The College’s latest advice and position regarding Coronavirus
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The College Leadership Team is closely monitoring the current outbreak of Coronavirus and continues to follow the advice and guidance of Public Health England.
All updates from the Headmaster and College Leadership Team will be posted on this page.
Updates from the College Leadership Team
Thursday 2 September 2021
The College continues to follow the advice and guidance of Public Health England. The start of the Michaelmas Term will begin as planned, term dates can be found here.
As per government guidance, school ‘bubbles’ are no longer in operation. We do still expect students to be sensible and cautious in their interactions: they should still be avoiding any direct physical contact with one another and ensuring they wash their hands thoroughly and regularly in the toilets or the external handwashing stations. Students may use Senior School toilet facilities in both the old and new buildings but should not use any marked for Junior School only (and vice versa). Students may bring their own sanitiser although there are also sanitiser and handwashing stations around the site. Cleaning materials for desks are also located in every classroom.
We will be following the government guidance on face coverings for students in secondary schools. As such, adults and students are no longer required to wear face coverings on school premises. Nonetheless, we recognise that many will still wish to wear a face covering by choice all or some of the time and we respect the wishes of students who make this choice. We would ask that all students do bring a clean face covering to school each day in case they find themselves in a situation where they or another person would feel more comfortable wearing a face covering. We would expect students and adults to respect the reasonable wishes of others in this regard.
Start of term arrangements can be found in the letters below.
Friday 27 August 2021
Start of Term Arrangements for Junior School
Start of Term Arrangements for Senior School
March 2021 Updates
Friday 26 March - Headmaster's Update
Friday 19 March - Headmaster's Update
Friday 5 March - Headmaster's Update
All other Return to College information has been sent in this week's parent and carers bulletin.
February 2021 Updates
Friday 26 February - Headmaster's Update
NHS Test and Trace: Senior School
Thursday 25 February - Statement from the Headmaster following updates on exams
Announcements made in the last 24 hours regarding assessment expectations and grade calculation for GCSEs and A Levels this summer have provided further levels of complexity that require us to review and clarify further our approach. We invite Year 13 to a seminar for parents and students on Tuesday 2 March at 1800 and Year 11 on Wednesday at 1800, so that we can share our updated thinking. I will lead both seminars, accompanied by Mr Holmes and the relevant Section lead. Links to the Teams meeting will follow in due course.
Monday 22 February - Statement from the Headmaster following the announcement schools will reopen on March 8
The College Leadership Team have now met in response to the latest announcements from the Prime Minister. As we have done throughout this pandemic, we will continue to adhere to government guidance and we therefore look forward to welcoming all pupils back to the College site during the week of Monday 8 March. There will naturally be many more details to follow, some of which will likely appear in this week’s parent bulletin, but for the time being I know that you will all be grateful for what does seem to be a light at the end of a very long tunnel.
Friday 12 February - Headmaster's Update
Friday 5 February - Headmaster's Update
January 2021 Updates
Friday 29 January - Headmaster's Update
Friday 22 January - Headmaster's Update
Friday 15 January - Headmaster's Update
Junior School updates
Weekly update from Miss Whitwood
Update on Remote Learning in the Junior School
Friday 8 January - Headmaster's Update
Wednesday 6 January
A statement following the announcement from the Government on A-Level and GCSE examinations from our Deputy Head Academic, Mr Jonathan Holmes:
'We note the recent announcement from the Secretary of State for Education that A-Level and GCSE examinations will not run this summer, although we await further news from our international examination boards as to their plans, and of course will update students and parents when we know more.
The announcement today will inevitably bring a sense of deep disappointment for our hard-working and dedicated Year 11 and Year 13 students, who have been working hard for many months in the anticipation of formal exams at the end of this year, and as an endorsement of their very great efforts and considerable ability. We look forward to further detail on how A-Level and GCSE grades will be awarded, and we are relieved that the judgement of our teachers will play a central role in this calculation. It is undoubtedly the case that these ensuing months will play a vital role in providing critical data that will ensure these students achieve the excellent grades of which they are capable, and we therefore encourage all our Year 11 and Year 13 students to remain positive and engage fully and proactively with the full remote learning programme until such time as the restrictions are lifted and we can welcome students back on site once again. More details and information regarding mock examinations and other points of data collection will follow to examination classes in due course.'
Tuesday 5 January
Message from Mr Holmes, Deputy Head Academic, for Year 11 and 13.
Message from Mrs Davies, Deputy Head Pastoral, for Senior School.
Message from Mrs Carmichael-Line for Junior School pupils
Monday 4 January - 10.00pm - Update from the Headmaster following the Prime Minister's latest announcement.
With the announcement from the Prime Minister this evening, there will now be no taught lessons on Teams occurring tomorrow, Tuesday 5 January (including in-person teaching in the Nursery), in order to allow all staff the only day they now have to prepare for the extensive period of virtual teaching that is expected of them, and which must now happen from their homes.
We know you will appreciate that this will come with additional logistical challenges for staff and for which they will require this day of preparation. If you are a parent or carer of a vulnerable child, or if you are a critical worker, we will do our best to maintain supervision at school tomorrow for your children but would ask if at all possible that you keep your child at home, until we have the site and teachers ready for the full programme to begin on Wednesday 6 January.
If you do need your child to be supervised at school tomorrow, they must arrive no earlier than 1000 and we require notification of this by 0800 – all notification should be sent to either jsoffice@stdunstans.org.uk or collegeoffice@stdunstans.org.uk. We are sorry for the short notice and timescales we are all having to respond to. We appreciate that some students might require access to the school site in order to collect their learning resources. We will consider this tomorrow and send you notification accordingly.
Monday 4 January
Please see information to download on testing and guidance for Covid-related student absence.
Covid-related student absence - Guidance for Parents and Students
These can also be found in our 'Useful Resources' page.
Saturday 2 January
Reopening of the Junior School - Update from the Head of Junior School