Good morning,
Thank you for your support with the full reopening of school. It has been wonderful to welcome students back to school and student attendance has been extremely strong. As I am sure you are aware, there has been much coverage in the media regarding the wearing of face coverings in schools. From Tuesday, 1 September, all students and staff in Landau Forte Charitable Trust secondary academies will be required to wear face coverings in corridors and communal areas. For our students and staff this means we will wear face coverings in corridors during lesson change overs, whilst queuing for lunch and whilst queuing for gatherings. Please find below a letter from our CEO, Sarah Findlay-Cobb, regarding this decision.
We fully understand that some of our young people will be exempt from wearing face coverings because of medical conditions or special educational needs. Our staff will be made aware of who these young people are so they know not to challenge them. From Tuesday, please send your son/daughter to school with a suitable face covering. Below you will find some guidance on the wearing and removal of face coverings, I hope you find it useful. We will also provide students with guidance on the correct wearing and removal of face coverings. If you have any questions about this matter please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s Head of Year.
All students now have their timetable, on the days students have Physical Education we would ask that they attend in their PE kit. At the moment, we are not accessing the changing rooms. Activity in PE will only be gentle and students will not be going outside in inclement weather so it will be appropriate for students to remain in their PE kit throughout the day. Again, if you do have any questions on this please get in touch with your child’s Head of Year or me, via Ms Lauren Walendziewski, [email protected] .
Thank you again for your ongoing support.
Kindest regards,
Alison Brannick
Face coverings information
Face coverings – what will my child need?
Your child needs to come to school with:
- A face covering. We’d recommend a reusable one so that they can use it more than once, as they’ll need to take it on and off several times during the school day. If this isn’t an option, they will need to bring in several single-use face coverings each day. Their face covering should be secured to your child’s head using ear loops only.
- A sealable plastic bag to keep their face covering in when they’re not using it so that it doesn’t contaminate (or get contaminated by) other surfaces in school.
Where can I get a face covering?
Reusable and single-use face coverings are available to buy in shops or online.
When will my child have to wear their face covering in school?
Students and staff will wear face coverings in the corridors during lesson change overs, whilst queuing in the Restaurant and whilst queuing for gatherings.
How should my child use their face covering?
Watch the World Health Organisation video below with your child so they know how to wear their face covering safely. We’ll watch this in class too.
- Their face covering needs to cover their nose and mouth when they’re wearing it.
- They shouldn’t touch the front of the face covering or the part that’s touched their mouth or nose.
- They should wash their hands before and after touching the face covering, including to take it off or put it on.
- They should store it in an individual, sealable plastic bag between uses.
- If it becomes damp, they shouldn’t wear it, and they should replace it carefully.
- Single-use face coverings should be disposed of after use (not in a recycling bin).
How often will it need to be washed?
Reusable face coverings will need to be washed at the end of each day, ready for your child to wear the next day.
If your child has taken a spare reusable mask from school, this will also need to be washed before they use it again.
You can wash and dry reusable face coverings with normal laundry – follow the washing instructions for the fabric and use normal detergent.
What if my child is exempt from wearing a face covering?
They won’t need to wear one in school. We think we are aware of the young people in our school who are exempt from wearing face coverings and we will provide staff with this information so they are not challenged.
Please let us know, by contacting your child’s Head of Year, if your child is exempt so that we don’t ask them to wear a face covering.
Is my child exempt from wearing a face covering?
What if my child forgets their face covering?
We’ll have a small supply of spare face coverings available at school.
To be safe in the knowledge that everyone has one, please make sure your child has their own so that we can keep our supply of spares for emergencies.