Dear Parents/Carers,
I hope you are all well and almost ready for the Christmas break. It has been an exceptionally busy term for everyone and we are all looking forward to a restful holiday with loved ones. Before we finish for this term I wanted to write to you and update you on various aspects.
End of term will be Friday 17th December and students will have a half day with dismissal at 12pm, there will be no lunch provided on this day except for those on free school meals which students can collect from the canteen. Students will be dismissed in a staggered manner from school starting at 12pm and bus services MY8 and 652 will depart from school at 12:15pm.
As you are aware, the government’s latest announcements have suggested that once again all students should be tested prior to returning to the classroom. Although the testing is voluntary, we would encourage all students to participate in order to keep our community safe. Therefore, on Tuesday 4th January students will be offered the lateral flow test on site and there will be a staggered return throughout the school day to allow for the testing to occur. Further details will be sent to each year group directly so please look out for this. Years 8 & 9 will remain at home on Tuesday 4 January and will do live learning via google classrooms, returning to school on Wednesday 5th January at their staggered arrival time to ensure that testing can be offered to all students. Please ensure all students arrive in full school uniform during their testing slots.
We will use the original consent given to us from parents/carers however, if you would like to withdraw this consent then please notify the academy. If you do not wish for your child to have a lateral flow test in school they should arrive at the scheduled arrival time anyway and will be directed to lessons. Students should not arrive before their scheduled times as this will impact the testing rota.
If your child is new to the academy since September 2021 we will send you the google consent form directly to seek consent and please complete this as soon as possible to ensure we have updated records. Please can we request that over the Christmas period you remain safe and continue with your lateral flow tests on Wednesdays and Sundays and in the week before returning to school.
The school office will be closed for the Christmas break from Friday 24th December. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the school office from 4th January as there will be limited coverage to answer any queries.
We also recently wrote to you regarding lockers and whilst we still plan to roll these out for students, we have had to delay this due to the recent omicron variant and numbers of COVID cases increasing. We will inform you of the plans to roll out lockers in the new term when we have a clearer indication of how the pandemic will affect schools.
Christmas lunch is available for students on Wednesday 15th December and is available to purchase in advance via ParentPay and will also be available to buy on the day.
I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank all parents and carers for their support regarding the Year 11 mock exams. Students behaved impeccably during the exams period and we hope to have an update on their outcomes for you in the new year during parents evening on Thursday 27 January and the mock results day next term.
Year 13 mock exams will begin in January following our return after the Christmas holiday and further details will be shared directly from the Sixth Form team.
Finally, please can I urge parents/carers to support us in this final week by ensuring your child brings a mask to school to wear in communal areas. It is vital that we continue to protect one another during this difficult time. Those who are exempt should wear their lanyards and all other students should wear masks on public transport and in communal areas such as corridors around school.
We look forward to seeing your child in the New Year and wish you a safe, relaxing and festive Christmas break.
Numera Anwar
Principal
