From Monday 29 November, masks must be worn by students, staff and visitors in communal areas of the school building unless exempt.

We have been informed by Surrey County Council to issue the below update to families: 

"Covid rates are rising fast in Surrey and it is important that we do everything we can to get the rates down and protect ourselves and others from the virus. Therefore, with immediate effect, the Surrey County Council Director of Public Health strongly recommends that face coverings should be worn in communal areas (excluding classrooms) for secondary school pupils, staff and visitors, unless they are exempt or have a reasonable excuse. This is applicable to all Surrey schools, education settings and further education settings for the remainder of the Autumn term.

There are a number of other ways parents/carers can help to prevent the spread of the virus:

• Up to one in three people who have COVID-19 can spread the virus without knowing. This is because they have no symptoms, so it is vital that parents/carers get their child a PCR test if they develop coronavirus symptoms.
• Please encourage your secondary school children to lateral flow test twice a week, to avoid unknowingly spreading the virus.

Anyone over the age of 12 is now eligible for their coronavirus vaccination. A full list of all places offering the vaccination across the South East, whether that be first or second doses, or the Covid-19 booster, visit  Find a walk-in coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination site - NHS (www.nhs.uk). To book an appointment – visit Book or manage your coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination - NHS (www.nhs.uk). People that can’t go online can book by phoning 119.”

We appreciate this is far from ideal but given the news at the moment it is clearly proving to be necessary action. As a school we are finding increasing numbers of Covid cases in students and staff. Your full support will be greatly appreciated in providing masks and ensuring your children have them to wear when necessary in school.