During the period of school closure we have tried hard to stay in touch with our school community and help you to keep up to date with the latest information about coronavirus and the government response to this. Good hygiene, such as handwashing is crucial and this short film shows the latest NHS advice on handwashing.
It is essential that everyone washes their hands more often, using soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Hand washing with soap employs mechanical action that loosens bacteria and viruses from the skin, rinsing them into the drain. Drying hands afterwards makes the skin less hospitable to the virus. Hand sanitiser can be effective if soap is not available or the situation makes using soap less feasible (i.e. when outside) but using hand sanitiser provides none of the virus-destroying friction that rubbing your hands together and rinsing with water provides. The poster below will help children to understand how to protect themselves from infection.
It is important to talk to children about coronavirus and to support you with this we have compiled a ‘What is Coronavirus?‘ news post with the best resources for children which we hope will aide your discussions.
Stay Alert, Control the Virus, Save Lives
We are currently in the Rebuild Phase of the Government strategy, part of which includes the phased reopening of primary schools and we are preparing a plan for this. Our Plan To Rebuild:The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy
Main symptoms of cornavirus
The symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are usually mild, but some people can become very unwell.
The main symptoms of coronavirus are:
- high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual
- loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
Most people with coronavirus have at least one of these symptoms. Use the 111 online coronavirus service if you have any of these symptoms.
Can children be tested for the virus?
Once settings open to more children and young people, staff and pupils in all settings will be eligible for testing if they become ill with coronavirus symptoms, as will members of their household. This will enable children and young people to get back to childcare or education, and their parents or carers to get back to work, if the test proves to be negative.
A positive test will ensure rapid action to protect their classmates and staff in their setting.
What happens if there is a confirmed case of coronavirus in my child’s school?
When a child, young person or staff member develops symptoms compatible with coronavirus, they should be sent home and advised to self-isolate for 7 days. Their fellow household members should self-isolate for 14 days. All staff and students who are attending an education or childcare setting will have access to a test if they display symptoms of coronavirus.
Where the child, young person or staff member tests positive, the rest of their class/group within their childcare or education setting should be sent home and advised to self-isolate for 14 days. The other household members of that wider class/group do not need to self-isolate unless the child, young person or staff member they live with in that group subsequently develops symptoms.
As part of the national test and trace programme, if other cases are detected within the child or young person’s cohort or in the wider education or childcare setting, Public Health England’s local Health Protection Teams will conduct a rapid investigation and will advise schools and other settings on the most appropriate action to take. In some cases, a larger number of other children and young people may be asked to self-isolate at home as a precautionary measure – perhaps the whole class, site or year group.
Where settings are observing guidance on infection prevention and control, which will reduce risk of transmission, closure of the whole setting will not generally be necessary.
Department for Education coronavirus helpline
The Department for Education coronavirus helpline is available to answer questions about COVID-19 relating to education and children’s social care.
Phone: 0800 046 8687
The helpline will remain open over the May Bank Holiday weekend for staff, parents and young people as follows:
10am to 4pm – Saturday, Sunday and Monday
Our standard opening hours will resume on Tuesday 26 May:
8am to 6pm – Monday to Friday
10am to 4pm – Saturday and Sunday