Letter to parents/carers – advice to all

Dear Parent /Carer

We have been advised by Public Health England that there has been confirmed cases 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. Patcham High School remains open and your child should continue to attend as normal if they remain well.

We strongly encourage household members that are aged 11 and over to continue with twice weekly LFD testing to help identify cases promptly. Please remind pupils to undertake an LFD test on Sundays and Wednesdays and to register these on test register website (pupils are sent an email link on these days).

What to do if your child develops symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) or tests positive for COVID-19

If your child develops symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), they should get a PCR test and remain at home at least until the result is known. If negative, the child can end self-isolation; if positive, the child should isolate until at least 10 days after their symptoms appeared. Symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are a new, continuous cough, or a high temperature, or a loss of, or change in, their normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia). If the child has a positive test result but do not have symptoms, they should stay at home and self-isolate for 10 days from the date the positive test was taken. Anyone with symptoms will be eligible for a PCR test (the normally available test type) and this can be arranged via Get a free PCR test to check if you have coronavirus (COVID-19) – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) or by calling 119.

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 coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading

There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with coronavirus (COVID-19):
• get vaccinated – everyone aged 18 and over can book COVID-19 vaccination appointments
• wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitiser regularly throughout the day
• 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
• meet people outside and avoid crowded areas
• open doors and windows to let in fresh air if meeting people inside
• wear a face covering if aged 11 and over when it’s hard to stay away from other people – particularly indoors or in crowded places
• participate in twice weekly LFD testing following national guidelines (recommended for 11 years and over). We encourage you to log your results here: https://www.gov.uk/log-test-site-covid19-results

Further Information

Further information is available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Yours sincerely
John McKee
Headteacher