Latest News

Closure update

Thu 19 Mar 2020 Mrs Read

Following on from my last update, I’m now writing to let you know that we have now been instructed to close the school to almost all children after this Friday until further notice.
As advised by the government, we will do all we can to stay open for the children of key workers (and children with certain needs. As of 5.45pm, we are still waiting for the government to publish more information on what this means. When we know, we will be asking parents to notify us if this applies to them. We’ll also be in touch again when we are sure who this does apply to.
All other children will need to stay at home, so we ask that you do not send your child into school from Monday onwards.
Please note that this is a national closure – as you may have heard in the news – so while it is a challenging situation, we are not alone. We’ll re-open fully as soon as we can and will let you know when this is by sending you text messages, emails and app notifications.
What we’ll continue doing while your child is at home
Whilst the school is closed during term time, teachers will be working from home to prepare daily work for your child. All the children have been given Home Learning packs today with instructions about how to access their learning online. They have practised using Google Classroom at school, but they may need support and supervision especially at the start of each day. Class Dojo will be used for Reception and Nursery. Parents can continue to send teachers messages via Class Dojo and Children can send messages to teachers on Google Classroom.
Classwork will be set each day 9am and should be completed by 3pm so that teachers can respond to it.

All children must complete their daily tasks so that they don’t fall behind on their learning.

If your child usually receives free school meals we will also be in touch with more information about how we will continue to provide this, with support from a scheme that the government will be announcing.

What we won’t be able to go ahead with:
    School trips
    After-school clubs
    Events
    EYFS profiles, Phonics screening check, Y4 times tables checks, KS1 SATS and KS2 SATS

This is as much as we know right now and we appreciate your continued patience with this as we deal with an ever-changing situation. We understand that this latest news will have an impact on you and your family and it’s far from ideal, but we’ll continue to keep in touch with any updates as the situation develops.
If you want to get in touch to share any concerns, please don’t hesitate to do so via the school office email addresses. School staff will be coming to work as usual, aside from those who are self-isolating or shielding due to underlying health conditions.
And remember: if you or your child feels ill and you want to know what to do next, please use NHS 111 online.
Thank you again for your continued support, and we will be in touch with more information when we can.

Coronavirus update 18.3.20

Wed 18 Mar 2020 Mrs Read

In light of the Prime Minister's announcement tonight, we will be in touch with parents tomorrow with further information once this has been clarified by the government. School remains open tomorrow to all children as usual.

Coronavirus update- 17.3.20

Tue 17 Mar 2020

This is your daily email to keep you updated on the government’s response to COVID-19 (coronavirus).
New guidance for households with symptoms
Yesterday, the Government introduced new guidance on whole household isolation in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak:
•   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:
•   A high temperature (37.8 degrees and above)
•   A new, continuous cough
The full stay at home guidance for households with these symptoms can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance

Update- 16.3.20, 8pm

Mon 16 Mar 2020 Mrs Read

Message for our whole school community: Following the most recent government guidance tonight, please can you ensure that if anyone in your household has the possible symptoms of coronavirus (high temperature OR a new, continuous cough) then EVERYONE in the household should stay at home for 14 days. So if you or another family member has symptoms, then any children that attend this school must also stay at home for 14 days.

Coronavirus update 13/3/20

Fri 13 Mar 2020 Mrs Read

Government announces move from Contain to Delay phase
Yesterday, the Government announced that we are moving from the Contain phase of the coronavirus action plan and into the Delay phase, in response to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Full details of each stage in the government action plan can be found here:
• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-action-plan

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 7 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 7 days from the point of displaying mild symptoms, to slow the spread of infection.

The symptoms are:
• A high temperature (37.8 degrees and above)
• A new, continuous cough

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.

Current advice remains in place: no education or children’s social care setting should close in response to a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case unless advised to do so by Public Health England.

The Chief Medical Officer has advised that the impact of closing schools on both children’s education and on the workforce will be substantial, but the benefit to public health may not be. Decisions on future advice to schools will be taken based on the latest and best scientific evidence, which at this stage suggests children are a lower risk group.

COVID-19 travel guidance for the education sector
The Government has issued new travel guidance for the education sector. This advises against all overseas education trips for children under 18. This does not apply to domestic trips, or overseas trips which are already underway. We do not have any overseas trips planned, so this advice does not apply to our schools.
The full guidance can be found here:
• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-educational-settings-about-covid-19/covid-19-travel-guidance-for-the-education-sector
Handwashing advice
The most important thing individuals can do to protect themselves is to wash their hands more often, for at least 20 seconds, with soap and water. Public Health England recommends that in addition to handwashing before eating, and after coughing and sneezing, everyone should also wash hands after using toilets and travelling on public transport.
Watch this short NHS film for guidance:
• https://youtu.be/bQCP7waTRWU

Coronavirus Update- 12/3/20

Thu 12 Mar 2020 Mrs Read

We continue to follow advice from the Department for Education and Public Health England and receive daily email updates. The safety of our children and staff is paramount but until we have a direct instruction to close, the school will remain open as usual. The Senior Leadership team have a clear plan and are working hard behind the scenes, should things change. Parents will be informed by text message, app notification and email as soon as possible if/when we are directed to close the school.

Government coronavirus action plan
The government coronavirus action plan sets out what the UK has done to tackle coronavirus (COVID-19), and what we plan to do next.
The situation is constantly reviewed and action informed by expert science and advice, guided by the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Scientific Adviser.
The action plan can be found here:
•   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-action-plan
Action plan recap
The action plan sets out a four-phased approach in response to coronavirus – Contain, Delay, Mitigate, and Research, based on the latest scientific evidence.
The current emphasis is on the Contain and Research phases, however planning for Delay and Mitigation is already in train.

How to wash your hands properly
Wash your hands more often for 20 seconds with soap and hot water.
Watch this short NHS film for guidance:
•   https://youtu.be/bQCP7waTRWU
Teach young children how to wash their hands with the NHS handwashing song:
•   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9VjeIWLnEg
Public Health England recommends that in addition to handwashing before eating, and after coughing and sneezing, everyone should also wash hands after using toilets and travelling on public transport.
Department for Education coronavirus helpline
The Department for Education coronavirus helpline is available to answer questions about COVID-19 relating to education and children’s social care. Staff, parents and young people can contact this helpline as follows:
Phone: 0800 046 8687
Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday)
Please note, we are currently experiencing high volumes of calls and apologise for any wait that you may experience. Your call will join a queue and we will answer as soon as possible.
If you work in a school, please have your unique reference number (URN or UKPRN) available when calling the helpline.
Where to find the latest information
Updates on COVID-19:
•   https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Guidance for educational settings:
•   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-educational-settings-about-covid-19
Guidance for social or community care and residential settings:
•   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-social-or-community-care-and-residential-settings-on-covid-19
Travel advice for those travelling and living overseas:
•   https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus

Coronavirus

Sun 08 Mar 2020 Mrs Read

You can help to slow the spread of Coronavirus!

Make sure you and your children follow these general principles to prevent spreading any respiratory virus:
Wash your hands often – with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or an alcohol-based sanitiser if soap and water aren’t available.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
If you feel unwell, stay at home and don’t attend work or school.

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in a bin.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces in the home.
If you’re worried about your symptoms, please call NHS 111 – don’t go directly to your GP or other healthcare environment.
Specified countries and areas with implications for returning travellers or visitors arriving in the UK: Category 1: Travellers should self-isolate, even if asymptomatic, and use the 111 online coronavirus service to find out what to do next. Go home or to your destination and then self isolate. Category 2: Travellers do not need to undertake any special measures, but if they develop symptoms they should self-isolate and call NHS 111.

The guidance for Italy, Iran, Daegu or Cheongdo (Republic of Korea), Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam applies to individuals who returned from these specific areas on or after 19 February 2020.

Category 1 countries/areas	Category 2 countries/areas
Wuhan city and Hubei Province (China, see map)	Cambodia
Iran	China*
Daegu or Cheongdo (Republic of Korea, see map)	Hong Kong
Any Italian town under containment measures (see map)	Italy (see map)
	Japan
	Laos
	Macau
	Malaysia
	Myanmar
	Republic of Korea*
	Singapore
	Taiwan
	Thailand
	Vietnam

*Except areas of the country specifically referred to in Category 1.

Detailed maps can be found here.

Department for Education Coronavirus helpline - this helpline has been set up to answer questions about the virus related to education. Staff, parents and young people can contact the helpline.

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

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