****UPDATE*****
17 March 2020
Dear parents and carers,
You will be aware the government has issued further advice regarding COVID 19. This information was shared via a press conference on Monday 16th March.
New Guidance to Educational settings states – This is available on the Gov.uk site:
- 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. This should now be for fourteen days.
- If staff, young people or children become unwell on site with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature they should be sent home
- To continue to clean and disinfect regularly touched objects and surfaces more often than usual using your standard cleaning products
- Continue to supervise young children to ensure they wash their hands for 20 seconds more often than usual with soap and water or hand sanitiser and catch coughs and sneezes in tissues
- Unless we have been directly advised to close by the local Public Health England Health Protection Team, the government recommend all education settings remain open.
Main messages regarding Stay at home: Guidance for households with possible Coronavirus infection are – This is available on the Gov.uk site:
- 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
- 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.
- If you can, 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
- If you cannot move vulnerable people out of your home, stay away from them as much as possible
- If you have coronavirus symptoms: do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital you do not need to contact 111 to tell them you’re staying at home testing for coronavirus is not needed if you’re staying at home
- Plan ahead and ask others for help to ensure that you can successfully stay at home and consider what can be done for vulnerable people in the household.
- If your child has any underlying health conditions please contact the consultant and check the most up to date guidance on the Gov.uk website, to make an informed decision about whether you should send your child into school
- Ask your employer, friends and family to help you to get the things you need to stay at home
- Wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds, each time using soap and water, or use hand sanitiser
- If you feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home, or your condition gets worse, or your symptoms do not get better after 7 days, then use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service. If you do not have internet access, call NHS 111. For a medical emergency dial 999
As a school we continue to Promote good hand and respiratory hygiene with our pupils:
- Frequent hand washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
- Catch coughs or sneezes with a tissue, throw the tissue in the bin and wash hands
- Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
We also:
- Follow a routine cleaning programme with emphasis on frequently touched objects and surfaces
- Provide adequate supplies for good hygiene, including clean and functional handwashing stations, soap, paper towels, and alcohol‐based hand sanitiser
- Follow PHE guidance regarding school closures if necessary
We will continue to give you regular updates as and when necessary, we are working closely with our colleagues at Blackburn with Darwen Council and Public Health to ensure the correct information is shared.
Your sincerely
Jen Ashworth
Headteacher
