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Return to School – 6 September 2021

Returning to school safely in September 2021  

Dear parents and carers,

As you prepare for the start of the new term, you may have questions or concerns about how the risks of Covid-19 will be minimised in educational settings and the measures we can all continue to take to help keep yourself, your child and everyone safer while Covid-19 continues to circulate.

This letter sets out the national guidance on what has changed since July 2021 and what we can do as a community to minimise risk.

What has changed since last term? 

On 19 July, England moved to Step 4 of the government’s roadmap out of the pandemic. Most remaining restrictions were lifted, such as social distancing and the legal requirement to wear face coverings. Schools therefore no longer have to organise children into bubbles during the school day, although we are maintaining this at breakfast club and lunchtimes in the dinner hall. Children will mix outside at break and lunchtime.

The government has been very clear that Covid-19 has not gone away. At FVA we will still have a Covid-19 risk assessment in place that covers:

  • supporting regular testing of those without symptoms
  • operating safely on a day-to-day basis through cleaning regimes, hand and respiratory hygiene and keeping spaces and classrooms well ventilated
  • processes for outbreak management

From 16 August 2021, the government guidance states that anyone under the age of 18 and 6 months, or anyone who has had both doses of the vaccine, does not have to isolate if they are identified as a close contact of someone who tests positive for Covid-19.

What will happen if my child tests positive for Covid-19, develops symptoms or is unwell? 

A child or adult of any age who has symptoms of Covid-19 or a positive rapid lateral flow test will still have to isolate. If they haven’t already, they will also need to take a PCR test to confirm they have Covid-19. The rules for positive cases have not changed and you will be asked to come and collect your child if they show signs of Covid-19 symptoms whilst in school and arrange a PCR test for them. If the test is positive, they will have to isolate for 10 days.

It is important to keep your child at home if they start to develop Covid-19 symptoms –

  • a new, continuous cough,
  • high temperature
  • or loss or change to sense of taste or smell.

Please continue to let the school know if your child has Covid-19 symptoms and also tests positive for Covid-19.

As usual, as we enter the winter months, there will be other infectious diseases circulating. Even if your child has a negative Covid-19 test result, please ensure they are fever free for at least 24 hours and have recovered from acute symptoms before they return to school or college.

If you are concerned about other childhood illnesses, you may find this HANDi app useful:

(https://bnssgccg.nhs.uk/get-involved/campaigns/download-handi-app/

The HANDi app aims to provide advice and support to parents and carers when your child is unwell. It offers simple and straightforward advice for conditions in children and babies such as diarrhoea and vomiting, high temperature, ‘chesty’ symptoms, abdominal pain and common new-born problems.

The app takes you through a series of questions about the symptoms your child is experiencing and then advises on the best course of action, whether that’s to treat at home (with a plan provided for each condition), to make a GP appointment, or to take them to A&E.

Download the HANDi App for Android phones at Google Play, and for iPhone or iPad using the app store or iTunes. Use the search term ‘HANDi App’.

What will happen if there is a positive case of Covid-19 iat FVA?

Anyone who has symptoms will be asked to stay at home. If they also test positive for Covid-19 they will have to isolate for 10 days. This rule has not changed. Anyone who has Covid-19 symptoms will need to be collected from school and isolate until they have taken a PCR test and know the result.

Will my child be asked to isolate if they have been near a positive case? 

No, but they will be encouraged to book a PCR test and they will not need to isolate while they wait for the result of this PCR test.  This will mean fewer class closures if there is a single positive case in the school, which will help minimise disruption to face-to-face education.

What if there are several cases of Covid-19 at FVA? 

FVA has an outbreak management plan for when cases rise at FVA or in the local area. The plan is based on the latest government guidance. We will work with our Health and Safety team, health protection and public health teams and use the plan to guide decisions or actions they need to take to reduce the spread. If it is decided it is best to do so, certain measures may be reintroduced by local Directors of Public Health such as staggered start and end times of the school day, contact tracing, the wearing of face coverings and partial school closures where children will access their learning online. Please be assured these measures will only be introduced if the risk to individuals’ health outweighs the risk to disrupting our children and young people’s education.

Will my child be tested at the start of the new term? 

Children at primary age will not be tested at school.

However, we would encourage families to routinely test at home

Face masks

You are no longer required to wear face masks in the playground but will be asked to if you come into school. However, you may see staff continuing to do this and you may feel that you still want to as well.

Flu vaccine 

For the 2021 to 2022 flu season, the flu vaccination programme already includes all children in primary school.This is part of the government’s wider winter planning to reduce flu levels in the population, and therefore the potential impact on the NHS, when we are likely to see both flu and coronavirus (COVID-19) in circulation. FVA will be providing more details of when this is happening.

Finally, we would like to say thank you for your continued support and all your efforts to keep your child and family, FVA and our wider community safer.

We are continuing to encourage everyone in our community to be considerate and respectful of those around us. Thinking about risks to ourselves and others, particularly people with clinical vulnerabilities, will help keep us all safer.

How we can all continue to take precautions to keep ourselves and each other safer:

  • Meet outdoors or in well ventilated areas
  • Wear a face covering when you come into contact with people you don’t normally meet in enclosed and crowded spaces
  • Wash your hands regularly
  • Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze
  • Stay at home if you feel unwell
  • Have both doses of the vaccine if you can. If you are concerned about the vaccine or cannot have it, you can seek advice here: COVID-19 vaccination questions and answers – Healthier Together (bnssghealthiertogether.org.uk)

Kind regards,

Dr J Saunders

Principal