Dear Parents
It was wonderful this morning to be able to stand on the gate and welcome students from all Year Groups back to school. Indeed, I write this message having just returned from walking around the school and witnessing classrooms full with students all learning and making a start on their face to face learning with their teachers for this year.
It is perhaps helpful to share with you a few reminders at the start of this academic year. Year Group specific information will be distributed with you at the upcoming Standards Evenings, details of which will be sent out to you next week. However, these universal points will certainly help to keep the school running smoothly:
- Students should arrive and depart from school via the following entrances:
Year Group Entrance/Exit
13,12 6th Form Centre
11,9,7 Main Front Gate
10,8 Beverley Road
- If you are collecting your child from school, this tends to apply to our new Year 7 students. Please can I ask you to be considerate to our neighbours if travelling by car and ensure that the engine is not left running and that you are not blocking driveway access. If you can arrange to meet your child 200 – 300m away from the school in one of the surrounding streets this will help to keep congestion and pollution to a minimum.
- Whilst many of the restrictions that were necessary last year in order to keep the spread of the virus under control have now been lifted, there is an updated risk assessment in place from this September outlining some of the measures that are still in place. This can be found on our website via the following link, but I will summarise some key points below:
- Please ensure your child continues to complete the home testing twice a week, and report the results via the previously provided link https://testregister.co.uk/app
- Please remind your child to make use of the hand sanitiser that is available in every classroom. Even better if they have their own personal bottle that they can use at their convenience when changing between different classrooms.
- Face masks are not currently recommended by the Government whilst in school, but any child who wishes to wear one is welcome to do so particularly in crowded indoor communal areas.
- As we try to keep windows and doors open in classrooms as far as is practical, it may well be colder than normal and students with the teacher’s permission will on occasion be able to wear their outdoor coats. Please ensure these are black or navy blue as per the schools’ Uniform Policy.
- Students should all bring in their own plastic re-useable drinks container to help avoid using communal taps. Glass drinks bottles are not permitted.
On behalf of all of the staff of Highams Park School, welcome back and we look forward to a less disrupted year of hard work as per our motto suggests. Success will come through our collective endeavours.
Yours faithfully
Phil Grundy
Principal
