Dear Parent/Carer
I hope that you and your family are well and enjoying the summer break. I would like to inform you that all Year 11 students will be starting their new term with us on Monday, 6 September at 8.30. Students will spend a couple of hours in the morning with their form tutor and year group team to help them to settle back in.
As you will be aware Public Health England has asked that all secondary school children take part in asymptomatic COVID-19 testing at the start of term. Testing is voluntary but strongly recommended as it is the most effective way to reduce the risk of transmission and support the continuation of face-to-face education. The government will continue to review the future need for testing in light of any changes to the public health situation and the prevalence of the COVID-19 virus within our local community.
Testing will involve your son/daughter undertaking two supervised lateral flow device tests at school. The first will be on Monday 6 September and the second test on Thursday 9 September, followed by regular testing at home.
If you have previously given your consent for your son/daughter to undertake testing at school, then you do not need to provide it again.
If you did not give consent previously, but would now like your son/daughter to take part, then please contact office@workingtonacademy.org by 6pm on Wednesday, 1 September.
After your son/daughter has completed a test, the result will be uploaded to NHS test and trace on the same day and you will be sent a text message informing you of the result. School will also receive a confirmation email. As we are testing in school, we will be able to contact you immediately in the event of a positive result and advise you on what to do next.
As stated in the current PHE guidance, please may I ask that you do not send your son/daughter to school if they are displaying any COVID-19 symptoms and contact us straight away. I would also appreciate it if you could remind them to complete a LFD home-test the night before school starts. Kits can be ordered for free from https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests.
If you have any further queries please contact office@workingtonacademy.org. There is also a FAQs document below.
Yours faithfully
Des Bird
Headteacher
