December 15th 2020

 

Dear Parents / Guardians

Thank you all for your continuing support.

We are writing today in order to summarise the current situation at school in respect of COVID-19. To date, 24 students and 3 members of staff have tested positive with COVID-19. A larger number of students are self-isolating on account of their being identified as close contacts of a confirmed case.

We understand from conversations with colleagues in other schools that our numbers are very low, given the size of the school. However, we take no particular comfort in this and fully appreciate the worry parents will have experienced during his term.

School remains open until Thursday, December 17^th. However, it will be possible for students in all Year Groups to access all lessons on Webex or Google Meet via the Google Classroom until the end of school on Thursday.

School uniform will not be obligatory for the online sessions, but students should be dressed appropriately and our normal ground rules will apply during the sessions. Students must be seated at a desk or table, activate their camera and show their full name for these live face-to-face sessions. At times during the lesson teacher microphones will be turned off and their screens will not be shared. At these times students should just be completing the work set for them.

We will not be recording these sessions and students must not either.

And just a reminder from yesterday that on account of increasing uncertainties around BREXIT negotiations and the end of the transition period on December 31^st, we have taken the decision to move to remote learning on Monday, January 4^th 2021 and then welcome students back into school on Tuesday, January 5^th. This will give us the opportunity to assess and address any difficulties, not least around traffic, which may arise from a No Deal departure. Clearly, the ongoing health emergency is also a factor in our decision.

Yours Sincerely,

Sonette Schwartz                                                                                

Principal            

 

Charles Joseph 

Senior Vice Principal