End of Term December 2021

13 December 2021

Dear Parent,

I hope this letter finds you and your family well.

I wanted to thank you for your ongoing support and trust in the college during what remain uncertain times. Our students continue to impress us on a daily basis with their enthusiasm to learn and their resilience. We are all extremely proud of what they have achieved this term.

When students return in January, they have to undergo one lateral flow test on their first day in college. If you gave consent for your child to be tested in September 2021, we will carry this consent forward unless you advise us otherwise. If you did not previously consent but would like to do so now, please let us know by emailing covid@blessededward.co.uk .

To enable us to conduct these tests in a safe manner, we have to stagger the return of students from Wednesday 5 January to Friday 7January. Experience tells us that we can test two year groups per day. This means that certain year groups will revert to online learning until the day of their return to college. The schedule for return is below.

Wednesday 5 January 2022

Year 11 and Year 8 students return to college and attend as normal from this date.

College buses will operate as normal from this date and students should arrive as usual between 8.30am and 8.45am. We are asking all students, apart from those who are exempt, to wear face masks in classrooms until we have had confirmation from our testing team that any students who have tested positive have been identified and their parents informed. Students will then revert to the usual requirement of wearing face masks in corridors and communal areas.

Year 7, 9 and 10 will have online lessons.

The day will begin with registration at 9.00am and students will then follow their usual timetable. Teachers will provide where possible, given the nature of their subject, a ‘live’ element to each lesson. A ‘live’ lesson will involve some direct input from the teacher of approximately 15 minutes followed by students working independently on tasks. If ‘live’ lessons are not possible due to the nature of a subject or other unforeseen circumstances, resources will be uploaded to Google Classroom. Links to the live lessons will also be accessible via Google Classroom. Please note that registers will be taken in every lesson.

Thursday 6 January 2022

Year 7 and 10 students return to college and attend as normal from this date. The same procedures which applied on 5 January will be applied and students in these year groups will be asked to wear face masks in classrooms until we have had confirmation of all test results.

Year 9 students will continue with online learning.

Friday 7 January 2022

All students will be in college.

Year 9 students will be asked to wear face masks in classrooms until we have had confirmation of all test results.

Thank you in advance of this staggered return. We believe that this is the safest way of quickly getting all our students back into their normal classroom routines. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at the college.

It would be easy in the light of all the information contained in this letter to forget that we will soon be in the season of Christmas. I hope that during the Christmas period you have time to pause and enjoy being with those you love. I will sign off with the blessing which we normally say at the end of our Carol Service, which sadly once again we have been unable to hold.

May the joy of the angels
The eagerness of the shepherds
The perseverance of the wise men
And the peace of the Christ child
Be yours this Christmas.

Yours sincerely

Greg McClarey
Headteacher