'RETURN TO SCHOOL' Risk Assessment for September 2020 (updated)
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(Message sent out 17th March)
Dear Parents and Carers,
I am writing following the updated Government advice on 16th March 20120. A summary of the advice we are now following can be found in the link below:
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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
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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
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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. (See ending isolation section below for more information
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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
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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. (See ending isolation section below for more information
https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response
The key change of note for schools relates to families isolating when any household member shows the typical symptoms of a persistent cough and/or a high temperature. We expect this significant change in policy to affect the normal smooth running of the school as increasingly staff have to self isolate and the levels of children’s absence begins to rise.
However, we will endeavour to maintain Westbury Park School as a calm, positive learning environment where children can enjoy some routine. In order to manage this we have had to cancel some key events such as parents’ evenings, educational visits, sports fixtures and meetings. Such a move is necessary so that we retain as many staff as possible for as long as possible so we can support our community and especially those working as frontline services in the fight against Coronavirus.
It may also be necessary at a later date to cancel assemblies, increase class sizes and be creative with our curriculum as the situation changes. I will continue to update you as we receive more information and start to initiate more school actions.
Best wishes,
Richard Bamber
Headteacher
Westbury Park Primary School
(Message sent out 15th March)
Dear Parents/Carers,
Over the next few days and weeks, we expect families and staff to report symptoms of COVID-19. The advice from Public Health England is that schools should not close if there is a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 unless instructed by health professionals.
We continue to follow Public Health England advice and are in touch with relevant organisations. If anyone in your family develops a new dry cough or is running a temperature then they should self isolate. If symptoms persist or health deteriorates they should phone 111 for advice.
No one (adults or children) with symptoms should come to school. There is currently no advice (15.3.2020) that whole households should self isolate but only those who show symptoms. However, if whole families make a decision to self isolate because of a case of coronavirus in the home we would understand. If your child has underlying health conditions we encourage you to speak to us about the best way forward.
If there is a complete school closure we have a plan in place to offer learning to be completed at home. It will be difficult to teach at school and manage sporadic home learning but we will of course do our best to ensure no child misses out on their education.
Thanks for your support, stay well and healthy, keep washing hands and keep in touch.
For information on COVID - 19 please follow this link:
Best wishes,
Richard Bamber
Headteacher
Westbury Park Primary School
(Massage sent out 13th March)
Dear Parents/Carers,
As you may know there was further update from the government on Thursday evening about the Coronavirus pandemic. The key messages I took from the briefing are the following:
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Schools will remain open for the meantime as closure will not significantly delay the spread of the virus and could do more harm than good.
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With immediate effect anyone with a new persistent cough or high temperature should self-isolate for seven days.
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Schools have been advised against international educational visits.
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Older people and those with pre-existing health conditions are being told not to go on cruises.
In Westbury Park, we have created an action plan and risk assessment where we have modeled various scenarios with the focus still being on business as usual but with contingencies built in.
The announcement around foreign travel may well affect our planned Year 6 visit to France. We are seeking further clarification from the relevant bodies as to what this means for us and are working out next steps. We will update Year 6 parents as soon as we have the correct information. Currently, there are no restrictions around travel within the UK and the Year 5 camp is unaffected at the moment.
Some children feel understandably anxious at the moment. With such a wide age range and different levels of understanding within the school each teacher is using their professional judgement to reassure and facilitate informed and age appropriate discussions. There are plenty of resources on line that you may like to watch or read that speak to children about this complicated issue in an age appropriate way. One such resource can be found below:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/51204456
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/51342366
For the latest government updates please visit the following website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response
Thanks for your support
Richard Bamber
Headteacher
Westbury Park Primary School