Face Coverings Update – 2nd March 2021

Dear Parents and carers,

As you are aware, the use of face coverings in Secondary Schools is being expanded from 8th March 2021 as we open to more students.

  • All students and adults (apart from those who are medically exempt) must wear face coverings on school buses and transport.
  • All students, staff and visitors (apart from those who are medically exempt) must wear face coverings in lessons, corridors, the canteen, communal areas, queues and when moving between lessons and around their bubbles.  This also covers any times when social distancing cannot be maintained, including on arrival at school and when leaving the school site at the end of the day.

In line with the more general national guidance on face coverings, Essentially this means that face coverings can only be removed when outdoors. Unless there is poor weather, we will be encouraging students to socialise and exercise outdoors during breaks and lunchtimes to ensure that they can eat, drink and enjoy each other’s company without needing to wear a face covering.

 

Exemptions

Some individuals are exempt from wearing a face covering. The full guidance for exemption can be found HERE

With reference to our school, this broadly covers:

  • people who cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a medical, physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability.
  • where putting on, wearing or removing a face covering will cause severe distress.

 

If you have already notified us that your son/daughter should be exempt from wearing a face covering, there is no need to provide this information again, unless you require an exemption lanyard. However, if you have not yet notified us of an exemption, please contact Jade Fitzhugh fitzhughj@wollaston-school.net as soon as possible with the following information:

Name of Student:

Tutor Group:

Reason for Exemption Request:

We will collate a list of exempt students to ensure they are not challenged unnecessarily and will also be issuing exemption badges and lanyards as soon as possible on student’s return to school, which will be useful in ensuring that access to transport and school are not impeded.   We also recommend that parents of students who are exempt and who use school buses provide a handwritten note for their first day back (unless they already have an exemption lanyard) detailing the exemption. There is a template HERE for those who would like to print a version.

 

Compliance

 At School:  Students, staff and visitors will not be permitted to access the school site if not complying with the arrangements above. If a student arrives at school without a face covering, we will not allow them into the main part of the school and will contact home and ask for a face covering to be brought into school. They will then be permitted to attend as usual.

If a student refuses to follow the rules on face coverings, we will always follow this up as a serious issue as we all have a personal responsibility to make the school site as safe as possible.

On School Transport: Students who do not have a face covering (without an exemption pass) will not be permitted to board the school bus. Students who remove a face covering during a journey or refuse to wear one will face a ban from school transport.

Thank you in advance for your support in ensuring a smooth return to school. I will write again before the end of the week with full guidance regarding operational procedures from the 8th March. We look forward to having students back with us in person!

Mr James Birkett 

Headteacher