Community Expectations

All members of the TASIS England community have a shared responsibility to play their part in preventing the spread of illness when they are aware or suspect that they have contracted a communicable disease.

To help keep students, staff, and faculty safe it is imperative that all members of our school community remain committed to the safety policies and procedures listed here and in future communications. By enrolling your child at TASIS England, you agree to the following requirements:

• Travel. We advise our community to follow government advice. Please adhere to any UK Government rules for travel to England. Visit this website for the latest updates on entering the UK from various countries. 
• Follow UK Government Guidelines. All families are expected to adhere to the directives of applicable UK Government guidelines to reduce the spread of COVID-19 (updated guidelines can be found at this link).
• Vaccinations. We strongly encourage all in our community to consider participating in the vaccination program. We would be grateful if parents could communicate any change in the vaccination status of their child with our nurses in the Health Center by emailing nurse@tasisengland.org.
• Stay Home if Unwell. If your child is unwell, you are expected to keep them home from school.
• Follow the Guidance if Exposed. From February 24, routine contact tracing ended. Contacts are no longer required to self-isolate or advised to take daily tests. Instead, by April 1, guidance will set out precautions that contacts can take to reduce risk to themselves and other people – and those testing positive for COVID-19 will be encouraged to inform their close contacts so that they can follow that guidance. 
• Temperature Checking. Since Monday, February 28, checking temperatures at our stations upon arrival is optional.
• Lateral Flow Testing. We recommend that all employees, families, and students continue to lateral flow test bi-weekly but please be aware that access to free testing will end on April 1. Please continue to notify your Section Head and/or the Head of School if your child receives a positive lateral flow test result. We still require students, faculty, and staff who test positive to self-isolate for a minimum of 5 days. Visitors to campus are no longer required to evidence a negative lateral flow test.
• Face Masks. Since Saturday, February 26, wearing face masks is optional subject to infection levels.  
• Students’ Personal Items. Limit the items your child brings onto campus each day and reinforce that supplies and other items should not be shared with other students.
• Medical Forms. Parents must complete and submit all required student medical forms prior to the first day of school. This information must include at least one emergency contact.
• Emergency Contacts. Please ensure that your family's contact information is up-to-date and accurate by using the button "Update Family profile" in the LMS. You are required to provide at least three contacts. For day students, at least one of the contacts must be able to pick up your child from the School as soon as possible if your child presents with a temperature or becomes ill during the school day.  

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Arriving & Leaving Campus

Our existing “Hands - Face - Space” mitigations, will remain in place:

1. Maintaining classroom ventilation. 
2. Encouraging good hand and respiratory hygiene practices. Hand sanitizer will continue to be available at key locations across our campus. 
3. School testing for any students who displays COVID-19 symptoms on campus will continue to be conducted. 

Arrival 

We are fortunate to have so many entrances to facilitate student travel to school from their homes or boarding houses. Each morning we will support your child’s arrival by directing them safely from their drop off to their classroom while maintaining social distancing. Our campus will be open from 8 a.m. for drop off and bus arrival.

Lower School Entrance Arrival
Lower School parents should continue to use the Lower School entrance just off Coldharbour Lane. If a Middle or Upper School student is dropped off with a Lower School sibling, staff will assist in guiding them on the routes shown below.

Bus Arrival
For our students traveling on the school bus service, the following routes will be signposted and staff will be in place to support their arrival as a separate stream apart from car drop-offs. The routes they will take are demonstrated below:

Security Lodge Entrance - Main Drop Off for Middle and Upper School
Middle and Upper School families should continue to drop off at the Ten Acre Lane entrance. Staff on duty will support the students in following the routes below. 

Transportation

Whatever form of transportation is used to arrive and depart from TASIS England, all students, faculty, and staff are requested to use sanitizer as they enter and exit school. Sanitizer stations are placed at entrance and exit points and will continue to be available throughout the campus.

School Bus Service

The following steps will be taken to ensure that your children are safe on the bus service:

• All touch points on the bus will be cleaned and disinfected prior to each service.
• After Friday, February 25, we transitioned to voluntary face mask wearing for students and drivers. Families, students, faculty, and staff may choose to continue to wear face masks, and we reserve the right to require masks to be worn in the future based on the number of community infections.
• Students will be provided with hand sanitizer as they board the bus.

The current guidance from the UK Government states that capacity on the school bus service does not need to be restricted. We will continue to monitor this guidance and revise our plans as required.

Public Transportation

• We recommend that all students, faculty, and staff wear a face covering while using public transportation in England, however this is no longer required by law. Operators are free to set their own requirements for wearing face coverings and you should check with the operator of the service you are using before traveling.
• It is important to wash or sanitize your hands before and after touching your face covering if you choose to wear one.
• For a safer journey, try to:
  • travel at off-peak times
  • use quieter stations and stops – get off a stop early if it’s less busy
  • while waiting for a service to arrive stay outdoors, rather than indoors, where possible
  • keep changes to a minimum, for example, between bus and train
  • walk for more of your journey, for example, the first or last mile
  • book your tickets online in advance or pay by contactless
  • open windows where it is possible and safe to do so
  • wash or sanitize your hands regularly
  • avoid touching your face
  • cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or the inside of your elbow when coughing or sneezing
  • dispose of waste safely, including items such as used disposable face coverings
• The latest UK Government advice for public transportation can be found here.

Dismissal 

For dismissal, the following will occur:

• Lower School:
  • Bus students will be escorted to their bus;
  • The Lower School gate will open at 3:10 p.m.
  • Students enjoying after-school activities will be escorted to an outside area for handover to the Sports and Activities staff;
  • Students waiting to be collected will be supervised by a member of staff at the drop-off area;
  • Students being picked up by parents will continue to use the Lower School entrance;
  • The Lower School playground is available after school with children closely supervised by their parents. 
• Middle School:
  • Bus students will be guided to their buses using the same route that they entered on;
  • Students enjoying after-school activities will be guided to an outside area for handover to the Sports and Activities staff;
  • Students being picked up by parents will be guided to the Ten Acre Lane pick-up area.
• Upper School:
  • Bus students will travel to their buses using the same route that they entered on;
  • Students enjoying after-school activities will travel to an outside area to meet the Sports and Activities staff;
  • Students being picked up by parents continue to use the Ten Acre Lane pick-up area;
  • Parents/Tutors are advised to remain in their vehicles at pick-up time.

 

 

 

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While at School

TASIS England is committed to two important goals: to provide safe, in-person instruction for all students and to keep all of our faculty and staff members safe to the best of our ability. The pursuit of these goals has required the School to make significant financial investment across a broad range of efforts, including: 

Enhanced Health and Safety Measures

With safety as our highest priority, TASIS England has invested significantly in enhanced COVID-19 safety measures. Some of these measures include the following:

Thermal scanners used for fever detection.

Hygiene and Cleaning

• We will ensure that all students, regardless of age and grade level, clean their hands regularly, including when they arrive at school, when they return from breaks, when they change rooms, and before and after eating. Regular and thorough hand cleaning will be necessary for the foreseeable future and will be achieved by:
  • The use of strategically placed hand sanitizer stations throughout the campus and provision of sanitizer in all classrooms and offices.
  • The addition of almost 18 touchless handwashing stations to those already available throughout the campus.

• Touchless water bottle filling stations – all water fountains have been converted to water bottle refilling stations with push-pedal operation to mitigate against contamination.

• Amplified cleaning practices – all work spaces, shared facilities (toilets, dining halls, boarding house common rooms, etc.), playground equipment, and frequently touched surfaces will receive additional cleaning throughout each day and evening.

• Anti-bacterial cleansing wipes will be provided in each classroom and office to ensure the frequent cleaning of hard surfaces and touch points and all equipment used in PE, Science, Art, Music, etc. will be cleaned prior to the next use. 

• Tissues will be provided in each classroom – the "Catch it! Bin It! Kill it!" approach continues to be very important, so we will ensure that we have enough tissues and bins available to support students, faculty, and staff as they follow this routine.

• A stock of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) is available for our nurses, who will support any student who tests positive on campus. 

Ventilation

• We aim to ensure good cross-ventilation in all classrooms and shared spaces. 
• In specific rooms with limited airflow, DFS filters will be provided to ensure adequate air circulation and eliminate viral and bacterial particles that may exist in the air. 

Face Masks

The use of face masks is optional for students, faculty, and staff since Saturday, February 26, subject to infection levels. Please see the section Community Expectations for more details. 

Lunch

Our regular lunch service in both the Lower School dining hall and the Thorpe Place dining hall is in operation.

School Schedule

Our regular daily schedule is in operation, starting at 8:10 a.m. and ending at 3:20 p.m. Your child's schedule is available to you on the Parent LMS.

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Boarding School Life

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Hybrid Learning

TASIS England developed a hybrid, flexible learning program that enables both in-classroom and online learning. This hybrid learning program, as outlined in the diagram below, is designed to ensure that we can achieve our School Mission and our desire for continuity of learning through a seamless transition between on-campus and virtual learning.

Our Hybrid Learning Program is designed to provide access to learning for those students and families who face emergency situations beyond their control. Many of these emergency situations will be related to the ongoing disruption caused by the COVID-19 virus. To access this program, parents and/or students must request permission in advance (whenever possible) from the School office so that we can assist and ensure clear and timely communication with our teachers who will be offering this flexibility. Requests for Hybrid Learning will be considered by the School administration under the following conditions:

• COVID-related matters (isolation, illness, travel disruption, etc.)
• Visa delays
• Relocation to the UK
• Extended long-term illness prohibiting the student from being on campus, supported by a medical certificate

Requests for Hybrid Learning will not be considered for short-term illness, sick days, medical appointments, or holidays outside of term time. For these non-emergency situations, a student can complete tasks and catch up with classwork through materials left on Google classroom.

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Sports & Activities

The Sports & Activities department continues to monitor UK Government Covid-19 guidance for schools in addition to the recommendations from individual sport governing bodies and the Association for Physical Education (AfPE). These trusted sources of guidance will help TASIS to establish which co-curricular sports and activities will be on offer during the school year. Our main aim remains the same, which is to endeavor to offer all TASIS students the safest sports and activities program we possibly can. The latest information regarding the 2021-22 sports and activities schedule is located in the co-curricular sports and activities section of the TASIS England website. Members of the TASIS England community can also view the latest proposed team sports schedule/fixtures for 2021-22 by accessing the Athletics Calendar via the LMS.

Sports & Activities

We recognize that the sports and activities program is vitally important, not only from a physical fitness perspective, but also because of the social and psychological benefits that participation in sports and activities provides students.

TASIS is a member of the London School Sports Association (LSSA) and Independent Schools Association (ISA). This ensures that TASIS has competitive sports fixtures for our sports teams and also end-of-season events/tournaments.

We also recognize that not all students enjoy the competitive side of sports. Therefore we also offer a wide range of recreational sports and activities including offerings such as; horse riding, art, STEAM, medical society, Model United Nations, Duke of Edinburgh, wildlife club, martial arts, fencing, and many more.

For Upper School students we also have a fitness center that is available to use throughout the week and during weekends.

Students and parents will receive direct email communication and weekly updates in the TASIS Times from the sports/activities department that provide updated information about the co-curricular options for each area of school (LS, MS, and US).

Sports Team International Travel 

Unfortunately, international travel for sports teams will not take place until May 2022 at the earliest. This decision is mirrored by the majority of schools and sports organizations throughout the world. We are currently working with other UK-based schools to identify if we are in a position to create localized bespoke tournaments which will look to provide TASIS students with the best possible opportunity to take part in end-of-year competitions.

TASIS Weekend Sports Clubs 

We are offering a variety of weekend sports and activities throughout the year. Weekend clubs are provided by a mixture of TASIS coaching staff and external providers.

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Mental Health & Well-being

Throughout the pandemic, the School has offered support to students, faculty, and staff in a number of ways, including: 

Access to counseling for students

• Day School: Students have regular access to counselors during the academic day for group and 1:1 sessions.
• Boarding School: In addition to school-day access to counselors, boarding students have access to a school counselor during the evening for group and 1:1 sessions.

Wellness programs for students

• Start-of-year orientations focused on pastoral support, relationships, and well-being.
• Learning opportunities: The PSHEE program started the school year by looking at how students can maintain their mental health and well-being. 
• We offer mindfulness courses/opportunities throughout the School.
• We also offer a mental health first-aid course to eleventh and twelfth grade students.

Wellness programs for students during lockdown

During times of lockdown, all students have regular video-linked contact and communication with their teachers, homeroom teachers, and advisors. Sectional safeguarding teams and school counselors are available to support all of our students, irrespective of time difference and location.

Mental health and well-being advice and guidance is provided to students and parents and PSHEE classes will continue as normal.

Wellness programs for staff/faculty

• Careful consideration is given to how we can help all of our faculty and staff stay physically active and socially connected within the guidelines set by the UK Government.
• Experiential learning opportunities include mindfulness and meditation courses and team fitness courses with external partners.
• Support Services include access to confidential counseling services through the faculty benefits package.

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Health Center

The Health Center is committed to the health and well-being of each student. The center provides a medical service for all students and is staffed full-time, with fully qualified nurses who can be contacted at any time in an emergency. The center has four en-suite bedrooms in case any of the boarding students are unwell (with an illness other than COVID-19) and cannot attend lessons during the school day. 

• If your child presents during the day with a temperature that is higher than 37.8ºC/100ºF, your child will be sent home. For any boarding student presenting with a high temperature, we will follow our Care, Isolate, Test & Trace protocol for Boarding. 
• We have equipped a dedicated space for isolation as required, with assigned nursing and medical best practices. 
• Personal Protection Equipment (PPE): We have sufficient supplies of face shields, masks, gloves, aprons or coveralls, storage containers, etc. available and in stock.
• Medication distribution: Rotas for nurses are in place. 

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