Letter from Mr Edwards (14/01/22)

Dear Parent / Carer

Changes to the self-isolation period for those who test positive for COVID-19

From Monday 17th January, students who are self-isolating with COVID-19 can return to school after 5 full days if they test negative on both day 5 and day 6 and they do not have a temperature. For example, if they test negative on the morning of day 5 and the morning of day 6, they can return to school immediately on day 6. Please note that day 0 is the day that your child first shows symptoms or, if asymptomatic, the day they took their test.

The first test must be taken no earlier than day 5 of the self-isolation period, and the second must be taken the following day. All test results should be reported to NHS Test & Trace in the normal way and screenshots of the subsequent test result notifications from NHS should be sent to PHiggs@priory.herts.sch.uk.

If the result of either of the tests is positive, your child should continue to self-isolate until they get negative results from 2 LFD tests on consecutive days or until they have completed 10 full days of self-isolation, whichever is earliest.

Anyone who is unable to take LFD tests or anyone who continues to have a temperature will need to complete the full 10-day period of self-isolation.

Further information on self-isolation for those with COVID-19 is available.

What to do if your 12-15 year-old child missed their appointment at school to receive their Covid vaccination

If for any reason your child missed the opportunity to receive their vaccination at school, or were declined their vaccination because they tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 12 weeks, you have the following alternative options. You will need to accompany your child to any venues offering the vaccination to give consent.

Option 1: You can book your child’s 1st dose online from the day they turn 12. You can usually book their 2nd dose from 24 hours after they had their 1st dose. You’ll be offered appointment dates from 12 weeks after their 1st dose. Book a COVID-19 vaccination appointment

Option 2: Your child can get a 1st dose at a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination site from the day they turn 12. They can get a 2nd dose if it’s been 12 weeks since their 1st dose. Walk-in opportunities

Masks

With high rates of COVID-19 in the community and in schools we continue to make modifications to the way we work in order to keep the school running as effectively and safely as possible.  The wearing of masks around school and in classrooms is a hot topic in the national press at the moment and this communication home relates to this.

Over the last two years we have been through periods where face coverings have been mandatory in public settings such as shops and also in some areas of schools. During such times, our students have been hugely co-operative and have ‘done their bit’ by wearing masks when asked to. Only at the beginning of the pandemic did the school use a C1 consequence for failing to conform to this. There are a small number of students who claim to have an exemption to wearing a face covering for various reasons, which is fine. To enable staff to know that a student is exempt when they seem them without a face covering, we have produced exemption cards for students to keep hold of. However, this has proved problematic as the cards get lost or are kept at the bottom of a pocket or bag and take time to retrieve. From next week, all students with an exemption (confirmed by parents) from mask wearing will be provided with their exemption card on a blue lanyard. This will enable staff to quickly identify those exempt and allow us to challenge others without masks.

We understand there will be parents concerned that their child is in some way being labelled by being asked to wear this lanyard. However, there are a number of different coloured lanyards that students across the school wear for one reason or another. We are compelled to do what we can to keep our school community safe and enforce the wearing of masks by those that should wear them, and managing this and the exemptions among our 1,250 students is no easy task. From next week, students without a face covering or an exemption card on a blue lanyard may be sanctioned as per the school policy.

We hope for your support with this matter. If you have not provided confirmation of exemption or would like to raise a query about this with the school, please email FCochrane@priory.herts.sch.uk.

Kind regards

Geraint Edwards