Advice to All Parents – Single case of Covid-19 at Tower College
If your child is not in the same ‘bubble’ as the confirmed case, you will receive the following letter …
Dear Parents,
We have been advised by Public Health England that there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the school.
We know that you may find this concerning but are continuing to monitor the situation and are working closely with Public Health England. This letter is to inform you of the current situation and provide advice on how to support your child. Please be reassured that for most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.
The small number of children who have been in direct prolonged contact with the confirmed case will have received an individual letter and will be staying at home for 14 days.
The school remains open and your child should continue to attend if they remain well.
What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID 19
If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, they must not come to school and should remain at home for at least 10 days from the date when their symptoms appeared. Anyone with symptoms will be eligible for testing and this can be arranged via https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.
All other household members who remain well, must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. This includes anyone in your ‘Support Bubble’.
Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection
The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.
Household members should not go to work, school or public areas and exercise should be taken within the home.
If you require help with buying groceries, other shopping or picking up medication, or walking a dog, you should ask friends or family. Alternatively, you can order your shopping online and medication by phone or online.
Household members staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community
If you are able, 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.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:
- a new continuous cough
- a high temperature
- a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)
For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.
If your child does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from the nhs.uk website at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/. If you are concerned about your child’s symptoms, or they are worsening you can seek advice from NHS 111 at https://111.nhs.uk/ or by phoning 111.
How to stop COVID-19 spreading
There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID-19
Do
- wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
- use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
- wash your hands as soon as you get home
- cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
- put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards
Further Information
Further information is available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
Yours sincerely
Ms A C Bingley (Principal)
FOR PARENTS OF CLOSE CONTACTS OF COVID 19 AT TOWER COLLEGE
If your child is in the same ‘bubble’ (meaning that they may well have been in close contact) as the confirmed case, you will receive the following letter …
Advice for Child to Self-Isolate for 14 Days
Dear Parents,
We have been advised by Public Health England that there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the school.
We have followed the national guidance and have identified that your child has been in close contact with the affected child. We have been directed by the Department for Education to send home all the children in Lower School to self-isolate until Monday 5th October.
We are asking you to do this to reduce the further spread of COVID 19 to others in the community.
If your child is well at the end of the 14 days period of self-isolation, then they can return to usual activities.
Other members of your household can continue normal activities provided your child does not develop symptoms within the 14-day self-isolation period.
Please see the link to: Guidance for contacts of people with confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection who do not live with the person
What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID 19
If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, they should remain at home for at least 10 days from the date when their symptoms appeared. Anyone with symptoms will be eligible for testing and this can be arranged via https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by calling 119 .
All other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. This includes anyone in your ‘Support Bubble’.
The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.
Household members should not go to work, school or public areas and exercise should be taken within the home. If you require help with buying groceries, other shopping or picking up medication, or walking a dog, you should ask friends or family. Alternatively, you can order your shopping online and medication by phone or online.
Household members staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community
If you are able 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
Please see the link to the PHE ‘Stay at Home’ Guidance:
Symptoms of COVID 19
The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:
- new continuous cough and/or
- high temperature and/or
- a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)
For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.
If your child does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from the nhs.uk website at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/. If you are concerned about your child’s symptoms, or they are worsening you can seek advice from NHS 111 at https://111.nhs.uk/ or by phoning 111.
How to stop COVID-19 spreading
There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID-19
Do
- wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
- use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
- wash your hands as soon as you get home
- cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
- put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards
Further Information
Further information is available at
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
REMOTE LEARNING
We are now finalising our online learning provision so that this is available as soon as possible. In the meantime, please can you check that your child’s Microsoft Teams’ login work. If you are unable to log in, please email office@towercollege.com
Yours sincerely
Ms A C Bingley (Principal)
What to do if a pupil is displaying symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19)
If anyone in your school becomes unwell with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature, or has a loss of, or change in, their normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia), they must be sent home and be advised to follow the guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. This sets out that they must:
- self-isolate for at least 10 days
- arrange to have a test to see if they have coronavirus (COVID-19)
Action list
- In an emergency, call 999 if they are seriously ill or injured or their life is at risk. Do not visit the GP, pharmacy, urgent care centre or a hospital except in an emergency.
- Call parents/legal guardian to collect pupil and take them home. Advise them that all household members will need to isolate and refer them to the guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.
- While the pupil is awaiting collection, move them to an isolated room and open a window for ventilation. If it is not possible to isolate them, move them to an area which is at least 2 metres away from other people.
- Staff caring for a pupil while they are awaiting collection should maintain 2 metre distancing. If not possible, for example with a young child, they should wear suitable PPE1:
| Situation | PPE |
| 2m distance cannot be maintained | A face mask should be worn |
| Contact is necessary | Gloves, an apron and a face mask should be worn |
| Risk of fluids entering the eye (e.g. from coughing, spitting or vomiting) | Eye protection should also be worn |
1 More information on PPE use can be found in the Safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care settings, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance.
- If the pupil needs to go to the bathroom while waiting to be collected, they should use a separate bathroom if possible. The bathroom should be cleaned and disinfected using standard cleaning products before being used by anyone else.
- From 26 August, all schools and FE providers will have received an initial supply of 10 home test kits. Home test kits should only be offered to individuals in the exceptional circumstance that you believe an individual may have barriers to accessing testing elsewhere.
- Staff/other pupils who have had contact with the symptomatic pupil must wash their hands thoroughly for 20 seconds.
- When parents/legal guardian pick up the pupil, advise them to get the pupil tested and notify you of the results
- Once the pupil has left the premises, thoroughly disinfect/clean all surfaces and contact points they came into contact with (including the bathroom if used).
What to do if a pupil tests positive for coronavirus (COVID-19)
- You must take swift action when you become aware that someone who has attended your school has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).
- You can contact the dedicated advice service, introduced by Public Health England (PHE) and delivered by the NHS Business Services Authority. This can be reached by calling the DfE Helpline on 0800 046 8687 and selecting option 1 for advice on the action to take in response to a positive case.
- If, following triage, further expert advice is required the adviser will escalate your call to the PHE local health protection team (HPT).
- The advice service (or HPT if escalated) will work with you to carry out a rapid risk assessment and identify appropriate next steps.
- With support from the advice service (or HPT), identify close contacts of the symptomatic individual. Contact tracers will inform contacts that they need to self- isolate for 14 days in line with guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.
- For pupils who are isolating, ensure access to remote provision so that they can continue to learn remotely.
- A template letter will be provided to schools, by the advice service or the health protection team, to send to parents and staff if needed
- Schools must not share the names of people with coronavirus (COVID-19) unless essential to protect others.
