Dear Parents / Carers
This has been a hugely demanding and challenging term for all members of the school community. We should all take a good hard look in the mirror, ignoring the unusual hair styles, and congratulate ourselves. Across the generational divide we have all pulled together during this pandemic. As Nelson Mandela has been quoted as saying:
‘Sometimes, it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.’
The roadmap outlined by the Prime Minister and the optimism regarding the vaccination programme does indicate we are on the road to what 12 months ago we took to be our normal way of life. However, as we go into the Easter holidays and some Government guidance changes around socialising outside and outdoor sport, it is so important that we do not let our guard down and increase the risk of Covid-19 outbreaks when schools return.
From Monday 29th March:
• You can meet up outside (including in private gardens) with six other people, or as two households.
• You can take part in formally organised outdoor sports with any number of people (outdoor sports venues and facilities will be able to reopen).
• Childcare and supervised activities will be allowed outdoors for all children.
Your family can continue to keep yourselves and others safe by:
• Washing their hands regularly, for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water or using an antibacterial hand sanitiser if soap and water is not available
• Keeping socially distanced, staying at least 2 metres away from those not in your immediate household
• Wearing a face-covering where required and when it is difficult to socially distance
• Self-isolating and getting tested if you develop symptoms or receive a positive lateral flow test (LFT) result
• Not socialising indoors with anyone who is not in your immediate household. You are not allowed to have sleepovers or friends over, even if your child is in a school bubble.
• Not sending your child back to school ill or with symptoms of Covid-19 after the Easter break – if your child is sick, please keep them at home.
Lateral flow tests
Following on from the letter dated 25th March from Mr Foster (Deputy Headteacher), we would encourage you to test your child(ren) twice a week. If your child receives a positive LFT result from a test taken at home, book a PCR test to confirm the result even if your child has no symptoms. The positive LFT triggers the legal obligation for self-isolation for them and close contacts including household members. If the PCR test comes back with a negative result, the period of self-isolation ends for them and all close contacts including household members. Any positive tests received up until 1st April should be reported to COVID19@priory.herts.sch.uk so that we can complete the track and trace process with the HCC Public Health team.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the parents of the two Year 7 form groups that were sent home yesterday due to two positive LFT results for their support and understanding. The follow-up PCR tests taken came back negative late last night and early this morning and we were able to get the vast majority of those form groups back into school today. We all need to be aware that such events will continue to happen after Easter whilst Covid remains in the wider community.
Moving forward
Next term we will look to review our Covid risk management restrictions in line with DfE guidance. Sports clubs and other extracurricular activities will resume in year group bubbles from the week beginning 12th April. We are looking carefully at our school calendar to see what we can add in that students will have missed due to the lockdowns. We are exploring the opportunity of offering Bushcraft to Year 7 and Year 8 in late June and July, along with a range of other trips. This year Sports Day will include Year 11 as they did not have the opportunity to participate in the one last year and we will be running two proms for the Year 11 2020 intake and 2021 intake in late July.
FSM
All families eligible for FSM vouchers have been contacted by the school and have been given two vouchers for Easter and one for May half term.
To say thank you to our students for being great over the last three weeks and to wish them a happy Easter we have given all of them an Easter egg each. By the looks of it I think most of the Easter eggs have already been eaten!
Take care and I look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday 12th April.
Kind regards,
Geraint Edwards