We can’t wait to welcome you back! An important aspect of our return to school is a covid testing programme for students. Here’s more information on how this will affect you.
Please read and respond.
We are looking forward to welcoming you back to school. As you will have seen in our message on Friday, we will be offering a series of tests to all students and staff, as stipulated by the government guidance.
There are three covid tests for students in school: one prior to their return and then two further tests in school before 19 March. These will be followed by at home test kits, which are to be used twice per week.
Please read this information carefully as it contains a lot of important information on what is involved. You will need to respond to let us know if you DO or DO NOT consent to your child taking part in the covid tests. They are voluntary, but we hope that you will take part, as widespread testing in school will make a significant difference in reducing infections.
This message also has information about school transport and the return of loaned laptops.
About the covid tests
The tests we are using are Lateral Flow Tests. These involve students taking their own nose swabs whilst trained staff oversee the process and analyse the results. Results are obtained after 30 minutes, so the whole process takes approximately 45 minutes. If you have any questions about this process, please contact Mark Thorley.
You can find more information about this type of test using the following links:
test schedule for students
| Year Groups | Test 1 (appointment between 8am-6pm) | Test 2 (in-school) | Test 3 (in-school) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11, 12 & 13 | Friday 5 March | Wednesday 10 March | Monday 15 March |
| 9 & 10 | Monday 8 March | Thursday 11 March | Tuesday 16 March |
| 7 & 8 | Tuesday 9 March | Friday 12 March | Wednesday 17 March |
Booking an Appointment for Test One
For test one you will need to book a time on the allocated day for your child.
To book your appointments, please follow the instructions below:
Log in to https://ryburnvalley.schoolcloud.co.uk/
Or go to the website, select the ‘parents’ tab and then the ‘Parents Evening Booking Login System’
Fill in the details – the website is clear about what to fill in
Once you have logged on you can then book your time
When filling in the email address this must be the email address we have on our school system
When booking your appointment, please select any of the stations that are available
You will receive a confirmation email, please be aware that this may arrive via your junk inbox
Ensure you have also completed the consent form below. This is essential
Students will take the test at school, then return home immediately following the test. We recommend that, where possible, a parent/carer attends the first test with the student to support this initial test.
The car park will be available for parents to access to bring students to school and return home following this test.
Unfortunately, due to the large scale of the testing we are unable to mix year groups for the test, so if you have children in multiple year groups, then you would need to book separate appointments. There are strict regulations regarding the time between each test (between 3 and 5 days apart) and during test two and three we will need to keep the year groups separate as per the school risk assessment.
To avoid disruption, we will not be running live lessons on the day that your child’s first test is taking place, but teachers will set revision work via the home learning grid or by email.
Tests two and three
Tests two and three will be done during school time under staff supervision. Where a student does struggle with the test, it can be administered by a trained member of staff, however where possible we would ask that the student self-administers.
The tests will be administered for those students with parental consent. Calderdale Public Health England Nurses have provided on-site training for school staff to enable them to conduct tests safely.
Results are processed within 30 minutes of taking the test. For the second and third tests, should your child receive a positive test, a member of staff will contact you. You would need to collect your child immediately and your child must isolate for 10 days. Please be aware that we cannot guarantee confidentiality of the result as we would need to remove your child from their lesson and start our process of close contact tracing immediately, but we will handle it as sensitively as possible.
Home Testing
After these three tests have been completed in school, we will be providing parents with home testing kits which should be used twice weekly. Please note that the guidance requires that only students who have done three in-school tests will have access to the home test. No further tests will be carried out at school.
The home tests come in packs of 7 with clear instructions for use. Parents are asked to report the outcome of all tests to the NHS (details provided in the packs). You should also report a positive test result to the school so we can contact trace any additional students in the same bubble to minimise transmission of the virus.
Consent to COVID 19 Testing
Participation in lateral flow testing is voluntary and your child can still attend school on Wednesday 10 March if they do not wish to take part in testing. However, we would strongly encourage parents to consent as it is an additional method to support in keeping transmission rates as low as possible.
Whether you DO or DO NOT consent to your child being tested, we need you to complete a consent form by midday on Thursday 4 March. It will take 5 minutes to complete this form. Click below for the form and the terms to which you are consenting.
If you have more than one child, you need to complete a separate consent form for each child. Please note, this longer form has replaced the shorter consent form we sent out in the Christmas holidays, as the guidance published since asks for more information. We need you to complete the new form, even if you already filled out the previous one.
Further information
Lateral Flow testing does not replace self-isolation if a person is showing any symptoms of Covid-19. In the event of a student showing symptoms, as we have been doing since the start, students should stay at home, self-isolate and get a PCR test at an NHS test centre or use an NHS postal test.
The accuracy of the Lateral Flow Test increases as practice and experience of the swabbing improves. As mentioned, all students who have given consent will take three lateral flow tests at school. This is so that the student can be supervised in doing the self-swabbing before they begin home-testing. On the third test the students will be given their home testing kit and instructions to continue with twice weekly tests at home. For a student to be given a home test kit, they must have completed three lateral flow tests in school.
As part of the home test kit the result is recorded by the parent/carer uploading it to the NHS recording system / app.
If they get a positive lateral flow test result, your child must self-isolate. The rest of the household must also self-isolate for a period of 10 days. You should inform the school of any positive result. A positive result is 98% accurate so as a result of a positive test, at present, there is no requirement for an additional PCR test.
School Transport Update
Beginning with the full school reopening day on Wednesday 10 March there will be the full school transport provision. However, please bear in mind that, under new guidance, if any student tests positive for Covid-19 then all students who are on the bus at the same time as the positive case, regardless of where they have sat, will not be able to attend school and will have self-isolate as well.
Laptop returns
Many pupils have borrowed laptops and other technological devices to use during the enforced lockdown. Some of these were part of the government scheme but many more were the school's own resources which are now needed for lessons back in school. As per the agreement all items borrowed must be returned.
To avoid congestion could the laptops and other devices such as dongles please be returned to School Reception/Student Services by the student on the following days:
| Year Group | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Wednesday 10 March | Reception |
| 8 | Wednesday 10 March | Student Services |
| 9 | Thursday 11 March | Reception |
| 10 | Thursday 11 March | Student Services |
| 11 | Friday 12 March | Reception |
| 12 & 13 | Friday 12 March | Student Services |
Letter from Calderdale Public Health
Please click below to see a letter to parents and carers from Calderdale Public Health and Education Services for your information.
Thank you for your continued support. We are sure that by working together we can continue to keep our community as safe as possible whilst returning to face-to-face teaching. We are looking forward to welcoming our students back on Wednesday 10 March.