CV&CC Update, Tuesday 1st December

CV&CC Update

Tuesday 1^st December

Positive Case in Year 10

A student in Year 10 has tested positive, and on health authority advice a total of 57 students are self-isolating until 11^th December (this is coincidentally the same number as Year 7 last week). The year group has not been required to isolate because the affected student was in College for only one day while infectious, which meant that although Year 10 classes are more mixed than Year 7, there were fewer close contacts than might be expected.

Lessons Learned from Recent Cases

Although much improved, many students are still not remembering social distancing. At break and lunchtime, and moving between lessons, students should keep masks on and try to keep a metre apart. In the Giraffe House, students should not squash in eight to a table (these are friendship groups).

When identifying close contacts at social times and on transport it is very important that students keep their wits about them so that they know who was sitting nearby. Again, social distancing significantly reduces risks in these situations.

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 above 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 crept back over 90%, which is really very good with the national figure for secondary schools still at 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 are two “current” student cases in Year 7 and Year 10 respectively. 55 Year 7 students (plus one Year 10 and one Year 11) are isolating until Friday 4^th December, and 56 Year 10 and one Year 11 isolating until 11^th December. Four members of staff who are clinically extremely vulnerable return to work this week after the national lockdown ends. Otherwise, staff absence still remains very low. We have had our first positive case last 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 26 positive tests among parents or household members resulting in students self-isolating for 14 days; 12 of these 26 have been since half-term.

Local Rates

According to the NEU covid map for schools East Devon has fallen to 128 cases per 100,000; Broadclyst, Cranbrook, Stoke Canon and area has also fallen noticeably to 92/100,000 which is around 11 actual cases; Exeter has also dropped to 98/100,000, and Pinhoe and area down a little to 111. The BBC, with slightly different dates, has slightly lower figures of 123 cases for East Devon, and roughly the same at 100 for Exeter. The national average for the BBC figures is 129/100,000.

Last Week of Term

At present, the Government is insisting that all Early Years settings, schools and colleges must remain physically open to all students, and the expectation is that students should attend until the last day of term. This means that closing the premises and offering remote learning is also not permitted.

There is increasing concern and pressure about this issue through the media, education professional organisations, and a parliamentary petition. In some parts of the country, schools are simply unable to stay open because of significant staff shortages. The main concern for some parents is that attendance after 11^th December increases the risk of a positive result meaning a household has to self-isolate over Christmas itself and prevent even a three-household family gathering.

Equally, there are many families and students who need schools to be open during the last week of term, and for whom the benefits outweigh the risks.

I hope that there will be some sort of compromise position possible, but if not the likelihood is that schools will be open, and parents will make individual choices whether to withdraw their children for a period of unauthorised absence.

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.