Once students have had their onsite test (if eligible) we need them to complete a second test at home.  (Additional tests will be provided to students from the school’s test centre).

We strongly encourage all students to continue taking tests twice weekly at home.  This is important as it stops positive cases coming into school and reduces the risk of transmission. We will provide test kits as they arrive from the DfE. However, last year we experienced some delays in the kits arriving in school, therefore, we suggest that families use this link to order spare tests, just in case there are issues with supply from the DfE:

www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests

Recommended Parent/Carer Action:

• Complete 2 home tests each week
• Let us know asap if your son tests positive via: covid19@knbs.co.uk
• report all results to NHS Test and Trace

There is now updated guidance on LFD and PCR tests.  

If you do not have symptoms and have a positive LFD test you are no longer required to confirm this with a PCR test.  You should isolate with the test date as day 1.

If you do have symptoms, you should book a PCR test and if it is positive you should isolate in line with requirements.  

Once students have had their onsite test (if eligible) we need them to complete a second test at home.  (Additional tests will be provided to students from the school’s test centre).

We strongly encourage all students to continue taking tests twice weekly at home.  This is important as it stops positive cases coming into school and reduces the risk of transmission. We will provide test kits as they arrive from the DfE. However, last year we experienced some delays in the kits arriving in school, therefore, we suggest that families use this link to order spare tests, just in case there are issues with supply from the DfE:

www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests

Recommended Parent/Carer Action:

• Complete 2 home tests each week
• Let us know asap if your son tests positive via: covid19@knbs.co.uk
• report all results to NHS Test and Trace

Information on the changes to the self-isolation period for individuals who test positive for COVID-19

Since Wednesday 22 December, the 10 day self-isolation period for people who record a positive PCR test result for COVID-19 has been reduced to 7 days in most circumstances, unless you cannot test for any reason.

Individuals may now take LFD tests on day 6 and day 7 of their self-isolation period. Those who receive two negative test results are no longer required to complete 10 full days of self-isolation. The first test must be taken no earlier than day 6 of the self-isolation period and tests must be taken 24 hours apart. If both these test results are negative, and you do not have a high temperature, you may end your self-isolation after the second negative test result and return to your education setting from day 8.

Anyone who is unable to take LFD tests will need to complete the full 10 day period of self-isolation. Further information is available in the stay at home: guidance for households with possible or confirmed COVID-19 infection.

Daily testing for close contacts of COVID-19

People who are fully vaccinated, or children and young people aged between 5 and 18 years and 6 months, identified as a close contact of someone with COVID-19, should take an LFD test every day for seven days and continue to attend their setting as normal, unless they have a positive test result or develop symptoms at any time.

Required Parent/Carer Action:  

• Informing School of a Positive Case                                                   
• Carrying out daily testing is your son is a close contact of a positive case or if he is recovering from COVID

Even though the responsibility is now in the parent/student to liaise with test and trace, it is essential that we know of positive cases so we can monitor possible transmission and support with blended learning.

Please make sure you share any positive test results with us via:  0121 628 0100 or covid19@knbs.co.uk

Updated guidance - face coverings to be worn in education settings

From Sunday 2 January, it is recommended that face coverings are worn in classrooms where pupils in year 7 and above are educated. The advice is short term only, to support pupils and teachers as they return to school this term and builds on the existing proportionate guidance that recommends face coverings for all adults in communal areas of all settings. The advice on face coverings in classrooms will be in place, at least, until Wednesday 26 January, when Plan B regulations are currently scheduled to expire, at which point it will be reviewed by the DfE.

It is important therefore that students bring with them to school a face mask.  We have a small number of disposable masks, however students should not rely on having one of these as supplies are limited and replenishing these supplies is proving costly. 

Required Parent/Carer Action: 

• Ensure your son brings a Face Mask to school
• Contact us if your son is exempt so we can provide a lanyard for him

We will move to virtual assemblies for our January return.  We will continue with our assembly programme; these will however now take place in via video link in form rooms.

After school clubs are an essential part of why KNBS is such a special place, we intend to continue our extra-curricular provision, however we will monitor closely.

The new guidelines do however prevent us planning for visiting speakers, large events, face-to-face parents’ evenings, or theatre groups. We will monitor the guidance and re-introduce these when it is safe to do so.

Please be aware that year group assemblies are not banned and if we feel that an urgent or very important message requires an assembly to take place then we continue with that assembly in the normal way.  In this unlikely event students would be expected to follow the same mask wearing as if they were in a classroom.

We will continue to provide sanitiser in classrooms, toilets, canteen and dining room (sanitiser in science will not be alcohol based so that experiments can again take place).  We have increased the regularity of our fogging of classrooms and communal areas.

We will not be asking students to clean desks at the end of lessons.

Other mitigations we could implement:

We can move back to desk cleaning if required.

Our September timetable starts with a form period (8:30 - 8:50) and ends with a form period (2:55 - 3:05). In our review of 2020-21, we have missed this opportunity to start the day positively with all students.

Our school day:

We will continue to operate a staggered end to the day, this seems to have been successful in avoiding large crowds of students.

• Years 7 & 8 will finish at 2:55 (after period 5)
• Years 9, 10 and 11 will finish at 3:05 (after form – unless they have after school sessions)

We intend to run this for the September and then review it.

Other mitigations we could implement:

If required, we can move to staggered starts and/or finishes

• Years 7 & 8 would start at 8:30 and finish between 2:55 – 3:00
• Years 9, 10 & 11 would start at 8:40 and finish from 3:00 – 3:05

Required Parent/Carer Action: Collecting Students after school

Parking is tight near to the school, and we have been tasked with reducing the number of cars waiting near to school, especially those parked on the kerb. Local officers will be spending more time outside of schools monitoring this as there is a direct link between parked cards and accidents.

If you are collecting your son after school, please arrange a safe space to meet him. This could be in nearby roads that are not as busy, or even at Row Heath car park, which is only a short walk away.

The DfE no longer requires schools to organise their students into bubbles. We will still limit our main activities to year groups (e.g., assemblies, lessons, extra-curricular clubs) except for peer mentoring and tuition programmes. We will continue to have some separation of year groups at lunch and break time.

Other mitigations we could implement:

• We can return to bubbles by dividing the playground for different year groups.
• We can move to separate canteen slots for different year groups.

We intend to have two break times:

• One 20-minute break for Years 7 & 8
• One 20-minute break for Years 9, 10 & 11

Other mitigations we could implement:

If we need to adapt this, we have the capacity to move to more breaks

We intend to have two lunch times:

• One 45-minute break for Years 7 & 8
• One 45-minute break for Years 9, 10 & 11

Other mitigations we could implement:

If we need to adapt this, we have the capacity to move to more lunches that are a little shorter.

We will maintain our one-way system in the school building. It has worked well and is something we intend to keep longer term.

Other mitigations we could implement:

• No adaptations required.

We are currently developing an action plan to support students’ travel to school.  This will be shared with families on completion. It will encourage boys to walk or to ride their bikes to school; there are huge health benefits in them doing so, and it will encourage fewer cars within the vicinity of the school.

Cycling: we can now return to storing our bikes in suitable bike sheds. We plan to develop a bike shed area for Years 7 & 8 and use our main bike shelter for Years 9, 10 & 11.

Public Transport: we will encourage our students to continue wearing face coverings on Public Transport, though this is not mandatory.

Other mitigations we could implement:

If required, we can revise our arrangements for the storage of students’ bikes on the school site. Students who ride their bike to school will be advised during their induction of where to store their bikes.

Required Parent/Carer Action: Bike security

We have noticed that not all boys bring a bike lock; please make sure that they have a lock and remind them to lock their bike up even when in a bike shed.

We understand that it has sometimes been difficult to replace uniform during lockdown. However, in order to start 2021-22 as we mean to go on, it is essential that all students are in full school uniform in September. Our Pastoral Team will be sending a separate communication providing clarity about our uniform expectations. 

In line with Leisure Centres and Sports Clubs, we will move back to students using our changing facilities before and after their PE lessons. Lockers are available through Parent Pay so students do not need to carry their kit and belongings around with them all day.

Other mitigations we could implement:

• If we need to then students will come to school in their PE kit on PE days.