Dear Parents and Carers of Stepney Park Primary school,
We have been advised by Public Health England that there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the school.
We know that you may find this concerning but we are continuing to monitor the situation and are working closely with Public Health England. This letter is to inform you of the current situation and provide advice on how to support your child. Please be reassured that for most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.
A number of children who have been in close contact with the individual who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) have received a letter today, informing their families that their child must stay at home for up to 14 days. This includes the two days before the child who tested positive developed symptoms.Other family members, including siblings, do not need to self- isolate.
The school remains open and all other children should continue to attend as normal if they remain well.
Digital Learning
As you know, we have been very busy with setting up our Digital Learning strategy, and children in the affected year group are expected to join online learning, using their chromebook, from the first day of their self isolation.
If this was to happen to your child at some point in the future, they would need to register with the school in the morning and again in the afternoon. This will be done by Google MEET which is a video conferencing tool.
A class registration time will be decided and communicated with your child through Google Classroom. Your child would need to be available to speak to a teacher at these times. The morning session will give them support with their tasks for the day and the afternoon session will check their learning, and give feedback and further support.
We need a parent or carer to be there for the start of every MEET session, so that we know that you are giving permission for your child to appear on the video stream. These sessions will be recorded but will not be shared with anyone outside of school.
Registration of children during term time whilst classes/ schools are closed is an expectation, so as with a normal school day, you would need to notify the school of any absence.
What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID 19:
If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, they must not come to school and should remain at home for at least 10 days from the date when their symptoms appeared. Anyone with symptoms will be eligible for testing and this can be arranged via https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.
All other household members who remain well, must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. This includes anyone in your ‘Support Bubble’.
Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection
The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.
Household members should not go to work, school or public areas and exercise should be taken within the home.
If you require help with buying groceries, other shopping or picking up medication, or walking a dog, you should ask friends or family. Alternatively, you can order your shopping online and medication by phone or online.
Household members staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community
If you are able, move any vulnerable individuals (such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions) out of your home, to stay with friends or family for the duration of the home isolation period.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:
For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.
If your child does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from the nhs.uk website at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/. If you are concerned about your child’s symptoms, or they are worsening you can seek advice from NHS 111 at https://111.nhs.uk/ or by phoning 111.
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
Do
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wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
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use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
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wash your hands as soon as you get home
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cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
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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/
Kindest regards,
Edith Philipsen
Headteacher- Stepney Park Primary School.
