This week the Head answers questions about half term holidays and the return to school in November

What do we do if our daughter tests positive for COVID-19 over the half term?

If your daughter tests positive over half term please let the school know, it might impact other members of the community, so it is vital that we are made aware. We also need to support your daughter if she is still in isolation when school recommences so please ensure you email us at [email protected] so that we are in the loop.

What happens if my daughter is in isolation during the holidays and cannot return to school on 2^nd November?

Please let us know, just as you would in any absence, we can then make sure that your daughter can access her lessons to work remotely. If your daughter is in the Junior School, they will also arrange for you to come in to collect an iPad, or try to arrange delivering it to you if the whole family are isolating, and your daughter is due to miss a considerable amount of school.

What if the Government announces a circuit break lockdown during half term?

School will restart, either in person or remotely on the 2^nd November.

We are well prepared and ready to switch to remote learning if we need to go down this route. The government have stated that they will do all that they can to keep schools open, but if they ask us to close, we will move swiftly to live online learning. If this situation arises we will communicate with you all, and provide our new families with any support they need to ensure they understand the expectations of students and how the online teaching works.

In the Junior School, arrangements would be made for iPads to be collected in order for teaching to resume from home.

We really hope that we do not have to close the school but we will always have to act in line with government guidance.

Will the girls have use of their lockers after the half term holidays?

Yes, as I explained in my end of half term letter we have been working on solutions for lockers. I am really conscious that in the colder months the girls will need access to them for coats and wet sports kit, but finding space to relocate hundreds of lockers has proved to be a logistical challenge!

We have created a rota for Junior School girls to use their cloak rooms at dedicated time slots.

Year 8 lockers will be temporarily relocated to the Green Room and the students will have access to them at the start and end of the day, and at breaktime.

Years 7 and 9 will be able to use their lockers through dedicated entrance areas and Sixth Form will have limited use of their locker corridor.

We are still working through a solution for Years 10 and 11 and ask the students to be patient as we hope to be able to provide them with space to sort items shortly.

I must also stress that any use of the lockers will be limited. Students will be expected to drop items into their lockers and then move on, they will not be allowed to loiter in these areas, as we need to limit any close contact in locker areas.