Dear Parent(s)/Carer(s),
We hope you have had an enjoyable and relaxing summer break and are looking forward to a return to school in September. We are looking forward to welcoming pupils back to class at the start of this new academic year and returning to a more ‘normal’ way of working at school than we have been over the last 18 months or so. There will still be measures in place to mitigate the risks of Covid-19 and these will be reviewed regularly and may change depending on local Covid rates.
Return to school: Monday 6th September 2021
All pupils will return on Monday 6th September. Pupils will be greeted by staff on their return.
- Years 7 and 8 will meet by the Technology block entrance;
- Years 9 and 10 will use the entrance by Room 101;
- Years 11, 12 and 13 will use the main pupil entrance;
- Year 7 pupils will meet their form tutor on the Year 7 yard
Times of the day
There will be no staggered starts and finishes in September. We are reverting to our normal school times as follows:-
8.45 a.m. Registration
9.05 a.m. Lesson 1
10.05 a.m. Lesson 2
11.05 a.m. Break
11.25 a.m. Lesson 3
12.25 p.m. Lesson 4
1.25 p.m. Lunch
2.00 p.m. Lesson 5
3.00 p.m. Finish
Uniform and PE kit
Pupils will be expected to wear full school uniform to school from Monday 6th September.
If pupils have PE on their timetable, they will need to come into school in normal uniform and bring PE kit with them to change into. There will be no practical PE lessons on Monday 6th September, so there will be no need to bring kit that first day.
Mitigating the risk of Covid-19
Current advice is to continue to have good hand hygiene and good respiratory hygiene (Catch it, Bin it, Kill it) and therefore there will continue to be plenty of hand-sanitiser at key points around school. We will continue to ensure adequate ventilation around the school and make the most of outdoor spaces. We will be continuing to use one-way systems in corridors in order to reduce congestion. At present, there will be no assemblies.
We will continue to review our procedures regularly and work with the Local Authority and Public Health Wales. Current measures may change depending on local Covid rates.
Face coverings
Face coverings are no longer routinely recommended in classrooms. However, we are encouraging the use of face coverings in communal and busy areas of the school, such as corridors. If any child or member of staff wishes to wear a face covering in class, they are welcome to do so. We also remind all pupils that masks / face coverings are required when using school transport.
Lateral Flow Testing
We would encourage pupils to engage with Lateral Flow Testing. From Monday 6th September we will be able to supply your child with these tests, should they wish to use them. Lateral flow tests are widely available in the community, in pharmacies and can also be ordered online. With the rates of Covid cases increasing, especially among young people, we have been asked to advise that children engage with lateral flow tests prior to returning to school. The tests should be taken 2-3 days apart and as close to the first day back as possible. We recommend that on the morning of their first day back is best. Children may still attend school on Monday if accessing LFT tests is difficult at this short notice.
In order to keep infection rates as low as possible, we encourage all staff and pupils to test regularly and stay at home if they receive a positive test or have any Covid symptoms.
We look forward to working with you closely in the year ahead and as always if you require further information, please contact the school.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs.S.Evans
Headteacher