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COVID-19 testing reminders
There are different tests you can get to check if you have COVID-19. The test you need depends on why you are getting tested.
The two main tests are:
- PCR tests – mainly for people with symptoms, they are sent to a lab to be checked
- Rapid flow tests (LFTs) – only for people who do not have symptoms, they give a quick result using a device similar to a pregnancy tests.
Both tests are free.
If you have symptoms of COVID-19
Get a PCR test as soon as possible if you have any of these symptoms, even if mild:
- a high temperature
- a new, continuous cough
- a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
Stay at home until you get your test result – only leave your home to have a test.
Please be aware that many of the children and adults in our community who have had COVID-19 in recent weeks have not experienced the three official COVID-19 symptoms listed above. Instead, families and staff have reported having a blocked or runny nose, sore throat, headache, tiredness and diarrhoea.
Use LFTs if you DO NOT have symptoms
About 1 in 3 people with COVID-19 do not have symptoms but can still infect others.
Rapid tests help to check if someone has COVID-19. If people test positive and self-isolate, it helps stop the virus spreading. They need to isolate and book a PCR test.
Research shows rapid tests are a reliable test for COVID-19. They give a quick result and do not need to be sent to a lab.
Even if you’re vaccinated, you could still catch the virus or pass it on. Doing rapid tests helps to protect yourself and others.
The NHS has further information –
Get tested for coronavirus (COVID-19) - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Children who have COVID-19 symptoms, however brief or mild, need to stay at home until a PCR result has come in negative. This is will help us to minimise the circulation or COVID-19 in our community and keep everyone as safe as possible.
We will be breaking up for the Christmas holiday at our usual staggered finishing times on Friday 17th December and will not be finishing early.
We appreciate that this is a change from our usual arrangement and late notice. Please email [email protected] if your family has already made early afternoon plans, and we can arrange for your children to be collected after lunch.
Our School Uniform - What is changing, what is staying the same and why.
Thank you to everyone who responded to the school uniform survey.
Your comments were engaged, insightful and appreciated. They were often also contradictory, which makes sense. We are a collection of individuals with different concerns and values – this is a big part of what makes our school a dynamic and rich environment.
In developing this new school uniform policy, we have tried to balance these competing comments and concerns to achieve the best outcome for the most people. Set out below is a summary of the new school uniform policy, as well as the main reasons for the decisions we've made.
We hope you'll understand why these decisions were made, even if they weren't your personal choice in every case.
New Dunalley Uniform Policy
School uniform for Reception to Year 2
- Brown jumper with school logo or brown cardigan with school logo
- White polo shirt
- Black jogging bottoms, black leggings or black PE shorts (no patterns)
- Black trainers (plain)
- Wellies (to be left at school)
- Bookbag with school logo
- Green fleece with school logo (this is optional and is to be worn over a brown jumper or cardigan)
This uniform is to be worn every day. Pupils in Reception to Year 2 do not change for PE.
School uniform for Year 3 to Year 6
- Brown jumper with school logo or brown cardigan with school logo
- White polo shirt
- Black trousers, black shorts or black skirt (to be worn with black tights or black socks)
- Yellow and white gingham summer dress (this is optional and to be worn with white socks). These dresses may only be worn from September to October Half Term and in the Summer term
- Sturdy, black school shoes
- Wellies (to be left at school)
- PE kit is black PE shorts and black jogging bottoms or black leggings and trainers
- Green fleece with school logo (this is optional and is to be worn over a brown jumper or cardigan)
This uniform is to be worn every day. For PE, pupils in Year 3 to Year 6 change into black jogging bottoms, leggings or PE shorts and trainers. They continue to wear their white polo shirts for PE.
Questions and Answers on the New Dunalley Uniform Policy
When does this uniform policy take effect and will there be a phase-in period?
The new uniform policy takes effect 1 January 2023. This means until 1 January 2023, children may continue to wear clothing that was previously part of the Dunalley school uniform. This includes yellow polo shirts, shirt/tie, dark grey trousers and shorts, brown dresses and skirts, house coloured logoed PE shirts. We do not recommend further purchases of any of the items – the transition period is to allow families to gradually replace these existing items. Children in Year 3 to Year 6 may continue to wear black jogging bottoms, leggings or PE shorts to school every day during the transition period. In the school uniform survey, over 70% of you indicated that a 1 year transition period was appropriate.
Why is Dunalley keeping brown jumpers and cardigans rather than switching to forest green?
Over 60% of those who responded wanted to keep brown tops. The most cited reasons were to prevent waste and unnecessary expense. Many of you explained why it is important to your children to keep cardigans. While there was support, including from an informal survey of children in school, for a change to forest green, such a fundamental change must have the support of our families.
Why has Dunalley set slightly different uniforms for "Reception to Year 2" and for "Year 3 to Year 6"?
It's a compromise. While 57% of you supported an "active uniform" every day, 43% of you preferred a "traditional uniform" on non-PE days.
In settling on "active uniform" every day for Reception to Year 2 and "traditional uniform" every day for Year 3 to Year 6 (changing into PE bottoms and trainers for PE), we sought to balance the following considerations:
- Staff are keen to maximise the time children have for PE, Commando Joes and Forest School - changing for PE reduces this.
- Much of your support for "active uniform" focused on its benefits for younger children.
- Much of your support for "traditional uniform" focused on preparing children for secondary school.
- While the practicality of the "active uniform" was mentioned often in your comments, so was the view that in an active uniform the children can look "scruffy".
- Your comments highlighted the additional burden of remembering which clothes to wear on given days.
By having younger children in "active uniform" every day, PE time will not be lost changing and they can engage freely in outdoor play. By having older children in "traditional uniform" every day, they will look smart and begin the transition to secondary school. Changing time for PE will be less, as the older children will only change into PE bottoms and trainers, and by that stage will be more able. As children move to Year 3, their "active uniform" bottoms can be used as PE bottoms. Families will not have the burden of remembering what clothes are to be worn on given days.
Why has Dunalley switched to white polo shirts instead of yellow?
Many of you explained yellow shirts do not show dirt as much as white, but there was also a good deal of support in your comments for white polo shirts. In deciding to phase out yellow polo shirts after a 1 year transition period, we've taken into account recent DfE guidance on affordability and availability of school uniform. We've also considered the variation in yellows across brands and safeguarding concerns that our pupils have a consistent uniform that is always the same and can be quickly identified if necessary.
Why are coloured logoed PE shirts being eliminated?
We've decided to phase out coloured logoed PE shirts after a 1 year transition period for a number of reasons. These include the additional expense, the focus on not changing tops for PE to increase active PE time and the safeguarding consideration of being able to identify quickly and accurately a Dunalley pupil without having to specifically remember what version of uniform the child was wearing that day.
Why has Dunalley decided to include black skirts and yellow and white gingham summer dresses for Year 3 to Year 6?
Your comments outlined that the freedom to wear these items are important to your children. In particular, your comments highlighted that the yellow summer dresses are cool in hot weather. We've also listened to staff concerns about reduced active PE time when changing is required. Recent DfE guidance on school uniform policies focuses on affordability. We noted your comments that brown dresses and skirts are hard to find and more expensive than standard colours
Balancing these considerations, we have eliminated brown dresses/skirts. Additionally, we have not included black dresses, as wearing these would increase changing time for PE. We recommend that yellow summer dresses are not worn on PE days for the same reason. Yellow summer dresses are only to be worn from September to the October Half Term and in the Summer Term.
Why has Dunalley added optional forest green logoed fleeces?
Nearly 75% of you said you'd buy a forest green fleece if this were an optional part of the school uniform. Over 80% of you said that jumpers and fleeces should have the school logo. Fleeces are entirely optional. Ventilation in classrooms is important and means this extra layer may be helpful.
What should I do if this new uniform puts a financial strain on my family?
Contact our family support team via [email protected] or by calling 01242 512391. The team has number of ways to help out.
Additionally, Dunalley plans to introduce regular school uniform swaps, which will include jumpers, cardigans, shirts, bottoms and shoes.
We are looking at options for the items of the old school uniform that are not to be worn after 1 January 2023, including possible use for school-related events and arranging a mass donation.
Christmas Jumpers can be worn ALL OF NEXT WEEK. Thank you, we are looking forward to seeing some festive cheer.
Our School Governors are delighted to share our whole school play poilicy with you, please click the link belwo to access it.
Tuesday 14th December
Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 are having their Christmas lunch with all the trimmings.
Wednesday 15th December
Reception, Y1 and Y2 are having their Christmas lunch with all the trimmings.
The children not having Christmas lunch on the day specified above can order the pasta dish on the day or will require a packed lunch from home.
Thank you so very much to those of you who attended our Stay & Pay day last satursday. We are absolutley thrilled by the feedback we have received.
The day was bright but very cold, we served hot drinks midway around the tour of school to warm everyone up and Pippin made an appearance too.
It was just such a ovely day.
We have some feedback from our families to share with you:
- It was so lovely to come into the school today. We were really impressed by the schools set up and the space you have for the children to play in. Everyone there was very welcoming and it was just lovely to come in. Thank you
- It was really nice to walk around the grounds of the school today the outside play area's are amazing so many different things for the children to do and learn from it was a real eye opener for us to see all these fantastic things.
- Thank you so much for giving us your Saturday morning so we could see the school. It's been such a long time since we were in the grounds and it was great to see the classrooms through the windows and see all the works that have been happening outside. Our kids are so lucky to have such fabulous facilities at their school. Thanks again!
- It was lovely to see the brilliant Dunalley facilities after so long. Wilbur thoroughly enjoying showing us around. Thank you for everyone efforts to organise it.
- It was really fantastic to be able to come and visit the school and see where Harry plays and learns. It’s lovely to now be able to envisage his days and what brilliant facilities the school has. We also loved peeing through the window of his classroom and spotting some of his work. Thank you!
- The children loved the treasure hunt and the facilities look great! Especially the beach! So lovely to see where they are playing. Thank you for having us.
We very much hope to be able to do this again soon in 2022.
Did you know that we have several of our mums and even a couple of grandparents working in our team here at school.
They value their roles here because of their family commitments. There is no need to worry about child care on inset days or during the holidays. Plus, they can be involved in the school where their children spend so much time, they all get the chance to see their little ones at some point too.
Not only that the pay is split over 12 months, so you get paid every month, even in August!
Perhaps you are thinking about getting back into the workplace but are unsure if this would be right for you. Why not have a chat to our current staff to see what it is really like. Mrs Byrne would be happy to answer any questions too.
Our vacancies could be the perfect opportunity for you.
Play Partners, support meaningful and productive child-initiated play during our lunchtimes to ensure that our children have the very best lunchtime opportunities possible.
Midday Supervisors rather be involved in serving the children their lunches, we have opportunities in this department too.
Look at our website or telephone Sara Byrne on 01242 512391 for an informal chat if you'd rather.
This December Holiday, Gloucestershire County Council is providing vouchers to parents who have signed up to our Holiday Free School Meals (FSM) scheme. These vouchers are provided by Gloucestershire County Council as part of its commitment to ‘no child goes hungry’. Parents who have signed up to the scheme will receive a voucher of £30 for each child who is eligible for FSM, which will cover both weeks for the holiday period.
Applications for Holiday Free School Meal Vouchers for Christmas half term will open from Tuesday 30 November until midday on Monday 13 December.
Emails from selectcode will be sent out between 13 and 15 December.
If you have signed up previously you do not need to re-register, and we are encouraging any parents not already signed up to do so as soon as they can.
If you can, over the Christmas break, please top up your Y1-6 childs's wipeable, named pencil case. It should include:
• 12 coloured pencils
• 2HB pencils
• 2 rubbers (plain are best)
• 1 named glue stick
• 1 highlighter pen
All other items of stationery needed will be provided by school. Please note that these items will need to stay in school and not be brought home each day.