We now have a testing facility up and running.
We managed to get several staff tested today and the system works. It is not a very pleasant test however, and it will take time to get all students through.
This week and next, Yrs7-10 will be set work- equivalent to the number of lessons in each subject they have- but it will not follow timetable. The work will be set as individual assignments for students to complete in any order. For Years 11 and 13 work will also be set via Google classroom, corresponding to the number of lessons in each subject, for this week only. Again not following timetable.
The reasoning behind this decision is that we have to be able to call students in for testing and we need some staff to be available to carry out that testing. Everyone who is involved in the testing procedure has been trained and I am just finishing writing the risk assessments etc, which I will share over the next couple of days.
We are planning to call in students on a rota basis to be tested over the next 2 weeks. Students who are in school tomorrow will be tested first, including the Yr10 BTEC Music students, whose parents have been contacted by Mr Hadfield this afternoon. In order for us to test your child we do need your permission, so I attach the form again. If you are having trouble downloading or filling it in please contact us on admin@wensleydaleschool.net and we can help.
It is really important that students do not just turn up for a test. The system is complex and works on a very tight schedule. Please wait to be notified of a time for testing. The plan is to get through Yr13 and 11 this week and then we are aiming to test years 7-10 next week. We can only manage 22 tests per hour- so even working flat out, we are going to be very tight on time getting everyone through. Please bear with us.
The aim is to test everyone before they return to school in person. We will repeat the testing of all students, but then ONLY use the testing facility if we have students presenting with symptoms and those identified as close contacts.
Staff will be tested every week.
After we ‘road test’ the system for testing students tomorrow, I will be in touch with you about how we are planning to arrange testing times and the procedure we will follow.
At the time of writing I notice that the Prime Minister is addressing the nation at 8pm this evening. Therefore all of our plans are subject to change. I will keep you updated.
