COVID-19 Information

All lateral flow and PCR test results must be reported to the NHS at https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result. The NHS confirmation of the results must be reported to St Michael’s via email to

covid@st-michaels.sandwell.sch.uk 

Changes to measures and guidance for managing COVID-19 in education and childcare settings from Friday 1 April

On Tuesday 29 March, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid, set out the next steps for living with COVID-19 in England from Friday 1 April.

Free COVID-19 tests will continue to be available for specific groups, including eligible patients and NHS staff, once the universal testing offer ends on Friday 1 April.

Updated guidance will advise:

Adults with the symptoms of a respiratory infection, and who have a high temperature or feel unwell, should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people until they feel well enough to resume normal activities and they no longer have a high temperature Children and young people who are unwell and have a high temperature should stay at home and avoid contact with other people. They can go back to school, college or childcare when they no longer have a high temperature, and they are well enough to attend Adults with a positive COVID-19 test result should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days, which is when they are most infectious. For children and young people aged 18 and under, the advice will be 3 days.

 

Please see below guidance from 24^th Feb to 1^st April regarding positive COVID Tests

If you have COVID-19, stay at home and avoid contact with other people

If you have COVID-19 you can infect other people from 2 days before your symptoms start, and for up to 10 days after. You can pass on the infection to others, even if you have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. If you have COVID-19 you should stay at home and avoid contact with other people.

You should:

• not attend work. If you are unable to work from home, you should talk to your employer about the options available to you. You may be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay
• ask friends, family, neighbours or volunteers to get food and other essentials for you
• not invite social visitors into your home, including friends and family
• postpone all non-essential services and repairs that require a home visit
• cancel routine medical and dental appointments. If you are concerned about your health or you have been asked to attend an appointment in person during this time, discuss this with your medical contact and let them know about your symptoms or your test result
• if you can, let people who you have been in close contact with know about your positive test result so that they can follow this guidance

Many people will no longer be infectious to others after 5 days. You may choose to take an LFD test from 5 days after your symptoms started (or the day your test was taken if you did not have symptoms) followed by another LFD test the next day. If both these test results are negative, and you do not have a high temperature, the risk that you are still infectious is much lower and you can safely return to your normal routine.

How to safely return to your normal routine before 10 days

If your day 5 LFD test result is positive, you can continue taking LFD tests until you receive 2 consecutive negative test results.

Children and young people with COVID-19 should not attend their education setting while they are infectious. They should take an LFD test from 5 days after their symptoms started (or the day their test was taken if they did not have symptoms) followed by another one the next day. If both these tests results are negative, they should return to their educational setting if they normally attend one, as long as they feel well enough to do so and do not have a temperature. They should follow the guidance for their educational setting.

Avoid meeting people at higher risk of becoming seriously unwell from COVID-19, especially those with a severely weakened immune system, for the 10 days after your symptoms started (or the day your test was taken if you did not have symptoms).

While you are infectious there is a high risk of passing on COVID-19 to others in your household. These are simple things you can do to help prevent the spread:

• keep your distance from other people you live with and spend as little time as possible in shared areas such as kitchens and living rooms. This is particularly important if someone you live with is unvaccinated or at higher risk of becoming seriously unwell from COVID-19, especially those with a severely weakened immune system
• if you need to spend time in shared areas wear a well-fitting face covering made with multiple layers or a surgical face mask. Ventilate the room by opening windows and leaving them open for at least 10 minutes after you have left the room. Leave extractor fans running for longer than usual with the door closed after use
• cover your mouth and nose with disposable tissues when you cough or sneeze. Dispose of tissues into a rubbish bag and immediately wash your hands or use hand sanitiser
• wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser after coughing, sneezing and blowing your nose and before you eat or handle food. Avoid touching your face
• if you can, use a separate bathroom from the rest of the household. If this is not possible, try and use the bathroom after everyone else
• regularly clean frequently touched surfaces, such as door handles and remote controls, and shared areas such as kitchens and bathrooms

GermDefence is a useful website that can help you identify ways to protect yourself and others in your household from COVID-19. It provides scientifically proven advice on reducing the risks from COVID-19 and other viruses in your home.

If you need to leave your home

The most effective way to avoid passing on COVID-19 infection is to stay at home and avoid contact with other people. We understand that this is not always possible, but you should follow the guidance as closely as possible.

If you have COVID-19 and you need to leave your home while you are still infectious, you should take the following steps to reduce the chance of passing on the infection to others:

• wear a well-fitting face covering made with multiple layers or a surgical face mask
• avoid close contact with anyone you know who is at higher risk of becoming severely unwell if they are infected with COVID-19, especially those with a severely weakened immune system
• avoid crowded places. If you need to take public transport, avoid busy times, for example by using off-peak services
• avoid large social gatherings and events, or anywhere that is poorly ventilated, crowded, or enclosed
• limit close contact with other people outside your household as much as possible. Meet outside and try and stay at least 2 metres apart from them
• take any exercise outdoors in places where you will not have contact with other people
• be especially careful with your hand and respiratory hygiene

Government Update:

Daily testing for contacts of COVID-19

From Tuesday 14 December, a new national approach to daily testing for contacts of COVID-19 is being introduced (including until the end of this term). All adults who are fully vaccinated and children aged 5 to 18 years and 6 months, identified as a contact of someone with COVID-19 – whether Omicron or not – should take a lateral flow device (LFD) test every day for 7 days instead of self-isolating. Daily testing by close contacts will help to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Daily testing for contacts of COVID-19 will help protect education settings by reducing transmission and will also help keep pupils in face-to-face education.

Once notified by NHS Test and Trace as a close contact, all eligible staff, pupils and students should take an LFD each day for 7 days and report the results through the Online Reporting System and to their setting. If they test negative, they can continue to attend their education setting. Outside of the education setting, they should continue to follow the advice set out in the Sunday 12 December press release. This approach should also be adopted over the winter break and on return in January.

If they test positive, they should self-isolate and order a PCR test to confirm the result. If the PCR is positive, they must self-isolate for 10 days. If the PCR test is negative, they no longer need to self-isolate but should continue to carry out the remainder of the daily tests, and only need to isolate if it is positive.

All staff and secondary aged pupils and students should have access to a box of 7 LFD tests from their education setting. If your setting requires additional test kits sooner than they would be available through the standard ordering process or will run out of test kits imminently, you can contact 119 to request an emergency replenishment. For primary aged children, LFD test kits are available through the usual routes (community test sites, local pharmacies or online).

Children under five years old do not need to take part in daily testing for contacts of COVID-19 and do not need to isolate.

Anyone over the age of 18 years and 6 months who is not vaccinated, must isolate in line with government guidelines if they are a close contact of a positive case.

For students with SEND who struggle to or are unable to self-swab daily for 7 days, settings should work with students and their families to agree an appropriate testing route, such as assisted swabbing. Information on further support measures will be provided.

Finally, it is important to continue regular twice weekly, at-home testing for all education and childcare workforce and all students of secondary age and above.

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.

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).

Due to the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, the school has made adjustments to its policies and procedures to ensure that we can all stay healthy and safe when the school reopens. The changes relating to each area are listed below:

Uniform	Students are expected to adhere to the uniform policy at all times.
	All uniform items, except for the school blazer, should be washed every day where possible. The school blazer should be washed at least once a week.
	If students have PE on their timetable, they will be expected to wear their PE kit to and from school, as social distancing requirements make the changing rooms inaccessible.
	Please note that the uniform policy has not changed and violations, such as false nails, facial piercings, unnatural hair colour and extreme hairstyles, will result in sanctions.
Student entry  into and exit from school	All students are expected to enter school via the specified entry block (see below)
	All students must wash their hands on entry and exit from school
Hygiene expectations	Toilets will be year-group zoned and there will be high expectations of personal hygiene, with numerous additional sanitisation stations around the building and regular opportunities to use them. Additionally, we would like to encourage your child to bring a personal hand sanitiser to school.
	To avoid cross-contamination, it is vital that your child brings their own stationery to school, including pens, pencils, eraser and the recommended calculator.
The behaviour policy	We have made additions to the list of sanctions to incorporate COVID-related behaviours. Please ensure that your child is aware of the potential dangers of spreading the virus through coughing or sneezing, shouting, singing and touching others.
	If your child deliberately flaunts the rules, we will have no alternative but to send them home as they will be considered a health and safety risk to all those around them.
Curriculum	Students will be following their usual timetable and there will be no narrowing of the curriculum or fewer learning hours per week. Wherever possible, we will endeavour to deliver our normal curriculum.
	There might be slight changes to sequencing in order to adhere to social distancing protocols, mainly affecting some of our more practical subjects.
	There will be a blended learning offer for those students to have to self-isolate, should that become necessary.
Travelling to and from school	Students must follow government guidelines regarding face masks when travelling on public transport.
	Students must follow government guidelines regarding social distancing when walking to and from school