17 March 2020

Dear Parent/Carer,

Update #4 - COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

The government announcement yesterday regarding the spread of the virus has required the
school to move to a different stage of our contingency plan. Our guiding principle remains that
we follow the national advice, unless local circumstances become more of an issue. At this stage,
we have not had any confirmed cases of coronavirus at school. However, if your
son/daughter/ward receives a diagnosis, it is helpful if you could inform us of this.

We remain open, at least for the time being, but we have had to make certain decisions which
take effect from today. All school events for the remainder of this term are cancelled. This
includes:

• Parents’ Evenings;
• School trips and ventures;
• Sports fixtures;
• School activities e.g. Drama Festival.

Currently, we are not planning any school events for next term until we receive an instruction that
the pandemic has passed its peak, or that it is over. This includes the Year 10 Work Experience
planned for the end of next term. Further details regarding cancellations will be communicated in
due course.

In addition, for the time being we will not be holding face-to-face meetings with parents/carers,
when they can be easily undertaken by telephone.

Remote Learning

Students with public examinations coming up in the summer need to maintain a focus on final
coursework and then on revision. I anticipate a decision this week on how the examination season
will be managed to ensure the integrity of the examinations whilst ensuring that students and staff
remain safe.

Should the school need to close we are prepared to maintain a good level of education via remote
learning. Please do ensure that your son/daughter/ward knows how to access our Learning
Platforms and check with him/her that they have the correct passwords.

In addition, students in Years 10 to 13 should ensure that they have revision materials organised
at home. GCSE revision books can be bought and paid for from the school shop here.

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

Parents/carers of students with pre-existing medical conditions which might make them more
susceptible to the virus should seek medical advice.

Continued on next page…

The NHS link, which gives further advice is here.

Self-Isolation

The advice has now changed and is as follows:

• Anyone with symptoms (a temperature above 37.8 C ̊ or a new continuous cough) should
self-isolate for 7 days.
• If the person with symptoms lives with other people, they should all stay at home for 14
days from the day the first person got the symptoms.

Please do follow this advice. Advice about staying at home can also be found on the NHS website.

Hygiene Measures

Basic hand-washing remains the most important simple measure. Please keep reminding your
children of the need to maintain good routines.

The usual links to various sources of advice can be found at the bottom of this letter.

Further Advice

A new helpline has been launched and is open to parents/carers and students.

• Email: dfe.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk
• Phone: 0800 046 8687
• Open from: 8.00am – 6.00pm (Monday – Friday)

UPDATES ON COVID-19
• https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

TRAVEL ADVICE
• https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus

ASTHMA ADVICE
• https://www.asthma.org.uk/coronavirus

Clearly the expectation is that further advice will be given in the days ahead. We will monitor
these communications along with the situation locally and continue to act accordingly.

Yours faithfully,

Euan Ferguson
Headteacher