following on from our initial communications please read the following: 

Advice for Child to Self-Isolate for 10 Days 

Your child’s school has been advised that there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the school setting.

Following a risk assessment with the local authority public health team in line with the latest public health advice, the school has identified that your child has been in close contact with the individual who has had a positive test result for coronavirus (COVID-19) via PCR.

Pupils who attended the Monday party 19.7.21 (pupils across year 5)

In line with the national guidance your child must now stay at home until midnight Thursday 29^th July. Your child must not go to school, childcare settings or any public areas: your child must remain at home.

Pupils who attend school on Tuesday 20.7.21(5HA)

In line with the national guidance your child must now stay at home until midnight Friday 30^th July. Your child must not go to school, childcare settings or any public areas: your child must remain at home.

If your child has continued to attend school since Wednesday then this information does not apply.

If your child is well at the end of the 10-day period of self-isolation, then they can return to their usual activities.

Other members of your household can continue normal activities provided your child does not develop symptoms within the 10-day self-isolation period.

For more information, please see the guidance for contacts of people with confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection who do not live with the person.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-with-possible-or-confirmed-coronavirus-covid-19-infection-who-do-not-live-with-the-person

What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID-19

For most people, especially children, COVID-19 will be a mild illness.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are recent onset of:

• new continuous cough and/or
• high temperature and/or
• a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

If your child develops any of these symptoms of COVID-19, they should remain at home and arrangements should be made for them to be tested. At that time all other household members must also stay at home, not go to work, school or public areas, even for exercise.

Testing can be arranged by calling 119 or via  https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test

How to stop COVID-19 spreading

There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID-19:

• wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
• use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
• wash your hands as soon as you get home
• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
• put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards

If you need support with isolation, please contact your local Council. Please see appendix 1 which gives details of financial support available through the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme.

Yours sincerely

Tom Hall

Director of Public Health

Appendix 1

Financial support if you have to take time off work to care for your child while they are self-isolating

If you are on a low income and you need to take time off work to care for your child while they are self-isolating, you may be eligible for financial support from your local council  through the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme.

The Test and Trace Support Payment scheme is open to people who live in England and who meet the following criteria:

• They are the parent or guardian of a child or young person in the same household and need to take time off work to care for them while they self-isolate; this is limited to one parent or guardian per household for the child or young person’s self-isolation period
• Are employed or self-employed
• Are unable to work from home while undertaking caring responsibilities and will lose income as a result
• They are currently receiving or are the partner of someone in the same household who is receiving at least one of the following benefits:

o          Universal Credit

o          Working Tax Credit

o          income-based Employment and Support Allowance

o          income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance

o          Income Support

o          Housing Benefit

o          Pension Credit

• Their child or young person:

o          is aged 15 or under (or 25 or under with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC) and normally attends an education or childcare setting

o          has been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or by their education or childcare setting because they have been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19

Discretionary payments are also available for people on low incomes who are not on means-tested benefits but who may still face hardship as a result of the requirement to self-isolate. Your local council may have additional eligibility criteria in place for discretionary payments.

If you are eligible, you will receive a £500 payment from your local authority in addition to any benefits and Statutory Sick Pay you receive currently. If you are unsure which local authority you should claim from, you can check on Find your Local Council on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council

Your local council will contact your child’s school to verify the information you provide about your child as part of the process of confirming whether you are eligible for a payment.

You can see the full eligibility criteria for the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme and find out how to apply at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme-claiming-financial-support/claiming-financial-support-under-the-test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme

If you think you meet the eligibility criteria listed above and would like to apply to your local council for a payment from the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme, you should provide this letter to your local council to support your application. You will not be able to make an application for a payment from the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme without this letter.