CV&CC Update 24th November 2020

CV&CC Update

Tuesday 24^th November

Positive Case in Year 7

There have been several separate communications about this. In brief, a student in Year 7 has tested positive, and on health authority advice a total of 57 students are self-isolating until 4^th December. The year group has not been required to isolate because, unlike Year 9 recently, Year 7 classes are largely taught in form groups so there is much less mixing across the whole year group and it is possible to identify close contacts more effectively.

Key Points to Remember, please

• Please do not send your child to school if they have covid symptoms.
• Please do not send your child to school if they have had symptoms and are waiting for a test result even if they seem better.
• If any member of a household has symptoms, everyone must stay away from school or work until the test result is known. If positive, everyone must isolate for 14 days from the start of symptoms or 14 days from the test date if there were no symptoms.
• Please tell us [student absence; AtHoS] if your child or household member has symptoms; test dates and results; dates you have been given for a return to school. We want to do our best to support your child and protect others, so we would prefer this information three times rather than not at all !
• Please use the number below for reporting an “out-of-hours” positive test result.
• Students should wear masks at all times unless exempt. Except lessons, when actually eating/drinking, and if outside AND at 1m+ distance from one another.

Situation Update

Student attendance has dropped slightly to 89%, and it’s not much comfort that the national figure for secondary schools has dropped even further to 78%. There have been six “historic” positive tests among students, four in Year 9, and two of students who had already been isolating for several days at the time. There is one “current” student case in Year 7, and 55 Year 7 students (plus one Year 10 and one Year 11) are isolating until Friday 4^th December. Year9 students and students from CV01 have now returned. Four members of staff who are clinically extremely vulnerable continue to work from home. Otherwise, staff absence still remains very low. We have had our first positive case this week, of an admin support staff colleague who had already self-isolated for several days because of a household member. There have been only two 14-day isolations for staff due to positive tests for household members. Since September, there have also been a total of 23 positive tests among parents or household members resulting in students self-isolating for 14 days; 9 of these 23 have been since half-term.

Local Rates

According to the NEU covid map for schools East Devon has fallen to 138 cases per 100,000; Broadclyst, Cranbrook, Stoke Canon and area has also fallen to 136/100,000 which is around 14 actual cases; Exeter is similar to last week at 151/100,000, and Pinhoe and area down to 128. The BBC, with slightly different dates, has slightly lower figures of 130 cases for East Devon and 139 for Exeter. The national average for the BBC figures is 177/100,000.

Guidance, for Reference

Schools: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-and-childcare-settings-new-national-restrictions-from-5-november-2020

…and: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools

Face coverings: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own

Clinically Extremely Vulnerable: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

NHS Covid-19 App

• The new NHS COVID-19 app is available to download.It’s free and will help stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) by supporting the NHS Test and Trace service.

Symptoms (from the NHS web page)

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

Most people with coronavirus have at least 1 of these symptoms.

What to do if you have symptoms

If you have any of the main symptoms of coronavirus:

1. Get a test to check if you have coronavirus as soon as possible.
2. Stay at home and do not have visitors until you get your test result – only leave your home to have a test.

Anyone you live with, and anyone in your support bubble, must also stay at home until you get your result.