End of Term Concerts 2021

We are delighted that our End of Term Concerts are able to go ahead in December 2021.  These will feel a little different to the past as we try to minimise the risks around COVID infection.  We have been working with the MK Council public health team to keep everybody as safe as possible while still be able to see our amazing students perform live.

We are putting several measures in place, so please read the information below carefully:

If you would like to attend the concerts, we will require you to:

• have had both doses of COVID-19 vaccination at least 14 days before your arrival;

OR

• have logged with the NHS a negative COVID-19 Lateral Flow Test within 48 hours of your arrival;

OR

• have NHS proof of your natural immunity based upon a positive PCR test taken within 180 days of the performance (including 10 days self-isolation following the result).

We will be primarily using the free NHS App for this for those 16 or over. This can be downloaded to your phone in a matter of minutes. Please note, this is not the NHS Covid-19 Track and Trace app.

The NHS App is available now on iOS and Android. To use it you must be aged 13 and over and registered with a GP surgery in England.

• For iOS
• For Android

If you haven’t already got an NHS login, please read the notes below.

Within the NHS App there is a section called the Covid Pass. This will show us a big green tick if:

• You have had both doses of COVID-19 vaccination at least 14 days before your arrival; OR
• You have logged with the NHS a negative COVID-19 Lateral Flow Test within 48 hours of your arrival; OR
• The NHS has proof of your natural immunity based upon a positive PCR test taken within 180 days of the performance (including 10 days self-isolation following the result).

You can also save a certificate into your wallet on your phone.

If you are bringing a child aged 11-15, or 16-18 (to listen in the audience) without access to the NHS app, we will accept an NHS text message of their negative test result. You do not need to provide evidence if you are bringing an under 11.

If you have Covid-19 at the time of the event, or have been asked to isolate, you must not attend the event. We’ll miss you, but you’ll be protecting everyone else.

PLEASE NOTE:

If you require a Lateral Flow Test, why not take it and log it the night before you attend? This is probably the most reliable plan, but please allow a minimum of 2 hours for your result to move from being logged with the NHS and appearing on the NHS App. And, of course it takes 30 minutes for the test to work and 5 minutes to log the result with the NHS. So that 2 hours 35 minutes minimum! We recommend that you order your free Lateral Flow Test, or two, to be delivered to your home or pick one up from a nearby location as soon as possible.

If you are attending more than one concert, you will need to take a second test if your first has expired. NHS COVID Passes generated from a negative Lateral Flow Test expire after 48 hours. For example, if you take your test on Thursday evening you will need to retest on Saturday evening ready for your arrival on Sunday.

If you haven’t got an NHS login you’ll be asked to create one. You will be asked to enter your NHS number, date of birth and the postcode of your home address as registered with your GP surgery. If you do not know your NHS number, you can enter your name instead. This information is then checked to see if they can find a match on their records. If the NHS find a match, your NHS login will then be verified to a medium level. This will allow you to use the pass. Please allow a couple of days for this process, although it might be quicker.

I am unable / unwilling to register and use the NHS APP how can I get in? we would really prefer that you use the NHS app as this is the quickest for our team to check that the COVID pass is valid and keep people moving. If you are unable / unwilling to use the NHS app, please bring the email / text message showing a negative result within 48h of attending entering the event. You receive this text / email when registering a lateral flow test result.

We will NOT accept the paper vaccine cards issued at vaccination centres as proof of vaccination.

If you don’t have a smart phone it is possible to get a letter proving your status, but only if you are double vaccinated or if you have antibodies following a positive result. You can arrange this online or by calling 119. Please allow at least 5 working days.

My vaccine was administered in Europe / USA will that be accepted? Yes, we will review these manually and accept anyone who can prove they have been fully vaccinated by an official EU / US government vaccination programme. Please bring your vaccination certificate.

If you have a question that we haven’t covered above, email us at music@milton-keynes.gov.uk

We are also taking the following steps to keep everybody safe:

• Tickets are available in advance only, through Eventbrite, who will provide you with an ‘e-ticket’.  We will not be selling tickets on the day.
• We will ventilate the hall before the performance and in between groups during the performance.
• We ask that ALL audience members wear a face covering for the entirety of your visit.
• You will be asked to sanitise your hands upon arrival.
• We have limited the number of tickets available for sale to 50% of the venue’s full capacity
• We will let the students go in stages at the end of the performance to avoid congestion in the communal areas.

Thanks very much for your cooperation and patience. We’re looking forward to celebrating the wonderful achievements of our students with you.!