Review Retains Masks.

KEVIGS Strategy Governors met with the Headmaster and Finance Director on Thursday 10th February to review the school's COVID arrangements.

The Strategy Group carefully considered the feedback from the community, and you can see the outcomes of the 1000+ respondents to the Governors COVID Survey below:

This majority in favour of retaining all or some arrangements was

mirrored across staff, student and parent groups.

COVID Context and HM Video Update

In addition to the above arrangements the Strategy Group also considered the COVID context and you can read the COVID Briefing Review and Recommendations here and also watch the Headmaster's COVID Update Briefing statement as well.

The Science, Risk Assessment and Common Sense Policy Changes

The Strategy Group was mindful of the Government's plans to remove COVID legislation and instead from March ask Businesses, Companies, Shops, Theatres, Restaurants etc. to use their common sense* to decide on the type of COVID arrangements they want to use.

*Common Sense means that all organisations will be required to use their existing policies, procedures and practice under the Health and Safety at Work Act, other legislation, guidance and relevant medical research or evidence to help keep the workplace safe and protect visitors or customers in that work place.

Mask Wearing to Help Reduce Transmission.

Masks can be worn for two reasons, either to 'protect or stop' people from getting COVID by using the type of high grade respirator masks found in hospital settings OR to slow down or reduce the 'spread' of COVID by using medical masks or face coverings.

We recommend medical masks or a face covering at King Edward's to help reduce the spread of COVID and to help manage the impact on teachers, students and families.

The ECDC research provides a useful guide to the research and the differences.

Common Sense Policy Changes

As we learn to live with COVID KEVIGS will be embedding a number of common sense policy changes to the day to day life of our school. Specifically we intend to:

• keep a scientific/public health approach to infection control on site, including our anti-viral cleaning and sanitising methods to help reduce the impact of staff and student winter absences from flu, winter vomiting, COVID etc.

• adopt the very common sense East Asian tradition of 'polite or respectful' face coverings during the winter months if you have a streaming cold or cough.

• keep and develop some of our one way and queueing systems around the site to help ease congestion and crowding in and around buildings, and to make the site a calmer place at lesson change over and during break and lunch time.

Finally, it is absolutely the Governors intention to remove masks as matters improve in our community. As Omicron works its way through the school, and as the numbers of students and staff who are fully vaccinated increases, we anticipate that by the end of the Spring Term this will will allow us to end mandatory mask wearing at KEVIGS.

The Governors next COVID Review will be Thursday 31st March.