14th September 2020
Dear Parents,
Further to my emails at the end of last week, I am writing to let you know that a student in Year 7 has tested positive for COVID-19. The student last attended school on Wednesday 9th September.
The students who have been in close contact with this student have not attended school since Thursday 10th September, and on the advice of the East Midlands Health Protection Team they have now been asked to self-isolate for 14 days.
The school remains open and your child should continue to attend if they are well.
We know that you may find this concerning but are continuing to monitor the situation and are working closely with Public Health England. This letter is to inform you of the current situation and provide advice on how to support your child.
School Policy on attendance
Please do not send your child to school if they have any of the suspected symptoms or more than one of the possible symptoms.
If your child has any suspected symptom they must self-isolate and have a COVID-19 test as soon as possible. They must not return to school until they feel better and have either had a negative test result or 10 days has passed since they developed the symptoms.
If you child has more than one possible symptom they must not attend school until they have recovered. We request that they have a COVID-19 test if possible.
Suspected symptoms identified in government and NHS guidance are:
- high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
- loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
Possible symptoms identified by the World Health Organisation include:
- (unusual) tiredness
- (unusual) aches and pains
- sore throat
- sickness
- diarrhoea
- conjunctivitis
- headache
- an (unexplained) rash on skin, or discolouration of fingers or toes
In addition, students may not attend if:
- They have tested positive for COVID-19 and symptoms started in the last 10 days or are ongoing
- Someone in the household has COVID-19 symptoms (and has not received a negative test result)
- They have had close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 14 days
- They have been asked to self-isolate by the Test and Trace service
- They have returned from abroad within the last 14 days and are required to quarantine
- There is any other reason to suspect they may have COVID-19 and they have not yet received a negative test result
What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID 19
If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, they must not come to school and should remain at home for at least 10 days from the date when their symptoms appeared. Anyone with symptoms will be eligible for testing and this can be arranged via https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.
All other household members who remain well, must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. This includes anyone in your ‘Support Bubble’. Household members should not go to work, school or public areas and exercise should be taken within the home. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.
If you are able, 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.
Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection
If you have any questions on need any further support, please contact our Attendance Officer, Mrs Philpott, or your child’s tutor or Progress Leader in the first instance.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs A Mellors
Headteacher
