Page 22 - The Malvernian - Autumn Term 2020
P. 22
THE MALVERNIAN
22
Christmas Holidays
The Autumn Term ends on Friday 11th December with the final events taking place the previous evening. Given the complexities of overseas travel and quarantine, we will prepare to run lessons in a hybrid fashion for the last seven full days of term. Therefore, parents of overseas boarders may request an early departure from the evening of Wednesday 2nd December.
We are not planning to remain open over the Christmas Holidays, although contingency planning is being undertaken should we need to do so.
Message from the Headmaster
Although the restrictions under which the College is forced to run have hampered a number of important things - we have missed seeing parents on campus, welcoming visiting teams for fixtures, taking educational trips to the theatre or to university lectures, and you will have noted the Chaplain’s letter about the changes we are having to make to Remembrance and Carol Services, etc. - there have also been some significant benefits that I have noted as I observe our pupils and staff at work. Educationally there are fewer lessons being missed and pupils are making excellent progress in their courses; the recent announcement about the three week delay to exams next summer only puts us in a better position. Instead of relying on external speakers or sources of entertainment, pupils and staff are coming up with creative ways to ensure we don’t miss out: pupil-led talks and societies are flourishing; societies are hosting showings of performances that they have found online; pastoral teams and houses are hosting their own weekend events such as silent discos, bubble football and lots of events that seem to involved eating nice food! Through it all, there has been great focus on community and supporting each other that I am proud to report.
Pastoral Update
Through the term, pupils have developed symptoms of the common cold (which is not unusual with the return to school!) and some pupils have been tested for Covid19 as a precautionary measure.
There has been one positive case just as we broke up for Half Term. As with all possible cases, we are liaising closely with our school doctors and with Public Health England, and are prepared to isolate individuals, groups or Houses as required. We are confident in our high quality medical provision for pupils and we will move seamlessly into online learning from boarding Houses, as and when required. In the case of positive tests, we will ensure that everybody who needs to know is informed, but please be aware that we will not be informing the whole school
community over every individual case.
Communication relating to Covid updates will continue to be sent from this office or SMT colleagues to keep you abreast of important information, please therefore do check your emails during Half Term. As ever, do keep in touch with your relevant HouseMs.
I wish you and your families a happy and restful Half Term. Best wishes
Keith Metcalfe
Headmaster
Malvern College, College Road, Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 3DF, UK t: 01684 581 500 | e: enquiries@malverncollege.org.uk