Covid-19 Safety Information: ON SITE SAFETY MEASURES FOR STAFF AND STUDENTS
Updated March 2022
Following the government’s announcement of their Living with COVID-19 strategy, which came into effect on Thursday 24th February 2022, we have received updated guidance for schools from the Department for Education. As we have done throughout the pandemic, we continue to follow the DfE guidance and the key updates from this guidance are summarised below;
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- Contacts are no longer required to self-isolate or advised to take daily tests, and contact tracing has ended.
- Face coverings are no longer advised for students, staff and visitors in classrooms and communal areas (they are permitted should anyone wish to wear them within Park Academy).
- Students and staff are no longer required to carry out twice weekly lateral flow tests.
- If students have symptoms of Covid (a new continuous cough, a high temperature or a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell) they should take a PCR test and should remain at home whilst awaiting the test result.
- Students who have received a ‘positive’ PCR test for Covid should not attend the academy while they are infectious. They should take a rapid lateral flow test on the fifth day following the PCR ‘positive result’ and a further a rapid lateral flow test 24 hours later. Only if both of these test results are negative, should students return to the academy, and as long as they feel well enough to do so and do not have a temperature.
Updated November 2021
We will be following government guidelines as closely as possible and will take all possible precautions to protect the health and safety of both students and staff. This information will be updated in line with government guidance.
Attendance
- Students and staff should not attend the school site if they are experiencing any symptoms of Coronavirus. For a full list of symptoms, see NHS guidance here.
- Students and staff should also not attend the school site if they are self-isolating.
- If a child is experiencing Coronavirus symptoms, please can parents/carers contact us as early as possible via the absence line. This will allow us to take appropriate next steps if necessary, in line with the government’s test and trace programme.
- Parents/carers must inform the school by 8:30am if their child cannot attend on a specific day.
Hygiene practices
- Hand sanitiser is available in all classrooms and communal areas for students and staff to use. Everyone is encouraged to frequently sanitise their hands.
- Students are remindedto wash their hands thoroughly when they have returned home.
- All students will be able to use hand sanitiser in the classroom if they sneeze/coughand if there is any other hygiene related concern.
- We will continue to ensure good respiratory hygiene by promoting and implementing the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’
- Students and staff that wish to can continue to wear face masks. Additional cleaning and disinfecting will be taking place in classrooms, toilets and corridors that are in use.
- Classrooms will be cleanedat the end of the school and not used again until the next day.
- There will be cleaners on-site throughout the school day cleaning high touch and high use areas.
- Wherever possible (allowing for fire safety requirements) windows and doors will be opened so that these are not regularly touched and good air-flow is maintained.
Home Testing
- All students and staff are strongly encouraged to participate in home testing twice a week. Taking part in testing is voluntary and all students will be able to attend the Academy whether they take part in testing or not. For students where consent has been received, they will regularly receive home testing kits.
- This is an asymptomatic testing programme and does not replace current guidance for those with symptoms or those identified as a close contact of a positive case. Anyone with symptoms, whether they are involved in this programme or not, should book a free NHS PCR test and follow government self-isolation guidance until the results of their test are known. Testing also does not replace basic preventative measures such as regular hand-washing, PPE and social distancing.
- If your child receives a positive test result, you must call the school absence line to report this and should book them a confirmatory PCR test. We would advise visiting a community or drive-through test site as this is the quickest way to get tested. It is important that your child self-isolates until the result of the PCR test.
- Should you require additional lateral flow tests, please contact info@park-aspirations.org and kits will be delivered to your child.