Coronavirus - COVID-19
April 2022
The government’s response to the Coronavius pandemic has changed again with new guidance issued as we learn to live safely with Covid-19.
Please see the guidance below, which came into effect from 1st April. Anyone who is already isolating can transfer to these new guidance timings, which means that there is no longer a requirement to test on day 5/6 to return to school.
When children and young people with symptoms should stay at home and when they can return to education
Children and young people with mild symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, who are otherwise well, can continue to attend their education setting.
Children and young people who are unwell and have a high temperature (38 degrees and above) should stay at home and avoid contact with other people, where they can. They can go back to school, college or childcare, and resume normal activities when they no longer have a high temperature and they are well enough to attend.
All children and young people with respiratory symptoms should be encouraged to cover their mouth and nose with a disposable tissue when coughing and/or sneezing and to wash their hands after using or disposing of tissues.
It can be difficult to know when to seek help if your child is unwell. If you are worried about your child, especially if they are aged under 2 years old, then you should seek medical help.
Children and young people aged 18 years and under who have a positive test result
It is not recommended that children and young people are tested for COVID-19 unless directed to by a health professional.
If a child or young person has a positive COVID-19 test result they should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 3 days after the day they took the test, if they can. After 3 days, if they feel well and do not have a high temperature, the risk of passing the infection on to others is much lower. This is because children and young people tend to be infectious to other people for less time than adults.
Children and young people who usually go to school, college or childcare and who live with someone who has a positive COVID-19 test result should continue to attend as normal.
In line with the latest government guidance, please can you continue to work with school to keep your child off if they are unwell or have a high temperature. If your child has a positive test result, please keep your child off for 3 days after the day of the test, and they can return to school when they are well enough and do not have a temperature.
The guidance which includes provision of remote learning for children who are at home with Coronavirus has been withdrawn, which means that we will only be providing remote learning in an emergency, such as a snow day or a public health incident. Homework will still be set via Google Classroom and children will be encouraged to log onto Reading Plus, Mathletics and Spellzone if they are well enough to do so.
We thought it would be helpful to include the guidance for adults as this differs from the guidance for children.
Guidance for adults
Adults with the symptoms of a respiratory infection, who have a high temperature or feel unwell, should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people until they feel well enough to resume normal activities and they no longer have a high temperature. Adults with a positive COVID-19 test result should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days after the day of the test, which is when they are most infectious.
Please see the link to the government guidance below:
Living safely with respiratory infections, including COVID-19 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Coronavirus symptoms
The main symptoms of coronavirus are:
- a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your 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 – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
Handwashing advice
One of the most important things individuals can do to protect themselves is to wash their hands more often, for at least 20 seconds, with soap and water.
Watch this short NHS film for guidance: