Arrangements for the start and the end of the school day were shared in our end of year Newsletter in July. We have copied them below for your ease of reference…

Pupils will return to school on Thursday 2nd September with Breakfast Club at 8am (for those with places confirmed via email) and ‘doors opening’ to all others at 8.45am with registration at 8.55am.

School will finish at;

3pm for Reception

3.05pm – Year 1 and Year 2

3.10pm – Year 3 and Year 4

3.15pm – Year 5 and Year 6

Don’t worry a member of staff will be on hand to guide you through our new arrangements.

Half of our new Reception class are joining us on Thursday 2nd September with the other half on Friday 3rd September. The full class then come together on Monday 6th September. We can’t wait to meet you all!

PE kit days will commence from Monday 6th September with all pupils to wear uniform on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd September.

If you have any queries please email diptonstpatricks@durhamlearning.net

Pupils should come to school dressed in their PE kits on the days listed below from Monday 6th September. Reception are to come dressed in uniform and bring their kit on a Monday to practise getting changed in school. (Please note Year 4 do not have PE on a Friday).

Please continue to report positive Covid-19 pupil cases to school via email to diptonstpatricks@durhamlearning.net until the end of Thursday 22nd July. Any cases after this will be handled via Track and Trace and they will advise on contact isolation.

We are currently seeing increasing Covid-19 infection rates in the north of County Durham and it is therefore really important that we all follow public health guidance and remain vigilant. The majority of cases across our communities are the Delta variant, currently the main variant nationally, which is more transmittable which means that contacts of cases are now more likely to become infected themselves. However measures to control the variant are the same and the more robust you are in following these measures, the better protected you and your loved ones are.

As always please follow the Hands, Face, Space, Fresh Air guidance. Socialise outside wherever you can. While restrictions are being lifted on 19 July please continue to exercise great caution when mixing indoors beyond this date, as the virus can spread more easily in enclosed spaces. Two doses of a coronavirus vaccination provide the best protection against the virus. Please attend both appointments as soon as you can.

If you get any symptoms you must self-isolate and book a free test via the NHS website: www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test If you are identified as a contact of a case, you too must self-isolate and arrange to have a test as soon as you can. It is a legal requirement that anyone with symptoms or who is a contact of a case self-isolates until they get their test result. People without symptoms are encouraged to do twice weekly Lateral Flow Device tests at home and to report the results online. Testing kits are available at council venues and pharmacies.

All the latest guidance and information on how to access testing can be found at www.durham.gov.uk/coronavirus.

Please use the link below to see our Art Newsletter

Art Newsletter Summer

From week beginning Monday 12th April can pupils come to school dressed in their PE kit and trainers on the following days (Please note additional info for Reception Class);

Reception = Tuesday and Friday (Tues Reception pupils should bring their kit to school to practise getting dressed and undressed)

Year 1 = Tuesday and Thursday

Year 2 = Monday and Wednesday

Year 3 = Tuesday and Thursday

Year 4 = Monday and Thursday

Year 5 = Monday and Thursday

Year 6 = Monday and Friday

NHS Test and Trace announced last week, that all adults in households with school and college age children without symptoms can now access regular rapid coronavirus (COVID-19) testing.

Test kits can either be collected or ordered online, as set out below. They are not available from school.

Undertaking regular, rapid coronavirus (COVID-19) testing helps reduce transmission of the virus. Parents and other adults in households with children at school or college, who do not have symptoms, can now access regular, rapid coronavirus (COVID-19) testing. This includes childcare and support bubbles.

Tests are fast, easy and completely free. There are different ways for a household, childcare or support bubble to collect their test to take at home

• twice-weekly through your employer, if they offer testing to employees
• by collecting a home test kit from a local test site – anyone aged 18 or over can collect 2 packs of 7 tests
• by ordering a home test kit online – please do not order online if you can access testing through other routes, this frees up home delivery for those who need it most

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rapid-lateral-flow-testing-for-households-and-bubbles-of-school-pupils-and-staff

If you have any queries about the tests, and you live in England, please call 119 (free from mobiles and landlines). Lines are open every day from 7am to 11pm.

Children of primary school age (and below) without symptoms are not being asked to take a test.

Testing is voluntary, but strongly recommended to all who are eligible. Alongside the vaccine, washing hands, wearing face coverings, and maintaining social distancing, rapid testing plays a vital role in reducing transmission rates. Getting into the habit of regular testing as part of our everyday lives will help us all to play our part and do what we can to protect each other.

If you have any queries please contact the school office on 01207 570316 or via an email to diptonstpatricks@durhamlearning.net

PE days when pupils should come to school in their PE kit/joggers and trainers for weeks after the school reopening.

MONDAY = Year 6

TUESDAY = Year 1, Year 3

WEDNESDAY = Year 4, Year 2

THURSDAY = Year 5

FRIDAY = Reception

Please get in touch via diptonstpatricks@durhamlearning.net if you have any queries.