Dear Parents/Carers,
As we are now only a few days away from welcoming our students back to school, we wanted to take the opportunity remind you of some of the routines we have in place at Countesthorpe Academy and why they are important to us.
Our students have done a fantastic job over the last 8 weeks of demonstrating our core values of Respect, Resilience and Success and we know as they return to school, they will continue with the amazing work they have been doing whilst at home.
I have outlined below some key reminders for you in relation to:-
- Control Measures we have in place
- Attendance
- Uniform
- Face Coverings
- Home Testing
Control Measures
From Monday 8th March we will reinstate the arrangements we had in place in relation to:-
Staggered arrivals to school
- Year 7 – to arrive between 08.30 and 08.40 – entry through the main gate
- Year 8- to arrive between 08.25 and 08.35 – entry through the main gate
- Year 9- to arrive between 08.25 and 08.35 – entry through the gates near the Sports Hall
- Year 10 – to arrive between 08.30 and 08.40 – entry through the main gate
- Year 11 -to arrive between 08.30 and 08.40 – entry through the gates near the Sports Hall
- Sixth Form – to arrive between 08.25 and 08.40 - entry through staff entrance and main reception
- Staggered breaks and lunchtimes
- Staggered end to the day
- One way system
- Year group bubbles
- Minimum movement during the school day as staff move to students wherever possible
- Regular sanitizing and washing of hands
- Face masks
- Good Ventilation in rooms
- Year groups zones at break and lunch times
Attendance from Monday 8th March 2021
As you will have seen from the Government, the guidance for the return of school makes clear that school attendance will be mandatory for all pupils from 8 March and the usual rules on school attendance apply.
It is vital that all students now return to school for face to face teaching. From Monday Live Lessons will no longer be delivered (with the exception of situations where students are required to self isolate).
Your child has already been asked to complete a well-being survey so we can identify students who need further support. If your child is particularly anxious then please make sure we are aware by making contact with your child’s tutor.
Uniform
We expect our students to return to school in full uniform. As part of a well-being activity students have been encouraged to ensure they are ready to return and this should have included them trying on their uniform. It is essential that everyone wears the correct uniform. A reminder that hooded jumpers of any sort are not allowed to be worn on site and that all facial piercings must be removed. The last thing we want to have to do after when everyone returns is to have to address a basic expectation and we appreciate your support on this.
Updated policy on face coverings
The latest government guidance recommends that face masks should be worn in classrooms.
We will be following this guidance as an additional measure, to keep everyone in our school community safe. Although this is a change to before the latest lockdown, the high infection rates that Leicestershire wards are still experiencing, compared to the national figures, seems to suggest that this is a sensible way for all secondary schools to help reduce infection rates in their communities.
From Monday 8th March, in any situation where students cannot socially distance, following Government recommendations, they will be required to wear a mask. This includes inside classrooms as well as when moving around the school. This does not apply in situations where wearing a face covering would impact on the ability to take part in exercise or strenuous activity, for example in PE lessons. Teachers have clear 2 metre boxes at the front of each classroom, demarking an area where they are not within 2 meters of any other person. When in these demarked areas, teachers will not wear a face mask, to aid their ability to teach. When outside of this area, all teachers will also be required to wear face masks.
The list of those exempt is included here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own. Any student who is exempt will be issued with a lanyard to clearly indicate this. All previous exemption cards will be discontinued so please ensure and a new application is submitted. Please email cduffy@clcc.college to explain why your child is exempt so we can ensure they are issued with a lanyard.
Students will also be required to wear a mask on the bus journey to and from school.
We strongly encourage students to bring their own masks but we will supply masks for students who have forgotten them.
We all want to be able to return to normality as soon as is practically possible. This short term requirement (until Easter in the first instance) will be essential.
In order to reach this goal, you will be provided with home testing kits with the hope that this helps reduce transmission rates in our local communities. Carrying out home testing will greatly assist our collective commitment to reducing the spread of the virus so we can return to a normal way of life as soon as possible.
In the Autumn term, levels of mask compliance amongst students was extremely high, and once again with your support, we seek to ensure we meet the guidance and recommendations from the Government, to make our school as safe as possible.
Home Testing
Around 1 in 3 people with coronavirus (COVID-19) do not have symptoms but can still pass it on to others. Regular testing of people without symptoms (asymptomatic testing) is important to help stop the virus spreading.
From 15th March 2021, students will be able to carry out COVID 19 tests at home. We will be providing the tests to your child and more details on this will follow next week.
In addition to this, the government have announced that there will be an opportunity for the adults in families with school age children to test themselves twice a week.
"Households, childcare and support bubbles of primary, secondary and college staff can also be tested. Twice-weekly testing will also be offered to adults working in the wider school community, including bus drivers and after school club leaders. The twice-weekly test kits can be accessed:
- via employers if they offer testing to employees
- at a local test site
- by collecting a home test kit from a test site
- by ordering a home test kit online"
Once we have more detailed information on this, we will let you know.
Finally, a huge thank you to you all for your support through this period. We have been inundated with positive messages and praise for the staff who have worked really hard to deliver a programme of live lessons to ensure there have been routines and some form of normality during this time. I know you share our optimism that we are facing more normal times and by working together and each playing our part for the next few weeks, we will help to further reduce transmission rates and ensure the restrictions in place can be lifted as planned.
Best wishes
Mrs C. Aitcheson
Headteacher