Updated advice regarding Covid-19

Thank you for continuing to following our health and safety advice and guidance.  I am very proud of our children, staff and families.  The school environment is very different to that of a year ago, however, our children have shown amazing resilience and settled back into school life very well!   This letter aims to provide you with some updated and advice regarding Covid – 19.

Positive Cases

There may be times in the coming weeks when, following advice from Public Health Wales, Environmental Health and Newport City Council, we may have to inform parents that a child or member of staff has tested positive.  This may be during the evening, at the weekend or during the day.  If we need to communicate with you we will do so by sending a letter via ClassDojo and the school website. It is therefore incredibly important that all families are signed up to ClassDojo.   

It is vitally important that you follow the advice given if a child is asked to self-isolate.

If instructed to do so, we may have to send home a contact group (i.e. a whole class) during the school day and parents will be asked to pick up children from school. It is vital that we have up to date contact details for parents/guardians so we can make contact in the event of this happening.

Symptoms that develop during the day

There may also be times during the school day when we may ring parents/guardians if individual children have exhibited symptoms of Covid-19 as below and ask you to collect your child. All siblings will need to be collected and if a child is symptomatic, parents are advised to book a test and the whole household self-isolate until a negative result is returned. Children may not return to school until a negative result has been seen by the school or a 10 day period of self-isolation has taken place from the first day of symptoms

 

Covid – 19 Symptoms.

• High Temperature – This means they feel hot to touch on their chest or on their back.
• New continuous cough – This means coughing a lot for more than an hour or 3 continuous coughing episodes in 24 hours.
• A loss or change in their sense of taste or smell – This means that they cannot smell or taste anything.

Terminology

Household – A group of adults and children living in the same property.

Extended Household – Up to 4 households who meet, act, and are treated as though they are one household (eg do not maintain social distancing and all have to self-isolate if one person becomes symptomatic).

Self-Isolation/Isolation – Stay at home and do not leave the house for 14 days. Do not visit GP, pharmacy or hospital. You must not go out to buy food or other essentials. Do not go to work, school or public areas. Do not use public transport or taxis.

14 day period – This starts from when the first person in the household or contact group becomes ill.

10 day period – This starts from the day symptoms begins.

Contact group – School class/year group “bubble”

NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect – This covers Wales approach to testing in the community and tracks people that you have been in contact with in order to protect family, friends and the community. They may trace you if you have been in contact with in order to protect family, friends and the community. They may trace you if you have been in contact with someone who has been tested as positive.

Further information can be found at: http://gov.wales/coronavirus

Please also find below links to some videos on Youtube regarding when and who to get your child tested.

When to get your child tested?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTDbNz-1F3c

 

How to get your child tested?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSwrlt1TIkY