welcome back
WELCOME We are very much looking forward to welcoming you all to Fettes whether a new or returning Fettesian. Your return to school next week may not be as you had imagined it would be but rest assured that you, your teachers and all of the staff at Fettes are at the centre of our plans and preparations. Your safety, wellbeing and education are of vital importance. The purpose of this document is to highlight the simple and straightforward arrangements we have put in place for a controlled, safe and positive environment. Your willingness to be flexible will be really important because guidelines will change and new procedures or routines
may be needed. Your Housemaster or Housemistress will keep you regularly informed of any changes we need to put in place and we will need you to support Fettes staff by readily adapting and working with us. We are excited to welcome you back and we want you to enjoy every moment of your time at Fettes. We are, all of us, part of a special place, our place, and you are so important to the successful re-opening of our school. We will get through this time stronger and no doubt wiser, and we and the world at large will be all the better for that.
Please follow these guidelines – they are for us all.
Our staff have worked tirelessly to identify risks and eliminate them as much as possible, continually reviewing government advice to ensure a safe opening.
PRACTICAL ADVICE The following is a quick list of the new protocols we will all be adhering to: ✓ Your temperature will be checked as you arrive at the beginning of term and there will be regular checks thereafter ✓ You will be fully briefed on the infection control to be followed on campus (regular handwashing, correct coughing/ sneezing etiquette etc) ✓ Students and staff must wear a face covering when they are on the move i.e. between classes and along corridors.
✓ Hand sanitiser will be available at the entrance and exits of all buildings ✓ There is a one-way system in place with clear signage – please ensure you obey these instructions at all times ✓ All students will be required to carry a school bag to and from lessons ✓ You should not share resources, clothing or equipment with other students ✓ Bring a named water bottle
REMEMBER: You must physically distance from staff and those not in your year group at all times.
YOUR WELLBEING We are really looking forward to welcoming everyone back to Fettes, but we know that this may also be an anxious time for you. You may be feeling a little worried about returning to school for all sorts of reasons. This is very normal and lots of others will be feeling the same way too.
navigate the transition phase safely and address any wellbeing or health and safety concerns.
At Fettes we know how important it is for you to be happy, so that you can take advantage of all the wonderful things on offer here. We are so proud of the pastoral We will take some time in the first few days care which we offer and we will continue of term to help you get used to new routines to look after and support you to the best of and to make sure everyone understands our ability. We cannot wait to see you again what we need to do to keep our community or, if you are joining us for the first time, to safe. As part of the Tutorial programme, welcome you to the Fettes family. PSE sessions will be adapted to help pupils
There are many people here at the school who can help and support you in the days and weeks ahead, all here to listen and talk through any questions or worries you may have.
ROUTINES Boarding We will be following all guidance with respect to residential accommodation to look after the wellbeing of our community and each individual boarding house has undergone a detailed risk assessment. We will talk honestly and openly with you about the situation because this is your home. We have to work together to keep everyone safe and follow government guidance in this special environment.
• Guidelines allow for year groups to be in a ‘bubble’ so day and boarding pupils within a year group can be together in house • Boarding Houses are divided into separate areas where specific year groups are accommodated • All areas will have extra furniture and clutter removed to facilitate infection control
• One-way systems will be established We need to limit access for visitors so sadly around Houses with signage your parents need to remain outside the boarding houses and other school buildings • Day students will not be allowed to enter unless a specific meeting has been arranged. the boarders’ bedroom areas but can use the designated communal year-group Any day pupils travelling to school by public spaces transport must observe the rules on face coverings and we ask that parents dropping • Different year groups in Houses will children off observe distancing guidelines. observe distancing, as will staff We will also follow guidelines for any school • Face coverings will be required in certain transport. areas and at certain times in the boarding house
Transition Timetable We are going to begin term on our • The length of the school day is similar to Transition Timetable. The benefits of this our current timetable and there will be timetable are that we can reduce movement lessons on a Saturday morning around school, stagger start and finish times • There will be two learning blocks of 90 and limit interaction between year groups. minutes before lunch and two of 80 As all students in the same year group are minutes after lunch a ‘bubble’, all students can be taught in the • Games sessions will be integrated into classrooms but the desks will be arranged the timetable and will also happen on a to face the front. Staff will observe physical Saturday afternoon for all students distancing from the students and each other. • There will be an Activities block for each year group built into the timetable with a During this initial phase, there will not daily activity block from 5-6pm spanning be any whole-school assemblies in Chapel year groups but we will look at introducing year group assemblies as the term progresses. • Preps will still be set as usual and there will be the normal quiet time in house in the evening
Sport
Music
We have been working hard and creatively to At this time, the guidelines state that ensure that all Fettesians can enjoy and play music lessons involving singing or playing sport during this different year. wind/brass musical instruments should be avoided during the initial return to schools. After careful thought and consultation with We are therefore looking at continuing other schools, from the start of term until with virtual lessons but will be sending out the end of September we will be playing further information about Instrumental, our Summer sports (athletics, cricket and Singing and Pipes and Drums lessons tennis) with internal matches initially but before the start of term. hopefully with the opportunity to play localised external fixtures when the national governing bodies allow. Effective pre-season training for both rugby and hockey will happen to ensure everyone is ready to play their first external fixtures.
Meals
Cleaning and Laundry
All student meals will now take place in year group tables. During this phase, the lunchtime meal will be served as a packed lunch to ease service but this will be substantial and healthy.
A revised cleaning schedule has been agreed for all areas of the school prioritising areas with mixed entry access and frequently used contact surfaces.
Evening meals for boarders and any day pupils who wish to stay will be our normal service but, again, year groups will sit together.
• Cleaning will be frequent and thorough including classrooms cleaned after each learning block finishes • Boarders will regularly use the laundry service and/or wash their clothes frequently in House laundry rooms with Matrons offering guidance • Day students will be encouraged to wash uniforms frequently at home and should not keep extra items of clothing at school
WHAT IF I FEEL UNWELL? The Medical Centre has been expanded to have separate entrances for Covid-related illnesses and other aches and pains. Please use the Medical Centre as normal for non-Covid concerns but you must use the correct entrance. You will be talked through how to access the Medical Centre at the start of term.
If anyone is suspected of having contracted Covid-19, a clear procedure will be followed to look after the student. They will be isolated while the school’s medical team, consulting with Health Protection Scotland, assess whether other students in the bubble may be required to isolate. Medical staff will liaise with House staff and parents on the procedures required in this case.
We should all be vigilant for the symptoms of Covid-19 and to understand what actions It is essential that day students do not attend we should take if someone develops them, school if symptomatic, but instead selfeither onsite or offsite. isolate (along with their household) and follow guidance from NHS Inform and Test and Protect.
Students must immediately inform a member of staff if they feel unwell with symptoms of Covid-19.
The most common symptoms of Covid-19 are: New continuous cough Fever/high temperature Loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste
In House
Dining Hall
• Be respectful to others at all times
• Come to meals at the allocated time for my year group
• Wear face coverings when asked to do so • Not enter other dorms
FETTES COLLEGE COVID-19 CHARTER Whilst we are at school, we must work together to stay safe. Please ensure you read through this charter and adhere to what we are asking you to do. I Promise To:
Health and Hygiene
• Follow the school rules and expectations and use this code of conduct
• Tell a member of staff if I am feeling unwell
• Observe the signage around the school and follow the one-way systems
• Not come into school if I am feeling unwell
• Remember that frequent handwashing with soap is the best defence
• Wash my hands throughout the day, following the government guidelines
• Stand back and give others space
• Use hand sanitiser where soap and water are not readily available
• Use a face covering when moving around campus
• Use all cleaning equipment provided
• Keep my room ventilated • Not crowd into rooms or small spaces • Keep to my allocated ‘bubble’ as much as I can Conduct in Classrooms
• Form orderly queues and maintain distancing • Wear face coverings when queuing • Sit only in designated areas • Not change the layout of the tables or spacing of chairs Social Interaction
• Wear face coverings when moving around • between classes • • Wait quietly outside my classrooms and • stay in line in corridors • • Not move furniture in classrooms and I will face the front
Maintain physical distancing Avoid hugging and hand-shaking Not crowd together in one place Maintain good cough and sneeze etiquette, using disposable handkerchiefs or the crease of my elbow - not my hands!
• Only use the equipment given to me and not share equipment • Take my books and laptop to class in a bag or rucksack • Carry a full, named water bottle
Thank you for you cooperation and maturity in following this charter.
A MESSAGE FROM MRS HARRISON We very much look forward to seeing you in person next week. All the measures outlined in this Handbook are in response to Covid-19 and are based on the latest guidance from Government. Nevertheless, we all know that the recommendations and advice evolve as new information comes to light and we must be ready to adapt our thinking and procedures. We have every confidence that you will rise to and embrace the challenge and we are proud of all of you.
By working together and watching out for one another, by being the caring community that we know we are, we will look after each other as we enjoy being back at Fettes. Individually, you can contribute by remembering the simple things: maintain an appropriate distance, wash your hands and keep doing so, remain calm and sensible. In return, we will endeavour to provide you with a safe place to live, learn and flourish. I cannot wait to have Fettes full of Fettesians again and I look forward to a very positive and productive term with you all.
Stay safe and Floreas Fettesia!
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