Head’s Blog – Teesside High School

Friday 19 March 2021 | By Samantha Hockney

Huge thanks to everyone in our school community for their support and patience as we have navigated another hurdle in this very turbulent pandemic – the return to school!

The return of all pupils from Monday 8 March appears to have been as seamless a process as we could have hoped, and it is wonderful to have the children enjoying their usual school routines once more.

Over 96% of the Senior School and Sixth Form body are being tested twice weekly for Covid-19, and this routine will continue for our final week of the spring term. I am sure I speak on behalf of everyone when I pass on my sincere thanks to the volunteer team of parents and grandparents who have visited school almost every day to complete testing with our pupils – we could not have got through the last few weeks without you.

Our testing arrangement will move to its next phase during the Easter holiday, with pupils in Years 7-13 bringing testing kits home to carry out this procedure either the night before or the morning of school on both a Monday and Thursday. Our staff have been trialling this arrangement for two weeks now, with great success.

I am sure I do not need to stress the importance of home testing, and that it is carried out at the right time, effectively and robustly. These efforts, whilst a small inconvenience, truly help to ensure the safety of our school community. They will also allow us to ensure as normal a summer term as possible!

With the summer in mind, it has been an absolute pleasure to see our pupils enjoying the great weather this week; with PE lessons in the grounds, filming for RE projects outdoors as well as the usual fun in Forest School. This, in addition to their full complement of academic lessons, virtual Hustings, School Council meetings, socialising with their friends over lunch, Comic Relief fundraising and everything else in between! I am sure we will never take these ‘normal’ things for granted again.

Our latest newsletter shows just a flavour of what our students have been up to over the last two weeks and it is as action-packed as ever. We are thrilled to be back doing what we love most.

With best wishes for a great weekend.

Mrs K Mackenzie, Head, Teesside High School