Dear Parents and Carers,
Further to our letter to you dated 27th August, the Welsh Government announced on Wednesday that it now recommends the use of face coverings/masks for people aged 11 and above indoors where social distancing cannot be maintained, including in schools and on school transport.
Pupils will therefore need to wear face coverings from Thursday 3rd September:
on school transport
in corridors
in communal areas such as the hall and the canteen (when it re-opens, and when not eating, for example while queuing to collect food)
Face masks are not be required to be worn in classrooms or outdoor areas at this stage, although pupils may wear them if they wish.
As pupils will need to remove and replacing their face covering throughout the day, please provide your child with a plastic bag (ideally zip-locked) to support them in maintaining this hygienically.
Guidance will be given in the induction sessions on the safe use, removal and storage of face coverings.
Whilst we ask that you provide your child with these in the first instance, the school is working to source large quantities of re-useable face coverings for our pupils' use in the longer term, and for as long as these remain a requirement. Ultimately, we hope to be able to provide each learner that requires it with a reusable mask. This is proving challenging, however, given that the recommendation was received so recently, and we ask for your support in providing your child with these wherever possible.*
Pupils may be excused from wearing face masks where there is a medical / health reason not to do so. Parents should contact the relevant Head of Year to discuss this in advance of the pupil attending school if this is the case.
We apologise for the short notice that you are receiving of this very significant change. The circumstances surrounding this change are beyond our control. Please be assured that the safety of the children in our care is, and will always be, our top priority.
Your support in this matter is greatly appreciated.
*We do not intend to be proscriptive by disallowing masks with designs and logos, and thank our parent community for their efforts in providing these, however any that have a design or logo that may be considered offensive to others (and this judgement is at the discretion of the school) will not be permitted.
Yours faithfully,
Mrs Pole
Headteacher
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