🦠 COVID-19 and Returning Next Week

Dear Families

I hope everyone enjoyed Christmas and had the opportunity to connect with their loved ones. Sadly, I know of two staff members who had to self-isolate, which I am sure is the case for some of you too. To all those affected, thank you for your sacrifice and for protecting others, and I am very sorry that you didn’t have the Christmas you had planned.

I am sure many of you have been following the news regarding the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and seen that, as predicted, the cases have risen massively since we broke up for the holidays and continue to rise to record numbers. What appears to be great news, is that there is growing evidence that the vast, vast majority of people have no or mild symptoms, and that the number of people needing to go into hospital is much, much lower than it was for previous variants and for shorter periods too. Again, children are the least affected by Omicron in terms of serious illness - another huge positive.

So, keeping this positive and extremely important news in our minds, there is going to be a specific and significant challenge for us all in the next couple of months - ATTENDANCE! Below, I will add more to what I sent out to you all just before school closed for Christmas.

Up to this point, primary age children have had relatively low case rates compared with other age groups, That does not appear to be the case this time, and they are matching the extremely high rates of other age groups. You can see from the chart below, that primary age children in Manchester were up to around 1000 per 100,000 just before Christmas, or every 1 child in 100 tested positive on a daily basis. To put that into context, that would be around 14 children per week testing positive in our school (and the rates are still rising).

Rising case rates for primary age children in Manchester

As I write this message, the Newton Heath case rate is up to around 1500 per 100,000 and rising. This is far, far higher than it has ever been, which probably puts primary age children at a similar number (this would be around 22 children per week). This isn’t as much a health issue in school, but one about keeping school open. If we were to get to 2000 per 100,00 (or 2 in 100 people) for a number of weeks, then it could be the case that nearly the whole school would need to self-isolate by half-term.

Primary age children are not yet vaccinated, so without being too dramatic about the issue, we could be looking at a tornado of cases moving through schools in the next month. Sadly, I predict extreme disruption caused by high numbers amongst the children leading to:

• Staff catching Omicron and needing to self-isolate.

• Staff needing to cover different ‘bubbles’.

• Staff needing to look after their own children if they need to ‘self-isolate’.

• Potential temporary closure of ‘bubbles’ due to staff shortages.

• Remote learning for individuals self-isolating, and for whole ‘bubbles’ if necessary.

• Providing ‘free school meals’ to qualifying children self-isolating (not for infants on universal free school meals).

When the school was only open to the children of ‘key workers’ and ‘vulnerable children’ from March 2020, the decision to close schools to most children, was in many ways caused by the difficulties school leaders had in keeping them open due to staff shortages. For different reasons, we could be heading into a similar challenge now.

So, within this challenge, these are the priorities for us:

• Reducing transmission, protecting attendance as best we can and trying to keep ‘bubbles’ open.

• Supporting child and staff wellbeing.

• Being prepared for remote learning (individuals or bubbles).

• Being realistic about what is achievable and recognising that we will all have different degrees of disruption this term.

The poster we have made below sets out how we intend to tackle the challenge and do our best to address our priorities.

How we will do our best to ride this wave

I really need the co-operation of everyone again. We have all been in a more relaxed mode last term, but this has to change immediately next week. We need to take this situation very seriously and try our very best to:

• Keep COVID-19 out

• Keep clean

• Stop the spread

• Work together

• Remember the bigger picture

• Take care of ourselves

Any one person who isn’t serious about the risks to school attendance, or tries to avoid personal inconvenience by sending a child into school with symptoms and no negative test result, could set off a chain-reaction of positive cases in school which could then lead to many, many more people going home, and ultimately the ‘bubble/s’ going home too. Any family with a child self-isolating now, or in the days leading up to the 4th January, please email the school at enquiries@allsaintsnh-pri.manchester.sch.uk. It is very important we know as soon as possible.

I also ask everyone to respect our decision to send children home if they are displaying any of the wider list of symptoms. We have had fantastic support from families in incredibly difficult times, but there have been occasions when we have been challenged about a child with symptoms being sent home. Without a negative PCR test result, there will be no debate about this I’m afraid, and we won’t be changing this policy. If anyone wishes to make a complaint about this issue, then please make an appointment to speak to me.

This term has the potential to be the most disruptive we have faced in nearly two years, and I want to be very honest with everyone that there could be some very difficult choices to be made soon. I want you to know that I will always listen to people’s views, and that all decisions regarding ‘bubble’ closures will be made after consultation with Public Health, the Local Authority and the Governing Body. If you have any concerns or worries, please get in touch as soon as you can.

There hasn’t been any change of direction signalled by the Department for Education, and they are clear about their intention of keeping schools fully open, but I will always pass on any new guidance to families as quickly as I can.

It is a huge shame that we are entering another period of disruption, but I have been overwhelmed with pride at how well the children, staff, families, outside providers and the governors have performed since February 2020, and I know we can use what we have learned to do a fantastic job of riding this next wave.

Thank you to everyone for your support and understanding. It is a team effort at All Saints, with the goal of having Healthy, Happy and Confident children, and we will pull together even more this term, I’m sure of it.

Mr J Sharp

Head Teacher