Coronavirus update - advice for parents/carers
Update 19th March 2020
Yesterday the Education Minister Gavin Williamson announced that all schools and early years settings in England will close at the end of the day on Friday 20th March until further notice.
The Government has decided that schools must remain open for certain pupils. The groups that were outlined yesterday were: those whose parents are categorised as Key Workers such as NHS, Police, delivery drivers and more vulnerable children, including those with Education and Health Care Plans and those receiving Social Care support. We are awaiting more information today to provide further clarity. Once we receive this we will be in touch with you again so that we are all clear about whether or not your child needs to come to school from Monday 23rd March.
We foresaw this coming and have already been planning for pupils to continue their learning at home. Information about this will be provided later today.
Please do not contact the school with enquires about school closure before you receive further information from us. Our primary aim is to get information out to you as soon as we can as we know that this is an extremely difficult time for parents and pupils.
Update: 17th March 2020 at 13:00
Please find the most recent update from our CEO, Mrs. Z E Carr here
The safety of our pupils and staff across the trust is our number one priority. The Government’s advice is changing regularly and we continue to monitor the situation closely. We will continue to provide updates as and when we have them.
At this stage our schools continue to be open in line with the current advice published by the Government and Public Health England for schools and education settings. The Department for Education (DfE) has advised that no school should close in response to a suspected (or confirmed) COVID-19 case unless advised to do by Public Health England. We are monitoring staffing levels to ensure our schools remain safe places for our pupils.
The Government’s advice specifically for schools is that:
- staff, young people and children should stay at home if they are unwell with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature to avoid spreading infection to others, otherwise they should attend education or work as normal
- if staff, young people or children become unwell on site with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature they should be sent home
With immediate effect: “Stay at home” guidance for households with possible coronavirus
- If you live with others and you or one of them 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.
Follow the NHS stay at home advice
Follow the Government's stay at home guidance for households with possible coronavirus
There is specific Government guidance for vulnerable adults
Social distancing
As we take on board the Government’s advice about avoiding non-essential social contact and travel we will need to make changes to activities and events. It is essential that you check school information on a regular basis.
We may need to change how we operate over the coming weeks, therefore please ensure your contact details are up to date so that school can contact you by text.
Further advice
We appreciate that this is a worrying time for everyone. Please contact us if you have any concerns or you feel we can support you in any way.
The Department for Education (DfE) has a helpline to answer questions about coronavirus (COVID-19) related to education. Staff, parents and young people can contact the helpline as follows:
Phone: 0800 046 8687
Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk
Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday)
Go to the NHS webpage on the coronavirus for information about the virus and how to protect yourself and your family. Use NHS 111 online to assess any steps you should take; only ring 111 if you do not have internet access.