As mentioned earlier in the week we have seen a significant rise in the number of positive COVID-19 cases within the school setting.
We regret to inform you we are no longer able to fully staff the curriculum. We are routinely having one sixth or more of our teaching staff away from school on a day to day basis, and so many schools locally are in this situation, that the supply teaching agencies are unable to provide supply teachers when needed.
As a consequence, we have no alternative but to take one of our year groups online to learn from home, so that we can ensure they are being given high quality provision in all of their lessons. It obviously makes most sense to select the year group in which infection rates are currently rising at the fastest rate, as there will already be a significant number of students in that year group self-isolating at home, and this arrangement will allow them to participate in their lessons online if they are well enough.
On Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 October, all Year 8 students are asked to stay at home and logon to Microsoft Teams to participate in their lessons, following their normal timetable. We will review teacher absence and infection rates during the school day on Monday, with the hope of bringing Year 8 back into school on Wednesday.
Can we also please remind everyone of the important of regular LFD testing, which can be done on a daily basis in groups where infection levels are high. Children will generally know if there are 3 or more students in their tutor group who are self-isolating with COVID. This is regarded as a high level of infection, and a signal for daily testing. It is important to note that if a child is unwell but their LFD test is negative, they should still be kept at home. There are a number of infections in addition to COVID circulating in our community, and it is vital that we all do what we can to prevent their spread.
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