Deputy Headteacher's Update

Dear Parents and Carers

We wanted to update you on a few things following the recent Government’s announcement, and the move to Step 3 of the roadmap.

The wearing of face masks
From next Monday (17th May), the Government have advised face masks will no longer be recommended for students in classrooms, or communal areas. Face masks will also no longer be required for staff in classrooms.
Staff and visitors to the school will continue to wear face masks in situations outside of classrooms, where social distancing is not possible (as they cannot maintain a 2 metre distance). E.g. In corridors and communal areas.

Continued control measures
Even though the roadmap demonstrates gradual reductions in safety measures, we will continue to promote the following control measures, ensuring our staff and students remain safe:

• Lateral flow home testing on a Sunday, and a Wednesday. As requested, I will continue to send out reminders. This test remains voluntary, but is strongly encouraged. Please do contact me at any time if you need more kits.
• Lateral flow testing on-site, for those who have requested it.
• Separate gates and times for entry and exit onto site.
• Separate zones for each year group.
• Ensuring all rooms are ventilated.
• Cleaning and sanitising hands thoroughly throughout the day.
• Ensuring good respiratory hygiene by promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach.
• Maintaining enhanced cleaning schedules for all areas.
• Ensuring students are allocated an indoor safety bubble to use in their zone, during break and lunch, to minimise bubble closures.
• Only allowing visitors onto site who have an appointment.

When to isolate your child at home?
Ensuring that the school is a safe as possible remains our top priority. Please do not send your son/daughter to school if:

• They have one or more COVID-19 symptoms, including: a high temperature; a new and continuous cough; a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell; cold like symptoms; a headache; or, they are generally feeling under the weather.
• A member of your household (including someone in your support bubble) has COVID-19 symptoms.
• They are legally required to quarantine, having recently visited countries outside the Common Travel Area.
• They have had a positive test, lateral flow (pending a PCR appointment) or PCR.
• Have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

The isolation period for any of the above remains at least 10 days from the day after:

• The start of their symptoms.
• The test date if they did not have any symptoms but have had a positive LFT or PCR test (if an LFT test is taken first, and a PCR test is then taken within 2 days of the positive lateral flow test, and is negative, it overrides the LFT test and they can return to school).
• It remains essential that anyone who gets a positive result from an LFT result self-isolates immediately, as must other members of their household, while they get a confirmatory PCR test.

If you do need to keep your son/daughter off school for the reasons above, please let us know by calling our attendance line on 01225 762686, and leaving us a message.
If you are unsure about what to do, please do call me directly on 07874796897, and I will happily talk it through with you.

All the best,

David Cade
Deputy Headteacher