Advice to All Parents – Single case

29th September 2020Mrs L Thompson

Advice to All Parents/Carers – Single case

Dear Parents/Carers

We have been advised by Public Health England that there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the school.

We know that you may find this concerning but we are continuing to monitor the situation and are working closely with 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 small number of children who have been in close contact with the individual who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) have received a letter informing them that their child must stay at home for 14 days.

The school remains open and your child should continue to attend as normal if they remain well.

What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID 19

If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, they must not come to school and 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.

All other household members who remain well, must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. This includes anyone in your ‘Support Bubble’.

Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

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.

If you require help with buying groceries, other shopping or picking up medication, or walking a dog, you should ask friends or family. Alternatively, you can order your shopping online and medication by phone or online.

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

If you are able, move any vulnerable individuals (such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions) out of your home, to stay with friends or family for the duration of the home isolation period.

Symptoms

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

  • a new continuous cough
  • a high temperature
  • a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

If your child does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from the nhs.uk website at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/. If you are concerned about your child’s symptoms, or they are worsening you can seek advice from NHS 111 at https://111.nhs.uk/ 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/

Yours sincerely

Mr J Grant

Headteacher

 

 

 

Parent Governor Vacancy

21st September 2020Mrs L Thompson

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s)

Parent Governor Vacancies

We have a vacancy for a parent governor which we need to fill as soon as possible.

The Governing Body has a strategic role in the management of our school.

Responsibilities of the Governing Body include:

  • Setting the long term strategic goals and the vision for the school
  • Ensuring high standards of achievement for every child
  • Ensuring school finances are spent in the right places
  • Recruiting staff, including the headteacher

Parent governors are welcomed as valued members of the team and play a vital role in ensuring the Governing Body is aware of the views of parents and the local community. We are particularly interested in nominations from parents with an Educational background or Legal/Finance/HR knowledge/experience.

We feel sure that there are parents prepared to take on this important role and give their time and commitment to helping us to continue to improve the school’s performance.

Training is available for all newly appointed Governors, and there is an expectation that you will attend these induction sessions with the first year of your appointment.

If you think you have the time, skills and expertise to join our Governing Body, please complete the nomination form attached and return to school by 3pm on Friday 9th October 2020. You can also email your nomination to dmeekin@shevingtonhigh.org.uk  please put ‘Parent Governor Nomination’ in the subject. Nominations received after this date will not be accepted. Please provide a statement about why you would like to become a governor in no more than 100 words..

If there are more nominations than vacancies, an election will be held. All parents will be sent a voting paper with your name and statement and be asked to vote.

If you have any questions or would like an informal conversation about the role of a governor, please contact the School Business Manager, Mr Daniel Meekin.

Yours sincerely


Mr J M Grant
Headteacher

Please click here for the Parent Governor Nomination Form

Parent Governor Nomination Form

 

Headteachers Update – 17th September 2020

17th September 2020Mrs L Thompson

Dear Parent /Carer

As you are aware, we are currently managing a very difficult situation in school and we are working within guidelines that are designed to keep all our students, staff and their families safe.  This has meant we have had to send some students displaying Covid symptoms home to self-isolate this week.

It is with regret that I must remind a very small minority of parents that our staff deserve to be treated with respect.  Our team of staff are working extremely hard under very challenging conditions and they do not deserve to be exposed to insulting and rude behaviour; they are just doing their jobs.  I appreciate that the difficulties caused by the ongoing pandemic are frustrating and upsetting at times, but this is not the fault of the school or its staff.

If a student is symptomatic, our team have no choice but to send them home with instruction to get a test and self-isolate for 10 days following the Government Guidance.  This is in line with local and national guidelines designed to protect all members of the community.  The first aid team members are not doctors and do not have access to a Coved test, so they must take the safest possible approach to protect others.  They cannot simply decide that a child is exaggerating or lying because the consequences are too serious if they are wrong.  Some students have stated and displayed typical symptoms others have complained about severe headache, sore throats and fatigue (the only symptoms displayed by a number of young people who have tested positive at another school in the borough.

No parent would be happy if they and their household contracted the virus because an infected child had been sent back to class

I appreciate that self-isolation is very inconvenient, but the alternative is to put others at risk.  We believe it is better to be safe than sorry.  This situation is being replicated in schools across the North West and we are feeling lucky that we have not yet had to follow other schools in having to send whole year groups home as the virus spreads in the school.

Please help us to avoid this situation by keeping your children at home if they are ill and showing Covid Symptoms.

Finally, I would like to thank the overwhelming majority of parents that are working with us and are very understanding of the unusual position we are in at this moment.

The teachers in school are working hard to make school safe and purposeful and all lessons are on Google Classroom for the children that are absent to work from when isolating.

I do not like sending out letters like this but as a school we cannot tolerate rudeness to staff who are simply doing their jobs.  Our only reason in making decisions at this time is to keep safe the 800 people in school and their families

Reminder of the guidance we are following

Children should not attend school if they have at least one of the coronavirus symptoms, which are:

  • A high temperature (37.8°C or above. If you don’t have a thermometer, feeling hot to the touch on your chest or back is a good indicator of a high 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

If your child has displayed at least one of these symptoms in school, they will be sent home, along with any siblings, and should not return until they have had a negative test result, even if the symptoms have started to get better.

The whole household should self-isolate whilst waiting for the test result and your child can only return when they have had a negative test result and symptom free for 48 hours.  Please inform us immediately about test results, as we may need to take action quickly if the result is positive.

Whilst we know that there are many other illnesses circulating, we must follow the guidance to keep the school and wider community safe.

If you are unsure, please speak to a medical professional.

Please click below for  the Greater Manchester Covid 19 Quick Guide for parents / Carers

Parent/Carer Guidance – COVID 19

Yours sincerely

Mr J Grant

Headteacher