Dear all,

Happy New Year and welcome to the start of a new term.  The current stage of the pandemic is a challenging one for schools; we are once again faced with rapidly changing guidance, onerous testing and vaccination demands on schools and a challenging level of staff absence. 

We have no plans for school closure and our intention is that all students will continue to attend school all of the time.  However, in the case of very high levels of staff absence we may need to send some students home early or request that they delay the start to their school day.  As in the case of adverse weather, please discuss with your child whether they are able to travel home safely before the end of the school day.  As always, there will be provision for students to stay in school until they are able to be collected if necessary.  Please contact your child’s pastoral manager if you have concerns about this.

Updated DFE Guidance for Schools

• Students must wear a face covering in classrooms and social spaces. School is still providing face masks for large numbers of students who arrive at school without one.  Please can you encourage your children to bring a mask and carry a spare.  If you would like to contribute towards to cost of the spare masks, please make a donation on Parent Pay.
• Everyone must sanitise their hands on entry and exit to classrooms and dining areas.
• All rooms and corridors must be ventilated, so windows will be open in all classrooms.   Please encourage your children to wear layers under their school jumpers or hoodies.

 

Lateral Flow Testing

School continues to be able to supply Lateral Flow Tests to our students.  If you have run out, please ask for child to collect some from reception on the following days:

Year 7 - Monday 10^th January

Year 8 - Tuesday 11^th January

Year 9  - Wednesday 12^th January

Year 10 - Thursday 13^th January

Year 11 - Friday 14^th January

It is very important that all students tests twice weekly.  Close contacts of a positive case should test daily for 7 days.

 

Changes to Government Guidance about Testing and Isolation

Please refer to the latest Government guidance for households with possible Covid-19 infection  

and the latest NHS guidance on self-isolation and treatment

 

Testing

• From 11^th January if you test positive on a LFD test you do not need a confirmatory PCR test. You begin your isolation from the day of the LFD test.
• If you have any of the three main Covid symptoms then you must have a PCR test not a LFD test.

Isolating

• You must isolate if you have a positive LFD test or if you have symptoms.
• Isolation period is still 10 days unless you return two negative tests from day 6.
• If you have symptoms and test positive on a PCR you start isolation from the first day of symptoms.
• If you are asymptomatic and test positive on a LFD test you start isolating from the day of the test. However, if you develop symptoms in that time your period of isolation starts again from the first day of symptoms e.g. you start coughing on day 4 this is now day 1 again as you have symptoms.
•  

Return to school

• If your child is isolating after a positive Covid test they can take a LFD test on day 6 and day 7, 24 hours apart, and return to school if both are negative. They can return to school on day 7.
• If your child tests positive on day 6 but then negative on day 7 but then again on day 8 they can return to school on day 8.
• Please note they must not return to school before the end of day 10 if they still have a high temperature.
• Parents/carers should inform school via the absence line or email once their child has tested negative twice after day 6 and are returning to school.
• If your child displayed symptoms but are subsequently negative on a PCR please provide proof of the negative result from Test and Trace before they return to school.

 

PTA 

The PTA AGM has been postponed until later in this half-term due to changes in government guidance. More details will follow.

 

Y11 Parents' Evening 

The Y11 Parents evening is going to be held virtually on the calendared date of: Thursday 13th January 2022.  Please see your emails about this evening for details. 

 

Best wishes, and thank you for your continued support,

 

Sarah Sims