Dear Parent/Carer

I'm writing with the follow up information about how testing will be carried out for your child prior to their return to face-to-face teaching on the 11th March. Please go through this information carefully with your child to help them understand what it will look and feel like when they come to school for their first testing and reorientation sessions. 

Consent 

We are sending this information to all parents; however, if you have not supplied consent for your child to be tested, please ignore the following information about testing, and your child should return to school on the 11th of March at 8:50 am. It is not too late to provide consent for your child to be tested and I would urge as many families as possible to allow their children to be tested. Currently, we have consent for over 95% of our students to be tested and, as I'm sure you can understand, the greater the number of students that are tested, the lower the risk will be of asymptomatic cases entering the school where they can spread. 

You will find below the date and time for your child to attend school for their testing and reorientation session which will help him/her settle in ready for their return to normal lessons on the 11th of March.  

Journeys to and from school 

It is incredibly important that all students respect the social distancing measures currently in place across the country as they make their way to and from school for their testing session and whilst on the school site. Please emphasise with your child that they must not travel to school in large groups, car share with others, sit close on public transport or break the boundaries around close contacts in any way. If a student within the group they've been associating with tests positive later in the school day, then we would have no alternative but to isolate those who have associated closely with them and they would need to follow a 10-day self-isolation at home. Only by closely following the rules for social distancing when they travel to and from school and on school site can we prevent this from happening. 

I would also ask that you make sure that someone is available to collect your child if needed during the time they are on the school site for testing and their reorientation session. This is because if they test positive, they will need to be collected from school as they will be unable to travel home independently. 

If your child has tested positive for Covid 19 in the last 90 days, they should not take a test until the 90 day period is complete. The reason for this is because it may trigger a false positive result which would lead to them needing to self-isolate at home for 10 days. We have, what we believe, is a comprehensive list of the students who have tested positive for COVID 19 since the outbreak began. However, if your child has tested positive for COVID-19 during the recent lockdown and for any reason you have not informed the school,  please let us know by telephoning reception so we can make sure we do not test them during the 90 day window. 

Uniform and Face coverings 

Students do not need to wear uniform to attend school for their testing session. This is to help you avoid unnecessary washing and laundry. All students should return to school in full uniform from Thursday 11th March.  

In my previous letter, I explained that under the new guidelines, students need to wear face coverings under almost all circumstances when indoors at school. Please make sure that your child has a comfortable and robust face covering with them when they attend their testing and reorientation session. We will have a small stock of emergency face masks for those students that genuinely need one, but clearly, they will be more comfortable in a face covering that they are used to wearing and handling. 

Arrival 

All students should arrive at school at the designated time for their group.  

Students must not arrive early, as they will be turned away from site. We are processing all tests as quickly as possible, and it is critical that students are only on site during their designated time. All students should access the site through the Temple Road entrance where they will access the gym through the outside doors. 

Testing 

The students will be met by their pastoral team, who will make sure that they are settled before small groups are taken through to the testing centre where they will take a lateral flow test. Once they have completed their test, they will move through to the Gothic Hall or Dance Studio and meet their tutors.  Students will be taken through reorientation instructions and materials to help make sure they return safely on Thursday 11th. 

Positive test result 

It is possible that a small number of students may test positive for COVID-19. If this happens, we will quietly and discreetly inform the student and withdraw them to a safe and private space whilst we contact you to let you know. You will then need to collect your child and take them home where they will need to self-isolate for 10 days. 

Negative result 

We anticipate that the vast majority of students will test negative for COVID-19. Once we have confirmed a negative test and students have completed the re-introduction session with their tutors, they will be allowed to leave site via the College Road exit to travel home. You will receive a confirmation text and/or email of a negative result later in the day. Please remind your child that lockdown regulations are still in force throughout the time we are testing and that after leaving school, they should travel straight home. 

Follow up tests and home testing 

Your child will receive two further follow up tests in school over the next two weeks. These will be carried out during normal lesson time and they will not require any special arrangements. 

Once they have arrived in school, we will organise distribution of testing kits for our students and you will receive further information about when this will happen and how to use them safely.  

Testing dates and times 

Below are the testing dates and times for your child's year group. Students are organised by tutor group and it is very important that they arrive on time for the testing session, but not before. 

Tutor groups and testing times 

Fri 5th March	Arrive for Test
13 BAR	9.50am
13 OBN	1020am
13 PKD	10.50am
13 WGN	11.20am
Mon 8th March	Arrive for Test
10BKR	8.50am
10WLL	9.20am
10WTH	9.50am
10BTS	10.20am
10SCS	10.50am
10WST	11.20am
Mon 8th March	Arrive for Test
11TMS	11.50am
11NCL	12.20pm
11HWD	12.50pm
11 WWH	1.20pm
11 CPY	1.50pm
11 SFD	2.20pm
Tues 9th March	Arrive for Test
7BTH	8.50am
7JCT	9.20am
7 CWL	9.50am
7 HLL	10.20am
7 MDN	10.50am
7 AUS	11.20am
7 JNS	11.50am
Tues 9th March	Arrive for Test
8KCH	12.20pm
8LKT	12.50pm
8MRY	1.20pm
8EDG	1.50pm
Tues 9th March	Arrive for Test
12BKY	2.20pm
12 WRD	2.20pm
13BAR	2.50pm
Wed 10th March	Arrive for Test
8BDN	8.50am
8WOD	9.20am
8GRD	9.50am
Wed 10th March	Arrive for Test
9ISC	10.20am
9GLP	10.50am
9RWN	11.20am
9CRR	11.50am
9PAR	12.20pm
9GFN	12.50pm
9GLD	1.20pm
Wed 10th March	Arrive for Test
12 GRR	1.50pm
12 WRG	1.50pm

 

We will make sure that your child is well looked after when they are with us for their first testing session. I appreciate that for some it may be something that they have experienced before, and for others it may be something that is a little strange and different. I hope you feel reassured by the information that we've given you, and I feel reassured that so many of our students will be going through this process before they can access face to face teaching in a classroom with all the students. 

Thank you and take care

Craig Yates