New Measures in response to Omicron variant of Covid-1928/11/2021

Dear Parents/Carers 

On Saturday 27 November, the Prime Minister announced new temporary measures following the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the UK. The new measures are being introduced as a precaution to slow down the spread of the variant while the government gathers more information. As part of these measures, new guidance for secondary schools has been published this afternoon regarding the wearing of face coverings.

Face coverings

Face coverings should be worn in communal areas in all settings by staff, visitors and students in Year 7 and above, unless they are exempt.

Students (in Year 7 or above) should continue to wear face coverings on public and dedicated school transport.

Lateral flow testing

All students and staff should continue to test twice weekly at home using LFD kits and report the results on the Government website: https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result. New kits are available from school via form tutors. Additional kits are on order and will be issued to students prior to the break to ensure families have enough tests for use over the Christmas holidays.

Contact tracing and isolation

The current guidance on contact tracing and isolation remains in place. In addition to these, any suspected or confirmed close contacts of the Omicron variant will be asked to isolate for 10 days regardless of vaccination status or age. Anyone that falls into this group will be contacted directly and told to isolate.

Thank you for your ongoing support with the implementation of these updated measures so we can continue to open safely for staff and students within The Cottesloe School community.

Yours sincerely
Mr S Jones
Headteacher