CoronaVirus Information
13.11.2020
With some local schools closed Governors and myself wanted to make sure you knew what our school plans are.
I want to reassure you that we are not planning to close school - we will aim to stay open.
Should any classes/staff come into contact with a positive case then we have to close the school to those pupils/staff whilst they self isolate and we will offer remote learning.
Should we experience a large number of positive cases then we will follow Public Health England and DfE advice over whether we are required to close.
Should we have staff shortages which affect the running of the school we will offer key worker places (based on the criteria Governors agreed during the first lock down) and where staffing levels allow. This will be fully dependent upon staff available at that time.
Here is the Governor agreed key worker criteria:
If you were a key worker before and we received evidence from your employer you do not need to send anything to us this time.
If you did not get a key worker place in the first lock down but have evidence of key worker status as set out by the DfE, then you can email this to the admin email address. We do require that the evidence has the parents name, role and date in the letter.
We will acknowledge receipt of the letter but will not be able confirm anything immediately whilst we process the requests. Fortunately, at present we are not bound to the 2m social distancing when allocating key worker places as before.
Those attending as key workers will follow the remote learning set for their year group. We will not be able to guarantee who is supporting them in class as it will be dependent upon staff availability.
Here is the link to the DfE list of key workers:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision
If a member of your household is going for a Covid test, we ask that you don't send your child into school and you all start self isolating until you know the result.
We would appreciate knowing the test results as soon as you get them.
I hope this helps show what the next steps would be if needed.
Thank you for your support.
Stay safe
15.10.2020 Update
You may have heard on the news that Matt Hancock has announced that North East Derbyshire will be moving to Tier 2 lockdown restrictions this weekend.
What does this mean for school?
We will be operating as normal, with school open to all pupils. We will continue with the measures already in place - hand washing, hand sanitiser, staggered play/lunch times, social distancing where possible and masks being worn by staff and parents at drop off and pick up times.
We do ask that parents remain socially distanced from other families please - especially around and whilst at school.
What does this mean for families?
There are tighter restrictions for meeting people outside of your household.
The info-gram above will help explain some of the changes.
If you or your child develop any of the three main symptoms, we ask that you keep them at home, contact the school office to report their absence and seek further advice from 111.
The three symptoms are:
1) high temp of 37.8 or higher
2) new, persistent cough
3) loss of taste and/or smell
Latest Government links and guidance:
Coronavirus (COVID-19): implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings
5.9.2020 Updated guidance:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-in-education/face-coverings-in-education
01.06.2020 guidance:
Actions for education and childcare settings to prepare for wider opening from 1 June 2020 HTML
Planning guide for early years and childcare settings
Parent summary of reopening schools.
15.4.2020 Local Support
20.3.2020 Update
From the 23rd March schools will be closed to pupils. School will provide childcare for children of critical care workers as defined by the DfE/Government.
School will provide online learning tasks for pupils via the website here:
https://www.parkhouse.derbyshire.sch.uk/school-closure-work/
Pupils will be given a login for our blog area where they can communicate with teachers:
https://www.parkhouse.derbyshire.sch.uk/home-learning/
16.3.2020
If you are in a household with someone with symptoms such as a new, persistent cough and/or high temperature your child must stay off school for 14 days and the whole family should self isolate.
Updated guidance for education settings on coronavirus (COVID-19)
Today, the Department for Education and Public Health England have issued updated guidance for education settings on COVID-19. This guidance will assist staff in addressing COVID-19 in educational settings. This includes childcare, schools, further and higher educational institutions.
What you need to know:
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The updated guidance can be found here:
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 would be substantial, but the benefit to public health may not be. Decisions on future advice to education or children’s social care settings will be taken based on the latest and best scientific evidence, which at this stage suggests children are a lower risk group.
Recording school pupil absences
Where a pupil is in self-isolation, in accordance with latest information and advice from Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England, the pupil should be recorded as unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances in the attendance register. Code Y (Unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances) should be used in this instance.
If a pupil does not attend school, despite the school operating as usual and the pupil is not self-isolating, they should be marked as absent. It is for headteachers to determine whether or not the absence is authorised depending on the individual circumstances.
Where a pupil cannot attend school due to illness, as normally would happen, the pupil should be recorded as absent in the attendance register and the school will authorise the absence. Code I (Illness) should be used in this instance.
Handwashing advice
The most important thing individuals can do to protect themselves is to wash their hands more often, for at least 20 seconds, with soap and water. 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.
Watch this short NHS film for guidance:
Department for Education coronavirus helpline
The Department for Education coronavirus helpline is available to answer questions about COVID-19 relating to education and children’s social care. Staff, parents and young people can contact this helpline as follows:
Phone: 0800 046 8687
Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday), 10am to 4pm (Saturday to Sunday)
Please note, we are currently experiencing high volumes of calls. We appreciate your patience at this time and apologise for any wait that you may experience. To ensure that we answer your calls as quickly as possible we have now extended our opening hours to cover weekends.
If you work in a school, please have your unique reference number (URN or UK PRN) available when calling the hotline.
Where to find the latest information
Updates on COVID-19:
Guidance for educational settings:
UPDATED GUIDANCE 12.3.2020
If you or your child has a 'new, persistent cough' or 'high temperature of 38 degrees' you should self isolate for 7 days.
The news and media is full of information about the Coronavirus and is obviously worrying for parents. We take the health and safety of pupils seriously and have discussed handwashing and good hygiene with our pupils. We appreciate the support of parents in informing us of any family members or trips where category 1 or 2 countries have been visited.
School are sent updated Government advice on a regular basis. The information below is correct at the time of posting, however please see the latest information by clicking the link below.
The link below gives the latest guidance on travelling abroad. If any of our families are planning to travel to any of the affected countries, then we ask you to follow the advice in the article and inform the school.
We will publish further updates as we receive them.
You can help to slow the spread of Coronavirus!
- Make sure you and your children follow these general principles to prevent spreading any respiratory virus:
- Wash your hands often – with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or an alcohol-based sanitiser if soap and water aren’t available.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- If you feel unwell, stay at home and don’t attend work or school.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in a bin.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces in the home.
If you’re worried about your symptoms, please call NHS 111 – don’t go directly to your GP or other healthcare environment.
Department for Education Coronavirus helpline - this helpline has been set up to answer questions about the virus related to education. Staff, parents and young people can contact the helpline.
- Phone: 0800 046 8687
- Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk
- opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday)
www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public
If you or your children have returned from a category 1 country or area in the past 14 days.
This includes:
- Wuhan city and Hubei province,
- China
- Iran*
- Daegu or Cheongdo,
- South Korea*
- Any Italian town under containment measures*
*Only if you’ve returned on or after 19 February 2020
Contact NHS 111 for advice, and:
Self-isolate for 14 days after leaving the country or area (see the home isolation advice sheet for help with this)
If you become unwell, call NHS 111 immediately for an assessment (or 999 if you require emergency medical attention) – see below for the symptoms to look out for.
If you or your children have returned from a category 2 country or area in the last 14 days This includes:
Cambodia
China (other than Wuhan city or Hubei province)
Hong Kong
Italy: north*
Japan
Laos
Macau
Malaysia
Myanmar
Singapore
South Korea (other than Daegu or Cheongdo)
Taiwan
Thailand
Vietnam
*Only if you’ve returned on or after 19 February 2020
Then if you or your children are well:
- You don’t need to avoid contact with other people
- Your other family members don’t need to take any precautions or make any changes to their own activities
However, if you become unwell (see below for a list of symptoms):
- Stay indoors and avoid contact with other people as you would with other flu viruses
- Call NHS 111 immediately for an assessment (or 999 if you require emergency medical attention)
Symptoms to look out for If you have returned from any of the category 1 or 2 areas or countries, look out for the following symptoms:
- Cough
- Difficulty in breathing
- Fever (a temperature of 38 degrees C or higher)
According to other official guidance, while you wait for further advice:
- Avoid contact with others
- Stay at home – don’t go to work or school
- Don’t travel while sick
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing, throwing tissues in the bin
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (or an alcohol-based sanitiser if soap and water aren’t available)