BTF - Covid 19 Contingency Planning Safeguarding Emergency Guidance

Visitors to our schools should wear a face covering and wash their hands with soap and water before leaving home and once they arrive. You will also be required to sanitise your hands on arrival.

For the avoidance of potential embarrassment, we would also like to advise you that our schools are currently operating a ‘no handshake’ policy for all members of it's community.

We apologise for not being able to give you our usual warm welcome, but we must take the current situation very seriously and look after the welfare of our pupils and staff. If you have any questions, please contact the member of staff you were due to visit.

Open Mornings - Tours of the school - temporarily suspended but see our website's virtual tour!

www.gov.uk/coronavirus

www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/how-long-to-self-isolate/

What are Covid-19 symptoms?

A raised temperature

A loss of smell and taste

A continuous, new cough

• We have spoken to PHE about the difference between a cough and a Coronavirus cough as we expect coughs and colds over the Autumn and Winter months . They advised that: 'if the pupil can't stop coughing for up to an  hour (continuous) up to 3 times a day, then it is likely to be a Coronavirus  cough and they will need to self isolate and have a test.'  Coughing doesn't seem to solve the tickle.

Children with symptoms should not come to school but instead, get a test.

When the test result is known then school should be informed.

A positive Covid-19 test:  

• If the result is positive, the child stays at home to self-isolate for 10 days minimum.  In addition, the child must not be in school 48hrs after the last symptoms have shown.  Depending on the severity, this may be several days.
• You notify school.   
• School informs Public Health England's Local Health Protection Teams (PHE).
• PHE starts the process of track and tracing and tells the school what to do next in terms of closing bubbles/zones

A negative Covid-19 test: 

• If the result of the child and family members is negative, the child returns to school.
• If the child is negative but someone in their home has tested positive then, they self-isolate for 14 days as the virus may incubate for this amount of time. 

The government is clear that schools are not expected to take action such as closing down classes, bubbles/zones or taxi groups when a pupil or staff member is self-isolating at home. If that pupil or member of staff subsequently receives a positive test result, following government guidance the school will seek the advice of the local health protection team and relevant parents/carers will be informed accordingly.

• The child with symptoms will follow the guidance above - not come to school and get tested.
• You will be informed if we have a positive Covid-19 test if your child has come into close contact with the child/adult.  In these cases, we will be undertaking Serial Covid Testing - testing for the next seven days for those who have given permission to do so.  For those children who have not got testing permission/ those who cannot do the testing, then the child will need to isolate for 10 days.
• We will not let families know as a matter of course that children are awaiting test results and will not share negative test results with families.

Should your child have symptoms during the school day, you will be asked to collect them straight away from a 'quarantined' area of the school, where staff will be waiting with the child, in the same room. You should immediately get your child and your household tested as well and let the school know the outcome.

An example of the challenges we face with incubation periods of the virus:

Day 0 - Hannah was exposed to coronavirus

Day 5 - Hannah got tested and was negative

Day 7 - Thinking she didn’t have coronavirus, Hannah attended school, and was in close contact with 17 people.

Day 9 - Hannah developed symptoms and tested positive. She was contagious for 48 hours before her symptoms started, and exposed 17 people to coronavirus. These 17 people now all need to self-isolate for 14 days.

This is why its so important to self-isolate for the allocated time and to only book a test if you develop symptoms.

• Self-Isolating means staying at home; quarantining. 
• Your child should not come to school and you should not go to work. 
• As we enter the normal cold and flu season, there is an expectation that we will see a number of pupils self-isolating with symptoms that are associated with Covid-19, and even more who are self-isolating as a result of someone in their household having symptoms. 

Social Distancing Challenges for Kids & how to help

The Holiday Activities and Food Programme, which has provided healthy food and enriching activities to disadvantaged children since 2018, will also be expanded across England. This programme will cover Easter, Summer and Christmas in 2021, and will be available to children in every local authority in England.

Karen Thorp, one of our senior teachers at The Collett School was in a serious condition with Covid-19 this summer.  Here, she was asked to write an account for Addenbrooks Hospital and has given us permission to share her story on our website.   If you have a story you wish to share, please let us know; mary.ellis@bluetangerine.herts.sch.uk.  Click:  Karen's Covid-19 Story

County SEND Transport to School (HCC September 2020)

General Transport to School (HCC September 2020)

ADHD in Lockdown

Parenting in Lockdown

Good Hygiene and Health (Public Health England 2020)

Washing Hands: September 2020

Face Coverings: September 2020

Face-coverings are allowed in our schools, dependent on the child and parents' wishes but not in the formal learning environment of the classroom.  If desired, they can wear a visor in the classroom.  These cannot be shared and the child will require 'training' on how to keep themselves safe using a visor/ other face-covering.

Some staff will be wearing visors in class and can wear other face-coverings around the school (breaks, transitions etc.)

How to wear a face covering

Covid-19 Supplementary Conditions for Hire and use of school premises by HCC: April 2021

• HCC Supplementary Guidance for school hirings April 2021
• Swimming Guidance Update April 2021

Covid-19 Risk Assessment: March 2021

• The Collett School Risk Assessment: March 2021

• St Luke's School Risk Assessment: March 2021

• Forest House Education Centre Risk Assessment: March 2021 (available on request)

Covid-19 Risk Assessment: End of January 2021

• The Collett School Risk Assessment: Jan 27 2021

• St Luke's School Risk Assessment: Jan 27 2021

• NHS visit (Feb 2021) to review of cleaning and hygiene procedures: Report

• Forest House Education Centre Risk Assessment: January 2021 (available on request)

Covid-19 Risk Assessment: January 2021

• The Collett School Risk Assessment: January 2021

• The Collett School Lateral Flow Testing Risk Assessment: January 2021

• St Luke's School Risk Assessment: January 2021

• St Luke's School Lateral Flow Testing Risk Assessment: January 2021

• Forest House Education Centre Risk Assessment: January 2021 (available on request)

Covid-19 School Risk Assessments: October 2020

• The Collett School Risk Assessment: October 2020

• St Luke's School Risk Assessment: October 2020

• Forest House Education Centre Risk Assessment: October 2020 (available on request)

Covid-19 School Risk Assessments: September 2020

• The Collett School Risk Assessment: September 2020

• St Luke's School Risk Assessment: September 2020

• Forest House Education Centre Risk Assessment: September 2020 (available on request)

Covid-19 School Risk Assessments: June 2020

• The Collett School Risk Assessment

• St Luke's School Risk Assessment

• FHEC Risk Assessment - Available on request

HCC has a page of information regarding Covid-19 bereavement and can be found here:

Covid-19 Bereavement

Blue Tangerine 'Memories of You' leaflet about making a memory box to support bereavement.