Dear Parents/Carers,

At a time when everything seems a little strange and feels confusing and occasionally overwhelming too, I want to write to reassure you that school remains a constant in your family’s life.

I once again want to thank you for adhering to our staggered entry and exit times and leaving the school premises so quickly, it is such a help.

I know that as time passes we will inevitably have children coming down with colds so I also wanted to clarify our procedure early on.

If your child (or any family member) develops a new cough or a temperature (only one of the symptoms is needed) you should stay at home as a family, and ring 119 to book a test (or visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/) for the symptomatic person. I know many of you will feel able to determine that your child ‘just has a cold’, but we really do need to leave this decision in the hands of an expert during this global pandemic.

If the test result comes back negative and your child is well in themselves then all children within the family are then able to return to school. If it is positive, every family member needs to self-isolate for 14 days and the Track and Trace protocol will begin.

We have already had one family who have experienced this first hand and their responsible, proactive actions led to their child being tested and negative results returned within a 24 hour window; their child only missing one day of school. I cannot urge you enough to follow their lead.

I know many will feel anxious and constant media coverage only serves to heighten this. By being proactive we can all help to keep our school, children and families safe. Thank you all for your ongoing support.