Update: 25th September 2020

Please see below from Public Health

Date: 23 September 2020

Dear parents and guardians,

This is an important letter to share some information on how we can work together to make sure we can continue to give children and young people the best education in the safest way possible.

One important part of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of pupils, students, parents and our communities is testing for coronavirus. We all have a duty to make sure that the right people have access to get tested at the right time. Every time a test is used inappropriately, a person with COVID-19 symptoms may miss out on getting tested.

Therefore, I ask that you all follow these principles:

• you should only book a test if your child has any of these 3 coronavirus symptoms:

  1. a high temperature: any new high temperature where your child feels hot to touch on their chest or back (you do not need to measure the temperature)
  2. a new continuous cough: coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
  3. a loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste: a noticeable loss of smell or taste or things smell and taste different to normal
• your child does not need a test if they have a runny nose, are sneezing or feeling unwell but do not have a temperature, cough or loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste because these are not normally symptoms of coronavirus
• if you are unsure about whether to get a test, please check the official list of symptoms on the NHS website, which is reviewed regularly
• only the person with symptoms should get a test. You do not need to get a test for anyone else in the household unless they also have any of the 3 symptoms listed above. All members of the household need to self-isolate whilst waiting for the test result
• if the person with symptoms’ test comes back positive, other members of their household should continue self-isolating for 14 days and only get a test if they develop coronavirus symptoms
• if a pupil or student in a class or bubble tests positive for coronavirus, anyone who is advised to self-isolate does not require a test unless they subsequently develop symptoms.

No one else in the same class or bubble as the symptomatic person needs to take any action unless advised by the school or college. Schools and colleges have detailed guidance and access to a Department for Education and Public Health England helpline for advice and support.

Contacts of a person who has tested positive must follow the guidance carefully and in full, which means they must stay at home for 14 days. This is because it can take several days following contact with an infected person before an individual develops symptoms or the virus can be detected. Students should only book a test if they get symptoms.

The NHS has produced some guidance to help parents understand when their child can and cannot attend school which you may find useful.

It is vital for children and young people’s learning and future opportunities that they are able to return to school and college. It is therefore vitally important that all we work together and do our bit to make this possible.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Viv Bennett CBE
Chief Nurse and Director Maternity and Early Years, Public Health England

Dr Susan Hopkins
Interim Chief Medical Officer, NHS Test & Trace
Deputy Director, Public Health England
Consultant in Infectious Diseases & Microbiology, Royal Free, London

UPDATE  18TH AUGUST 2020

Please see the latest information from the DFE below:

We have launched our #backtoschoolsafely campaign to reassure parents and students that schools and colleges are ready for their return in September.

This is part of the Government’s wider Stay Alert campaign. You will see newspaper and billboard advertising from today, with radio and digital adverts from Monday 24 August, which will run until early September, alongside wider engagement with the teaching profession and local communities.

The latest statistics from the Office for National Statistics show there is growing confidence among parents that their children will return to school in September, testament to the hard work of school staff.

Parents are encouraged to visit gov.uk/backtoschool for information and practical guidance to help them plan for their children’s return to school.

 POLITE NOTICE:

Please abide by Social Distancing markings around school gates and entrances.  There are clear entrance and exit routes for each gateway. Please stick to staggered arrival times and we will try to reduce any queues as soon as possible

From Monday:

Year 6 only - Rivington Rd gate and back fire door entrance   8.30-9.45am

Rainbow groups - Front entrance   8.45-9.00am

Update  21.4.20 Spring Term

The current government advice is that schools should remain closed until the scientific advice tells us it is safe to open. 

St Teresa's will continue to provide for the education of children of Key Workers and vulnerable pupils in school. Staff will operate on a rota system and so your child will get to see different familiar adult over a number of weeks.  

Mrs Brookes or Mrs Burgess will be in school to deal with any problems each week.

Alongside this, staff will also continue to provide detailed work home learning tasks through the individual class pages.  There is an expectation that children will engage positively with these learning tasks and should aim to complete the set tasks each week. 

You may get a phone call from a member of staff from time to time to check on the well being of you and your family and to check that there are no issues with the home learning being provided for your child.  On these occasions, it would be lovely to speak directly to the children and find out how they are getting on.

As of 21.4.20  in line with other local schools, St Teresa's have applied for the national Free School Meal supermarket Vouchers scheme and is currently waiting for these to be delivered directly to families by email via an ecode. This can then be redeemed for a specific supermarket .  We are aware that there is currently a huge demand on the national website, however, if you have not yet received your vouchers, please contact school.

This offer does not include the universal free school meal offer for all Key Stage 1 children. 

We thank you for your continued support and co-operation at this very unusual time.

17th March 2020

Please see below for the latest links to information from the Government.  As a school, we are continuing to follow guidelines from Public Health England, The Department for Education and St Helens Local Authority.  Information is changing daily and so we will keep you updated as much as we can.  

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-social-distancing-and-for-vulnerable-people