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The Blue Tangerine Federation

The Blue Tangerine Federation

Covid-19

RISK ASSESSMENTS are found at the bottom of this page.

November 29th 2021:

 November 29 2021:

Information for all education and childcare settings on new measures in response to the identification of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the UK

On Saturday 27 November, the Prime Minister announced new temporary measures following the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the UK.

The new measures will be introduced as a precaution to slow down the spread of the variant while we gather more information. We will continue to keep this under review as the situation develops. 

Presently visitors continued to be welcomed, though with the precautions below.

Face coverings

Face coverings should be worn in communal areas in all settings by staff, visitors and pupils or students in year 7 and above, unless they are exempt.

Pupils or students (in year 7 or above) should continue to wear face coverings on public and dedicated school transport, unless they are exempt.

Testing

All educational and childcare settings should continue to encourage staff and students to test twice weekly using lateral flow device (LFD) tests.

Contact tracing and isolation

The current guidance on contact tracing and isolation remains in place. In addition to these, any suspected or confirmed close contacts of the Omicron variant will be asked to isolate for 10 days regardless of vaccination status or age. You will be contacted directly and told to isolate.

Vaccination

All eligible staff and students aged 12 and over are encouraged to take up the offer of the vaccine, including boosters.

Vaccines are our best defence against COVID-19. They help protect young people and adults, and benefit those around them. Vaccination makes people less likely to catch the virus and less likely to pass it on.

To book a vaccination, please visit: Book or manage a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination – NHS (www.nhs.uk).

Covid-19 Outbreak Management Plans

The Collett School's Covid-19 Outbreak Management plans Review Aug2022

St Luke's School's Covid-19 Outbreak Management plans Review Aug2022

The Impact of Covid-19 on Children and Young People

 
Many families have found it hard to cope with the isolation, loss of routine, anxiety about the future or a disruption to education/work
 
Children of all ages have been experiencing unprecedented gaps in learning, with vulnerable children and young people less likely to have the support or equipment to engage in home learning
 
Many children and young people with SEND found the disruption to their learning routine challenging. This may not only impact on their long-term educational achievement but also increase their risks of exploitation
 
In a survey of almost 1300 Hertfordshire secondary school pupils in early 2021, 33% felt their wellbeing was worse than before the pandemic with a more pronounced decline among LGBTQT+ young people
 
Many young people have also expressed how hard they found home schooling; feeling overwhelmed and finding it difficult to concentrate
 

October 2021: Covid-19 NHS Vaccinations for 12-15yr old pupils at our schools

October 2021

Covid-19 Vaccinations

A voluntary NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme for children aged 12 to 15 has taken place.  Only  children where parental permission has been given took place with one injection of the Pfizer vaccine.

  • The Collett School, Wednesday 6th October 2021 circa 50% had the vaccination
  • St Luke's School on Monday 20th September 2021 circa 42% had the vaccination
  • FHEC - no visit

Clinically Extremely Vulnerable Children and Young People (Updated Sep 2021)

DFE (August 26th 2021): Important information about clinically extremely vulnerable children and young people

Clinical studies have shown that children and young people, including those originally considered to be clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV), are at very low risk of serious illness if they catch the virus. The UK Clinical Review Panel has recommended that all children and young people under the age of 18 should no longer be considered CEV and should be removed from the Shielded Patient List, the national database of people considered clinically extremely vulnerable.

All children and young people should continue to follow the same guidance as everyone else, which can be found at www.gov.uk/coronavirus. For a very few individual children specific clinical advice may be given and this should continue to be followed.

The Department for Health and Social Care have developed an FAQ that can be accessed online.

Covid Testing Collett and St Luke's Schools (Updated Sep 2021)

Covid Testing resources for pupils:

Covid Test social story

Covid Test picture explanation

Click here for a free online book that supports children to understand Covid, illustrated by Axel Scheffler (The Gruffalo)

August 2021: Changes to the types of lateral flow device (LFD) self-test kits for testing at home

NHS Test and Trace are introducing new types of test kits for at home weekly testing of staff and students. If you have ordered test kits for use at home, you should expect to receive either Innova (throat and nose swabs), Orient Gene or Acon-Flowflex (nasal only) self-test kits.

As with Orient Gene tests, Acon-Flowflex tests involve double nasal swabbing only – a throat swab is not needed. The instructions on how to use each of these types of self-test kits for use at home can be found in the test kit packaging.

Settings should continue to use any remaining Innova self-test kit stock and only order additional test kits when stocks start to run low. Orient Gene and Acon-Flowflex self-test kits for at home testing are supplied in boxes of 7 to enable testing for 3.5 weeks.

August 2021: COVID-19 vaccination for 16 to 17 year olds

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised that all 16 to 17 year olds should be offered a first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the government has accepted this advice.

As previously advised by JCVI, those 12 to 17 year olds with specific underlying health conditions that put them at risk of severe COVID-19 should be offered two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Those 12 and over who live with an immunosuppressed person should also continue to be offered two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. This is to indirectly protect their immunosuppressed household contacts, who are at higher risk of serious disease from COVID-19 and may not generate a full immune response to vaccination.

JCVI has also previously recommended an ongoing offer of vaccination to 17 year olds within 3 months of their 18th birthday. This group will remain eligible for two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

The JCVI is not currently advising routine vaccination of children outside of these groups, but will keep their advice under review as more evidence becomes available on the use of COVID-19 vaccines in children and young people.

Covid 19 Contingency Planning Safeguarding Emergency Guidance

BTF - Covid 19 Contingency Planning Safeguarding Emergency Guidance

Covid 19 - Guidelines for visitors (Updated Sep 2021)

Although no longer mandatory, visitors to our schools are kindly asked to wear a face covering and wash their hands/ sanitise with alcohol hand sanitiser once they arrive.

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.

Gov.uk and Department for Education (DfE) Guidance

www.gov.uk/coronavirus

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

Does your child have Covid-19 symptoms? (Updated Sep 2021)

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.   

What if my child only starts to show Covid-19 symptoms during the school day?

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.

Self-Isolating - Quarantining

  • 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

A Staff Member's Personal Story of Covid-19

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

Schools' Risk Assessments

Covid-19 Risk Assessment: September 2021

Covid-19 Risk Assessment: May 2021

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

Covid-19 Risk Assessment: March 2021

Covid-19 Risk Assessment: End of January 2021

Covid-19 Risk Assessment: January 2021

Covid-19 School Risk Assessments: October 2020

Covid-19 School Risk Assessments: September 2020

Covid-19 School Risk Assessments: June 2020

Covid-19 Bereavement

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.

 

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