New school Year 2021-2022

Welcome back!

It’s September 1st 2021 and one day away from the first students returning to school after the summer break. The staff have all been in school today getting ready, and we’re looking forward to welcoming our Year 11 and Year 7 students back on Thursday 2nd September, with the rest of the school all together on Friday 3rd.

There’s a great deal I’d like to say about the start of term, but I’ll restrict myself to the most important information which once again centres around covid. Parents and carers may well be aware that the vast majority of covid control measures are no longer required in schools. However, there is of course still a responsibility on schools to minimise transition as much as possible – while delivering a full school experience.

There here are some of the things that are in place to keep students and adults as safe as possible at the start of this term:

1. Lateral flow testing should take place twice weekly at home. School will share test kits as frequently as we get them delivered
2. Students with positive Covid tests must self isolate as before, and online ‘hybrid’ lessons will be in place for them
3. Students will still be asked to use hand sanitiser at the start and end of each lesson
4. Classrooms will remain ventilated with doors and some windows kept open
5. Canteens will be separated, with each of years 8,9,10 and 11 having their own canteen. Half of Year 7 will join Year 8, half will join Year 9
6. Students will be given their own areas to use before school, at break and at lunch.
7. There will be a limited one-way system in parts of the school. It will be much less involved than last year, but should help minimise busy corridors.
8. Staff will continue to wear face masks in some situations, and all students are welcome to wear masks if they wish.
9. Staff will no longer be banned from walking around classrooms, although we have recommended that staff keep distanced from each other and students as much as possible.

The majority of these control measures are ones that we have chosen to put in place as we seek to minimise infections without compromising learning. Common sense tells us that we may have to bring back more controls as the autumn progresses, but hopefully not and hopefully not to the detriment of teaching and learning.

The following controls are no longer in place:

1. Students no longer need to wear a face mask in school. They can wear one if they wish
2. Students no longer need to follow a one way system outside, or on most corridors
3. Students who are identified as close contacts of people with positive covid tests will no longer have to self isolate
4. Extra curricular activities are no longer banned

So…we face the prospect of an almost normal school year but one in which we are keeping some sensible and less intrusive control measures. How long this lasts for is anyone’s guess, but fingers crossed we can keep this new normal going for the foreseeable future.

Hopefully next week’s blog won’t be covid-themed,

Best wishes

Joe Barker

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