Covid Update Whole School

Dear Parents/Carers,

I hope you are well. We have been advised on Monday, 9th November, that there have been five individual student confirmed cases of COVID-19, one in each of Years 7, 8, 10 and two cases in Year 12. We have been informed by the County Council that, as with many of the COVID positive cases, the main areas of transmission are within the household. We have spoken with the families of the students and, as always, we wish anyone affected speedy recovery. We are continuing to monitor the situation, working closely with the County Council’s Health Protection Team (working alongside 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 school remains open and providing your child remains well they can continue to attend school as normal. We will keep this under review.

We have taken Public Health England and Local Authority advice and have needed to ask some members of Year 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12 to self-isolate. Students who need to self-isolate will be contacted by telephone. If you do not receive any further communication from school, there is no further action you need to take. Please do not contact the school.

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.

If your child does develop symptoms of Covid 19 please inform John Taylor High School by ringing the absence line (01283 247858 or 01283 890772 for 6th Form) or emailing [email protected].

All other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. 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.

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.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:

  • new continuous cough and/or
  • high temperature
  • 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 or anyone in the household does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from NHS at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/  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/

Thank you for your continued support. We will be implementing our remote learning protocols for students who will be self-isolating.

Please email [email protected] if you have any questions.

 

Yours sincerely

Mrs K Cochrane

Head of School

John Taylor High School