Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

 

GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES: SPRINGCROFT PRIMARY SCHOOL WILL BE CLOSED TO ALMOST ALL CHILDREN FROM MONDAY 23RD MARCH 2020 UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

 

PLEASE SEE OUR "HOME LEARNING" PAGE IN THE "CHILDREN" SECTION OF OUR WEBSITE FOR ACTIVITIES AND RESOURCES TO SUPPORT LEARNING DURING THESE CHALLENGING TIMES

 

DfE Advice for Schools:

As I am sure you are aware, the Government is closely monitoring the spread of the Coronavirus and is taking action at home and abroad. We are currently moving from the Contain phase of the coronavirus action plan and into the Delay phase, in response to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

 

To minimise the spread of COVID-19, the UK Government has made it clear that all parents are to keep their children at home, wherever possible, and asked schools to remain open only for those children who absolutely need to attend. That is why it is important to underline that Springcroft must remain a safe place for our children.  We will also need to take account of both: a) the latest government scientific advice on the proportion of pupils that it is advisable to maintain direct support for in order to maintain efforts to delay the spread of the virus. At present this has been set by the government as a maximum of 20% of the school population and b) the number of staff available to work. This may require us to prioritise which pupils receive an offer, according to greatest need.

 

WHERE POSSIBLE CHILDREN and YOUNG PEOPLE SHOULD STAY AT HOME. 

 

Full details of each stage in the government action plan can be found here:

To support the delay of the spread of the virus, the Department for Health and Social Care has asked anyone who shows certain symptoms to stay at home for 14 days, regardless of whether they have travelled to affected areas. This means people should stay at home and avoid all but essential contact with others for 14 days from the point of displaying mild symptoms, to slow the spread of infection.

 

Guidelines for whole household isolation are:

• if you live alone and you have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), however mild, stay at home for 7 days from when your symptoms started
• if you live with others and you or another member of the household have symptoms of coronavirus, then all household members must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill. It is likely that people living within a household will infect each other or be infected already. Staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community
• for anyone in the household who starts displaying symptoms, they need to stay at home for 7 days from when the symptoms appeared, regardless of what day they are on in the original 14-day isolation period.

 

The symptoms are:

You do not need to call NHS 111 to stay at home. If your symptoms worsen during your stay at home period or are no better after 7 days contact NHS 111 online at 111.nhs.uk. If you have no internet access, you should call NHS 111. For a medical emergency dial 999.

 

Further information on what you should do if you are asked to self-isolate can be found here:

Frequently Asked Questions:

 

What if the UK Government classes me as a key worker?

Parents who are working in a critical sector and cannot make any alternative arrangements, our school staff are committed to providing childcare whilst you are at work. We are also committed to keeping our extended hours from 7:30 am to 5:30pm to enable you to keep the country operating. These are testing times and it is our civic and moral duty to keep our community safe, whilst at the same time keeping our critical services operating. 

 

What do I need to do if my child has ‘flu-like’ symptoms?

If a parent or child is ill and is worried about coronavirus they should contact NHS 111. You should not go to your doctors, health centre or pharmacy. The NHS and Public Health England will ascertain if the case is coronavirus or, as is most likely, seasonal cold or flu. Public Health England along with the county council’s Health, Safety and Wellbeing Service will offer further advice to us as a school on what we need to do.

 

In the event that someone has been diagnosed with Coronavirus in school, can the school reveal who it is?

For reasons of patient confidentiality, we are not able to disclose who has contracted the virus. This is for the health and safety of the patient.

The local Public Health England Health Protection Team will contact school to discuss the case, identify people who have been in contact with them and advice on any actions or precautions that should be taken. If there is a confirmed case, a risk assessment will be undertaken by the educational establishment with advice from the local Health Protection Team. In most cases, closure of the childcare or education setting will be unnecessary but this will be a local decision based on various factors such as establishment size and pupil mixing.

What action you can take?

Personal hygiene is the most important way we can tackle COVID-19, especially washing hands more; and the catch it, bin it, kill it strategy for those with coughs and sneezes.  

Wash your hands more often for 20 seconds with soap and hot water 

In addition to handwashing before eating, and after coughing and sneezing, both children and staff should also wash hands after using toilets and travelling on public transport. 

Public Health England has a dedicated webpage with a range of posters and digital materials at: 

A UK wide campaign has been launched to provide clear advice on how to slow the spread of Coronavirus.
Please help to support the campaign which promotes basic hygiene practices, such as regularly washing hands and always sneezing into a tissue, to stem the spread of viruses.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5e35b25740f0b609169cb52a/coronavirus-public-info-poster-2.pdf

 

Public Health England and the Foreign Office have issued advice for anyone travelling or returning from outside the UK.This can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus

Latest information and advice can also be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public

 

The Department for Education has launched a new helpline to answer questions about COVID-19 related to education. Staff, parents and young people can contact the helpline as follows:

Phone: 0800 046 8687
Email: DfE.Coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk
Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday)

 

In summary, the scientific guidance is clear the fewer children we have in school each day the greater chance we have of limiting the chance of the virus spreading.
These are testing times and it is our civic and moral duty to keep our community safe, whilst at the same time keeping our critical services operating. 

 

The overwhelming gratitude and support that we have received from so many parents over the past few days has been very moving, these messages really are appreciated. Thank you.