Winchester Weekly

Dear Parents

Easing of restrictions

The lifting of some of the restrictions on 17 May has enabled us to enjoy a return to a more familiar way of working. While boys are still required to wear face coverings when moving to and from lessons (the relative congestion in corridors and at busy times is an unavoidable hazard best addressed at the moment by maintaining this precaution) they do not need to wear them in most lessons.

Boys in VI Book 1 will begin a monitoring programme using twice-weekly lateral flow tests from Sunday 23 May. This means they will be able to visit town (with their Housemaster’s permission) during the last week before Leave Out, and in the two weeks after Leave Out.

From Sunday June 21, and once they have completed their internal examinations, VI Book 2 will begin lateral flow tests and, provided local and national conditions permit at that point, they will then be able to visit town with their Housemaster’s permission.

We welcome parents who would like to watch matches outside, although we ask families to adhere to the government’s current guidelines, with groups limited to 30 people and socially distanced. Outdoor sports matches will require parents to scan the NHS QR codes which will be available at the sports grounds. The school campus remains a bubble and other than coming to watch outdoor matches we would kindly ask parents to note that this includes no access to houses and no entry onto campus other than for matches or without prior agreement.

Sunday Sign-out (Sunday 23 May) & VI Book 1 Prefects’ Weekend (Saturday 22 May & Sunday 23 May)

If you would like to see your son on Sunday 23 May or your son is in VI Book 1 and will be taking a Prefects’ Weekend (overnight stay on Saturday 22 May after completing any sporting fixtures) please complete the form using the link below by 11pm on Thursday 20 May.  

Sunday Sign-out 23 May 2021  

The important points regarding weekend visits home are listed below for your reference:

• Boys should not have contact with you if anyone in your household has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 10 days, or if anyone in your household has been displaying symptoms, however mild, of COVID-19. These symptoms include a temperature in excess of 37.8oC, a continuous cough or a loss of the sense of taste and/or smell.
• If after the weekend anyone in your household tests positive for COVID-19, or if anyone in your household develops symptoms, however mild, of COVID-19, then please would you inform us immediately.
• Boys should not use public transport to travel between home and school.
• The Government’s Road Map rules must be adhered to, especially rules on numbers in gatherings and mixing of households at weekends. 

Thank you once again for being so careful in applying these precautions. 

With best wishes,

Mr Nicholas Wilks

Dear Parents,  

We hope that boys returning to school for Short Half 2021 will be able to quarantine safely and legally with guardians or members of their families, however, for the instances where this is not possible we are happy to support the safe and compliant return to school by offering quarantine facilities here at the College. There is of course still much uncertainty and the UK government’s “traffic light system” provides another layer of complexity to the already complex quarantine and testing requirements. Therefore, this message is a first attempt at providing detail of what we can offer, recognising there is much that can change in government requirements between now and the end of August.  

The beginning of Short Half looks like this:  

• Thursday 2 September: VI Book 1 return
• Friday 3 September: JP return
• Sunday 5 September: MP, V Book, VI Book 2 return  

For RED List countries

In order to make quarantine arrangements viable, we would expect all boys requiring quarantine at Winchester College to arrive within the two-day window of 22 and 23 August. Test to Release is not available to Red List entrants, so this will mean that boys in VI Book 1 and JP are able to start on 2 and 3 September after 10 days of quarantine (having completed the 10th day). Boys in the other three year groups will be provided with organised activities until the rest of their year groups arrive on 5 September. Government surveillance tests will be administered by the school on Days 2 and 8.  

For AMBER List countries

In order to make quarantine arrangements viable, we would expect all boys requiring quarantine at Winchester College to arrive within the two-day window of 27 and 28 August. This will mean that, with Test to Release on day 5, boys in VI Book 1 and JP are able to start on 2 and 3 September. Boys in the other three year groups will be provided with organised activities until the rest of their year groups arrive on 5 September. Government surveillance tests will be administered by the school on Days 2 and 8.  

For GREEN List countries

There is no quarantine requirement at the moment for GREEN list countries. However, there is a government surveillance test required for these boys on Day 2, which will be administered by the school.

Please contact me if you are interested in exploring quarantine arrangements for your son or have any questions.

Good wishes,

Dr John Cullerne

PE2 will be taking place remotely on Thursday, 27 May (1730-1930), and parents will shortly receive a letter from the Director of Studies outlining the arrangements. If you have any questions or queries please contact Mrs Catherine Coxon.