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Nottingham Girls' Academy

Operating Practices for 2021-22

Updated, 19 August 2021

From 1st September the operating practices at Nottingham Girls' Academy will be changing in accordance with the latest government guidance.

This page describes the operating practices that pupils and their parents should expect at the Academy site from this date. 

Hygiene and Health 
Coronavirus (Covid-19) Symptoms

PUPILS, STAFF AND OTHER ADULTS MUST NOT COME INTO THE SCHOOL IF THEY HAVE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) SYMPTOMS OR HAVE TESTED POSITIVE IN THE LAST 10 DAYS.

If anyone in the school becomes unwell with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature, or has a loss of, or change in, their normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia), they will be sent home and advised to follow ‘stay at home: guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection’, which sets out that they must self-isolate for at least 10 days and should arrange to have a test to see if they have coronavirus (COVID-19). 

If a child is awaiting collection, they will wait in the medical room where they will be isolated behind a closed door with the window open.

Coming into Contact with People with Symptoms

From 16 August 2021, children under the age of 18 years old will no longer be required to self-isolate if they are contacted by NHS Test and Trace as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case.

Instead, children will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace, informed they have been in close contact with a positive case and advised to take a PCR test. We would encourage all individuals to take a PCR test if advised to do so.

Hand Washing/Sanitising

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is an easy virus to kill when it is on skin. This can be done with soap and running water or hand sanitiser. Therefore, pupils must clean their hands regularly, including when:

  • they arrive at school (hand sanitiser dispensers will be installed at each site entrance)
  • after visiting the bathroom (they should use the provided soap and water and wash their hands for at least 20 seconds)
  • when they return from breaks (hand sanitiser dispensers will be installed in each classroom)
  • when they change rooms and before and after eating (hand sanitiser dispensers will be installed at the entrance and exits to the dining room)

Regular and thorough hand cleaning is going to be needed for the foreseeable future.

Face Coverings

Face coverings are no longer advised for pupils, staff and visitors either in classrooms or in communal areas.

The government has removed the requirement to wear face coverings in law but expects and recommends that they are worn in enclosed and crowded spaces where you may come into contact with people you don’t normally meet. This includes public transport and dedicated transport to school or college. Please see the advice being followed by Nottingham City Transport here.

Wearing Face Coverings

Even though there is no obligation to wear a face covering, pupils and adults who wish to wear a face covering may do so.

Whenever they are worn, it is vital that face coverings are worn correctly and that clear instructions are provided to staff, children and young people on how to put on, remove, store and dispose of face coverings in all of the circumstances above, to avoid inadvertently increasing the risks of transmission. Pupils will be provided with information on this during tutor times on their day of return.

Catch It, Bin It, Kill It

The ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach continues to be very important.

Tissues and bins will be available throughout the school to support pupils and staff to follow this routine.

Enhanced Cleaning

We will continue to employ additional cleaning staff to ensure that high contact areas and toilets are regularly cleaned throughout the day.

We will also regularly 'fog' classrooms and indoor communal areas with an anti-viral 'fog'.

Start of Term Dates and Asymptomatic Testing 
Lateral Flow Testing

To allow us to complete two lateral flow tests (3 to 5 days apart) with each pupil on their return to school we need to stagger their return.

Pupils need to attend for a lateral flow test on the day before they return in full uniform for lessons. On this day they will just attend to complete a lateral flow test and then leave again. They will not need to be in uniform. Unfortunately, they cannot be accompanied by an adult onto site.

Our testing centre will be the gym (which has been used as our dining room throughout 2020-21). Access to the testing centre will be via the additional entrance next to the new dining room (currently Gate B).

Consent

Pupils will only be tested if consent has been given to do so and they are happy to do so on the day.

If you have previously given consent for testing this will continue.

If you have not previously given consent, or if you are new to the school (particularly those joining us in Year 7 or Sixth Form) and you would like to give it, please complete our consent form via the button below:

Staggered Start of Term

Pupils will officially start the term on the day after the test (provided it is negative) and should arrive no later than 8.40am, in full school uniform, via the main pedestrian entrance to the school (currently gate A).

The testing dates and return to school dates for each year group are as follows with the times different groups of pupils should arrive below that:

Year 7

  • Lateral Flow Testing: Wednesday 1 September, MORNING
  • First day of school: Thursday 2 September.

Year 8

  • Lateral Flow Testing: Friday 3 September, MORNING
  • First day of school: Monday 6 September.

Year 9

  • Lateral Flow Testing: Friday 3 September, AFTERNOON
  • First day of school: Monday 6 September.

Year 10

  • Lateral Flow Testing: Thursday 2 September, MORNING
  • First day of school: Friday 3 September.

Year 11

  • Lateral Flow Testing: Thursday 2 September, AFTERNOON
  • First day of school: Friday 3 September.

Sixth Form

  • Lateral Flow Testing: Wednesday 1 September, AFTERNOON
  • First day of school: Thursday 2 September.
Test Times

To ensure our testing centre is not overrun, it is vital that all pupils attend for their test at the time allocated below based on the first letter of their surname.

MORNING Testing Slots

 

AFTERNOON Testing Slots

9am-10am

Surnames A to H

 

1pm-2pm

Surnames A to H

10am-11am

Surnames I to Q

 

2pm-3pm

Surnames I to Q

11am-12am

Surnames R to Z

 

3pm-4pm

Surnames R to Z

Bubbles and Zones 

Pupils will no longer be separated into whole year-group bubbles or segregated in outside zones for different year groups.

However, should there be an outbreak at the Academy, we may be asked by public health officals to temporarily revert to the use of bubbles. Our plans on how we would manage this will be published in our Outbreak Management Plan in due course.

The School Day 

The school day will no longer be staggered.

All pupils should all arrive by 8.40am for an 8.45am start to tutor time.

The school day will conclude at 3.15pm 

Breakfast Club, Break Time and Lunch Time 
Breakfast Club

From 1st September 2021 we will be reopening our Breakfast Club. Pupils in receipt of Free School Meals will be entitled to a free breakfast every morning.

Break Time

We will also be reopening our provision for snacks at break time.

Lunch Time

As we have done throughout the pandemic, we will be serving hot and cold food at lunch times.

From 1st Septmeber pupils will be abel to dine in our brand new dining room!

Parent Pay

The cash top-up machines on site will not be available for use and parents will only be able to top up accounts online (via parent pay) to pay for their daughters’ food.

Uniform 
School Uniform

We expect the girls to wear the full school uniform as usual.

Pupils who are not in the correct uniform will be sent home to get changed.

PE and Dance

On days when pupils have PE or dance, pupils should wear their usual school uniform and will be given time to get changed for the lesson in the changing rooms provided at the start of the lesson.

Curriculum and Learning 
Wellbeing

We are very conscious that some pupils will have found lockdown difficult and stressful and will be anxious about coming back to school. Tutor times will be 30 minutes long (rather than the usual 15 minutes) and we have planned work on wellbeing so that pupils can make sense (as far as any of us can) of the last few months and the impact it has had on their lives.

Lessons

We will provide the full curriculum and follow our usual timetable. The lifting of 'bubbles' means that all pupils will have access to specialist classrooms for science and technology lessons.

Remote Learning

Any pupil that is unable to attend school for Covid-19 reasons will be expected to continue learning remotely via Teams.

Pupils will be registered for these lessons as usual.

Full details of what they are expected to do can be found in our  Home Learning Hub.

Equipment
 

As a minimum, all pupils are expected to have the following equipment with them every day in school:

  • Pens (black or blue for writing)
  • Pencils (standard HB for drawing diagrams)
  • Ruler
  • Rubber
  • Sharpener
  • School bag (large enough to carry their equipment, school books, PE kit and lunch as required)

We would also recommend the following items:

  • Highlighters
  • Glue stick
  • Protractor
  • Pair of compasses
  • Coloured pencil crayons
  • Scientific calculator (we recommend the Casio fx-83gtx)
Extra-Curricular Activities 

We expect to restart a full programme of extra-curricular opportunities from September.