Schools in Sheffield could send pupils home for Christmas FOUR days early

Some schools in Sheffield could send pupils home four days early this Christmas due to coronavirus, parents have been told.
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Catholic schools in the city are considering ending in-school teaching on Friday, December 18, with pupils learning from home on December 21 and 22 before the holidays begin.

Sheffield Catholic Schools Partnership, which includes two secondary schools and 13 primary schools across the city, has written to parents advising them that this could happen, though it says a decision has yet to be made.

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All Saints Catholic High School is one of 15 schools within the Sheffield Catholic Schools Partnership (pic: Google)All Saints Catholic High School is one of 15 schools within the Sheffield Catholic Schools Partnership (pic: Google)
All Saints Catholic High School is one of 15 schools within the Sheffield Catholic Schools Partnership (pic: Google)
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The letter, seen by The Star, says that sending pupils home early would make it easier to ensure all contacts of anyone testing positive for Covid-19 can be identified and notified by Wednesday, December 23 – the date from which household mixing is allowed for five days.

It states: “If we had known about the implications of Covid-19 when we set the term dates, we would have set them differently. Over the last two weeks, as many of you will be aware, we have seen a larger number of positive cases amongst members of our school community and this has led to high numbers of students having to isolate.

“The Head Teachers and Chairs of Governors of the Catholic schools have been considering a plan to make 18th December the last day in which students are physically in the school building with work on the last two days of term (21st and 22nd Dec) happening through remote learning. Some schools are considering a different approach, based on their individual context.

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“We have consulted with the Diocese, the Local Authority and the local Public Health team about this and all agree that it is sensible to consider bringing the last day on which students are gathered in the building into line with the end of term for other Sheffield schools, on 18th Dec.

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“This is the reasoning: If our last day in school is Friday 18th and any member of our community tests positive with Covid within 48hours of that date, we still have a good chance of identifying and notifying any contacts of that person before Wed 23rd December.

“One positive test result leads to between 30 and 80 other people having to self-isolate; it is important that we have the best chance to be able to contact trace all of those affected, as soon as possible. Closure on Friday 18th December gives us the best chance of letting families know by Wednesday 23rd Dec if there were any need to self-isolate.

“This is important as this is the date from which the recently announced guidance allows for some mixing of households.”

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But there are currently no plans to do so in England, despite a petition calling for this to happen.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson dismissed the chance of schools closing early in a press conference last week, saying ‘we want to keep pupils and young people in school as much as we possibly can’.