Tuesday 4th January

 

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

Happy New Year! Welcome to our weekly update for the first week of the Spring Term 2022.

As I am sure you are aware, on Sunday the government announced that the wearing of face coverings is now required in classrooms as well as in communal areas of the school from today. My thanks to parents/carers who ensured that their child was prepared for this.

Tomorrow our on-site testing will commence and continue for the rest of this week. Please ensure that your child tests at home twice each week - test kits will be issued from school during the course of this week. 

We find ourselves again in an unprecedented and uncertain situation. The school’s objective is to ensure that we provide continuity of education to all students as much as possible. This may become challenging due to staff absence as a result of Covid. The situation may arise where we have to prioritise on-site provision to those year groups who will be taking examinations this summer, and therefore, some year groups may be asked to work remotely for a period of time. We will, of course, try to minimise this and give you as much notice as possible should this situation arise.

The government has changed the self-isolation period for individuals who have tested positive on a PCR test. This information is outlined below. As a reminder, if your child displays any Covid symptoms, they must not attend school and book a PCR test. Similarly, if your child has a positive lateral flow test, they must book a PCR test.

Thank you for your support and very best wishes for the New Year ahead.

Stephen Davis

 

Clarification 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. This also applies to children under 5, with LFD testing at parental or guardian discretion. 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 or childcare setting from day 7.

 

 

Safeguarding briefing: online gaming addiction

 

In recent years, the rise of online gaming alongside multiple lockdowns has led to some young people displaying addictive behaviours that lead them to make poor choices around their health, wellbeing and safety as they spend so much time online. Many students play computer games for a moderate amount of time, and with no ill effects, but some children may display signs of gaming disorders - please see below for possible symptoms, and where to go for advice:

 

Signs of Gaming Disorder

There is no one sign that indicates problematic gaming however here are some common themes that could identify problematic gaming;

• Preoccupation with gaming

• Giving up other activities for gaming

• Continuing to play despite problems caused by gaming

• Using gaming to escape adverse moods

• Withdrawal symptoms when not gaming

• Unsuccessful attempts to reduce or stop gaming

• Deceiving or covering up gaming

 

Understanding Parental Controls

This website provides information about understanding parental controls for specific phones, gaming devices, online and social media;

https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/

 

Advice Around Gaming

Internet Matters offers advice for schools and professionals in relation to gaming and is broken down into school age categories.

https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/online-gaming-advice/

Here are some general support websites and helplines if you think a child is having problems with gaming addiction;

https://www.addictionhelper.com/addiction/gaming/

(source: https://www.tamesidesafeguardingchildren.org.uk/professionals/problematic-gaming)

If you are concerned about the safety or wellbeing of your child or any other child, please do not hesitate to contact the safeguarding team safeguarding@lampton.org.uk.