Updated guidance for parents and carersThe Dfe have updated their guidance for parents and carers on what they need to know about early years providers, schools and colleges during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. This update provides information on the national restrictions that came into force on 5 November, the latest advice for clinically extremely vulnerable children and young people and advice on the use of face coverings in education settings. |
Please see below infomration taken from the latest update from the Department of Education:
We have launched our #backtoschoolsafely campaign to reassure parents and students that schools and colleges are ready for their return in September.
This is part of the Government’s wider Stay Alert campaign. You will see newspaper and billboard advertising from today, with radio and digital adverts from Monday 24 August, which will run until early September, alongside wider engagement with the teaching profession and local communities.
The latest statistics from the Office for National Statistics show there is growing confidence among parents that their children will return to school in September, testament to the hard work of school staff.
Parents are encouraged to visit gov.uk/backtoschool for information and practical guidance to help them plan for their children’s return to school.
We have updated our guidance for parents and carers on what they need to know about early years providers, schools, and colleges during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak to align with policy announcements already made, for example, the flexibility for primary schools to welcome back additional pupils where they have the capacity to do so. We have also changed the layout of the page in response to user feedback to help parents and carers navigate to the information they need.
The guidance can be found here:
Please see about latest guidance for parents & carers regarding opening schools form 1st June 2020. Alternatively, you can click the below link:
CORONAVIRUS - Updated Information
Parents and Carers of children in receipt of free school meals are being targeted by fraudsters. Fraudsters are targeting families, emailing parents and carers with messages such as ‘ If your child is entitled to free school meals send your bank details to the school and they will help with funding while the school is closed’. The email contains links for the parents to follow if they want to receive the this funding – these links are fake. This is a scam.
Parent/Carer Guide
You MUST
We will:
From Friday 20 March schools, childcare and other educational settings are closed for everyone except:
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We have published guidance for parents and carers:
If parents’ work is critical to the coronavirus response, their children will be prioritised for early years and education provision.
The Government has published a list of critical workers:
Guidance
Guidance for schools, colleges and local authorities on maintaining educational provision
Published 19 March 2020
As a country, we all need to do what we can to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
That is why the government has given clear guidance on self-isolation, household isolation and social distancing.
And the most recent scientific advice on how to further limit the spread of COVID-19 is clear. If children can stay safely at home, they should, to limit the chance of the virus spreading.
That is why the government has asked parents to keep their children at home, wherever possible, and asked schools to remain open only for those children who absolutely need to attend.
It is important to underline that schools, colleges and other educational establishments remain safe places for children. But the fewer children making the journey to school, and the fewer children in educational settings, the lower the risk that the virus can spread and infect vulnerable individuals in wider society.
Schools are, therefore, being asked to continue to provide care for a limited number of children - children who are vulnerable and children whose parents are critical to the Covid-19 response and cannot be safely cared for at home.
Vulnerable children include children who are supported by social care, those with safeguarding and welfare needs, including child in need plans, on child protection plans, ‘looked after’ children, young carers, disabled children and those with education, health and care (EHC) plans.
We know that schools will also want to support other children facing social difficulties and we will support head teachers to do so.
Parents whose work is critical to the COVID-19 response include those who work in health and social care and in other key sectors outlined below. Many parents working in these sectors may be able to ensure their child is kept at home. And every child who can be safely cared for at home should be.
Please, therefore, follow these key principles:
If your work is critical to the COVID-19 response, or you work in one of the critical sectors listed below, and you cannot keep your child safe at home then your children will be prioritised for education provision:
This includes but is not limited to doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers; the support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector; those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributers of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.
This includes nursery and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response to deliver this approach.
This includes those essential to the running of the justice system, religious staff, charities and workers delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceased, and journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting.
This only includes those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the COVID-19 response or delivering essential public services such as the payment of benefits, including in government agencies and arms length bodies.
This includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary medicines).
This includes police and support staff, Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces personnel (those critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic), fire and rescue service employees (including support staff), National Crime Agency staff, those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas.
This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the COVID-19 response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.
This includes staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure), the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage), information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the COVID-19 response, as well as key staff working in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but not limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services), postal services and delivery, payments providers and waste disposal sectors.
If workers think they fall within the critical categories above they should confirm with their employer that, based on their business continuity arrangements, their specific role is necessary for the continuation of this essential public service.
If your school is closed then please contact your local authority, who will seek to redirect you to a local school in your area that your child, or children, can attend.
We are grateful for the work of teachers and workers in educational settings for continuing to provide for the children of the other critical workers of our country. It is an essential part of our national effort to combat this disease.
Information: cancellation of 2019/20 national curriculum assessments
The Secretary of State for Education announced yesterday, Wednesday 18 March, that the 2019/20 national curriculum assessments will not take place due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
This means the following assessments planned between April and July 2020 are cancelled:
Yesterday, the Government introduced new guidance on whole household isolation in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak:
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The symptoms are:
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The full stay at home guidance for households with these symptoms can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance
The Prime Minister’s statement from Monday 16 March can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-statement-on-coronavirus-16-march-2020
Current Coronavirus Update and School Response
Following the government announcements and update regarding coronavirus yesterday, we want to take this opportunity to ensure you that as a school we are following all the latest guidance/advice and have emergency plans in place should the school be required to close.
The current advice is that schools are to remain open.
Cleaning/hygiene and handwashing routines have increased and we are requesting that any necessary visitors are also following the strict hand hygiene rules on entering the school building.
Following updated guidance on avoiding activities deemed to be unnecessary we have currently cancelled the following:
Please note the latest guidance as of the 16.03.2020 is the following:
Important Contact Information
Please ensure that we have the most up-to-date contact information for your child in school. This will be of vital importance in an emergency and will support us in our emergency planning should we have to close the school.
It is also vital that you inform us if your child or anyone in your home has symptoms and therefore needs to isolate for 14 days. Remember it is now everyone in the household that will need to isolate for 14 days.
Further Updates
We will keep you constantly updated through text messages and our school website. Please see earlier information shared by letter about how to access the Coronavirus update section on our website.
You do not need to call NHS 111 to stay at home. If your symptoms worsen during your stay at home period or are no better after 7 days contact NHS 111 online at 111.nhs.uk. If you have no internet access, you should call NHS 111. For a medical emergency dial 999.
Current advice remains in place: no education or children’s social care setting should close in response to a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case unless advised to do so by Public Health England. The Chief Medical Officer has advised that the impact of closing schools on both children’s education and on the workforce will be substantial, but the benefit to public health may not be. Decisions on future advice to schools will be taken based on the latest and best scientific evidence, which at this stage suggests children are a lower risk group.
The DfE continue to keep schools up to date on the government’s response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus). A new helpline has been set up to answer any questions about COVID-19 related to education. Staff, parents and young people can contact the helpline as follows:
Phone: 0800 0468687
Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk
Opening Hours: 8am-6pm (Monday to Friday)
The importance of hygiene
Personal hygiene is the most important way we can tackle COVID-19. Please help us in sharing simple and effective hand hygiene messages.
Public Health England has a dedicated webpage with a range of posters and digital materials at:
https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/resources/campaigns/101-coronavirus-/resources
Where to find the latest information:
Updates on COVID-19:
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Travel advice for those travelling and living overseas:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus