Dear Parents,

Over recent days we have been made aware of several children in our school community who have tested positive for COVID 19.

I would like to take time to reassure you that we have taken all necessary actions since hearing this information to keep all children at our school as safe as possible. The school have consulted with the local authority and we are introducing some additional controls to reduce the chances of further spread of the virus. 

As a parent you should not notice any changes.

• We will continue to remind children to wash and sanitise hands at regular intervals.
• We will continue to ensure that all classrooms are well ventilated and cleaned throughout the day. 
• We will encourage parents to wear masks at pick up and drop off.
• Drop off and collection arrangements for children will remain unaltered.
• There will not be a return to whole class self isolation.
• Children will not sing in class and only sing outside where there is less chance of transmission. 
• We will suspend all after school sports clubs for the two week period.

Following this period of time, we will review these additional measures.

Currently, the most common strain of virus in the UK is called the Delta variant and we have seen a steep rise in COVID-19 cases recently. Evidence suggests the Delta variant spreads more easily than previous strains.  It is important that we are vigilant and follow public health messages to stop the spread of the virus

Household testing

Eligible household members should do a rapid test twice a week (every 3 to 4 days) to check if you have the virus. If people test positive and self-isolate, it helps stop the virus spreading.  Even if you’re vaccinated, there’s still a chance you can pass COVID-19 on, so you should keep getting tested regularly.  To access home test kits, please see the following link below: https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests

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

• 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

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

Symptoms of COVID 19

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

• new continuous cough and/or
• high temperature and/or
• a loss of, or change in, 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 NHS 111 at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/or by phoning 119.