I am sure you have seen that the government announced last night that the UK has now moved to the ‘delay’ stage of the COVID-19 planning, the latest guidance for educational settings can be viewed by clicking here. The decision is that for the current time schools will remain open and operate as normal. We have taken the decision to stop inter school fixtures for the time being and any other excursions out of school will be assessed on a case by case basis.

In line with government recommendations I would request that if your child displays signs of a fever or has a persistent cough that you make us aware immediately and then keep them at home for seven days. We have put arrangements in place for our boarding pupils to be isolated away from the rest of the school community if they display any of these symptoms. If you are suffering from any symptoms and have to isolate then please click here for the Governments guidance about what to do.

In order to be prepared for a school closure we have briefed the Year 11 and Sixth Form pupils this morning about how to access the online tuition we will be able to offer. This is provided via our school email that all pupils are able to access from home. The applications will allow us to set work remotely and review the pupil’s answers whilst offering feedback. There is an interactive chat and video feature that will allow pupils to ask staff questions as well as other members of the class. In order to utilise this facility the pupils will need a computer and internet access. I hope this will not be required but we feel that being prepared is the best option as the situation is evolving quickly. If there are school closures I will email you more details about how this system will work and when teachers will be available.

Thank you to those who have confirmed their Easter travel plans with me and I would be grateful if anyone else with plans could let me know as soon as possible. If you have any questions about any of the above please feel free to contact me.

Steven Allen, Headmaster