Update following Announcement by First Minister Hamilton

February 4th 2021

We do hope all is well with our families and that you are looking forward to the half-term break. Following this week’s announcement by the First Minister we have the following updates -

Nursery

Assuming the anticipated Government timescales remain in place (to be confirmed w/c 15^th February), all early learning centres are permitted to return as from Monday 22nd February.

The Hamilton College Nursery will therefore re-open on that day for children of all ages. Please note that the facility will only be open from 8am to 5pm each day due to school Aftercare services being unable to return at this time.

During this period of the phased return, there will be no in-school catering and therefore all children should bring their own lunch, snacks and water bottle. Adjustments will be made to fees in this respect and the earlier closing.

Please contact Ms. Wallace with regards to any changes to required sessions.

The Nursery INSET day which is postponed from tomorrow, Friday 5th, will now take place on Friday 19^th February – all parents should note that there will be no Keyworker supervision facility on that day.

Junior School

Assuming the anticipated Government timescales remain in place (to be confirmed w/c 15^th February), J1-J3 will return to the school building on Monday 22^nd February.

Lessons will commence at 9am and conclude at 3.15pm each day. Aftercare and clubs will not be operating. Playground supervision will be in place as normal from 8am. In the mornings, pupils should enter the playground via the green gate as was in place last term. If a pupil is late, they should enter the school via the main entrance. Please pick up your child at 3:15pm from the same area as previously advised - ie., J1 at side entrance, J2 at main entrance and J3 at the top carpark.

Please remember to wear a face covering when dropping off or picking up children if you get out of your car.

There will be no in-school catering at this time so pupils should attend school with a packed lunch, snack and water bottle.

During this period of phased return, full uniform is not required. However, if you wish to wear non-uniform please use school sports kit and / or plain navy / black items. Training shoes for this interim period are fine.

All pupils should wear clothing suitable for outdoors, including the blue compulsory waterproof jacket.

All other classes in the Junior school will continue to be led remotely until we are permitted to return to the building by the Scottish Government. We very much hope that the next stage of the phased return to school will mean that we can welcome all of our junior pupils back to school. In the meantime, we thank all the parents for their support and understanding at this time as we navigate these new restrictions.

The Junior School INSET day which is postponed from this Friday will now take place on Friday 19^th February – all parents should note that there will be no Junior School classes (remote teaching) or Keyworker supervision on that day.

Senior School

The First Minister announced yesterday that S4 to S6 pupils will be permitted to come into school for practical work required to be assessed for SQA examinations in small groups with safety measures put in place as from 22^nd February. At this stage, this will only be permitted for a small number of subjects. Guidance on this will not be with schools until the middle/end of next week. Full information and details will therefore be sent to parents on Monday 15 February 2021 explaining what this means for pupils.

When in school for these practical elements, pupils must maintain a 2m distance at all times, wear face coverings and comply with good hand hygiene practices. During this period there will be no in-school catering and pupils should bring their own refreshments and snacks as necessary.

Online learning will remain for all of Senior School pupils at this time. We very much hope that the next stage of the phased return to school will mean that we can welcome all of our senior pupils back to school. In the meantime, we thank all the parents for their support and understanding at this time as we navigate these new restrictions.

Having spoken to our pupils who are preparing for SQA qualifications we are aware that many are feeling anxious at present about SQA assessments. Please be assured that when a physical return to the school building is permitted, we will not ask pupils to sit papers until we have had time to work with them on revision and prepare them for these assessments. We will coordinate assessments across the subjects to help manage workload. If any pupils have concerns please contact Mrs Stark or their guidance teacher.

General

All pupils returning to the School and Nursery will be required to complete a Return to School form. This will be sent to those affected during the week commencing 15th February. This form must be completed prior to pupils entering the school building.
COVID precautions continue to apply and will be strictly enforced including the wearing of masks and social distancing as necessary. Pupils will be prompted as regards good hand hygiene and additional cleaning / sanitization during the school day will continue.
The Hamilton College COVID risk assessments will be updated to reflect the necessary adjustments and will be assessed by the COVID Working Group.
Should pupils / household members / close contacts display COVID symptoms, then pupils must not attend the school and Government guidance should be followed as regards testing and Track & Trace.
During this restricted period of our phased return, there will be no school transport and no catering provision. Adjustments will continue to be made to school accounts.

We are all very much looking forward to a return by our pupils. In order to support the country-wide cause and to comply with over-riding Health & Safety requirements, this return can only be effected once Government regulations permit. However, we are positioned to proceed to a physical return as soon as this is allowed by the Government.

We hope this is useful. As soon as the anticipated further guidance is available, we will be updating parents further.

Kind regards

SLT

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