Update from Mr. Wilding - 31st March 2022
Posted 31st March 2022
Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers.
To all parents and carers,
As we approach the end of the Spring Term, I would like, once again, to pay tribute to our fantastic students and staff for their work over the last few months. There has been a really positive working atmosphere throughout this term so far and students have made excellent progress, across all Year Groups.
I would also like to recognise the additional pressures students in Year 11 and Year 13 will be under in the coming weeks, as they approach their GCSE and A Level exams next term. Students have worked hard to get to this point and deserve success. I have no doubt they will all do themselves proud when the time comes.
Covid-19
Cases of Covid-19 have been higher amongst students and staff this week. We are also seeing a rising number of potentially symptomatic students and have needed to send some students home if they were exhibiting symptoms during the school day.
There is currently significant strain on staff cover and we are bringing in additional supply staff, to cover absence. Sourcing supply staff is not easy at the moment, as most other schools are experiencing similar staff shortage issues.
A number of our staff have been quite unwell in recent weeks and have been unable to set cover work for their classes.
We will do our best to keep all students in school, but cannot guarantee that we will not need to move some groups to remote learning at some point in the future; several schools have already needed to do this, due to staff absence.
From tomorrow, 1st April, national guidance on testing and self-isolation will change. We are asking all students to continue testing twice weekly to the end of term and I would remind parents and carers not to send your child into school if they have any symptoms of Covid-19.
Public Health guidance will remain beyond the end of March, as it does for other infectious diseases, such as sickness and diarrhoea. The advice for anyone who knows that they have COVID-19 is to stay at home for at least 5 days.
In the absence of revised guidance for schools on the ‘Living with Covid’ strategy, I would politely ask that parents and carers continue to follow the current guidance on self-isolation, until further notice.
We have been told to expect the 5-11yr vaccination programme to open for booking, on the online portal, from the beginning of April. The current vaccination programme in schools will, therefore, end. Information on the vaccination programme can be found at the link below:
NHS UK - Vacinnation Programme Information
School will not be able to track cases of Covid-19 as we have so far, with the removal of testing and mandatory self-isolation nationally. The only way we will continue to keep students and staff safe and manage levels of Covid-19 in school is if we all follow sensible precautions and act in the best interests of our own children and the school as a whole.
A reminder that the end of term is at 3pm on Friday 8th April. Students return to school on Tuesday 26th April, as Monday 25th is INSET for staff.
Finally, all at LCS would like to wish Ramadan Mubarak to all students and members of our school community beginning the month of Ramadan this weekend.
Thank you for your continued support of our school, our students and our staff.
Keep safe.
J Wilding
Headteacher