CV&CC Update Tuesday 8th December

CV&CC Update  Tuesday 8^th December

Christmas is Coming….

And so it is more important than ever that students remain completely focused on basic covid measures. Hand sanitising. Wearing masks whenever not in class or eating (and not dragging out eating to avoid putting masks on). Social distancing wherever possible. Close contact is one metre or less for a minute; two metres for fifteen minutes. So far, it is almost certain that all positive cases have come from households or the community, not from within Clyst Vale. We really do not want a random case causing a large number of students to isolate.

Last Week of Term

There has been 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.

Until this afternoon (Tuesday) the Government was insisting that all Early Years settings, schools and colleges must remain physically open to all students, with the expectation is that students should attend until the last day of term.

This afternoon it was announced that schools could choose to move an in-service or training day from wherever it is in 2021 to the last day of term; school staff would attend as normal, but students would not. I have made NO DECISION about this yet; I need more details, and to work out the implications. For example, if we decided to stay open, but my colleagues with children’s schools did not, we may not be able to staff a full timetable. If we decided to take the INSET day, there would be some students whose parents who need them to come to school. For both parents and school staff, this is very short notice to make work adjustments or childcare arrangements accordingly. Clearly, I will be letting parents know what we decide to do at the earliest opportunity, and definitely before the end of this week.

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 is still just under 93%%, which is really very good with the national figure for secondary schools recovering slightly to 81%. Year 11 attendance during their exams was astonishingly good. 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 10 respectively. 55 Year 7 students (plus one Year 10 and one Year 11) returned on Friday 4^th December, and 56 Year 10 and one Year 11 are isolating until this Friday, 11^th December. Four members of staff who are clinically extremely vulnerable have returned to work this week after the national lockdown ended. Otherwise, staff absence still remains very low. We still have had just one positive case, of an admin support staff colleague who had already self-isolated for several days because of a household member. There have still only been two 14-day isolations for staff due to positive tests for household members. Since September, there have also been a total of 27 positive tests among parents or household members resulting in students self-isolating for 14 days; 14 of these 27 have been since half-term.

Local Rates

According to the NEU covid map for schools East Devon has fallen again to 116 cases per 100,000; Broadclyst, Cranbrook, Stoke Canon and area has also fallen to 87/100,000; Exeter has remained constant at 99/100,000, and Pinhoe and area down to 100. The BBC, with slightly later dates, has slightly lower figures of 109 cases for East Devon, and 94 for Exeter. The national average for the BBC figures is 126/100,000.

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.