COVID-19 Update 1: Response Plan from Principal

Re - Further update regarding Coronavirus - COVID19

Dear EUTC community

Further to my letter last week and the further announcement from COBRA today, I am writing to you regarding our current response plan to the Coronavirus emergency.

Firstly, please rest assured that ​we check regularly with current government advice through the DfE. We are also in close communication with our partner schools in the Danes Educational Trust. We are in touch with each other daily regarding our plans and decisions. Our COVID19 response plan is in line with current government advice as follows:

  • Any students showing any symptoms are NOT to attend school. They should stay home and contact NHS111 online

  • Temperature above 37.8 degrees

  • New sustained cough
    If anyone in your family is suffering from these symptoms then everyone who shares your household should also stay home for up to 2 weeks and seek advice from NHS 111 online

  • Staff will also self isolate if they show any symptoms and will not come into work.

  • Any other stakeholders - this includes parents, governors, outside agencies and partners should not come onto college site unless expressly asked to do so.

  • In order to ensure that our site remains safe and uncontaminated for as long as possible or until schools are instructed to close, we have taken the decision to postpone all trips, meetings with off site professionals, shows, performances, parents evenings, etc - no additional meetings or gatherings are taking place.

  • Year 10 Parents evening on Thursday 26th March 2020 has been postponed

  •  Year 12 Parents evening on Thursday 30th April 2020 has been postponed

  • Our Drama and Performing Arts performances will not be open to the public and we will not release tickets for Limelight, June 2020 until further notice.

  • Keeping our students as safe as possible: We have ensured that all toilets and bathrooms are stocked with soap and students have been briefed in assembly this week about hand washing as they move between different environments.

We will try to stay open until told that it is time to close as per COBRA instructions. However, it may become necessary to close sooner if the numbers of staff who are self isolating or unwell become too high to maintain an appropriate staff/student ratio. If we do have to close sooner than anticipated, we will let you know immediately.

As things stand, we do not have any information regarding the public examinations schedule for this coming May and June 2020. As soon as we have more information regarding the impact of Coronavirus on exams procedures, we will update you.

Finally, staff are working hard to ensure that learning materials and resources are uploaded to our google classroom so that we can be ready to deliver as much curriculum as possible online if, and when, the time comes to close the school for a period of time.

I hope these plans reassure you that we have a robust and rational plan for keeping your children safe and minimising the disruption caused by this public health event.

Thanks for supporting us at this difficult and anxious time. I have been most blessed by our EUTC community who are being kind and considerate to each other as we continue to learn together and share life together at this unprecedented time of national concern.

Keep well and safe all.

Chris Mitchell
Headteacher

COVID-19ESA