๐ฆ COVID-19 Update for Spring 2
Mr J Sharp
Dear Families
I hope you have all enjoyed the half term holiday.
Many of you will be aware of the ending of legal COVID-19 restrictions on the 24th February 2022, and the shift to providing Public Health Guidance. Free PCR tests will still be available until the end of March, but from 1st April 2022, free testing will cease and it will be up to people to buy their own (with some exemptions). We have now received the guidance for schools, which in the most part mirrors the guidance provided to the general public.
When we return on 28th February 2022, these are the changes we are making:
Click the image to read the full DfE guidance.
โBubblesโ will be ending.
Assemblies will be back in the hall.
Children will be eating together for lunch in the dining room and hall.
Staff are no longer required to wear masks in shared areas.
The limits on the number of people who can use rooms will be removed.
Staff are no longer required to complete twice weekly lateral flow tests.
Contacts of positive cases are no longer required to complete daily testing for 7 days.
The poster below explains what remains:
Local Picture
The new guidance to state that in the cases of significant local outbreaks, local health authorities have the power to reintroduce measures as they see fit, so we must be prepared to change again in the future.
Self-Isolation
Click the image to read the DfE news article.
The main thing for everyone to consider is that self-isolation is still required when showing symptoms and/or someone tests positive. There is no change in this rule for schools from before half term. Just as children and staff must stay away from school for a set period if they have vomiting and diarrhoea, so they must now for COVID-19.
Free PCR testing will still be in place until around the Easter holidays. We will update families again nearer this time with regards to self-isolation guidance.
I know that for some people, the levels of worry about COVID-19 are much higher than they are for others, and this can be for a number of reasons. No-one should feel they are wrong to have these feelings, and we will work with anyone who needs more reassurance.
You can see from this chart that primary age cases locally are now extremely low (and still falling), which is really positive news. Given this age group have not been vaccinated yet (more news on this in the next weeks), it shows that the Omicron wave has almost certainly passed through and there will be much higher levels of immunity amongst children now as a result.
Attendance and Punctuality
We are having a big push on improving attendance and punctuality after half term. With the excellent news about low case rates and the removal of some restrictions, we really need to ensure our children miss the least amount of education as possible.
I think everyone has appreciated over the past 2 years how being in school benefits the children in so many ways, and increases their chance of future happiness. Letโs all work together to make sure we do our best for them by ensuring they are in school and on time.
It is a legal duty for all parents/carers to ensure that their child receives their right to education, and both the Department for Education and the Local Authority are also working hard on improving attendance. This includes new guidance for Local Authorities from the government on school attendance fines and prosecutions, and Manchester Local Authority is restarting the issuing of school attendance fines for unauthorised absence.
Thank you all once again for your amazing support, it really is appreciated by us all.
Please get in touch with us if you have any questions or concerns, and I am looking forward to seeing you all on Monday morning.
Mr J. Sharp
Head Teacher