Covid-19 Updates

Until guidance changes all education settings should remain open for face-to-face learning.

Our schools remain open as usual. Attendance at school is compulsory and your child should only stay at home if they display symptoms.

If you would like your child to wear a mask while they are attending one of our services, please let us know. A member of staff will discuss this in more detail with you.

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

• new continuous cough and/or
• high temperature
• 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 or anyone in the household does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from NHS 111 or by phoning 111.

As of 24th February, there is no legal requirement to self-isolate following a positive test.

Children and adults who test and receive a positive result are still advised to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for at least five full days, and then continue to follow the guidance until they have received two negative test results on consecutive days.

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

We are taking specific precautions to keep our learners and staff safe. This includes measures such as limiting the number of people in certain rooms, increasing the frequency of cleaning, and checking temperatures daily.

While the guidance for mainstream schools to undertake twice-weekly asymptomatic testing has now been removed it has been retained as advisory for our schools and services due to the more vulnerable nature of our learners.

For detail of the measures in place, read our risk assessment.

If your child begins to display symptoms whilst with us, we will call you immediately and arrange transport to return them home.

To help us manage the situation within services, we ask that you continue to keep us informed about the health of your child and if they have subsequently tested positive for COVID-19.

Any of our staff who have developed symptoms will take a LFT and if the result is positive, book a PCR test and self-isolate for at least 5 days.

We will write to you if there are any confirmed cases within the service, as well as informing you of how this is likely to impact you and your child.

When we find out about confirmed cases, we speak to Public Heath England for advice on what steps should be taken.