Before the start of the Michaelmas Term, the Headmaster wrote to parents with advice on Swine Flu and detailing the measures which the College was putting in place. We would like to thank parents for their co-operation. We are pleased to report that as a result of the measures taken, the College has been relatively free of flu-like symptoms during the term and there has been no confirmed case of Swine Flu.

We want to ensure that we continue in the Lent Term to enjoy another uninterrupted term.  We are therefore repeating below the precautions which we have in place. Should there be any problems for your child, then the Housemaster/Housemistress and Matron will be your first port of call.

Advice to parents

The College was free of Swine Flu during the Summer Term and Michaelmas Term and has maintained an extremely cautious approach. Any employee with flu-like symptoms has remained at home until the symptoms have cleared, and any residential visitors with flu-like symptoms were isolated until the symptoms had cleared. The College has intensified its cleaning regime and has installed more sanitisers. We therefore continue to have no concerns for pupil well-being at present.

We are taking every precaution to ensure that the College is as protected as possible against an outbreak of Swine Flu. On the advice of the College doctors, we have put in place the following procedures:

1. Any pupil with flu-like symptoms must not return to the College until the symptoms have cleared for 24 hours

2. Pupils may be checked on arrival by Matrons (and if necessary by the Medical Centre) for flu-like symptoms. If any such symptoms are found, parents (or for overseas pupils, guardians), will be asked to collect the pupil and keep him or her away from the College until the symptoms have cleared.

3. If a pupil develops flu-like symptoms during the term, the parent or guardian will be asked to collect the pupil and keep him or her away until the symptoms have cleared. 

4. If a parent or guardian cannot immediately collect the pupil with flu-like symptoms, the pupil will be kept isolated until they can be collected.

We ask for your co-operation with these precautions, since we believe that continued caution is necessary and appropriate in the current circumstances. We intend to keep the College operating normally, and the above measures help to safeguard the College. We also continue to emphasise the importance of good hygiene, regular hand washing and the use of the sanitisers we have installed. Our aim is to continue to keep the College unaffected by Swine Flu. Hopefully our isolated rural location and healthy outdoor lifestyle will also help!

A new vaccine specifically for swine flu has arrived. National policy for its use and priorities has been formulated by the Government, and the College doctors are following the recommendations of the Government’s Chief Medical Officer. Pupils in one of the priority categories have been offered vaccination. We shall continue to monitor the situation throughout the term, taking the advice of the College doctors. We shall communicate with parents generally through updates to the College website.

If parents have any questions on the above, please contact the Housemaster/ Housemistress in the first instance, particularly if the pupil has flu-like symptoms and will not be returning at the start of the Lent Term. Parents are also welcome to contact the Headmaster’s office.