Covid-19 - Latest Updates From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers

On this page, I will update you with key information relating to the Academy and Covid-19, so that you always have the latest details in one place.

It is vitally important that your child does not attend the Academy if your child has any of the Covid-19 symptoms, any member of your household has the symptoms, or if your child has been in immediate contact with any person who has symptoms. A child must also not attend if they have returned from a country on the Government Travel restrictions website.

If your child has been exposed to anyone with confirmed symptoms or you have returned from a country on the list of travel restrictions then you must remain at home and call the Academy for further guidance.

Main symptoms

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

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 or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal.

Most people with Covid-19 have at least one of these symptoms.

What to do if you have symptoms

If you have any of the main symptoms of Covid-19:

Get a test to check if you have Covid-19 as soon as possible
Stay at home and do not have visitors until you get your test result – only leave your home to have a test
Anyone you live with, and anyone in your support bubble, must also stay at home until you get your result
Call the Academy and inform them of your issue and you will be advised about what to do next.

Staggered start and dismissal times

We now have staggered start and dismissal times for each year group, due to Covid-19. You can see full details on our Timings of the Day page, including which entrance you should come to.

Our expectations

Students need to arrive in full Academy uniform, including their faculty tie. These have been re-instated as the number of positive Covid-19 cases have decreased.

Should a student have travelled to the Academy wearing a face mask, they will be issued with a plastic bag on their first day to pack this away in safely. Staff will be instructing students on the safe donning and doffing of their mask to prevent any contamination. Students are NOT permitted to wear a mask in the classroom. We are NOT expecting students to wear masks in communal areas or in transit, unless specific concerns have been discussed and agreed, as we are not currently in a localised lockdown situation.

We will be providing students with their own stationery pack (including pen, pencil, ruler, eraser etc). However, bringing an extra pen would be useful. There will be no sharing of resources. Do remind your child to bring in a reading book.

We have three separate sets of sinks outside the Academy as students will be expected to wash their hands on arrival and before lunch time. In addition, there are sanitising stations outside every classroom.

Students will remain in the same classroom for the majority of each day, called a 'bubble'. This is to reduce cross-contamination. Option group students will need to change classrooms but as we have a one-way system in place, this will not place the students at risk in any way.

More than ever in the current climate, behaviour within the academy needs to be exemplary at all times. Students must follow instructions first time and ensure that they are fully focused on their studies both in school and at home to maximise their academic progress post-lockdown. Disruptive behaviour will not be tolerated. Any infringement of the Covid-19 protocols will be sanctioned in line with our Behaviour for Learning Policy.

Attendance and punctuality

Excellent attendance and punctuality are clearly key to strong academic performance and we appreciate your support in ensuring that your child arrives at the Academy on time every day. Students need to arrive punctually at their stated entry points at the start of the academy day to ensure safe entry of all students. To mitigate against crowded public transport, students travelling on public transport should leave earlier in the morning if necessary to enable them to be punctual to the academy.

We very much look forward to welcoming back your child to the academy and wish you and your families a very positive and safe start to the academic year.

Yours faithfully,

Mr Freeman, Principal

Please see the following policies for further details: