COVID 19 Update - Tuesday 20th October 2020

As the infection rate nationally continues to increase, there will inevitably be cases in school from time to time and we have been informed today that a member of staff has returned a positive test for coronavirus (Covid 19). We wish our colleague all the very best for a speedy recovery.

Following the completion of a Risk Assessment with Public Health services, it will be necessary for a number of students from each year group to self-isolate for fourteen days as a result. The parents of all students who are required to self-isolate have been informed by letter, so if you have not received a letter via your son informing you that he should self-isolate, he can attend school as normal. If you are still in doubt, please phone the school on 01582 599921 where a member of staff will be able to help you. The period of self-isolation will end after the half-term break on Monday 2nd November 2020 when, as long as there have been no further cases reported, all students will be able to return to school.

Self-isolation means that students are required to stay at home and not leave the house for the duration. It is very important to follow this advice, even if your son feels well, as symptoms can take up to 14 days to appear from his last contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus ( COVID-19 ). Self-isolating in this way will help protect your family, friends and the wider community.

All students who are self-isolating should use Google Classroom to continue with their school work remotely for the rest of this week.

We continue to apply all our Covid-security routines consistently and diligently. As long as we all do so, we will continue to minimise the spread of infection and minimise the need for groups of students to self-isolate, so please take every opportunity to discuss with your son the importance of following these routines. As the number of infections nationally continues to rise, we wish to ensure we are doing everything we can to support our community by keeping school as Covid-secure as possible. To help with this, after half-term, we will be introducing a “Rule of Six” for students when they are playing outside during break times. Our older students are already very sensible and mature about maintaining an appropriate distance from each other when they are outside, but our younger students need more support with this, which is why the “Rule of Six” is being introduced. If you are a parent or carer of a student at the school, please discuss this with him and make sure he understands that when staff instruct him to mix with no more than five other students, he must follow this guidance.

Remember:

• Keep your son at home if he or anyone else in the household becomes symptomatic, arrange for a test and inform the school if it is positive.
• Observe regular hygiene routines.
• Maintain a social distance from others of one metre or more as much as possible.
• Remind your son that, from Monday November 2nd, he must observe the “Rule of Six” when playing outside
• Remind your son to follow the one-way system around the school as well as the separate entrances and outdoor “bubble” spaces.
• Ensure your son has a clean, reusable face mask every day, to wear in our public, indoor areas such as corridors.
• If you are not sure about any of the above, contact school.

The way in which we have all pulled together as a school to look after each other is a real credit to you as parents, to your sons and to the staff. In this way, we are protecting our young peoples’ education and we are protecting the health of the community.

Daniel Connor | Head Teacher