Dear Parents, Carers and Students

We have been made aware of a member of our school community in Year 7 who has tested positive for COVID 19.

The small number of children who have been in close contact with the individual who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) have been contacted and they will be receiving an email informing them that their child must stay at home for 14 days.

We know that you and your family may find this concerning but we are continuing to monitor the situation and are working closely with Public Health England. This email is to inform you of the current situation and provide advice on how to support your child. Please be reassured that for most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

The school remains open and your child should continue to attend as normal if they remain well. As ever we are here to help and so if you have any particular concerns please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. Please ensure that we have up to date contact details since, as we did today, we may have to potentially contact families during the working day to collect your child to go into self-isolation.

For further details on remote learning should your child need to self-isolate in the future, please see our school website and connect to our social media accounts for up to date information and check that your child knows how to log on to their Teams account and their school email just in case more students have to learn remotely.

This situation acts as a timely reminder about the importance of students protecting themselves, their families and our community by ensuring they are following our precautionary measures such as wearing face coverings, sanitising their hands regularly remaining within their own year group areas.

Can I also take this opportunity to ask you to remind your child that they should go straight home at the end of the day with just one friend and not congregate in large groups waiting to be picked up. This will help us to minimise the risk of transmission for everyone.

What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID 19

If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, they must not come to school and should remain at home for at least 10 days from the date when their symptoms appeared. Anyone with symptoms will be eligible for testing and this can be arranged via https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by calling 119. Please ensure you notify the relevant attendance team for your child, should this happen, so we are able to track the virus.

All other household members who remain well, must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. This includes anyone in your ‘Support Bubble’.

Further information is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/.../stay-at-home-guidance-for...

The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.

Household members should not go to work, school or public areas and exercise should be taken within the home.

If you require help with buying groceries, other shopping or picking up medication, or walking a dog, you should ask friends or family. Alternatively, you can order your shopping online and medication by phone or online.

Household members staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community

If you are able, move any vulnerable individuals (such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions) out of your home, to stay with friends or family for the duration of the home isolation period.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:

a new continuous cough

a high temperature

a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

If your child does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from the nhs.uk website at https://www.nhs.uk/.../check-if-you-have-coronavirus.../. If you are concerned about your child’s symptoms, or they are worsening you can seek advice from NHS 111 at https://111.nhs.uk/ or by phoning 111.

How to stop COVID-19 spreading

There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID-19

Do

wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds

use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available

wash your hands as soon as you get home

cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze

put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards

Further information is available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Yours sincerely

Andrew Davis

Principal