Information for Staff, Students and Parents/Carers
For Staff Members
Any staff members who are displaying symptoms or have tested positive on a lateral flow device, must email the school's absence email address by 7:30am each morning.
Line Managers should also be informed and any teachers should liaise with their Subject Leader regarding the provision of cover work.
Staff members should also inform the school if they are attempting to get a PCR Coronavirus test or if they would like support with this from the school.
For Parents/Carers
Parents/carers are reminded that their son must not come to school if they are displaying either of the following symptoms:
- a high temperature: this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- a new, continuous cough: this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
- a loss of change to your sense of small or taste: this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal.
For Students
Students are reminded of the following:
- Face coverings must be worn on public transport
- Face coverings must be worn in any shops/stores
- Students must enter school via their year group entrance from 8:15am each day
- Students must use the hand sanitisers on entry to the school and when exiting
- Students in Year 7, 8 and 9 are permitted to wear their Games kit on Games day
Here is a link to a video as a guide to our new procedures - https://vimeo.com/452576144
The rate of Covid-19 transmission has signficantly reduced from when schools had to close. We worked hard to support our students when they were at home but being in school is the best place for children. We have applied the control measures outlined in the DfE guidance published at the end of the summer term and a rigourous risk assessment is available in the 'Safeguarding' section on our school website.
Some of the measures include: separate entry/exit points, staggered break and lunch times, additional hand washing stations across the site; enhanced cleaning, extensive signage, windows and doors kept open in classrooms to maintain a circulation of fresh air and students maintaining a social distance from adults in the classroom.
The most important measure is regular lateral flow testing (twice weekly) and that any student displaying Covid-19 symptoms (a high temperature, a new continuous cough or a loss or change of smell or taste) should not attend school. If the symptoms develop at school, then parents/carers will be required to collect their son immediately and they must follow the guidance of Public Health England. They should book a test for Covid-19 and inform the school of the outcome.
Hygiene
All students and staff members will be expected to wash their hands when they arrive at school. There will be hand sanitisers available at all entrances to the site.
There will be a strict cleaning regime each day to ensure that all door handles, communal areas, and toilets are continually and repeatedly cleaned throughout the day.
We will require all students (unless they are in an organised club or working with a specific teacher) to leave the site promptly each day to ensure we can thoroughly clean all areas in preparation for the following day.
Travelling To and From School
The government have asked all members of the public to avoid public transport if possible. Interiors of buses and trains are more likely to allow virus transmission than being in the open air. This means that students should walk or cycle to school unless it is essential to take public transport, such as buses and trains. Only Year 7 students will be permitted to use the buses positioned closest to the school at the end of each day. This will be reviewed at the end of the first half term.
Some parents/carers have been trying to park or drive right by the school to pick up their son with some just stopping in the roads at the front or at the back of the school despite the impact it is having on everyone else. We would urge you to drop your son off/pick him up slightly away from the school to minimise the number of people on nearby roads and to be considerate to our neighbours.
We would encourage students to walk more or to consider cycling to school if possible. There is bicycle storage at the front of the school next to the main entrance.
Face Coverings
Students and staff members are currently required to wear a face covering in corridors, classrooms and communal areas. This guidance is to be reviewed by the government on 26th January 2022.
Face coverings
- must be plain coloured with no patterns
- cannot have logos
- must be put in a re-sealable plastic bag when not worn
- must be worn appropriately
- must be washed frequently
Any student intentionally misusing a mask would be required to take it off.
Punctuality
Gates at the various entry points open at 8:15am and close at 8:45am each morning. Students in Years 7 and 8 who arrive to school after 8:45am, should use the pedestrian gate at the front of the school on Peaks Hill. All students should report to the side window of Reception when they arrive late to school.
Lunches
A range of items are available for students to purchase at both break and lunch time.
If you are preparing a packed lunch for your son and/or providing him with snack items, please remember that we are a nut free school.
Students are asked to bring their own bottled water to school each day.
Parental Access
Parents/carers are asked not to visit the school site to drop off forgotten items such as textbooks or Games kits. The only items which you are permitted to come on to school site with, are food items that your son has forgotten/left at home and medicines.
Games Kit
Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 should wear their Games kit to school if they have a Games lesson that day. Students do not need to bring their uniform (shirt, tie, jumper etc.) as they will stay in their Games kit all day for their lessons. This is to avoid using the changing rooms.
We fully appreciate that some of the measures we must put in place are not ideal. That said they are essential for it to work well and keep everyone safe. We will constantly be reviewing everything on an ongoing basis based on our experience and on government guidance.
The school had a review on 13th November 2020 by the Local Authority. You can download the full report at the link below.
Local Authority Visit - Autumn Term 2020