Dear Parents and Carers
This week nearly all of Y10 and Y11 sat their GCSE English Literature exam. It was wonderful to see our pupils fully committed to trying their best, and their attitude was positive and enthusiastic, with some understandable nerves. It was a very worthwhile experience, as they had the opportunity to complete a very significant aspect of their English Literature GCSE, as well as (for the first time for many) experience a formal exam in a formal setting.
It was lovely to celebrate with the two Y11 Maths top sets yesterday morning when they opened their results from the November series. Many of these pupils now have A*/A/B grades in both their Maths and Numeracy GCSEs.
You will be aware that national and local data still shows a significant number of people testing positive each day for Covid. This is the case within our school as well, with increased numbers of positive pupil cases over the past few day. With recent changes to Welsh Government guidance I wanted to clarify expectations on schools.
Welsh Government have advised that secondary schools no longer send ‘warn and inform’ letters to parents. This is because Welsh Government state that secondary schools operate on a different basis as all secondary pupils and staff:
- are encouraged to undertake lateral flow tests three times a week
- have been offered vaccination
- are strongly encouraged to wear a face covering indoors on school site
As per my previous letters to you, I would strongly encourage all pupils to do all three of these important mitigations to keep themselves, their friends and family, and the school community safe in these uncertain times.
The ‘warn and inform’ approach reinforces key messages about the risk to others from COVID-19 and what can be done to minimise this risk, e.g. by remaining vigilant for new symptoms, having a low threshold for seeking a test even with mild symptoms, and avoiding contact with vulnerable family and friends in the short-term (e.g. elderly relatives or those who are unvaccinated or higher risk of severe COVID-19 infection). It also strongly advises against any hospital and care home visits for 10 days.
TTP are responsible for contacting each positive case and collecting information about their close contracts both within and outside school, and it is TTPs role to identify which individuals meet the definition of a close contact and who, if anyone, would be required to self-isolate. Any pupils or staff who are contacted directly by TTP or informed by a positive case that they are a close contact should undertake lateral flow tests for 7 days before attending school.
Thank you for your support.
Miss Collins
Head Teacher
