COVID-19 (Coronavirus): Latest Information

Page last updated: Friday 03 July 2020 at 13:47 GMT, 14:47 BST

The information below is published on behalf of the Principal, Louise North or the Senior Deputy Head, Susan Wessels and is correct at the timestamp above. Unless otherwise stated, the information applies to both schools, Senior and Prep.

This page is split into sections. Click the links below to jump to the relevant section:

Contacts
Risk Assessments
Information for Parents
Information for Visitors
Information for Fram Leisure Members/Users
Useful Links

Contacts

General Operational Enquiries

Andrew Payn: Operations Director – alpayn@framlinghamcollege.co.uk | 07917 248654

Admissions

Emma Rutterford: Head of Admissions – admissions@framlinghamcollege.co.uk

Lucy Bryanton: Prep School Registrar – lbryanton@framlinghamcollege.co.uk

School Office

Framlingham College Reception – reception@framlinghamcollege.co.uk

Framlingham College Prep School Office – prepschooloffice@framlinghamcollege.co.uk

Risk Assessments

Information for Parents

Update from Louise North, Principal on Friday 03 July 2020

Information for New Boarders September 2020:

Dear Parents, Guardians and Agents,

I hope that you are all safe and well. I appreciate that there is much uncertainty for you at the moment and I am keen to offer you as much reassurance as possible with regard to Boarding. The changing situation with COVID-19 means that boarding schools in the UK are planning for a variety of scenarios for September 2020. That said, the mood here at Framlingham College is very optimistic.

We expect our Boarding offer to be up and running as normal and we are looking forward to welcoming our Boarding pupils to the school. We are doing everything that we can to ensure a safe, happy and inspiring environment for your child. We aim to begin term in September safe from risk and prepared for all eventualities.

I want to share with you some guidelines below, to show you what we are considering at the moment. Please understand that as and when information comes from the government, we will adapt and adjust our plans accordingly. The details below will evolve as we know more, and we will keep this document updated on our website and will contact you when significant changes are made to our plans.

BSA COVID SAFE Charter

We have signed up to the BSA COVID-Safe Charter. This means that we will adhere to all government rules and guidance and will follow the BSA guidance detailed here when boarding reopens.

Beginning of term, September 2020

Induction will happen as planned on Sunday 6 September prior to starting school on Monday 7 September. Should we be unable to physically be in school, this induction will take place virtually and remote learning will be implemented. More information will come to you on this, as and when we have more certainty over the summer.

Boarding

At this stage, it is very hard to know what level of risk we will be dealing with in September. The important thing for parents and guardians to know is that we are considering a variety of scenarios so that when things are more certain, we will be able to draw on the plans that we have made. Below are a series of scenarios with just a few examples of action we would take. Obviously, as we know more, we will confirm what arrangements we are going to follow and will send through all the details.

Scenario 1: No risk

The risk has disappeared. Boarding will therefore be functioning in the usual way.

Scenario 2: Pupils can be in school but with social distancing measures in place.

We anticipate that these measures would have been reduced to 1m distance between people. In which case, our boarding will function as normal, but with one or two changes to routine such as:

There would be a one-way system in Houses to avoid unnecessary contact.
The use of bathrooms and facilities would be staggered to allow fewer people in these communal areas at any one time.
Cleaning regimes in Houses would be daily and more thorough.
Access to Houses would be limited to those living within each “household”.

Scenario 3: There is a second spike after the beginning of term.

In this case, our full boarding community would remain as a household within their Houses. Remote teaching and learning would take place within the House. Meals would take place and would be staggered household by household.

Scenario 4: School closure after the beginning of term.

Day pupils and weekly boarders would return home. Full boarders would remain in their Houses and be taught remotely. If a full boarder wished to return home to their country or to their guardian in the UK, the school would do all that it could to facilitate this.

Scenario 5: Closed for September term.

If we are not able to welcome international pupils at all during the Autumn Term, families will have several options:

Parents can choose for their child to join the school remotely and be taught remotely until such time as they can join the school in person. Fees would obviously reflect the provision of Remote Learning.
Parents can defer their child’s place until January 2021 entry or September 2021 entry. No fees would be charged until joining. The deposit would be held until the pupil joins the school.
Parents can cancel their child’s place. We very much hope that pupils will still wish to join us. If the UK government or your own government advice is not to travel at all, then the deposit would be refunded in full and no fees in lieu would be charged.

Scenario 6: Not open in September but open later in the Autumn Term.

Pupils would begin the term with remote learning at home. If the pupil’s country has no restrictions on travel tothe UK, we would expect pupils to join us as soon as they were able. Fees would be charged pro-rata and there would be a virtual induction programme in advance of a real induction on arrival at the school.

Risk Assessment

We are continually updating our Risk Assessments to ensure that our pupils will remain safe and secure in our school environment. You will find the latest Risk Assessments on our website, and a September return Risk Assessment will be posted in August. Some of the details that you will find in the Risk Assessment include:

Social distancing: if necessary, this will be enforced through clear signage and messaging in classrooms and throughout the buildings, a one-way system to allow pupils and staff space to maintain a safe distance from one another, classrooms will be arranged with social distancing measures in place.
Hand gel and hand washing facilities: This will be available at all times, in classrooms and throughout the buildings.
Updates and training: Staff and pupils will receive training on how to conduct themselves and will receive regular reminders and updates.
Cleaning: All areas of the school, including boarding houses, will be cleaned daily and thoroughly.
Food: There will be staggered mealtimes to allow social distancing in the dining hall.
Pupils may be confined to campus during the week, but trips and visits will take place as normal at the weekend.

Obviously, the Risk Assessments contain much more detail and precision. Please do look at our current Risk Assessments here.

Quarantine

We will have a Boarding House open both at the Prep and the Senior School for all pupils needing to quarantine for 2 weeks. This will be in the 14 days prior to the start of term. Therefore parents/guardians will not need to make alternate arrangements if their children are returning to the UK from a country which requires quarantine. Should you wish to make use of this facility, please confirm with Emma Rutterford (admissions@framlinghamcollege.co.uk) by the 31 July 2020. There will be a charge for this added to the first terms invoice.

Given that government guidance will continue to evolve over the summer, we will continue to keep you up to date as and when the situation changes.

Medical Care

Our Nursing Team have undergone additional training to ensure that any suspected cases are treated within guidelines. Our policies are being constantly updated for the September return in line with the latest government guidance.

Should a Day pupil be suspected of having COVID-19, the pupil would return home and parents would be obliged to have their child tested.
Should a Boarder be suspected of having COVID-19, the pupil would be isolated and tested. Please see our Risk Assessment here for all the subsequent measures that would be put in place in the event of asuspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 within the school community.

Finance: Deposits/Fees in lieu/Deferment etc

We will be as adaptable and flexible as we can be with parents of boarders who are trying to make decisions regarding boarding. We want parents to feel supported and reassured that we are well prepared and have thought through the many scenarios that might unfold. As and when we can give you more details, we will ofcourse do so. Our priority, more than anything, is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of each child in our care.

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns. No question is too small, and we take all your concerns very seriously. If there is any way for us to help, we will do so. I hope that you stay safe and well.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs J L M North
Principal

– Ends –

Please find below the Framlingham College Remote Learning Policies.

If you require any further information, please contact Susan Wessels, Senior Deputy Head, who is co-ordinating the College’s response to the Coronavirus outbreak on 01728 723789 or email swessels@framlinghamcollege.co.uk.

Information for Visitors to Framlingham College

The Senior and Prep School buildings are currently closed to visitors as per Government guidelines.

Update from Andrew Payn, Operations Director on Friday 05 June 2020:

Hockey and Tennis Coaching Resumes

Framlingham College Enterprises Ltd is delighted that hockey and tennis coaching run by external coaches can be resumed using College facilities. From Monday 8th June, JK Hockey and Richard Daynes Tennis will be offering coaching in line with the current COVID-19 regulations set by England Hockey and the LTA respectively. This coaching is completely separate to the College’s sports programme which has not resumed although the re-introduction of these two sports has been jointly risk assessed by the College and the Head Coaches.

Further details on the coaching opportunities can be obtained from Jamie Kingstone and Richard Daynes as follows:

www.Jkhockey.co.uk

https://daynestennis.co.uk

Please see the risk assessment available at the top of this page.