This section of the school website outlines the current position in school. 

LAST UPDATED 6 September 2022

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Living with Covid-19

In February 2022 the Government set out the next phase of it’s Covid-19 response in which plans were set out for removing the remaining legal restrictions while protecting people most vulnerable to COVID-19 and maintaining resilience. The position was further consolidated in April 2022 with the withdrawal of the free asymptomatic Covid-19 testing programme and the removal of the operational guidance for schools.   

 

What is the school's policy on Covid-19? 

Face coverings

There is no requirement for students to wear face coverings on the school site.  This is a matter of personal choice and students are able to wear face coverings should they wish to. 

There may be occasional circumstances where students will still be asked to wear a mask - for example if they visit Student Support because they are feeling unwell with Covid-19 symptoms. 

What do I do if my child is unwell?

If your child has any of the possible COVID-19 (coronavirus) symptoms, you MUST NOT send them to school. The accepted main symptoms of coronavirus listed by the NHS still include:

• high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
• new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
• loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

If you believe your child has Covid-19, they will be expected to stay at home for at least 3 full days after developing Covid-19 symptoms or testing positive. They may return to school after this time provided they are well. Online learning provision may be made where students have been confirmed as having Covid-19. 

If your child is unwell but does not have any of these symptoms, they should stay at home while unwell as would normally be the case and return to school when they are well enough to do so.  Consult NHS 111 or your GP is you are unsure what to do.  Online learning is not provided in cases of normal illness unless special arrangements have been made with parents. 

Covid testing

The Government does not currently recommend that children and young people are tested for COVID-19 unless directed to by a health professional, and the school is not able to provide Covid testing kits. However, if a child or young person does have a positive COVID-19 test result they should stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 3 days after the day they took the test. After 3 days, if they feel well and do not have a high temperature, the risk of passing the infection on to others is much lower. This is because children and young people tend to be infectious to other people for less time than adults.

What do I do if someone else in my household develops Covid-19? 

If someone in your household has symptoms of COVID-19, or has tested positive for COVID-19, you are strongly advised to:

• follow Government advice on how to avoid catching and spreading COVID-19
• consider limiting contact with people who are at higher risk from Covid-19 

Children and young people who live with someone who has COVID-19 should continue to attend school as normal.