Dear Parent/ Carer,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
May I take this opportunity to wish you and your families a safe, healthy and happy 2022!
Everyone at school is looking forward with much excitement to welcoming children back tomorrow.
Concerns around rising case rates will for some of you be causing a degree of worry and anxiety. You will have no doubt all heard or read the stories in the news recently around education and the potential impact rising cases may have on the sustained delivery of face-to-face provision.
Please be assured that the team and I will do all we can in school to mitigate the impact of COVID and rising case rates in order to provide a sustained, safe and secure learning environment for the children.
To this end, it is important that we all continue to follow the government guidance around testing and isolation. I have included links below to websites which outline current guidance.
Please do not send your child(ren) to school if they are displaying any symptoms of COVID-19:
– A HIGH TEMPERATURE
– A NEW, CONTINUOUS COUGH
– A LOSS OR CHANGE TO SENSE OF SMELL OR TASTE
Instead, please book a PCR test as soon as possible.
In cases where a member of the child’s household has tested positive for COVID-19, the child can still attend school if well and not displaying any of the above symptoms. This is also the case in the event of the child being identified as a close contact.
It is strongly recommended that these children (if over 5 years of age) take daily LFD tests for 7 days (or up to 10) to confirm they are not asymptomatic and potentially transmitting the virus. Daily tests should be taken each morning before attending school. If a daily LFD test returns a positive result, the child should isolate immediately and seek a confirmatory PCR test.
Routine twice-weekly LFD testing at home for primary-age children is not recommended.
Isolation can now be reduced to 7 days, if the infected individual returns a negative LFD test result on Day 6 and Day 7 and is well/ non-symptomatic. In these cases, where a child has been isolating and has taken LFD tests of Day 6 and Day 7, please notify the school office with results from the LFD test and to arrange when the child is able to return to school.
Despite rising case rates and the regrettable impact COVID may continue to have on education, I am sure that by continuing to follow the current guidance and with protective measures in place at school, we can plan for and achieve a successful start to the Spring term.
Thank you – as always – for your continued support and I look forward to welcoming you all back to school tomorrow.
Mr C.
