All of our plans and preparations are now in place, to be able to facilitate the safe return of your child and their year group. Following on from my previous communications to you, getting all of our students back to school, safely with 3 lateral flow tests has provided many significant challenges for us and I hope the information provided in the attached document will provide the clarity you and your child need.

Secondary schools are required to carry out lateral flow device tests for all students before they return to classrooms. The tests must be done three times, but as soon as students have received one negative test they can return to classes. The remaining 2 tests can be done as part of a normal school day. We are of course already well set up with this type of testing for staff and for our key workers’ and vulnerable children currently on site.

Whilst it is not compulsory for students to undergo these tests, the Government states that it is “strongly encouraged” and it remains an important tool for us to keep our whole school community safe and the community in which we live in.

If you have not yet completed the consent form please use the link below. It is vital all parents/carers complete the consent form to ensure we have a “new” consent for this round of testing.www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/COVIDCHASER

Attendance at school from the phased return date for each year group is mandatory. As mentioned before, unless your child is ill, self-isolating due to Covid or if they are clinically extremely vulnerable they should be attending school. Please get in touch with your child’s Pastoral Leader if your child has received a letter from a clinician stating that they must shield. The full guidance about attendance is in this DfE document link.

The safety of our school community remains our top priority whilst the country is still under lockdown and we are following the Government’s guidance that all students and staff are expected to wear face coverings at all times when they are indoors, during the transition between lessons and in classrooms (except in PE lessons and if appropriate to the learning of a specific lesson).

Our vigilance with hand hygiene; social zones, ventilation in classrooms remains the same. It is essential that your child has their own hand sanitiser and face coverings as part of their normal school equipment.

Our main priority is, as always, to provide the very best possible teaching and learning for every student. We know that what is best for students is to be in classrooms learning from In order to minimise contact with other year groups, we will continue to enforce our strict one-way systems around the buildings, which continue to be supervised by staff at the start and end of every lesson.

We are confident that this is the right balance of students receiving the best possible provision and keeping our school community safe.

Please be aware that all students will be expected to comply with our usual high standards of uniform and behaviour upon their return not only when they are in school, but their journey to school and especially when they are travelling in for their LFT test.

The covid-19 restriction are still in place and is important that we encourage your children not to congregate in large groups as they travel to and from school. Please can parents and carers refrain from making unnecessary journeys to school with any items students may have forgotten to bring in to school whilst local lock down restrictions are in place.

The Government has asked us to share with parents the details of obtaining home test kits for other adults in your household and important travel advice for students from next week. We have added their messages to our website:

Worthing High School - Travelling to school safely from 8th March

Worthing High School - Asymptomatic testing information for parents and adults in households with children at school or college

In the meantime, it is with the spirit of relentless optimism, positivity and excitement that myself and all staff at Worthing High School, look forward to welcoming all of our students back to school.

It has been a long journey to get to this point and we want to get back to our teaching face to face as soon as possible and with your help and support, I know that this will be achieved. Thank you.

Take care, stay safe.

Pan Panayiotou

Headteacher

CEO South Downs Education Trust