Coronavirus Update Page

Here is the link to our Full Re-opening Risk Assessment.

5 JANUARY

Here is a letter containing more information regarding Rode and Norton St Philip School Federation school closure and arrangements for Critical Workers’ children, children that are deemed vulnerable and on-line home learning.

4 JANUARY 2021

RNSF will be closed to all pupils on Tuesday 5th January so staff can make plans to switch to virtual teaching. School will re-open for vulnerable children and children of Critical Workers from Wednesday 6th January.

11 DECEMBER

WHAT DO I DO IF MY CHILD RECEIVES A POSITIVE COVID-19 TEST DURING THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS?

• If your child tests positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), having developed symptoms more than 48 hours since being in school there is no need for school to be Parents and carers should however follow contact tracing instructions provided by NHS Test and Trace.
• From Friday 18^th December to Thursday 24th December if your child tests positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), having developed symptoms within 48 hours of being in school you must:-

1. Email our new COVID-19 reporting email address giving details of your child’s name, the date of their positive test and your up to date contact details. Please use RNSFcovidreporting@educ.somerset.gov.uk NB: This is the only school email address being monitored daily from 18^th December-3^rd January so please do not email your child’s teachers or the admin team directly with Covid related information or enquiries.
2. A member of our team will contact you to find out when your child’s symptoms began, details of the test and whether your child attended any of our wrap around care or travelled on our minibus during the previous week. All information you provide is confidential. No one who is contacted will be told your identity.
3. We will then work with Public Health England (PHE) to identify and email all close contacts, who will need to self-isolate.

• From Friday 25^th December parents and carers do not need to contact school but should however follow contact tracing instructions provided by NHS Test and Trace.
• From Monday 4^th January 2021 onwards parents and carers must notify school if your child is self-isolating via our new COVID-19 reporting email address RNSFcovidreporting@educ.somerset.gov.uk giving details including dates of when symptoms started & or test dates.

Please see below information from Public Health England explaining how long children will remain infectious after our last day of term, Friday 18^th December.

26 NOVEMBER

CHRISTMAS BAUBLES BUBBLES, CARDS & GIFTS!

Due to Covid-19 restrictions children and adults are asked to give Christmas cards and gifts only within class bubbles at school this year. Staff have suggested that any monies saved could be donated to charities such as Crisis at Christmas 2020. Many thanks for your continued cooperation.

13 NOVEMBER

From Monday 16^th November children will be released to parents at 3 pm from the following locations:-

• Paddington Class: By the Bandstand
• Wild Things Class: in the Playground near sheds
• BFG Class: at our school gate. BFG parent must queue next to our school wall, leaving space for other parents & children to exit safely.

Parents entering the site must wear masks at all times and sanitise their hands.

Many thanks for your continued support and for keeping us all safe and our schools open.

5 NOVEMBER

ESSENTIAL COVID CONTROL MEASURES FOR LOCKDOWN 2

In order for everyone within our Federation to be safe and for both our schools to remain open during this new national lockdown we need your cooperation with the following:-

• Parents and carers must ensure they maintain a 2m distance at all times from other parents, staff and other children. If this is impossible adults should wear masks at drop off and pick-up times to ensure everyone’s safety.
• In addition, to limit the transmission of Covid-19 toys and other items must NOT be brought into school under any circumstances, unless requested by your child’s class teacher.

15 OCTOBER

COVID-19 A QUICK GUIDE FOR PARENTS

Here is a quick guide to when to get a Covid-19 test.  It includes what to do if:-

• your child or anyone in your household develops symptoms or receives a positive Covid-19 test,
• NHS Track & Trace identifies your child as a ‘close contact’ of someone with Covid-19,
• you or your child has travelled and has to self-isolate for quarantine,
• you receive medical advice that your child must resume shielding,
• you are not sure whether you or your child should get a test.

2 OCTOBER

SCHOOL AND BUBBLE CLOSURE PROCEDURES

Should it be necessary to close our schools or any of our class bubbles due to a positive case of Covid-19 amongst our staff or children, we will notify all parents and carers firstly via a text message and then we will follow up with an explanatory email. We will also post information on our website and our Facebook page.  Please ensure we have your correct contact information at all times.

24 SEPTEMBER

Public Health England letter to parents and carers on how we can work together to make sure we can continue to give children and young people the best education in the safest way possible. The letter explains when a person requires a coronavirus test and what the symptoms of coronavirus are. The letter is available here.

18 SEPTEMBER

CORONAVIRUS IN CHILDREN – SYMPTOMS AND TESTING

This week we have seen an increase in the number of children and staff experiencing mild respiratory symptoms such as runny noses and colds. Children and staff with these symptoms do not require self-isolation or testing for them or their wider family.

The three main symptoms of coronavirus in children have been clarified by NHS this week. They are:

• a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
• a 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)
• a 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 any child or adult displays these symptoms it is very important that they stay at home, self-isolate with their household and get a test. I’m sure you are aware of the current problems in accessing a test, and we sympathise greatly with anyone who is experiencing these difficulties. However children cannot return to school until the child, or person in their family who is experiencing the symptoms, receives a negative test or is out of the quarantine period. Quarantine periods are 10 days for the person with symptoms or 14 days for anyone in the household not experiencing the symptoms.

If you have any questions about your child having Coronavirus symptoms please contact one of the following member of our senior staff, not your class teachers:

Carolyn Tommey: ctommey@educ.somerset.gov.uk

George Muxworthy: gmuxworthy@educ.somerset.gov.uk

Kim Slade: kslade@educ.somerset.gov.uk

More information about symptoms and testing is available here:

11 SEPTEMBER

SMILING FACES & VERY CLEAN HANDS! 

What a wonderful week it has been seeing all our children returning to their classrooms and adapting so fantastically to all our new procedures. Smiley faces and very clean hands have definitely been the order of the day, every day! Well done everyone!

4 SEPTEMBER

WHAT IS IN PLACE AT SCHOOL TO KEEP MY CHILDREN, MYSELF AND THE STAFF SAFE? 

The full answer to the above question can be found in our Risk Assessment for Full Opening of School September 2020 during COVID-19 pandemic and it is very important that parents and carers read at least the parts highlighted in blue. Although many things about school remain as they were pre-Covid there are some important changes of which you and your child need to be aware before returning to school.

• If your child has any symptoms of coronavirus: a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, and loss of or change to taste or smell; do not send them to school and follow test guidance set out in Appendix 1 at the end of the attached Risk Assessment.
• If you or anyone in your household have any symptoms of coronavirus: a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, and loss of or change to taste or smell; do not send your child to school
• Your child must only bring the following items into school:
  • A water bottle if they are in Y2, Y3 or Y4. Water will be provided for children in Reception & Y1
  • A bookbag containing school reading book and any other item requested by their class teacher
  • A lunch box if you have not requested school lunches for your child
  • Named medication when needed. Please notify your class teacher and Sam Nicol on snicol@educ.somerset.gov.uk if this is required.
• We will minimise the risk of transmission of Covid-19 by maintaining class-sized bubbles during school times. Children will be kept separate from children and staff in other class bubbles. This will be the case all the way through the school day.
• Where possible during wrap around care, bus travel and PA Club bubbles will be kept separate, but please be aware that this may not always be possible. Whenever this isn’t possible social distancing will be encouraged.
• Uniform is encouraged but optional until November 2^nd. Your class teacher will inform you of the days when your child should come into school wearing joggers, trainers, t-shirt & hoodie or jumper ready for PE. No PE kits should be kept in school or brought into school.
• Parents must remain socially distanced (2m) from other adults and member staff at all times at drop off and pick up.
• Parents must not come into the main school buildings except by prior appointment.
• If your child is catching the minibus from Norton St Philip children should wait in the coned off area by the main entrance.
• Parents should not drive around or park on the Green at NSP to enable safe social distancing at all times.
• If your child is catching the bus from Rode parents must drop them off or collect them from the Bus Escort in the courtyard and must keep the courtyard and the cross-hatched zone outside school clear at all times.
• Children will use the hand sanitisers before getting onto our minibus.
• Children & parents must use the hand sanitisers on entry to our sites.
• Children should not wear masks on school site or whilst travelling on our minibus.

Members of staff will always be available to answer any questions and to allay any concerns you or your children may have whilst we all transition to our ‘new normal’.