Please follow the attached guidelines to help you decide should your child attend school -
10-9-2020 The Chief Medical Officer issued a letter (see in NEWS) stating
'In order to ensure children and young people do not miss out on their education, it is important to be clear about how COVID-19 symptoms differ from those of other infections that we usually see circulating at this time of the year. All of us – including parents and the wider school community – must remain vigilant for the symptoms of COVID-19, and understand what actions are required should someone develop symptoms either at home or in the school setting. If your child or anyone in your household develops any of the following symptoms of COVID-19 they should stay home and arrange to get tested as soon as possible –
•A new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it maybe worse than usual) ; or
• A high temperature/fever – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature); or
• A loss of or change in sense of smell or taste.
I would emphasise that if an individual does not have any of the stated symptoms, they do not require a test. Schools should not ask pupils to book a COVID-19 test unless they have one or more of the symptoms above. We are currently experiencing significant demand on our testing programme, it is important that testing is reserved for people who have symptoms of COVID-19 and people who have been advised by our contact tracing or other health services to get tested.
I recognise that at this time of year, it is common for colds and similar viral infections to circulate. In many cases, children will be well enough to attend school and continue their learning with little or no interruption to their education. In other cases where they may have a heavy cold they may need to take time off to recover. There is no need to contact your General Practitioner or attend other health services unless you are concerned about you child or would normally to do for other health reasons. But they do not need tested for Covid-19 and do not need to self-isolate.
There have been reports recently that ‘tummy bugs’ may be a symptom of COVID-19 in children and young people. Whilst recent research provides useful early findings, there needs to be a wider discussion at a UK wide level about this. You therefore do not currently need to get your child tested.
That said, where a pupil displays gastrointestinal symptoms, such as vomiting or diarrhoea, they should not attend school until after their symptoms have resolved for at least 2 days (this means they should not have been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days before they return to school). In these instances the pupil and their family should follow the school’s usual attendance policy in respect of these symptoms.'
As parents we know our children best - you are the only person who can make the decision regarding sending your child to school. If you feel your child has a common cold then they attend as the Chief Medical Officer advises if you are in any doubt you must keep your child at home.
Please see attached.
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