26/05/2023
Posted on: July 16th 2021
COVID UPDATE and RETURN TO SCHOOL
COVID UPDATE and RETURN TO SCHOOL
Dear Parents/Carers,
I would like to take this opportunity to give you an update on the current situation at CHS with regard to COVID and our return to school plans.
As a school we have been incredibly fortunate to have had very few positive cases since the ‘third wave’ was reported to have begun. It is a fact that cases are on the rise in West Sussex. In the last 2 weeks we have had 6 positive cases from official PCR tests. We are currently waiting on the results of several positive LFTs and are aware that results are taking longer than usual.
We are following all due-diligence procedures and we are working closely with Public Health England to ensure that the measures we have in school to reduce transmission rates are as effective as possible. It is also worth mentioning here that Year group bubbles are not currently closed and where close contacts need to be identified and informed we are doing so in a quick and efficient manner. All students and staff, regardless of year group, should remain vigilant in helping to reduce transmission , and with new national measures in place from Monday we wanted to reassure everyone with the plans we currently have in place.
An overview of our procedures:
1) If your son/daughter receives a positive Lateral Flow Test let us know and please book a PCR test as soon as possible and keep your son and daughter at home until the PCR results are received. If the PCR test is negative you can continue to send your son/daughter into school.
2) When we receive notification of a positive PCR test, all close contacts of those individuals are identified through class seating plans and close contacts at other points in the day e.g. breaktime and lunch and travel to and from school.
3) If any student is self-isolating they should be following their standard timetable and should log into Classcharts.
4) We are doing our absolute best to provide the best education for all of our students at this current time. There will be times when learning is not as effective as it can be as teachers are balancing teaching students at home with students in class, but please trust in us that we are doing our very best.
5) From Monday 19th pupils should wear full and correct PE to school on the days they have PE. This will reduce the need for changing facilities and potential close contacts. It will also maximise PE time.
6) On Tuesday 20th our sports day can go ahead and pupils should come in PE kit ready for this day outside. Year bubbles remain in place for this day.
7) As of Monday 19th July our current practice of close contact tracing will continue as we feel it is important to maintain a level of control over transmission in school even though at a National level this information will be controlled by the ‘Track and Trace’ system. We are very keen to ensure that everyone in our community remains as safe as possible in the run up to the summer holidays and we therefore strongly advise that pupils, along with staff, to wear facemasks when in corridors or are in enclosed communal areas such as the canteen and main hall until the end of term.
8) We recommend the use of face coverings when using public transport from Monday 19th July, and although there is no legal requirement to do so, we feel it provides yet another level of support for our community.
September Return to School
We would like students back full time as quickly as possible, so would like to begin testing students on the INSET day and Year 7 Transition day, Thursday 2nd September and Friday 3rd September. As in March, students would come into school in full uniform, take a test and then return home.
It is your decision whether your child has a lateral flow test. If you fill out the survey we will take that as consent for your child to be given two lateral flow tests in school at the beginning of September. The survey ‘Covid Testing - September 2021’. Can be found here:
Please complete the form by 9.00am on Tuesday 20th July. A form must be completed for each child you have at the school. Allocated times will be sent next week. We will be writing to our new Year 7 parents and carers separately.
|
Year 7 (and transition buddies) |
Year 8 |
Year 9 |
Year 10 |
Year 11 |
Sixth Form |
|
|
Test 1 |
*Thursday 2nd (inset) |
Tuesday 7th pm |
Mon 6th pm Tues 7th am |
Monday 6th am |
Friday 3rd |
Thurs 2nd Y13 pm Fri 3rd Y12 pm |
|
Begin School |
Friday 3rd Sept |
Wednesday 8th Sept |
Wednesday 8th Sept |
Tuesday 7th Sept |
Monday 6th Sept |
Monday 6th Sept |
The last 18 months have been incredibly difficult for us all, but being the strong community that we are, we have managed to navigate through in an incredibly positive manner, we are immensely proud of the resilience our pupils have demonstrated.
School continues to be open and fully operational and I know that through working together we can have the very best finish to the academic year.
My sincere thanks for your continued support,
Joanne McKeown
Categories
- All Articles
- Sport news (69)
- TIM PEAKE (11)
- JLT (2)
- NEWS (579)
- 6th Form news (31)
- High School Headlines (136)
- TKAT (1)
- ACE news at CHS (1)
- Headteacher Update (7)
- Hegarty Maths (6)
Archives
Also in the News
26/05/2023
