Dear Parents/Carers
I would like to thank you all for being so patient as we respond to the changes in guidance for the reopening of schools. We are excited to welcome all students back to school, with Year 7 coming in for a morning on Friday 4th September and everyone returning to school on Monday 7th September.
These will no doubt be challenging and anxious moments for our community, but as long as we are all sensible and work together, we will do everything we can to make our return as safe as possible.
Last week saw clarification on the use of face coverings and face masks in school. At Rainford High the rules in face coverings are as follows:
- No student will wear a face mask in the classroom, as this is likely to disrupt the learning experience and process, unless there are exceptional circumstances, and these are agreed by the school.
- Students may wear face coverings during social times such as break and lunchtime or on the few occasions when they will need to move around school. This is an option and not compulsory.
- Students should wear face coverings while travelling to school on buses and public transport to reduce the risk for all.
If the local or national picture changes, the rules and guidance around face coverings may also change.
When students arrive at school, they will be expected to follow the school’s hygiene protocols of washing or sanitising hands, maintaining social distance when possible and following good respiratory hygiene protocols of catch it, bin it, kill it. Please remind students to adhere to these expectations. Students on arrival will be asked to go to their base room and form their year bubble from 8.35am.
- Year 7 will be on the ground floor of East Block
- Year 8 will be on the first floor of East Block
- Year 9 will be in the North Block in the Performing Arts and Arts areas.
- Year 10 will be in West Block
- Year 11 will be in South Block
Room details will be posted in the school entrance and these areas of the school for students to find their rooms. A full list of forms and rooms is on the school website under the CoVid tab.
For students to be able to travel on school buses, they will need to register with the school and be allocated a space on their chosen bus. If parents and students do not register for a place on the appropriate service, due to the health and safety restrictions we are trying to uphold, we cannot guarantee them a place on the school bus and parents may need to make alternative travel arrangements at short notice. The school will be unable to support children who have not registered to be on a bus service for their journey home.
Students traveling by bus will need to register every afternoon in the designated waiting area to travel on their chosen bus, to ensure the groups can be managed for social distancing, the wearing of face coverings and the consistency of travel groups. Students who fail to support the system will face sanctions.
To ensure a successful return for all on the 7th of September we have issued an adjusted equipment list that we expect all students to bring every day from home. Due to the present situation, borrowing equipment is far more difficult and disruptive than ever before. This is therefore a key priority for learning and will be treated as such by the school.
The updated equipment list is: a pen, pencil, ruler, scientific calculator, red pen, mini white board, dry wipe pen, cleaning cloth and a glue stick. These will be needed by all students by Monday 14th September. After this date, students who are not fully equipped will be sanctioned. School uniform is as normal with blazers and ties. Students will be expected to carry all their equipment in a school bag.
Although there will be many changes, as laid out in the student expectation document, there are a small number of key actions and behaviours that will keep everyone as safe as possible. These can be summed up by the school ethos:
Everyone Matters: We expect our community to be polite and respectful: This now includes respect social distance and wash/sanitise hands frequently, catch coughs and sneezes. Respect the fact anyone could have an increased risk of complications from Co-Vid19 that you will be unaware of.
Everyone Helps: We expect our community to make sensible choices: This now includes helping to sanitise classrooms and work areas on entry and exit, follow the one way system when moving around the school.
Everyone Succeeds: We expect our community to work hard: This now includes working hard to make sure we are all safe and we reduce the risk for everyone.
We have tried to ensure that the school is Co-Vid secure for the return of students and staff, but our risk assessments and plans will be meaningless without everyone’s support. We are looking forward to welcoming our community back to school and learning. I have no doubt the next few months will be challenging, exciting and rewarding times.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Yours sincerely
Ian Young
Principal