Managing Covid-19 in school - Updates

when you should book a coronavirus test for your child

Public Health England has produced a letter for schools and colleges to share with parents which explains when a child requires a coronavirus (COVID-19) test and what the symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are. Click the link or see below.

Sending my child to school during Covid-19: Should I send my child to school? Guidance for parents and carers

Click here for more information

Parent GUIDE

We have collected some information around frequently asked questions regarding covid-19 here. Hopefully, you will find this information helpful and clear.

Please Keep us Informed

If you have checked your child’s symptoms using https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19/ which confirms you can send your child to school, please let us know. If children are in school with a sniffle or slight illness, it is useful for us to know that you have checked any potential symptoms and ruled out any links to covid-19. Please use this email covid@crossdale.notts.sch.uk and we can ensure that your child’s teacher knows the context of any slight illness.
You can also use covid@crossdale.notts.sch.uk to let us know if your child (or family member if you have all been self-isolating) has received a negative test and, as a result, your child will be returning to school.
If you call school to tell us your child is ill and will not be coming to school, please let us know why, especially if you are leaving a message on the answer machine. This means we won’t need to call you to check the illness is not linked to covid-19. Our phone is normally monitored between 8.30am and 4.30pm.

Using the covid@crossdale.notts.sch.uk will ensure we can quickly access and react to any emails linked to covid-19.

TESTING AND SYMPTOMS

With increased testing and vigilance in the UK, we are aware that parents all over the country are arranging coronavirus tests for their children if they have concerns about potential symptoms. Parents should not be alarmed over the coming weeks if a child at Crossdale has been for a test– being cautious and careful is the new ‘normal’ for all parts of society. Although the whole school community is not routinely informed if a child has gone for a test, we will always alert you if a child or adult at Crossdale receives a positive test result - we will also let you know what the implications of this will be.

If you have any doubt about symptoms, we would strongly urge you to use the NHS symptom checker here: https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19/ . This site analyses the symptoms you report and gives clear guidance and information about the symptoms and testing.

Symptoms and Self-Isolation

If you have used https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19/ which has confirmed your child needs to self-isolate, please remember that all family members in your house will need to self-isolate unless you obtain a test quickly and a negative test has been returned. As an example, if your child has a temperature and https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19/ advises self-isolation, he / she should not return to school for at least 10 days unless a negative test has been returned – similarly, all members of your household should self-isolate for 14 days.

How long to self-isolate (NHS – Click here for full web page)

If you have symptoms or have tested positive for coronavirus, you'll usually need to self-isolate for at least 10 days.

You'll need to self-isolate for 14 days if:

someone you live with has symptoms or tested positive
someone in your support bubble has symptoms or tested positive
you've been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace

If someone who is self-isolating because they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) starts to feel unwell and gets a test for coronavirus themselves, and the test delivers a negative result, they must remain in isolation for the remainder of the 14-day isolation period. This is because they could still develop coronavirus (COVID-19) within the remaining days.

TAKING A CHILD’S TEMPERATURE

If a child in school comments that they are feeling unwell, for any reason, we are now frequently using a non-contact electronic thermometer to take their temperature. Rest assured, if we have any concerns about your child’s health or temperature, we will be in touch immediately.

A few reminders

Many thanks for your support over the last 2 weeks with the full reopening of Crossdale for all pupils. Having been largely closed to most pupils since March, it was great to welcome back the vast majority of our Crossdale family!

The logistics of staggered starts, breaks, lunches and ends to the day, as well as bubbles and hygiene measures, has proved a challenge given the increased number of pupils on site. As such, here are a few reminders of ways you can help:

If staff and parents are diligent about following our procedures carefully and consistently, there is a greater chance that Crossdale can stay open and not be subject to a partial or full lockdown.

Please ensure you stick to the start and end times to the day detailed below. Please don’t be early or late and help us control the number of people on site:

Reception 9:00am - 3:30pm
Y1 8:50am - 3:20pm
Y2 9:10am - 3:40pm
Y3 9:00am - 3:30pm
Y4 9:10am - 3:40pm
Y5 9:10am - 3:40pm
Y6 9:00am - 3:30pm

Only one adult per family should accompany their children onto the school site.
Parents of children in Base 2 and 3 – please let your children go to the ‘Be Safe Bees’ alone to avoid congestion near entrances to the school. Parents of children in Y3 and Y4 should stand on the middle playground, but not past ‘The Tower’.
Please be mindful of social distancing with teachers and avoid congregating on the playground. You can send any questions to your child’s teacher using the class email system.

To answer your questions and point you in the right direction, Mr Cresswell, Mrs Westie or Miss Seedhouse will be available on the gate every day from 8.50am and after school until 3:40pm.

Extra Information

Please read the attached parent leaflet
Our full opening plan can be found here
Please ensure you have discussed and practised our Rainbow Rules with your children – especially practising effective handwashing.
Going to school ‘does not increase risk of young children catching coronavirus’ – Click here to read more.