Parent update 01/11/2020 | Charlton School

1st November 2020

Dear Parent / carers,

As we look forward to welcoming back all year groups to school tomorrow, I would like to take this opportunity to remind families of the expectations on them. School remains fully open, both during the Tier 2 restrictions and through the National lockdown. It is important all students attend.

Until Thursday we remain in COVID ALERT LEVEL HIGH and TIER 2 restrictions still apply in Telford & Wrekin - for more information from the local authority please click here

In summary the following applies to socialising for households:

From Saturday 31 October 2020 at 00:01hrs residents of Telford and Wrekin:

• must not socialise with anybody outside your household or your care or support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in public

• if you socialise in a group outside it must not be in a group of more than six, this includes in a garden or park

It is vital in reducing the spread that households and students abide by these rules. The rule of six applies to students on their journeys to and from school, please encourage them to follow these rules.

One of the additional requirements of moving to Tier 2 is that face coverings (masks) now become mandatory for all secondary school students and staff, unless they are medically exempt from wearing one. Although we introduced this prior to half-term, too many students did not have masks. This is now a requirement as directed by the government.

Please ensure you have provided a mask for you child, they will need to wear one in all communal areas in school (corridors, open areas and the canteen, unless eating), at all times, including entering and exiting the building. Students will not be permitted to walk around the building without a mask.

It is important that as a community we follow the rules below regarding not attending school in these circumstances.

• Students should not attend school if either themselves or any member of their household are showing coronavirus symptoms, they should remain off until the outcomes of a test are known,

• Students should not attend school if either themselves or any member of their household are awaiting the results of a coronavirus test, they can return to school if the test is negative,

• Students should not attend school if either themselves or any member of their household have had a positive test result.

We would urge families to err on the side of caution and if you are concerned about coronavirus symptoms or are in the situations above, families should follow the stay at home government guidance.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

Symptoms

The most important symptoms of COVID-19 are recent onset of any of the following:

• a new continuous cough

• a high temperature

• a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

For most people, COVID-19 will be a mild illness. However, if you have any of the symptoms above, stay at home and arrange to have a test.

We also welcome back our canteen staff, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Shires Catering for providing staff that enabled us to provide a lunch service. When entering the canteen students should sanitise their hands, wear a face mask, keep behind the marked areas and should not approach staff behind the screens. There will be a food service at both break and lunchtime.

As a school community we will continue to do all we can to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The easiest way to do this is to keep the virus out of the building. We urge all families to support us to do this by following the guidance above and to ensure your child wears a face mask as required.

Thank you for your continued support.

Yours faithfully

Mr A McNaughton

Principal