๐ COVID Update - Relaxation of Guidance
Mr J Sharp
Government News
Step 4 will start on Monday 19th July.
Sajid Javid says from 16 August, fully vaccinated adults in England will not have to self-isolate if they are close contact of a positive case. The health secretary also said those under 18 will no longer need to self-isolate after coming into contact with a case. Those who test positive themselves though, "will have to self-isolate whether they have had the jab or not". Close contacts will be advised to take a PCR test.
On flu vaccines "our plan is to also simultaneously offer the flu vaccine which will mean that the take-up of the flu vaccine should be at record highs."
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โBubblesโ will no longer be used in September, and there will no requirement for the wearing of masks or social distancing in school. Therefore, assemblies, lunches together, mixed class clubs and trips are all allowed to resume. Staggered starts will also not be compulsory, but schools are free to use them if they wish.
Contact tracing will no longer be the responsibility of schools from 19th July, and this will pass to NHS Test and Trace.
Public health authorities will work with schools in the case of outbreaks, and they may insist on schools reintroducing measures on a temporary basis.
Hand washing, sanitising, frequent cleaning and ventilation of rooms all remain in place in the Autumn.
Children with symptoms will need to stay off school and book a test, if the test result is positive, then they will need to self-isolate.
Staff will be asked to take lateral flow tests at the beginning of term.
Staff who are fully vaccinated, do not need to self isolate if they come into close contact with a confirmed case.
Change in Mindset
This is certainly a significant change from what we have all lived through for 16 months, and although I am really pleased that most of the restrictions are being removed, it will also cause many people some anxiety.
This change reflects the governmentโs position that we are now going to have to live with COVID-19, and manage it without such harsh restrictions (as we do with other diseases). So now the measure of success will be the number of people in hospital and those who tragically die from COVID-19. Infections are going to increase, and by all accounts, very rapidly to levels we have not seen before. It looks as though there will be millions of new COVID-19 infections over the next few months. The key being that the vast majority will result in mild or no symptoms.
This adjustment wonโt happen overnight, and the children, families and staff will all have different feelings about it.
Vaccination
I know many of us are very much looking forward to life without the restrictions we have lived under for 16 months, and that vaccines have given the country the opportunity to return to โnormalโ (if that is completely possible).
What I would like to say though, is that levels of vaccination in Manchester are some way behind the national average. In fact, if the levels of vaccination continue at the same rate, it will take until the end of September until Manchester reaches the point that the rest of the country is at now for people being fully vaccinated. There are more young people in cities, which does lower the average, but it is my view that it would be wise to remain very cautious until our area reaches the 70%+ for second doses.
What will change and when? Our approach.
Given that the schools are not permitted to change how they operate until the 19th July, and the new rules on self-isolation donโt come in fully until 16th August, we are not changing our risk assessment this term. As we finish at 1.30pm on Wednesday 21st July, it is not sensible to produce a new risk assessment for 2.5 days.
We always think very carefully about our plans, and introduce them in a phased manner. There is not enough time to do that now with so little time left, and a number of bubbles self-isolating. I donโt have details for September now, but there are a few principles I can set out.
What we intend on keeping the sameโฆ
Increased hygiene measures
Ventilation in the building
Collecting children from the playgrounds, and some level of staggered starts/finishes
Lower number of children at playtimes
Digital communication including Parent Portal
Children attending in P.E. kits on the appropriate days
What we intend on changingโฆ
Children always sat in rows
Quarantining resources
Assemblies together again
Mixed class playtimes, clubs and visits
Visitors to the school
Offering virtual support to children and families where needed
Lunches together
Some of the changes this year have actually allowed us to think again about how we do things, and we have actually learned and improved some of our systems and processes. However, there are many changes that we havenโt liked, which are mainly related to the children and staff not being able to interact with as many people in school.
As before, we will be asking for your views on how we can best manage this next change.
Blended Learning
โBlended Learningโ (teaching children in class and at home) creates a lot of work for the teachers, which can stop them for doing the most important jobs of conducting thorough assessments, planning challenging lessons to meet the needs of the children and preparing resources that help the children move on.
In the Autumn term, there will be children and staff who need to self-isolate due to them having a positive test result. In these cases, children will have learning to complete at home, but we will set this out in more detail closer to September. We have invested in many quality online resources which the children can access in school and at home, so we know that we are starting from a strong position. There are also the devices we now have in school which we can lend to children who need them.
Breakfast Club
I know that Breakfast Club is on the minds of many families, and this is now able to restart in September with the removal of bubbles. The letter below sets out more.
Support for Staff
I want to say again how fantastic the staff are here at All Saints.
I am so lucky to have them working so hard, day in, day out, always putting the children first. They have all experienced their own low points in the last 16 months, and it is so sad that many of them have lost much loved relatives during this period. However, they havenโt complained, they have stuck together and been nothing short of completely professional, even when they have been suffering inside.
They too have had the inconvenience and stress of self-isolation, and had children needing to self-isolate. Please know that we understand the frustrations and stress caused by the COVID-19 restrictions. We really do.
Thank you to everyone for your patience and understanding, and I need to ask for more to come, as there will be challenges ahead. As always, please remember that government restrictions and rules are not made by the staff, but is our job to carry them out. I would ask that you consider the feelings of the person at the other end of the phone if you are upset, and if you have a complaint about how school operates, then please contact me or Mrs Flatman if I am not available. We will be happy to listen and explain more if you would like.
Message to Families
The journey we have all been on together is one that none of us will ever forget. It has had many lows and put great strain on everyone, there is no denying that. However, through the tests and challenges, it has shown the All Saints family at its best. Patience, tolerance, selflessness, compassion, love, resilience, honesty and many other values that we wish the children to live by.
I donโt think the journey is quite over yet, but we have proven that our school can stand up to challenges and stick together. Children, staff, families, governors, our partnersโฆ
Well done and thank you very much.
Mr Sharp
Head Teacher