A very warm welcome back to all our students!
We are so looking forward to welcoming our students back next week.
On Monday 8th March we welcome Years 7, 11, 12 and 13 and on Tuesday 9th March (all other years).
The start of the day is the same for everyone at 8.30am, but we have staggered the end of the day to avoid mixing of year groups where possible, as we did last term. Please ensure your child watches the assembly on ‘Fearnhill Live’ with the details of the return to the site, so that he or she is clear about where to go on arrival in the mornings. You can see the assembly here.
The canteen will be open to all students to buy food at lunchtime. Students need to pay online for food as the cash loader is not yet back in service. Food does not need to be pre-ordered. The menu will focus on simple ‘grab and go’ choices and will include a hot option. If students bring a packed lunch, they can eat it outdoors or in their year group zones, in poor weather.
All students are expected to arrive at school in the correct uniform. If a student has a PE lesson, they should wear their PE kit to school as last term, since changing room facilities are not yet reopened. If you are concerned about uniform for any reason, e.g. your child has grown out of theirs or the cost is a challenge for you, please do get in touch with us in confidence as we have support and new stock available. All students are expected to bring their writing equipment with them to school and any books for subjects they have on their timetable that day, since lockers are not yet available.
Face masks are expected for all students and they are required to wear them in corridors when moving around the school, as was the rule last term. They will also wear them in lessons as appropriate, to minimise risk to everyone. We understand this can be stressful and we will consider student concerns when issuing sanctions. If a student is unable to wear a mask when moving around the school for any reason, please let us know so that a card can be issued to avoid a sanction being given. We know it will be a challenge for everyone to readjust to being back in school and we will work positively with you and your child if you have concerns.
Thank you to all those parents and carers who have supported our mass testing programme to prepare students for a safe return next week. Government guidance is for two tests per student to be carried out at home from the week beginning 15th March; I will confirm the details for that in my update next week.
We have reviewed our safety arrangements for students to be back on site and we are confident that they will be safe to move around the school for lessons in different rooms, on the understanding that rooms are cleaned after each use, students sanitise on arrival and departure from each room and masks are worn as appropriate. A one-way system will operate at lesson changeover to reduce mixing. Staff will remain at 2m distance from students as far as possible. Outdoor areas will still be ‘zoned’ by year groups, and we believe we can minimise the risk of students mixing on the school site. We keep all our risk assessments updated and they can be viewed on the Covid-19 tab on the website.
Thank you for your support and patience as we move back to ‘normal’; of course we will keep reviewing our practice at each stage. We are all looking forward to welcoming Fearnhill students back on to the site from next Monday, 8th March.
Ms Ellis
Head Teacher