COVID RESPONSE: National lockdown

REMOTE LEARNING

This post adds to our previous post regarding our approach to remote learning that was updated on 17 December. If you have questions regarding our approach to remote learning please access this post here: COVID RESPONSE UPDATE: Remote learning and FAQ

We are currently in a national lockdown and College is closed to most students (SPW All parents update following 3rd lockdown 5.1.21).

We have issued to parents this week a remote learning protocol which summarises expectations around engagement and behaviour. This can be read here: RDSF Remote learning and behaviour protocol January 2021.

Next week you and your child will also receive a survey allowing you the opportunity to feedback on how remote and on-site learning is working for your family.

If you have any questions around our response to COVID-19 that this post does not answer please email office@catmosecollege.com and a member of the team will get back to you.

TESTING

We are actively engaged in using lateral flow tests to support the continued attendance of staff and those students that need to. We have trained enough staff to maintain six testing bays and have already tested all the staff and students attending site at least once – some 500 tests were carried out in our first week of operation. We plan to test every member of our community attending site on a weekly basis with additional testing and tracing of close contacts if we have a positive case.

If your child is not currently attending, you will still have been asked for your consent to allow testing to begin as soon as they return to on-site lessons. A training video will shortly be issued to reassure you and your child on how safe and easy it is to self-administer the test.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our testing bays

YEAR 11

Following the government announcement that GCSE examinations will not be going ahead we have written to all of our Year 11 students and parents to reassure them that grades will be awarded that are fair and reflect the hard work they have and will complete (SPW Year 11 Update following Prime Minister’s announcement (5.1.21)). The government is about to start a two week consultation on how this process will work. We will write again with the College’s position on this whilst also encouraging parents to make their own response.

ON-SITE PROVISION

We continue to teach around 150 students each day to support their families frontline work. Our special provision remains fully open. We therefore have a significant number of staff continuing to attend work as normal to support these students, to carry out tests and support students who are learning from home. We are restricting visitors to help keep our site Covid-secure but parents may need to attend reception, for example, to pick-up learning resources. This should only be by invitation, we are not able to meet parents who attend site without a request from the College.