Home Learning - adaptations will need to be made for some children.

• Parents Sensory Festival - Hirstwood Training

  Wed 02 Dec 2020

  Victoria staff recently participated in Hirstwood training and feedback was very positive. Tickets for this event are £12.50.

   

  'The live Festival will take place on Saturday 5th December 2020 and although we want you to be there we know that it’s not always possible. So the sessions will be recorded where possible and available to watch online until the evening of 12 December 2020.'

   

  More information and how to book is on:

   

  https://hirstwood.com/parents-sensory-festival/