Dear Parent/Carer
We hope you had a lovely Christmas and would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy new year. Hopefully 2022 will see us move closer still to some pre-pandemic norms and as an academy, continue to thrive in all aspects of school life.
As always, government announcements are thrust upon us in the middle of holiday periods and as such we just wanted to take the time to give you some of the headlines from both the central government and the DfE.
Face Coverings
Firstly, as part of the government’s ‘Plan B’ regulations we will support their recommendation that face coverings be worn in classrooms and teaching spaces for students, as well as communal indoor areas. Therefore it is essential that students bring a face covering to school each morning. Due to limited supplies, we will no longer be able to supply students with these free of charge. A limited number of face masks will be available to purchase for 50p from reception. This recommendation will remain in place until at least 26 January 2022.
Testing and Isolation Periods
As communicated before the holidays, we are asking students to come into school for an on-site lateral flow test before the term begins. Details of test timings can be found here: Testing arrangements.
Guidance has changed over the holidays and students are now strongly encouraged to take part in lateral flow testing even if they have tested positive for COVID in the last 90 days as long as their isolation period has ended. As such, students should come into school for a test unless they are currently isolating or are exempt for other reasons.
One of the key changes to isolation following a positive COVID test result is that students now only need to isolate for 7 days providing that they receive two negative LFT results on Day 6 and Day 7 of their isolation and that they no longer have a temperature. Further details on this can be found here: How long to self isolate
Please also be aware that ‘from 11 January, people who receive positive lateral flow device test results for coronavirus will be required to self-isolate immediately and won’t be required to take a confirmatory PCR test’.
Aside from COVID information, we want to ensure everyone is as prepared as possible for the start of a new term. As such on the first link below you will find our uniform guide to help make it clear what items of uniform are and are not acceptable. On the second link you will find a list of everything that students will need in order to support their learning, all of which is available to purchase via ParentPay.
If you have any questions or concerns then please contact your child’s tutor, achievement leader or assistant achievement leader.
Yours sincerely
Mr S Huntington and Mr M Jones
Executive Principal and Senior Vice Principal