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An important notice from Gavin Williamson (Education Secretary)...

 

'From tomorrow, schools will be closed except for children of critical workers and the most vulnerable.
We must ensure NHS staff are able to access school places. Don’t take a place you don’t need.

You should only send your child to school on Monday if you have to, because your work is critical to our COVID-19 response.
If you are able to keep your child at home, you should.
Be responsible. Keep your kids at home.'

Please see Mr Pickup's Update for this week and our Coronavirus webpage with links to support parents and children with year group work during isolation, online platforms and useful websites, hygiene advice and COVID-19 updates. Please also consider joining Twitter and following us @nmpsch, where we will be posting lots of fun learning activities, ideas and boredom busters for the children.

COVID-19: guidance for education settings

What you need to know

• 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. Otherwise they should attend education or work as normal
• if staff, young people or children become unwell on site with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature they should be sent home
• clean and disinfect regularly touched objects and surfaces more often than usual using your standard cleaning products
• 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
• posters and lesson plans on general hand hygiene can be found on the eBug website
• unless you have been directly advised to close by the local Public Health England Health Protection Team, we recommend all education settings remain open

Background

This guidance will assist staff in addressing coronavirus (COVID-19) in educational settings. This includes childcare, schools, further and higher educational institutions.

This guidance may be updated in line with the changing situation.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are a new, continuous cough or a high temperature.

For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild infection.

What to do if someone develops symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) on site

If anyone becomes unwell with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature in an education setting they should be sent home and advised to follow the staying at home guidance.

Stay at home: guidance for households with possible coronavirus (COVID-19) infection

Main messages

• if you live alone and you have symptoms of coronavirus illness (COVID-19), however mild, stay at home for 7 days from when your symptoms started. (See ending isolation section below for more information)
• 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. (See ending isolation section below for more information
• 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
• 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

Congratulations to this week's ACE (achievement, commitment and effort) Award winners: Inaaya, Laila W, Odin, Ben W, Peter, Thomas H, Hayden, Madison, Shelby, Connor, Lani, Frankie, Harlie, Kian, Ellie, Karmel, Marley, Isaac, Leah and Luke.

 

Well done to this week's Key Stage Award winners too:

 

Key Stage 1

Attendance - Year 2

Punctuality - Year 1

 

Key Stage 2

Attendance - Year 5

Punctuality - Year 6

 

Well done to Year 6 who have won the Spelling Award yet again!

Please see Mr Pickup's Update for a round-up of this week's school news.

Updated information: COVID-19: Guidance for Educational Settings

 

This guidance will assist schools and other educational settings in providing advice for pupils, students, staff and parents or carers regarding:

 

• the novel coronavirus, COVID-19,
• how to help prevent spread of all respiratory infections including COVID-19,
• what to do if someone confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19 has been in a school or other educational setting, and
• what advice to give to individuals who have travelled from specified countries or areas within the last 14 days, including school trips

 

With regards to travel information for specified countries/areas for pupils or students resident or boarding in the UK, we recommend following the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) country advice pages.

 

1. Information about the virus

 

A coronavirus is a type of virus. As a group, coronaviruses are common across the world. COVID-19 is a new strain of coronavirus first identified in Wuhan City, China in January 2020.

 

The incubation period of COVID-19 is between 2 and 14 days. This means that if a person remains well 14 days after contact with someone with confirmed coronavirus, it is unlikely that they have been infected.

 

The following symptoms may develop in the 14 days after exposure to someone who has COVID-19 infection:

 

• cough
• difficulty in breathing
• fever

 

Generally, these infections can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long-term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease. There is no evidence that children are more affected than other age groups – very few cases have been reported in children.

 

2. How COVID-19 is spread

 

From what we know about other coronaviruses, spread of COVID-19 is most likely to happen when there is close contact (within 2 metres) with an infected person. It is likely that the risk increases the longer someone has close contact with an infected person.

Droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes (termed respiratory secretions) containing the virus are most likely to be the most important means of transmission.

 

There are 2 routes by which people could become infected:

 

• secretions can be directly transferred into the mouths or noses of people who are nearby (within 2 metres) or could be inhaled into the lungs
• it is also possible that someone may become infected by touching a surface or object that has been contaminated with respiratory secretions and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes (such as touching a door knob or shaking hands then touching own face).

 

There is currently no good evidence that people who do not have symptoms are infectious to others.

 

3. Preventing spread of infection

 

There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus.

 

There are general principles anyone can follow to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including:

 

• washing your hands often - with soap and water, or use alcohol sanitiser if handwashing facilities are not available. This is particularly important after taking public transport
• covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throwing the tissue in a bin. See Catch it, Bin it, Kill it
• people who feel unwell should stay at home and should not attend work or any education or childcare setting
• pupils, students, staff and visitors should wash their hands:
  • before leaving home
  • on arrival at school
  • after using the toilet
  • after breaks and sporting activities
  • before food preparation
  • before eating any food, including snacks
  • before leaving school
• use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available
• avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
• avoid close contact with people who are unwell
• clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces
• if you are worried about your symptoms or those of a child or colleague, please call NHS 111. Do not go directly to your GP or other healthcare environment
• see further information on the Public Health England Blog and the NHS UK website.

 

PHE has a suite of materials that contains public health advice about how you can help stop the spread of viruses, like those that cause COVID-19, by practising good respiratory and hand hygiene. To access, download and share this information you will need to register for an account which only takes a couple of minutes.

 

Face masks for the general public, pupils or students, or staff are not recommended to protect from infection, as there is no evidence of benefit from their use outside healthcare environments.

 

People who have returned from Category 1 specified countries/areas in the last 14 days should self-isolate. This includes avoiding attending an educational setting or work until 14 days after they return.

 

People who have returned from Category 2 specified countries/areas in the last 14 days, are advised to stay at home if they develop symptoms. All other pupils or students and staff should continue to attend school or university, including their siblings attending the same or a different school (unless advised not to by public health officials).

 

4. What to do if children, pupils, students or staff become unwell and believe they have been exposed to COVID-19 (either through travel to a specified country or area or contact with a confirmed case)

 

Following the Government COBRA meeting if you have NEW symptoms (from today) of coronavirus infection (COVID-19), however mild, stay at home and do not leave your house for seven days from when your symptoms started.

 

Stay at home for seven days if you have either:

 

• a high temperature
• a new continuous cough

 

This will help to protect others in your community while you are infectious.

 

Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.

 

You do not need to contact NHS 111 to tell them you’re staying at home.

 

We will not be testing those self-isolating with mild symptoms.

 

We continue to follow the advice of Public Health. The latest information can be found at www.gov.uk/coronavirus  

 

Travelled to the UK from a Specified Country or area:

 

Call NHS 111, or 999 in an emergency (if they are seriously ill or injured or their life is at risk), and if appropriate, explain which country they have returned from in the last 14 days. You can do this on their behalf if this is easier. People who become unwell should be advised not to go to their GP, pharmacy, urgent care centre or a hospital.

Whilst you wait for advice from NHS 111 or an ambulance to arrive, try to find somewhere safe for the unwell person to sit which is at least 2 metres away from other people. If possible, find a room or area where they can be isolated behind a shut door, such as a staff office or meeting room. If it is possible to open a window, do so for ventilation. They should avoid touching people, surfaces and objects and be advised to cover their mouth and nose with a disposable tissue when they cough or sneeze and put the tissue in the bin. If no bin is available, put the tissue in a bag or pocket for disposing in a bin later. If you don’t have any tissues available, they should cough and sneeze into the crook of their elbow. The room will need to be cleaned once they leave. 

If they need to go to the bathroom whilst waiting for medical assistance, they should use a separate bathroom if available.

Make sure that children and young people know to tell a member of staff if they feel unwell.

 

5. What to do if a case of COVID-19 (pupil, student or staff) is suspected in your childcare or educational setting

 

If anyone has been in contact with a suspected case in a childcare or educational setting, no restrictions or special control measures are required while laboratory test results for COVID-19 are awaited. There is no need to close the setting or send other learners or staff home. As a precautionary measure, the NHS are currently testing a very large number of people who have travelled back from affected countries, the vast majority of whom test negative. Therefore, until the outcome of test results is known there is no action that staff members need to take apart from cleaning specific areas (section 13) and disposing of waste (section 14).  Once the results arrive, those who test negative for COVID-19 will be advised individually about returning to education.

 

6. What to do if a case of COVID-19 (pupil, student or staff) is confirmed in your childcare or educational setting

 

The childcare or educational setting will be contacted by the local Public Health England Health Protection Team to discuss the case, identify people who have been in contact with them and advise on any actions or precautions that should be taken. An assessment of each childcare or educational setting will be undertaken by the Health Protection Team with relevant staff. Advice on the management of pupils or students and staff will be based on this assessment.

 

The Health Protection Team will also be in contact with the patient directly to advise on isolation and identifying other contacts, and will be in touch with any contacts of the patient to provide them with appropriate advice. Advice on cleaning of communal areas such as classrooms, changing rooms and toilets will be given by the Health Protection Team and is outlined later in this document.

 

If there is a confirmed case, a risk assessment will be undertaken by the educational establishment with advice from the local Health Protection Team. In most cases, closure of the childcare or educational setting will be unnecessary but this will be a local decision based on various factors such as establishment size and pupil mixing.

 

7. What to do if pupils, students or staff in your institution are contacts of a confirmed case of COVID-19 who was symptomatic while attending your childcare or educational setting

 

The definition of a contact includes:

• any pupil, student or staff member in close face-to-face or touching contact including those undertaking small group work (within 2 metres of the case for more than 15 minutes)
• talking with or being coughed on for any length of time while the individual is symptomatic
• anyone who has cleaned up any bodily fluids of the individual
• close friendship groups
• any pupil, student or staff member living in the same household as a confirmed case, or equivalent setting such as boarding school dormitory or other student accommodation

 

Contacts are not considered cases and if they are well, they are very unlikely to have spread the infection to others, however:

 

• they will be asked to self-isolate at home, or within their boarding school dormitory room, for 14 days from the last time they had contact with the confirmed case and follow the home isolation advice sheet
• they will be actively followed up by the Health Protection Team
• if they develop any symptoms within their 14-day observation period they should call NHS 111 for assessment
• if they become unwell with cough, fever or shortness of breath they will be tested for COVID-19
• if they require emergency medical attention, call 999 and tell the call handler or ambulance control that the person has a history of potential contact with COVID-19
• if they are unwell at any time within their 14-day observation period and they test positive for COVID-19 they will become a confirmed case and will be treated for the infection

 

Family and friends who have not had close contact (as listed above) with the original confirmed case do not need to take any precautions or make any changes to their own activities such as attending childcare or educational settings or work, unless they become unwell. If they become unwell, they should call NHS 111 and explain their symptoms and discuss any known contact with the case to consider if they need further assessment.

If a confirmed case occurs in an educational setting the local Health Protection Team will provide you with advice and will work with the headteacher, principal and or management team of that setting. Outside those that are defined as close contacts, the rest of the school does not need to take any precautions or make any changes to their own activities attending educational establishments or work as usual, unless they become unwell. If they become unwell they will be assessed as a suspected case depending on their symptoms. This advice applies to teaching staff and children in the rest of the class who are not in a close friendship group or children undertaking small group work. The decision as to whether pupils, students and staff fall into this contact group or the closer contact group will be made between the Health Protection Team, the educational setting and (if they are old enough) the student. Advice should be given as follows:

 

• if they become unwell with cough, fever or shortness of breath they will be asked to self-isolate and should seek medical advice from NHS 111
• if they are unwell at any time within the 14 days of contact and they are tested and are positive for COVID-19 they will become a confirmed case and will be treated as such.

 

8. What to do if pupils, students or staff in your childcare or educational setting have travelled from any Category 1 specified country/area in the past 14 days

 

If an individual falls into this category, contact NHS 111 for further advice:

 

• if they are currently well, they should self-isolate for 14 days and you should follow the advice as above for contacts of confirmed cases in the educational setting
• if they become unwell please call NHS 111 immediately for them to be assessed by an appropriate specialist. You should follow the advice as above for contacts of confirmed cases in the educational establishment. If they require emergency medical attention, call 999 and tell the call handler or ambulance control that the person has a history of recent travel to risk areas for COVID-19

 

9. What to do if a pupil, student or staff member has travelled from a Category 2 specified country/area in the last 14 days

 

If they are currently well:

• they are advised to self-isolate only if they develop symptoms
• they can continue to attend work or education
• they do not need to avoid contact with other people
• their family do not need to take any precautions or make any changes to their own activities
• testing people with no symptoms for COVID-19 is currently not recommended
• it is useful to always take a mobile phone with them when they go out so that they can contact others if they do become unwell

 

If they become unwell:

 

• they should stay indoors and avoid contact with other people as they would with other flu viruses (see this home isolation advice sheet).
• they (or a family member, colleague or member of staff) should call NHS 111 immediately for them to be assessed by an appropriate specialist, as quickly as possible
• they should stay at home and should not attend work or education
• they should not go directly to their GP or other healthcare environment
• if they require emergency medical attention, call 999 and tell the call handler or ambulance control that the person has a history of recent travel to risk areas for COVID-19
• see further information and the Public Health England Blog

 

10. What to do if pupils, students or staff return from travel anywhere else in the world within the last 14 days

 

Currently there are minimal cases outside the risk areas and therefore the likelihood of an individual coming into contact with a confirmed case is low.

There is no need to advise any of these pupils, student or staff to avoid normal activities or educational settings unless they have had contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19.

If individuals are aware that they have had close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 they should contact NHS 111 for further advice.

 

For the latest country specific information please visit NaTHNac Travel Pro.

 

11. What to do with post, packages or food sent from specified countries/areas within the last 14 days

 

There is no need to change how you handle post, packages or food received from the affected regions. The virus does not survive well for long periods outside the body and so it is highly unlikely that COVID-19 can be spread through post or packages. It is highly unlikely that COVID-19 can be spread through food.

 

12. How to clean educational establishments where there were children, students or staff with suspected cases of COVID-19

 

Coronavirus symptoms are similar to a flu-like illness and include cough, fever, or shortness of breath. Once symptomatic, all surfaces that the suspected case has come into contact with must be cleaned using disposable cloths and household detergents, according to current recommended workplace legislation and practice. 

These include:

• all surfaces and objects which are visibly contaminated with body fluids
• all potentially contaminated high-contact areas such as toilets, door handles, telephones

 

Public areas where a symptomatic individual has passed through and spent minimal time in (such as corridors) but which are not visibly contaminated with body fluids do not need to be specially cleaned and disinfected. If a person becomes ill in a shared space, these should be cleaned as detailed above.

 

13. What to do with rubbish in the educational establishment, including tissues, if children, students or staff become unwell with suspected COVID-19

 

All waste that has been in contact with the individual, including used tissues, and masks if used, should be put in a plastic rubbish bag and tied when full. The plastic bag should then be placed in a second bin bag and tied. It should be put in a safe place and marked for storage until the result is available. If the individual tests negative, this can be put in the normal waste.

Should the individual test positive, you will be instructed what to do with the waste.

 

14. Tools for use in childcare and educational settings

 

Use e-Bug resources recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence to teach pupils about hygiene. Key sections that may be useful are:

 

14.1 KS1: Horrid Hands and Super Sneezes

 

Horrid hands

Super sneezes

 

14.2 KS2: Hand Hygiene and Respiratory Hygiene

 

Hand hygiene

Respiratory hygiene

 

14.3 KS3: Hand Hygiene and Respiratory Hygiene

 

Hand hygiene

Respiratory hygiene

Parents/carers of children in Years 2 and 5 are invited to join us at our Celebration Assembly on Friday, 13 March 2020 at 10.10 am as we celebrate the week's achievements of children in school.

The importance of hygiene 

 

Personal hygiene is the most important way we can tackle COVID-19, especially washing hands more; and the catch it, bin it, kill it strategy for those with coughs and sneezes.

 

How to wash your hands properly

 

Wash your hands more often for 20 seconds with soap and hot water.  Watch this short NHS film for guidance:

https://youtu.be/bQCP7waTRWU

 

Teach young children how to wash their hands with the NHS handwashing song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9VjeIWLnEg

 

Public Health England recommends that in addition to handwashing before eating, and after coughing and sneezing, everyone should also wash hands after using toilets and travelling on public transport.

Our Parent Consultation Day is to be held on Wednesday, 11 March 2020, when teachers will be available to review and discuss children's progress,  There will be no lessons, although children may be brought along whilst parents/carers attend prearranged appointments. School will be open again as usual on Thursday, 12 March 2020, at the usual time of 8.55 am.

Please see Mrs Gill's Update for a round-up of this week's school news.