1st September 2021
PARENT COMMUNICATION 1.9.21
I hope you are all well and that you have had a lovely Summer break. We are looking forward to seeing you all again on Tuesday 7th September 2021. We were hoping for a much more normal return to school but due to the number of COVID -19 cases in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly being much higher than anywhere else in England, we have been declared an “Enhanced Response Area (ERA).” Unfortunately, this means that there will be some restrictions and extra precautionary measures in place until it is revised by Public Health and our Local Authority in 5 weeks time. The good news is that the restrictions mainly apply to the adults (you and us) and that the children will no longer be in their bubbles and will be allowed to mix with one another.
Our 5 key principles to prevent the spread of infection at school are:
1) Stay at home if ill and get tested
2) Wash your hands, catch your coughs
3) Clean and ventilate
4) Promote routine asymptomatic testing (twice weekly, staff only)
5) Identification of close contacts (mainly NHS Test and Trace)
The additional measures due to being in an ERA are; limited access to school for visitors and parents, outdoor gatherings such as whole school assemblies, additional learning outside, improved ventilation indoors, enhanced cleaning. Staff are advised to wear face coverings when in shared staff areas. In order to limit crowding on the school premises, we ask that only parents of early years and key stage one children enter the playground to drop off their children. If you are on the playground please keep a safe distance from other adults. Parents of key stage 2 children (years 3-6) are to drop their children at the gate and the children can go straight to their classroom where they will be met by their teacher or TA. We are only responsible for KS2 children from 0845 and Early/Years and KS1 children (unless siblings) from 0900. Please do not drop them alone before this. Any payments should continue to be made via Parent Pay. For uniform requirements, please ring the school and place your order with the school secretaries, Anita (Germoe) and Lauren (Boskenwyn). The items will then be sent home with your child and you will pay via Parent Pay. School lunches will continue to be paid via Parent Pay. The above will be in place in order to maximise the number of children in face to face education and avoid any further disruption to learning and mental health and wellbeing so please help us to adhere.
A major difference to the new term is that those who are fully vaccinated and children under 18 years and 6 months will no longer need to isolate if they have been in close contact with a positive case. NHS Test and Trace are now dealing with contact tracing and not school. We may however, ask you a few questions regarding your contacts if we have an outbreak. In the case of an outbreak, measures will be further enhanced but attendance restrictions will be a last resort. We do encourage you, if not already vaccinated, to get vaccinated. You are less likely to catch Covid-19, become severely ill if you do and less likely to spread it to others. If you are fully vaccinated, you should still adhere to all public health recommended measures of hands, face, space and fresh air. You will still have to isolate of you develop symptoms and order a PCR test. If you have been in close contact with a positive case but are not showing symptoms and are awaiting a PCR then please limit close contact with others and wear a face covering at school pick ups whilst waiting for your PCR result. The isolation period remains at 10 days from onset of symptoms.
The 3 main symptoms of Covid-19 remain the same; fever, persistent cough, loss of smell/taste. If you or your child have these then you should stay at home, order a PCR test via 119 and isolate until your PCR test results come back. Those exempt from isolation can attend school only if they are not displaying symptoms. If your child have a fever and sore throat, runny nose and wheezing then these may be an influenza like illness (ILI) or something more acute and they should remain at home until acute symptoms resolve. If these symptoms develop into a cough, high temperature and loss of taste/smell then you should order a PCR test. If the test is negative they should remain at home until acute symptoms are resolved then return to school. If they do not have any acute symptoms or ILI and have a runny nose, irritable cough then they can still attend school if they are well enough to.
Lots of information to take in and not quite how we would have wanted to start the new term but we will do what it takes to keep our children, you and our staff safe and to ensure there are no disruptions to learning and mental health and wellbeing.
We look forward to seeing you all soon
Best wishes, take care and stay safe
Paula Blackburn