Back to School Guide September 2021
qebarnet.co.uk
Contents 01
Introduction
04 Play Your Part, Help Control the Virus – Our Three Key Messages 13
Face Coverings, Be Prepared
14
Guided by Government & the NHS
16
Guidance on Isolation
17
NHS Test and Trace
19
Enhanced Cleaning Arrangements
20 Other Practical Details – Moving around the site and more 22 Coming and Going 23 Supporting our Staff 25 Asymptomatic Testing 28 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Appendices 34 Appendix 1 – Arrangement for school coaches 36 Appendix 2 – Arrangements for Year 7 on-site Covid tests on Wednesday 1st September
Introduction The 2020–21 academic year was a very successful one in which we made strong progress and achieved excellent outcomes. I look back with considerable pride at how the boys, staff and wider QE community navigated the challenging circumstances so successfully. We are determined to keep this up and to minimise disruption while still keeping everyone safe. Nationally, most restrictions ended earlier in the summer, with the move to Stage 4 of the Government’s road map bringing the end of formal social distancing, bubbles, limits on gatherings and of mandatory mask-wearing in most settings. As a result, we hope that this this new year will look and
Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet 1
feel more like our pre-pandemic ‘normal’. I would, however, sound a note of caution: it is clear that the virus has not gone away, and we all need to be responsible and continue to play our part in restricting its spread. Our three main messages Please keep your distance, Wash your hands and Catch it, bin it, kill it all emphatically remain in place. It is worth noting that adhering to them will help protect all of us from other seasonal illnesses, which are predicted to re-bound. To get the term off to a safe and smooth start, it is vital that everyone engages with the return-to-School testing programme, of which details were supplied before the end of the Summer Term. For our new Year 7s, this will involve being tested in-School on Wednesday 1st September. For Years 8-13, who are well-accustomed to home testing already, we are asking you to ensure you have taken two tests prior to the start of term (on Sunday 29th August and Wednesday 1st September), returned negative results, and reported these to the School via the Test Register system. Anyone testing positive should isolate and book a PCR test. As last year, anyone isolating will be able to join their lessons on MS Teams. Isolating when needed is one of the most important things you can do to prevent the virus spreading. The contact-tracing process will now be conducted by NHS Test and Trace, not by schools (though we may be asked to assist on occasion by local public health protection teams). The rules have also changed so that those identified as close contacts will not necessarily need to isolate for ten days. Tracers may ask you to take a PCR test instead, freeing you to return to your planned activities, provided it is negative.
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We know now that the situation and the guidance can change rapidly, so we also ask everyone to ‘be prepared’ and to show the adaptability and good humour which has characterised the Elizabethan community’s response to this pandemic. For example, even though wearing face coverings is discretionary in most situations, we ask everyone to have a mask with them each day in case there is an outbreak, or a member of staff asks boys to wear one for a particular activity. By continuing to pull together, by supporting one another, and by retaining our determination, I am hopeful we can enjoy a great year.
Neil Enright Headmaster
Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet 3
Play your part Help control the virus Our Three Key Messages Whilst this guide also includes other important aspects of our work to protect the School community from Covid-19, our three key messages remain Please keep your distance, Wash your hands and Catch it, bin it, kill it. To keep everyone Covid-safe, it is vital that all continue to adhere rigorously to them. These measures will also have a wider health benefit, since they will significantly limit the spread of seasonal infections, such as colds and the flu.
Posters and banners are prominently displayed around the School to remind everyone of these messages. The following pages explain them in more detail.
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Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet 5
Please, keep your distance • Whilst formal social distancing and year-group bubbles have ended, pupils should still pay attention to their distance from others and should maximise this distance so far as is practical. • Pupils enter classrooms immediately on arrival to avoid queuing and overcrowding in corridors and doorways before the start of lessons. • All desks are arranged to face forwards, with seating plans in place so that we can both reduce the number of close contacts and keep track of them. • Teachers have been advised to circulate in lessons at their own discretion, remaining at the front for most of the time. • The sharing of textbooks, worksheets and other resources is being minimised insofar as this is possible. Teachers will, for example:
— Scan textbook pages so they can be displayed on interactive white boards
— Send worksheets and resources to pupils in advance so they can be printed out. Where this is not possible, they will…
— Avoid materials being passed from hand to hand around a classroom.
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• Pupils should begin packing up in advance of the bell to ensure that they can be dismissed from the classroom immediately after the bell has rung. • Teachers will monitor the corridor as classes are being dismissed to avoid congestion.
Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet 7
Wash your hands • All pupils, staff and visitors should wash their hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, e.g. upon arrival at School, before eating, on departure etc. • Pupils should sanitise their hands as they enter and leave at the start and end of every lesson; teachers will carefully control the entry and exit of pupils to ensure this happens. • Hand sanitiser is being provided in every classroom and at other key points, such as reception, dining areas and The Queen’s Library. Some dispensers, such as that outside the Dining Hall, are automatic devices. • Although hand sanitiser is provided, we also encourage pupils and staff to carry their own, and to use it regularly. • Pupils can use the alcohol wipes provided to clean desk/chair surfaces before the lesson begins. Teachers will clean shared resources with alcohol wipes before and after use. • More information on the School’s wider cleaning preparations and routines may be found on the Enhanced Cleaning Arrangements page below.
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Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet 9
Catch it, bin it, kill it • All boys, staff and visitors to the School are requested to carry their own tissues and to use them to catch a cough or sneeze. They should then immediately dispose of them in a waste bin, as well as washing or sanitising their hands. Packs containing tissues and wipes will be available in each classroom. • Staff will ensure classroom bins are accessible for pupils to throw away tissues during lessons. All classroom bins have a lid, and there are lidded wheelie bins in the playgrounds. Lids are wiped down regularly. • Everyone should take care to avoid touching their nose, mouth and other areas of their face. • Doors and windows are being kept open wherever possible to increase natural ventilation. Mag-lock doors have been installed in Main Building and the Fern Building to assist this. • Face coverings remain mandatory on School coaches and many public transport routes. They may be worn at personal discretion in classrooms, corridors, and other indoor communal areas. Boys and staff should be in possession of a face covering each day in case it is needed. After use, pupils must ensure masks are safely disposed of. See more information on the following two pages.
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Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet 11
ON SCHOOL COACHES
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ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT
IN SCHOOL CORRIDORS
Face Coverings Be Prepared Wearing face coverings (masks) is mandatory on School coaches and most public transport, including all Transport for London routes, unless there is a medical exemption. In other places, such as classrooms, indoor communal areas and corridors, the wearing of masks is at personal discretion. We are asking all pupils to have a face covering with them each day and to wear it if asked to do so by a member of staff. This might occur, for example: if a higher-risk activity, such as face-to-face group work, is planned; if someone particularly vulnerable is present, or if there are positive cases that require an escalation in control measures as part of the School’s outbreak management plan. Some boys may have a medical reason for exemption from the requirement to wear masks. As previously, they should get a note in writing from their GP, or other appropriate medical professional, and carry this with them to produce if challenged. Any parents with concerns about this should speak to their son’s Head of Year. Those wearing face coverings must ensure that they put on, remove, store and dispose of them safely, washing/sanitising their hands before and after use, and, ideally, keeping their masks in a sealable plastic bag when not in use. They should avoid touching their mask or their face as much as possible. The wearing of masks in no way reduces the need for the other measures set out in this guide, especially Keep your distance, Wash your hands and Catch it, bin it, kill it. These should also be scrupulously observed.
Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet 13
Guided by Government & the NHS QE strategy follows public health advice QE has been guided by the latest essential control measures drawn up by the Government and the NHS for schools: •
Ensure good hygiene for everyone – largely covered in Our Three Key Messages section above
• Maintain appropriate cleaning regimes – see our Enhanced Cleaning Arrangements section below • Keep occupied spaces well ventilated – see our Catch it, bin it, kill it section above • Follow public health advice on testing, self-isolation and managing confirmed cases of Covid-19 •
Promote and engage in asymptomatic testing – see our Asymptomatic Testing section below.
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Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet 15
Guidance on Isolation The specific coronavirus symptoms highlighted by the NHS are: •
A high temperature
•
A new, continuous cough
•
A loss of, or change to, your sense of smell or taste
As soon as you experience any of these symptoms, you must: •
stay home, or go home (reporting first to the front office if symptoms develop when on the School premises).
•
isolate and not leave home for at least 10 days, (or until the fever has subsided, if beyond this).
• arrange for yourself to be tested as soon as possible (by visiting the official NHS website) and booking a PCR test (the type sent off to a laboratory). There is some evidence that other symptoms may be increasingly prevalent with the now-dominant delta variant and so, if in doubt, seek a test.
People must isolate for ten days if anyone in their household develops symptoms or tests positive, whether from a PCR test or from an LFD test (the type done at School and at home). If a positive LFD test result is received, a confirmatory PCR test should be booked without delay. If a test comes back negative, you can return to School if feeling well: at this point, others in your household can stop their isolation, unless any of them have also experienced symptoms, in which case all must continue to isolate. Isolation rules must be followed even if a person knows, or believes, that they have had Covid-19 before.
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NHS Test and Trace As stated on the previous page, if you have Covid-19 symptoms, you must get tested promptly. While the School may be able to assist with this, the test should be done through the national scheme. While your test result is pending, you must not attend School, even if you are no longer symptomatic, or have not been symptomatic at all. If you are in household isolation (because another family member has experienced symptoms and/or tested positive), you must isolate for the full ten days. Even if you test negative, you must not return to School within this period. This is in line with Government advice. Once you receive your test result, whether positive or negative, you must send evidence to the School via absence@qebarnet.co.uk. This could be as a forwarded email, a screenshot of a text message etc. In the case of a positive test, contact tracing must be done. This will be conducted by NHS Test and Trace, not by schools themselves as was the case last year (though public health professionals may sometimes ask the School to assist). You must cooperate fully with Government tracers and isolate or take a test if asked to do so. A suspected or confirmed case at School does not necessarily mean that others will be sent home en masse: NHS Test and Trace will advise if you are close contact and give instructions. This may involve taking a PCR test, after which you may be able to return to School if the result is negative.
Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet 17
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Enhanced Cleaning Arrangements • A full programme of
• In-lesson routines have
enhanced and targeted daily
been adapted to ensure
cleaning is being maintained
work spaces remain clean.
throughout the School.
Doors are propped open, where possible, to reduce
• A further deep clean took place during the summer holidays.
contact with ‘touch pointsʼ and to aid ventilation.
It included classroom furniture, floors and windows, as well as
• An emergency call-out
some large spaces, such as the
cleaning procedure is in
Shearly Hall. Air-conditioning
place to deal with incidents.
units were cleaned. • Medical rooms will be • Additional, regular cleaning
professionally cleaned
of common ‘touch pointsʼ
after any usage where
– e.g. door handles, bannisters
coronavirus is suspected.
and toilets – will take place.
Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet 19
Other Practical Details Moving around the site and more • Pupils will still move between different departments. This is so that they can benefit from specialist teaching spaces; so that the setting system, which contributes significantly to academic progress, can be maintained, and also so that teachers can generally stay in their own rooms, better enabling them to provide a safe environment. • Heads of Subject and QE’s senior leadership have worked together on any adaptations necessary to ensure safety e.g. relating to the use of Science equipment and how performance music is structured. The PE department are following sectorspecific and sport-specific safety guidance. • Playgrounds are assigned to single year groups, and each year group has a defined time and location for lunch. • All pupils should have their own stationery and not share such equipment with others. • Until further notice, no more than two pupils will be allowed into the School shop at a time, with break only to be used to collect pre-orders.
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• We are encouraging pupils to bring their own water bottles. They will still be able to get water at School to top them up. Signs at filling points will advise boys about safe usage and regular cleaning. Pupils should not drink straight from the filling point. • Pupils will not typically be invited into any shared staff offices. They should use the counters in reception, Business Administration and The Queen’s Library, as these are ‘customer service’ points and have had screens etc. installed. • The gym toilets have been made accessible from Red Square, increasing available provision. The disabled toilet in the Main Building will be locked, with the keys kept in reception and the medical room, for use only by those who have a disability and those in the medical room. • There are contractors on-site working on the construction of the new Music School. They will adhere to their own health and safety standards, and these contractors will remain separate from the rest of the School.
Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet 21
Coming and Going • When arriving in the mornings, pupils should head straight to their designated outside areas and may enter their form rooms from 8.30am (or before, in the event of wet weather). • When dropping off or picking up their sons, parents are requested not to approach the Main Gate or Marriott Road gate and also to remain in their vehicles. To ensure safety in front of the School gates, it would be helpful if drop-offs/ pick-ups can take place further away from the School, in locations where it is safe and legal to do so. We seek to be good neighbours: please abide by all local parking and traffic restrictions, and follow our travel dos and don’ts. • No parents will be allowed past the security guards at the Main Gate unless they have an appointment. Visitors will be held at the gate while contact is made with reception and sent up only when it is safe do to so. Reception has been arranged to limit contact between visitors and staff.
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Supporting our Staff • We are expecting the full complement of staff to return in September 2021. Regular asymptomatic testing is offered to all and will continue at the start of term. We will continue working on an individual basis to minimise the risk for those whose existing health leaves them more vulnerable. • Risk assessments will be carried out for all visiting staff, such as trainee teachers from the Initial Teacher Training programme and peripatetic Music teachers, for their own wellbeing and to protect the School. They will be fully briefed, such as on maximising distance and on not sharing equipment.
Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet 23
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Asymptomatic Testing Introduction Around 1 in 3 people with the Covid-19 virus have no symptoms and could therefore be spreading it unwittingly. Asymptomatic testing is about identifying these cases and taking them ‘out of circulation’ to reduce transmission. These tests use lateral flow devices (LFD), which involve self-administered swabs. In order to carry out this testing programme, the School needs families’ consent. Parents of all new Year 7 boys joining the School in September 2021 will be contacted separately to request their consent. Parents should also discuss testing with their sons. Asymptomatic testing is not compulsory, and the forms include an option to decline consent, but the Government and the School strongly encourages participation in the programme, since higher levels of testing will help limit case numbers within the School and reduce disruption.
Those who consented previously to take part in testing from March 2021 do not need to do so again, as this consent remains valid.
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Year 7 In order to ensure that Year 7 pupils will be able to confidently and correctly administer LFD tests at home under our asymptomatic testing programme, we are offering all of them one test at School on Wednesday 1st September, the day before they start their studies. The arrival time for each of the six form groups is staggered. Please see our FAQ nos 1–2 and Appendix 2 for further information. If you are bringing your son to and from these sessions by car, please follow our traffic and travel dos and don’ts. Home testing for Year 7 boys, using test kits provided by the School, will begin on Sunday 5th September and continue twice a week thereafter. If your son were to test positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday 1st September, he would, of course, need to go into immediate isolation for ten days. In any such case, we would contact you immediately and explain how he could access his lessons using Microsoft Teams.
Years 8–13 We are asking that all pupils in Years 8-13 perform two tests at home – on Sunday 29th August and Wednesday 1st September – before returning to School on Thursday 2nd September. They should report their results to the School via Test Register. (They will receive an email reminder with log-in information for this). After the start of term, they should resume home testing. Since the School did not receive a further delivery of LFD home testing kits before the end of last term, families may now be running low. If that is the case, they should source kits themselves for these two tests – see our FAQ no. 2 for advice on how to do this. Pupils in Year 13 and their families should also note the specific Government guidance for this age group detailed in FAQ no. 4.
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Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet 27
FAQ 1. When can my son/I return to School? All our new intake of Year 7 boys should come into School in uniform for a few hours on Wednesday 1st September in order to receive a Covid-19 test and meet with their form tutors. Each form group has a different arrival and departure time, as listed in Appendix 2 below. For all Year 7 boys who test negative, lessons start the following day, Thursday 2nd September. Years 8–13 should return to School on Thursday 2nd September, provided they have returned two negative tests from their two home Covid tests on Sunday 29th August and Wednesday 1st September. The results of these tests should be reported through the School’s Test Register system and to the NHS results service.
2. How will home testing work? Families will continue to be provided with kits via the School for twice-weekly home testing. The kits are suitable for home use and will include the necessary operating instructions, as well as details on how to log the test and result with the NHS Test & Trace service. These tests require pupils to self-administer swabs before testing the sample using the lateral flow device. The result should be reported as positive, negative or void at that point. All results need to be communicated to the School independently via the Test Register system and all positive test results should also be sent to absence@qebarnet.co.uk. Void tests should be repeated once. If two void results are received, a PCR test should be booked. A small in-School testing centre will remain in place to support those unable to conduct tests at home. If families need additional kits, these are available, at no cost, by: ordering them to be sent from the Government’s online service; by using an NHS Test and Trace online service to locate a provider near their home, or from many local pharmacies.
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3. What if a pupil is not participating in asymptomatic testing? Whilst it is not compulsory to participate in asymptomatic testing, it is strongly advocated by both the Government and the School, as the higher the uptake, the more effective testing will be at limiting case numbers within the School and at reducing disruption. Asymptomatic testing can help protect your loved ones at home, as well as your friends and peers. Notwithstanding, those not participating in testing should return to School on Thursday 2nd September.
4. What happens if a pupil is a close contact? The pupil will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace (who are conducting contact tracing) if that is the case. They will advise a course of action. Those doublevaccinated or under 18 will be asked to take a PCR test themselves. If they test positive, they will still have to isolate, but if negative, they will not. This is in line with the latest Government guidance. Those aged 18 will be treated as under 18 until four months after their 18th birthday, to give them time to be doublejabbed. If they choose not to take the vaccine, they would have to isolate for the full ten days if identified as a close contact
5. What should I do if I feel unwell at School? Go first to the front office. You will then be told where you should go. (Note that any pupil assisting you should maintain a safe distance). In addition to the medical room, where there will be PPE for first aid staff, other venues have been identified as isolation rooms, or auxiliary medical rooms, so that safe distances can be observed and those with Covid-19 symptoms can be kept separate from those needing medical assistance for other reasons. Seven additional members of staff have been trained in First Aid to increase capacity.
Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet 29
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6. And what if a boy feels unwell or develops Covid-19 symptoms at home? If a boy develops Covid-19 symptoms, he must not attend School. Our normal absence procedures will be in operation, so absence because of sickness should be reported through the normal channels – by replying directly to the text message sent at 9.30am to the parents of boys absent on a School day, or by emailing absence@qebarnet.co.uk, or by leaving a voicemail on the boys’ absence option of the School’s main telephone system. Prior notice of absences should be made by email. Please be assured that we do fully understand that if pupils, or others in their families, are showing symptoms, they will need to stay at home and isolate. If a pupil is absent for a reason associated with coronavirus, the School should be notified at the earliest opportunity and then kept up to date, so that appropriate support can be put in place.
7. If my son develops coronavirus symptoms, can he stay in isolation at School for the rest of the day? No. Should a pupil display Covid-19 symptoms, parents will be asked to collect him without delay. We recognise that many parents live or work a distance from School, but it is vital that boys (and any brothers, who would also need to go home to begin household isolation) are collected as swiftly as possible.
8. What will happen if a pupil has to isolate? As during the last academic year, pupils and staff isolating at home, but who are themselves well, should join their lessons using MS Teams.
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9. What about those who are extremely clinically vulnerable? Shielding has been ended, with all pupils and staff able to be in School, including those who live with people who are extremely clinically vulnerable. Children aged 12 and over who have been identified as vulnerable by the NHS are being offered the vaccine. Pupils and staff at higher risk, or who live with higher risk people, should take particular care to ensure they follow the measures in place and should raise any concerns with the relevant Head of Year.
10. Will extra-curricular activities take place? Yes, these will resume, with Covid-19 management measures in place, as appropriate. With the end to bubbles, more cross-age activities will be possible.
11. I am finding things really tough at the moment. What should I do? The School understands that the mental health and wellbeing of some have been under pressure because of the pandemic and restrictions. Keeping boys safe and healthy is a priority in our pastoral care. Boys can seek support from form tutors or their Head of Year, while peer mentors are also available to lend a friendly listening ear to younger boys. If parents have any concerns that they would like to discuss with their son’s Form Tutor or Head of Year, they should contact enquiries@qebarnet.co.uk. Expert external help is also available from our School Counsellor, while boys may also find the Young Minds site helpful.
12. Do I need to take any special measures when cleaning uniform? No. All QE uniform, including the blazer, is machine-washable, and maintaining normal standards of cleanliness and hygiene is sufficient. Upper School pupils are responsible for maintaining the hygiene of their suits.
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13. What if there is an outbreak at the School? How will we be kept safe? In the event of a significant outbreak, the School will liaise with the local public health protection team, and additional control measures may be introduced or re-introduced as part of an outbreak management plan to help reduce transmission. These measures could include the reintroduction of mandatory mask-wearing and year-group bubbles. Over the course of the pandemic to date, there has been little evidence of clusters of cases occurring in the School.
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Appendix 1 Arrangement for school coaches Specific queueing areas remain in place for those waiting to board the School coaches, to allow for distancing. Coach captains will undergo training to help them to ensure that safety standards are maintained on each route. Face coverings must be worn on School coaches and seating plans strictly adhered to. Routes A-E leave the premises at 3.45pm, and boys using these routes should board them immediately. Routes F-J leave the School premises at 3.55pm, and boys using these routes should wait until called to board the coach as follows:
ROUTE F
Uxbridge
Area 3
ROUTE G
Wembley
Area 2 Pool (main entrance): lower area
ROUTE H
Hatfield
Area 1a Pathway between Mathematics & Pool
ROUTE I
Harrow-College Road
Area 2 Pool (main entrance): upper area
ROUTE J
Watford
Area 1 Pool (back field)
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Shearly Hall
Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet 35
Appendix 2 Arrangements for Year 7 on-site Covid tests on Wednesday 1st September The staggered arrival and departure times for each of our Year 7 form groups on Wednesday 1st September are set out here. Boys should arrive and depart via the School’s main entrance on Queens Road. They should wear full uniform and bring along a small snack and drink for the 15-minute break that is planned. There will be no School coaches on this day. Please allow plenty of time so that boys arrive in good time for their specific arrival slot and, if they are travelling by themselves, make sure they know what to do if they get lost on the way. ARRIVE
COVID TEST
WITH FORM TUTOR
DEPART
7B
9.45am-10.00am
10.00am-10.30am
10.30am-12.15pm
12.15pm
7H
10.15am-10.30am
10.30am-11.00am
11.00am-12.45pm
12.45pm
7L
10.45am-11.00am
11.00am-11.30am
11.30am-1.15pm
1.15pm
7P
11.15am-11.30am
11.30am-12.00pm
12.00pm-1.45pm
1.45pm
7S
11.45am-12.00pm
12.00pm-12.30pm
12.30pm-2.15pm
2.15pm
7U
12.15pm-12.30pm
12.30pm-1.00pm
1.00pm-2.45pm
2.45pm
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Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet 37
Queen Elizabeth’s School Queen’s Road, Barnet Hertfordshire EN5 4DQ 020 8441 4646 enquiries@qebarnet.co.uk @qebarnet1573
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