School will be closed* from Monday 23rd March 2020.
On Wednesday it was announced by Government that schools in the UK would close their doors on Friday - except for vulnerable pupils or children of key workers (see below).
*Provision will only be provided for pupils with Educational Health Care Plans, pupils who have social workers and for the children of key workers, from Monday 23rd March. We have been directed to close for all other pupils and not to fully reopen until instructed by government.
Further information about Coronavirus can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public and https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19.
Further guidance:
Information about the coronavirus
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 to 14 days. This means that if a person remains well 14 days after contact with someone with confirmed coronavirus, they have not 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.
Please follow this link for the latest guidance: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
How the coronavirus is spread
The latest information suggests that coronavirus is most likely to spread when there is close contact (within 2 metres) with an infected person. There are two 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).
Preventing the spread of infection
We will also be asking pupils to not attend school in certain instances. If you are worried that you or your child is showing symptoms, then please do go to the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/, to read the guidance.
Symptoms include a high temperature – you feel hot to touch on your chest or back, or have a new, continuous cough – this means you've started coughing repeatedly.
We would also ask, if you’re in any doubt about your symptoms or those of your child, after reading the information on the website, that you contact school. We will discuss the symptoms and advise you accordingly – even if you feel your child is well and you are displaying mild symptoms, please remember that children may respond differently to the virus, so please be conscious of the impact of sending your child to school. We will discuss all of these matters with you on the phone.