Update to parents and carers – 29^th November 2021

Following the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the UK, the government have asked schools to put in place some additional safety measures:

1. From Tuesday 30^th November 2021, staff, students and visitors should return to wearing face coverings in communal areas (corridors, dining room, main hall), unless they are exempt.
2. Students must continue to wear face coverings on school transport, unless they are exempt.

1. Please continue with your twice-weekly LFD testing routine at home (a test on a Sunday evening or Monday morning is particularly helpful).
2. Contact tracing and isolation rules stay the same, with the addition that close contacts of the Omicron variant will be asked to isolate for 10 days, regardless of vaccination status or age.  You will be contacted directly by the NHS and told to isolate.
3. We are being encouraged to take up the offer of the vaccine, including boosters https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/
4. When we return to school after the Christmas break, we have been instructed to carry out mass LFD testing with all students, once again.  We have been told that we only need to carry out one test.  Please contact me directly, should you not wish your child to undertake this test. I would ask that your child takes an LFD test at home on Tuesday 4th January, the day before returning to school on the Wednesday.

Thank you for your continued support with these measures; case numbers remain low in school, with just three positive cases reported in the last 7 days.

Kind regards, Paula Hearle