End of Week ParentMail 12.03.21


Dear Parents/Carers,


This week has seen the majority of our students return to school and what a busy week it has been.
With all schools now reopened as part of the Government's roadmap for easing Coronavirus
restrictions, testing of secondary school age students was confirmed as an essential part of the plan
for the safe reopening of schools. All students that have consented to testing between now and
Monday, will have been given a lateral self-test kit to take home.
We strongly encourage you to support your child in performing the lateral flow test twice a week at
home.
We are asking all students to be tested at home every Sunday and Thursday evening.
The leaflet will tell you how to record the results and school will only need to know the result when
there is a positive indication to the virus being present.


You can record test results using the following link


www.gov.uk/repot-covid19-result


Whilst we cannot force anyone to be tested, in order to reduce the potential for spreading of the
virus, the Government have said that "Testing is voluntary but strongly encouraged”.


With a positive test, students will need to self-isolate for the next 10 days and will learn remotely until
they can return to class, unless of course they become too unwell to work. If a student tests positive,
other members of their household will need to isolate too.


Government guidelines advise to not eat or drink for 30 minutes before a test. Also, you cannot take
the lateral flow test if you have had a nosebleed in the past 24 hours.


The testing kits have been issued to students only and are not for wider family use. From the 1st of
March, the Government has offered free rapid testing for students' families and these can be ordered
and posted to you using the following link


https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests


To help support the home testing a social story and a leaflet have been created to help support
students transfer from school based testing to home based testing.


We would like to thank all our parents and carers who continue to support us during these time.
Wishing you all a lovely weekend


Kindest regards,


Mrs L Holcroft
Assistant Headteacher