Coronavirus Information for September 2021

Positive Test or COVID-19 Symptoms

Pupils should not come into school if they have symptoms or have had a positive test result. If anyone develops symptoms, however mild, should be sent home and they should follow Public Health advice.

Asymptomatic Testing for Year 7 & Year 8

Schools are required to test all secondary age pupils twice on their return to school. We will be testing all Year 7 and Year 8 with permission. We understand the new Year 7 will need some training and we will support them with that at school. 
Pupils in Year 7 & Year 8 will receive lateral flow devices (LFDs) so they can test at home twice a week. The government guidance states this will be until the end of September and then reviewed.

Self-Isolation

From 16th August children under the age of 18 will no longer be required to self-isolate if they are contacted by NHS Test & Trace as a close contact of a positive case. Instead, children will by contacted by NHS Test and Trace, informed they
have been with a positive case and advised to take a PCR test. We would encourage all individuals to take a PCR test if advised to do so.

Masks

Pupils and staff are no longer required to wear masks at school. However, we are happy to support any family who wishes to retain a mask for the foreseeable future.

Hand gel

Pupils are still welcome and encouraged to bring their own hand gel in to maintain good hygiene standards.

Handwashing

We will continue to recommend the benefits of regular handwashing as part of our daily routine.

Moving around the school

Pupils will now move to dedicated classrooms and we will not continue to teach them in their form room.

Outbreak Management Plan

Schools are now required to have an ‘Outbreak Management Plan’. We will be working on this over the summer and it will be available on this website in September. The plan will illustrate what we will put in place should Public Health adviseus of a local outbreak. This will include details of remote education.

Remote Education

We will continue to offer remote education for pupils who have to self-isolate. The work will continue to be set via Google Classroom or other platforms the pupils are familiar with.

If your child is unable to access digital remote learning, please let us know.

Useful Links

 Lateral flow device test flowchart

 How to test at home for Covid-19

 Introduction to rapid flow testing (YouTube)