Covid Guidance For September (inc Testing)

The Government has now issued new COVID-19 guidance for schools, we are writing to provide you with an update on what this means for your child/children from September.

Dear parents/carers and students

As you may be aware, the Government, via the Department for Education has now issued new COVID-19 guidance for schools effective from Monday 19th July 2021, in line with the wider removal of COVID-19 restrictions throughout the country from that same date.

We wanted to write today to provide you with an update on what this means for your child/children from September. 

As our last day of school is Wednesday 21st July, in line with the guidance we will have the same bubble system and COVID-19 measures in place for the remainder of this school year. 

School reopens to staff on Thursday 2nd September 2021 for a teacher training day. Students will return to school from Friday 3rd September 2021 but on a staggered basis, as follows:

Term starts (for year 7 and year 12 only): Friday 3 September 2021
Term start continues (for year 7 and year 12 only): Monday 6 September 2021
Term starts (for all apart from year 10): Tuesday 7 September 2021
Term starts (for all including year 10). Wednesday 8 September 2021

Year 9 and year 11 will be invited in for testing on Monday 6 September and will then leave. See below.
Year 10 will be invited in for testing on Tuesday 7 September and will then leave. See below.

After the end of the summer term, the following changes will be in place, in line with the new guidance:

Bubble system: It will no longer be necessary to keep children in bubbles. It means that there will no longer be a bubble system when we return to school in September for the start of the new academic year, as things currently stand.

Contact tracing: Schools will only be responsible for contact tracing until Sunday 18th July. From Monday 19th July, close contacts will be identified via NHS Test and Trace.

Self-isolation for children and young people: From Monday 16th August, children under the age of 18 years old will no longer be required to self-isolate if they are contacted by NHS Test and Trace as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case, they will only need to self-isolate if they have COVID-19 symptoms or a positive COVID-19 test result, obtained through either a PCR or Lateral Flow Test. As previously, we would request that students do not attend school should they be showing symptoms of COVID-19. We can also confirm that self-isolating students will still have access to robust and comprehensive remote learning opportunities while self-isolating.

Face coverings: Face coverings will no longer be advised for students, students, staff and visitors either in classrooms or in communal areas. From Step 4, face coverings are also no longer recommended to be worn on dedicated transport to school or college and are no longer legally required on public transport.

Finish time: From September we will return to our usual finish time for all students as there is no expectation of staggered finish times. Our new year 7 will continue to finish 10 minutes earlier for the first half term as part of the transition process. 

Changing facilities: Students will no longer need to wear their PE kit on timetabled PE days and should be in their full school uniform at all times and bring their PE kit with them on PE days.

Asymptomatic testing: As students will potentially mix with lots of other people during the summer holidays, the government guidance states that all secondary school students should receive two on-site lateral flow device tests, 3-5 days apart, on their return in September. Our testing will take place over the first 6 school days and no student will be tested without consent. Students should then continue to test twice weekly at home until the end of September when this will be reviewed. 

We have provided students with enough home test kits to last throughout the summer and into the early weeks of the autumn term. Please ensure that testing continues twice per week but especially the day before their return to school in September.

We have attached an updated consent form for those parents that did not provide consent in January. Please can you send this back to the Academy, with your child, on the day of testing, we will be notifying parents directly of testing days. Testing is voluntary and therefore you can withdraw consent at any time so please notify the Academy as appropriate. The privacy notice can be found attached.  

Please see the full guidance for further details.

Although there will be changes as part of the easing of restrictions, as a school we will have outbreak management plans in place, as required by the Government, to ensure we are prepared to continue to operate if there is transmission of the virus in our school or the local community. These will mean that if the situation requires it, a bubble system or other measures may need to be temporarily reinstated in the future, and we must stress that the safety measures in place will be continually reviewed and assessed in accordance with Government and local guidance.

As has been the case throughout the pandemic, ensuring the health and safety of our students and staff is our top priority. As such, we will be continuing to encourage good hygiene including regular hand-washing, maintaining appropriate cleaning regimes, keeping occupied spaces well ventilated and following public health advice on testing, self-isolation and managing confirmed cases of COVID-19.

As was the case at the start of the pandemic, when we had to adjust to a new way of life, this new change again may inevitably create some uncertainty as we all adapt. However, we will continue to work closely together as a school community under Government guidance to ensure the best outcomes for students, staff and our wider community.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] and we will do all we can to support you.

Thank you for your support, understanding and patience over the course of the year. Here’s to a fabulous summer and hope for a normal school year from September.

Yours faithfully,

Dr Lisa Mason
Principal