On Wednesday we had two pantomime performances in school for our year seven students. It was delightful to be in the audience with them, watching them join in and it was clear that it was thoroughly enjoyed.

We also had an enjoyable Christmas dinner yesterday and it was good to see so many students wearing something Chrismassy. So far we have collected in £470.00 in donations towards the defibrillators. If there are any students who still need to bring in donations, they can do so on Monday.

Our food menus have been reviewed and from January 10th, week three of the food menu will be available every day.

Contacts and updates

We hope that any queries or questions can be answered through the website or through your child's tutor. If, however, you have any queries about subjects or the curriculum, we have updated our website so that faculty leaders can be contacted easily. Please use the links via the staffing pages.

End of term

Another reminder that we finish on Tuesday 21st December at 12.00pm and start term again for students with lateral flow tests on Thursday 6th January and a return to lessons on Friday 7th January.

We say farewell to Angela Goddard and Marilyn Fletcher next week as they retire from many years service at Chilwell school. We thank them for everything they have done and wish them happy and fulfilled new adventures. Thank you to them both!

Updates

This is clearly a time of concern again for the country with the rise in cases of Omicron. There have been a number of schools that have had to implement distance learning and there may well be changes nationally over the Christmas period. Please rest assured that we will continue to do everything we can to minimise disruption for our students. If there are any changes to our plans for next term and beyond, we will keep you informed. As well as the lateral flow testing planned for the start of term, we also anticipate that we will be in contact again regarding the offer of second vaccinations for students age 12-15.

We have had the information below sent to us by the Department of Education:

Young people aged 12 to 15 in England will be offered a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a minimum of 12 weeks from the first dose, following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

NHS England have now confirmed that, as with first doses, healthy school-aged children aged 12 to 15 will be able to receive their COVID-19 vaccination in their school next term, as well as having the option to receive the vaccine out of school, such as through vaccination centres. These offers will run in parallel.

Vaccination for this group will continue to be deployed primarily by the school age immunisation service (SAIS). In school vaccination will begin from Monday 10 January and all schools should have received at least one visit before February half-term. We expect most schools to require multiple visits so vaccines can be administered to all consenting pupils. SAIS teams will be in touch with schools from the start of next term to discuss what is best for their circumstances.

For some very small schools, on-site vaccination may not be appropriate but alternative arrangements will be put in place to ensure timely, accessible, and equitable vaccination for these children.

More information for schools on the vaccination programme and how second dose delivery will work, including information on consent gathering, will be published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shortly.

We are grateful to schools for their ongoing support with the rollout of the 12 to 15 vaccination programme. Vaccinating young people is increasingly important for keeping them, their friends, family members and teachers safe as we approach the Christmas holidays.

Over the Christmas holidays, parents can already book first vaccinations for their child, if aged 12 or over, through the NHS booking system. Second doses will be available for eligible children by Monday 20 December.

Further information on vaccination for 12 to 15 year olds is available on the NHS website.

Extra-curricular activities

We have continued to provide a range of extra-curricular activities and there will be more in the new year. We have had a fantastic term with sporting success and I have also shared a number of our students' musical achievements in our news section. Thank you again to all of the students who take up these opportunities to extend their learning and contribution to the school.

Best wishes for a safe and restful holiday.