Following Gavin Williamson’s statement yesterday and the PM’s suggestion that most restrictions will be lifted from 19 July, I wanted to update you on where we are. I am proposing that we keep all safety measures in place, such as bubbles until the end of this term. It makes more sense to make changes for September and I do not want anyone being poorly or isolating during the precious summer holiday. Should we have any covid cases in the last week of term- we haven’t had any in school this term- we will still do our contact tracing and let you know, but unlike other schools we have been very strict about seating plans, so even when we are tracing contacts it will only affect a handful of students.
We are waiting for an update from NYCC on any new Risk Assessment. I suspect that hand washing and ventilation will remain, but masks on buses from SEPTEMBER will not be mandatory and we will lift the restrictions on year groups mixing. Many of the precautions we introduced because of covid will remain in September, as it makes for a safer, quieter school environment.
Just a ‘Heads up’ on a few things :
- We will begin September in full uniform- striped shirt or blouse and v necked jumper. I feel it is really important we start from a strong point on uniform so the summer polo shirts will not be acceptable. Also please bear in mind that the ‘old’ blue sweatshirt is no longer uniform in 2021-22. Please ensure you order from Uniform direct early, to avoid any difficult conversations! I have purchased some black trousers and skirts that are available for any student who arrives in inappropriate non uniform items.
- Break times will return, split into 2 x15 minute sessions. KS3 at 10am and KS4 at 11am
- The one way system -will remain
- The lining up for buses at the end of the day and a separate exit for those waking or getting lifts- will remain
- The split lunch arrangement – will remain
- Enrichment will remain, but has been developed to allow us to offer a new exciting range of activities and gives us more flexibility. Students will be invited to pick enrichment activities for Autumn , prior to breaking up for summer.
- We believe we will need to LFT all students twice in the first week of term, but are not being told to test prior to a return to school – this may change.
As ever I will update you fully before we break up and keep you updated through the summer should anything drastically change.
Stay safe
