13th March 2020
Dear Parents,
Yesterday (12.03.20) the government updated its advice regarding the coronavirus. We would therefore like to update you all with regard to the school's situation and action to now take in order to minimise the spread of any infection.
If your child has a high temperature of 37.8C (100F) or more, or a persistent dry cough, we would ask you to keep them at home for 7 days. We will also contact you and ask you to come and collect any children who may develop these symptoms during the school day.
This also obviously applies to staff as well as pupils and this may put a strain on our ability to keep the school open. We have worked through carefully to determine our minimum staffing levels and are confident that we are well placed to remain open. It may happen, however, that we have too few staff to remain open for all year groups. In the event of some year groups having to close, we will attempt to prioritise keeping Year 6 open.
Any decision to close year groups will be communicated to parents via the banner on our homepage on our website by 7:00am at the latest. Should we have to close either due to reduced staffing or to a blanket decision announced by the government, we already have plans in place to provide pupils with work to do from home. This work will be set by staff daily on Google Classroom and a link will be posted on the school website. We will give you more information regarding these arrangements should this situation occur.
Obviously, we totally appreciate just how much of a worry this situation is and we will do all we can to remain open and carry on as ‘normal’ under the circumstances. However, we also wish to do all we can to minimise the risks and your children’s health and wellbeing is our top priority.
On the back of this letter is the latest guidance released by Public Health England.
We will continue to update you all as and when the situation changes.
Best wishes,
Mark Braund
Headteacher
Public Health England has released new guidance for those staying at home if they have symptoms of the virus.
People with symptoms are no longer required to call NHS 111, as the system is under strain, but are instead urged to look for information on the NHS website and 111 online.
Tips for staying at home
Do
- try to keep at least 2 metres (3 steps) from other people in your home, particularly older people or those with long-term health conditions
- ask friends and family and delivery services to deliver things like food shopping and medicines – but avoid contact with them
- sleep alone if possible
- regularly wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds
- try to stay away from older people and those with long-term health conditions
- drink plenty of water and take everyday painkillers, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, to help with your symptoms
Don't
- do not have visitors (ask people to leave deliveries outside)
- do not leave the house, for example to go for a walk, to school or public places
