Dear Parent/Carer
Firstly, let me take this opportunity to once again thank you for all of your ongoing support for the school and the young people in our charge. This has been a challenging time for everyone involved and I think you have all done an incredible job in supporting our students to engage as much as they possibly can throughout the lockdown.
We are writing, following on from the government announcement on Monday, to outline our plans for UCC reopening. Please be assured we are working hard to support the safest possible return to school for everyone and will continue to update you as things develop.
Covid Testing
As you may be aware the government is asking schools to test students three times on our return, following this they will provide home kits for secondary students to test themselves twice weekly.
We are really grateful to the 94% of parents who have completed the testing consent form, and of those responses 97% of families have agreed to testing. If you haven’t given consent for your child to be tested for covid, they should return to school with the rest of their year group on the date shown.
If you haven’t yet but wish to give consent, please do follow this link to complete the form. To allow us to prepare for numbers in the testing hubs this form will close on Sunday 28 February 2021.
Following any test taking place parents will receive the test results via text message. (If you have recently changed any contact details please ensure that you notify us.)
Hub
Our hub provision has been a huge success for our vulnerable students and children of key workers. This will continue to run next week as normal.
The hub will close on Friday 5 March 2021 prior to whole school re-opening the following week.
Reopening Timetable
To enable us to carry out the required testing, the return to school must be phased. We will test all students for whom we have consent once before they formally return to lessons. This means the whole school will be back by Friday 12 March. Subsequent tests 2 and 3 will take place throughout the school day over the following two weeks.
As part of this staggered return, online lessons will continue for those students who continue to learn from home during the week of testing and the phased return.
|
9:00 – 12:00 |
1:00 – 4:00 | Back to school fully | |
|
Monday 8 March |
Year 12 & 13 Initial test (then return home) | ||
|
Tuesday 9 March |
Year 7 Initial test (then return home) |
Year 11 Initial test (then return home) |
Years 12 & 13 |
|
Wednesday 10 March |
Year 10 Initial test (then return home) |
Year 8 Initial test (then return home) |
Years 7, 11, 12, 13 |
|
Thursday 11 March |
Year 9 Initial test (then return home) |
Years 7, 8,10, 11, 12, 13 | |
|
Friday 12 March |
Year 12 & 13 (Test 2) |
Year 7 (Test 2) |
Whole School |
|
Monday 15 March |
Back to school fully |
||
Students will receive a specific testing time slot in due course. School transport will not be available to bring students into school prior to tests taking place.
If students are able to make their own way into school for the test they will be asked to wait on the Cumberland yard until they are called, they then need to immediately return home. Where students require parents to bring them in for their test, we would ask you to wait – socially distanced – on the Cumberland yard for the test to take place and take them home afterwards.
All children should return home after their test, returning to school for lessons on the day shown in the table.
School Transport
Students cannot use school transport to attend their initial test, but buses will be up and running when they’re back into classes:
- Years 12 and 13 can use school transport from Tuesday 9 March.
- Year 7 and 11 can use school transport from Wednesday 10 March.
- Years 8 and 10 can use school transport from Thursday 11 March.
- Year 9 can use school transport from Friday 12 March.
The wearing of face masks and seating plans will be back in place on school transport.
Protocols
Once back in school we will be maintaining the covid bubbles and protocols we followed before lockdown, i.e. if your child tests positive for covid please let us know. If someone in your household tests positive for covid and your child needs to isolate for ten days please let us know. If a student or member of staff in school tests positive we will identify other students that they have come in close contact with and those students will be asked to isolate for 10 days.
Wearing of Face Coverings
The government is advising that all secondary school students wear masks, not only in communal areas as they did prior to lockdown, but also in classrooms until at least Easter. Students at UCC will be expected to wear a face mask, as will staff, in spaces where a 2 metre distance cannot be guaranteed.
Heads of Year have exemption lanyards for any students who require them – Please do get in touch if you would like to request an exemption lanyard; admin@ullswatercc.co.uk.
We will continue to update our website and social media over the next few weeks, and as always if you have any queries please let us know.
Yours faithfully
Mr S Gilby
Headteacher