Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 21st May 2021
Date: 21st May 2021 @ 1:10pm
I have lots of COVID related information to share with you this week so I will get straight to it.
Take time to test and help protect family and friends
Cheshire West and Chester have asked us to share the following information with you all:
Residents in Cheshire West and Chester without COVID-19 symptoms are asked to take time to test twice weekly to keep the infection rate down and the community safe.
Regular testing identifies the one in three people who have the virus without any symptoms and so who could be spreading the virus unwittingly.
While vaccines are the best way to protect people from Coronavirus, no vaccine is 100% effective. Even if they have had the vaccine, asymptomatic residents should continue to test themselves twice a week for COVID-19.
Rapid Lateral Flow Device Tests (LFDs) are for people without symptoms of the virus. They show results in around 30 minutes, are easy to access and free to all.
There are three walk-in testing centres in the borough at Chester Cathedral, the Dingle Centre in Winsford and Stanney Oaks Leisure Centre in Ellesmere Port and no appointment is necessary. Test kits to do at home can also be collected at these locations as well as at Northwich, Neston, Frodsham and Ellesmere Port libraries, Dee View Distribution Hub near Chester Retail Park and the mobile library van at Tarporley, Tattenhall, Malpas and Tarvin. For more information visit: www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/c19testing.
Alternatively, free test kits can be picked up at most pharmacies, with a map of participating venues at: https://maps.test-and-trace.nhs.uk/, order online at: www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests or by calling: 119 (open from 7am to 11pm and free to call).
If you test positive you must self-isolate immediately along with everyone in your household and book a PCR test to confirm your result at: https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling: 119.
If you take a PCR test within two days of the positive LFD result and the PCR result is negative, you and your household will no longer be required to self-isolate.
If the test is positive, you and your household must continue to self-isolate for 10 full days after the positive LFD. Day 1 is the day after your LFD test.
Help, support and advice is available on the Council website to help you during this period at: www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/selfisolationsupport or call the Council’s helpline on: 0300 123 7031.
In the seven days up to 14 May, there were 34 positive cases of COVID-19 in the borough, a rate of 10 per 100,000 people.
Anyone with symptoms of COVID-19, including a new, continuous cough, high temperature or loss or change to your sense of smell or taste, should self-isolate immediately and book a PCR test at: https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling: 119.
The Council also advises residents to book a PCR test as a precaution if you have other symptoms that maybe related to COVID-19.
These can include shortness of breath, muscle or body aches, fatigue, sore throat, headache, nasal congestion or runny nose, diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting. However, it is important to remember that these are very common symptoms and most people who have these symptoms will not have COVID-19.
When booking choose the option that the local council has asked you to get a test. If you only have these other symptoms, you do not need to self-isolate unless you test positive for COVID-19.
Ian Ashworth, the Council’s Director of Public Health, has filmed a video about testing which is also available to watch.
Items brought in from Home
With the continued lifting of COVID rules, please may I take this opportunity to remind you that we are still operating our COVID risk assessment in the same way as we have done previously – there are no changes at Over St. John’s just yet. As such, I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone of a couple of things that I have noticed recently.
Part of our risk assessment asks that nothing is brought in from home apart from certain specified items:
- coat
- water bottle
- snack
- lunch box
- PE kit on specified days
- items as specified by the class teacher.
The reason for this is to reduce potential transmission of the virus by moving things between households. Recently, we have had an increasing amount of requests to share cakes and other treats that may have been brought in. Whilst I appreciate that this is very thoughtful and generous, this is something that does not fit with our risk assessment – please do not be offended if the items are returned.
A couple of children have been bringing mobile phones into school without permission from ourselves. Whilst we would discourage the need for children to carry a mobile phone, if you need them to have one, we can accommodate this but only with permission from ourselves, perhaps for Blakemere class where some of the children walk home independently or for other classes where children move between adults homes. If permission has been given by myself or the class teacher, the phone must be switched off on arrival at school and placed in the teacher’s drawer to be collected at the end of the day. Children must not keep the phone in their bags or coat during the day.
If your child needs any medication – prescription or non-prescription – please do not put this in your child’s bag. All medication must be handed in at the office with a completed medication form so that we know when to administer it.
School Attendance - Reminder
Last week, the DfE asked schools to remind parents and carers that school attendance continues to be mandatory for all pupils and the usual rules on school attendance apply. This includes parents and carers duty to ensure their child regularly attends school and schools and local authorities ability to issue sanctions, including fixed penalty notices, for poor attendance.
The DfE expects schools and local authorities to continue to communicate clear expectations around attendance to families, identify pupils at risk of disengagement and develop plans to re-engage them.
As restrictions begin to lift, we know some families may be looking to take holidays during term time. As usual, parents and carers should plan their holidays around school breaks and avoid seeking permission to take their children out of school on holiday.
#WakeUpWednesday
Recent figures suggest that as many as 30% of users in the education sector have fallen victim to phishing emails. Attacks have increased since the start of the pandemic and online fraudsters are disproportionately targeting educational organisations because cyber-security – understandably – tends not to be among the top priorities.
But there are some straightforward steps anyone can take to reduce their chances of being hoodwinked by a bogus email. So whether it’s to help safeguard a school’s network or simply to protect your family’s personal accounts at home, National Online Safety’s #WakeUpWednesday guide has advice on how to identify and deal with potentially damaging email scams.
Confirmed Dates for the Summer Term 2021 – new dates are highlighted
Tuesday 25th May Parents Evening from 3.15pm to 5.15pm via Microsoft Teams
Thursday 27th May Parents Evening from 3.15pm to 5.15pm via Microsoft Teams
Friday 28th May School closes for half term at usual bubble times
Monday 7th June School opens at usual bubble times
Saturday 26th June Delamere Street Festival involving Hatchmere – more details to follow and subject to current COVID roadmap restrictions
Friday 16th July School closes for summer with bubble closure times as follows:
Blakemere at 1:45pm
Linmere at 1:45pm
Oakmere at 1:50pm
Delamere at 1.55pm
Sandymere at 2pm
Hatchmere at 2.05pm
Have a lovely weekend.
Mrs E Snowdon