Dear Parents & Carers
I would like to thank the whole school community for their support during this difficult time. The students have settled in amazingly to what is a very different feeling school experience, adapting well to sanitising hand regularly, wearing masks during movement between lessons, along with each year group having their own separate zone and social time area as well as entrances and exits. We have also added more than 150 hours per week from the beginning of the year of additional cleaning to try to prevent the spread of the virus.
The way in which the staff and students have responded to the news of a positive case of Covid-19 in our school community has been commendable. We had planned for such an eventuality, and our swift response overnight meant that as soon as we were aware of the result we were immediately able to follow the guidance from Public Health England to try to keep our school community safe from the virus spreading further. We wish the student concerned a speedy recovery.
I am aware that Workington Academy is not alone in having faced having a positive case, as other schools around the county and the country face the difficulties of having to ask some students to self-isolate due to having potential contact with someone who has tested positive. We are working hard to ensure that if we have to ask students to self-isolate we are able to deliver high quality provision to them remotely, via both online live streamed lessons and excellent online learning materials.
I would ask that if any student is showing any of the following three symptoms, then they do not come to school and that a Covid-19 test is arranged:
- A new, continuous dry cough
- A high temperature/fever (a temperature above 37.9 is generally considered to be high)
- A loss of the sense of taste or smell
I am aware that alongside the national picture, we are seeing a number of our students and their families go for tests to see if the symptoms they are showing are Covid-19. This is particularly the case now as we enter the season where we see more people getting the common cold or flu, which has similar symptoms in many cases. I would ask that if a member of our school community or their family get the news of a positive result that they inform the academy straight away. If the test result arrives outside working hours them please email me directly: head@workingtonacademy.org with a screenshot of the result if possible. If you are struggling to access a test for one of your children, please let us know as we may be able to help.
As we become used to the current restrictions, we are beginning to find creative ways to safely bring back some of the enjoyable aspects of school life that we once took for granted, with the return of some extra-curricular clubs starting this week, and more in the pipeline.
Yours sincerely
Mr D Bird
Headteacher
