 Pupils in West Berkshire are beginning to return to schools and colleges after their summer breaks. Many pupils will be returning with far fewer restrictions than when they left for the summer holidays. This will enable pupils to have access to more group activities, team sports, playing with friends, plays, and taking part in musical groups.
What’s changed:
- Keeping pupils or students in year group or classroom bubbles to reduce mixing is no longer a requirement.
- Close contacts will now be identified via NHS Test and Trace. Education settings are no longer expected to undertake contact tracing.
- Face coverings are no longer advised for pupils, staff and visitors either in classrooms or in communal areas.
What stays the same:
- Coronavirus hasn’t gone away so there will still be a need for schools, pupils and students to follow basic measures to avoid the spread of the virus:
- Testing remains important in reducing the risk of transmission of infection within schools.
- Ensuring good hygiene including frequent and thorough hand cleaning and the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach.
- Maintaining appropriate cleaning regimes.
- Keeping occupied spaces well ventilated.
- Following public health advice on testing, self-isolation and managing confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Find out more about what you need to know on going back to school.
 Newbury’s new primary school, Highwood Copse, welcomes it's first pupils tomorrow.
The new £7.7m school will help meet the need for additional primary school places in the area, and will be run by Newbury College Academy Trust. It's been built on the College campus and we've worked together with them to ensure the provision meets the needs of the local community.
Dominic Boeck, West Berkshire’s Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said:
“This is the day we’ve been waiting for. When the children arrive is when all the hopes and hard work come to fruition and become a lasting legacy of learning.”
Serraphina Robinson, Head of School, Highwood Copse Primary School, said:
“We’re so delighted that it’s now time for the children of Highwood Copse to enjoy their school. We've created a fantastic learning environment where they can become lifelong learners, adventuring down any path their ambitions take them.”
 Our Holiday and Food Activities programme has been making a splash down at the Waterside Centre in Newbury and across the district.
The summer holiday programme has been providing a variety of fun activities for children including sports, music and arts as well as a nutritious meal each day. It's been open to children aged 5 to 16 who are eligible for free school meals.
It's been running at 28 schools across West Berkshire and, following a successful pilot at Easter has returned with even more activities - including kayaking at the Waterside Centre.
With schools returning this week the summer programme is coming to an end - but head over to YouTube to see children at Hungerford Primary School enjoying one of the activities.
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