Coronavirus Information

COVID UPDATED GUIDANCE - MARCH 2022

You may be aware of the Government’s announcement earlier in the week of changes leading to ‘living with Covid’. From Monday 21^st February the Government has removed the guidance for staff and pupils in most educational and childcare settings to undertake twice weekly asymptomatic testing, this includes staff and pupils. As a school we feel it is important for the rest of this half term (until at least Easter) that our staff continue to test twice weekly to limit the spread of Covid in and around our small community. 

From Thursday 24^th February, the Government have removed the legal requirement to self-isolate following a positive test. However, adults and children who test positive will continue to be advised to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for at least 5 full days, and then continue to follow the guidance until they have they have received 2 negative test results on consecutive days. 

If your child displays signs of any symptoms of Covid-19 (a high temperature, a new continuous cough, or loss or change to sense of taste or smell), you are asked to take them for a PCR test, and they should still stay at home whilst they await the results. 

In addition, the government will no longer ask fully vaccinated close contacts and those aged under 18 to test daily for 7 days, as well as removing the legal requirement for close contacts who are not fully vaccinated to self-isolate. Contacts will no longer be required to self-isolate or advised to take daily tests. Staff, children and young people should attend their educational settings as usual. This includes staff who have been in close contact within their household, unless they are able to work from home. 

Face coverings are no longer required to be worn in communal areas or on dedicated school transport. This will be a matter of personal choice, so parents, carers and staff are welcome to continue wearing them in and around our school if they wish. 

Children will continue to wear their PE kit to school on PE and sporting event days. The school will continue to be regularly fogged and we will keep our current daily timetable of regular handwashing and hand sanitising in place until at least Easter. 

As a school, we will continue to closely monitor the cases the school is seeing. As we begin our national journey of ‘living with Covid’, we will always seek to follow any further government announcements and changes, with the health, safety and wellbeing of our pupils, staff and families continuing to come first.  

To reduce the risk of catching and passing on Covid-19 as a community we can: 

1. Get vaccinated 
2. Let fresh air in if meeting indoors or where possible meet outside 
3. Wear a face covering in crowed and enclosed spaces, especially when you come into contact with people you do not usually meet and when rates of transmission are high 
4. Stay at home if you are or your child is unwell and avoid contact with other people if you test positive for at least 5 days 
5. Take a test if you have Covid-19 symptoms 
6. Wash your hands and follow advice to ‘Catch it, bin it, Kill it’.