Living with Covid – Next Steps

The Government’s new guidance from 1^st April 2022

Dear parents, carers and visitors, please see below information regarding changes to Covid guidelines following the governments most recent change to living with Covid-19.

What has changed?

There will no longer be the requirement to test for Covid if you have symptoms. Free tests will no longer be available from walk-in centres, pharmacies or schools. You will still be able to get these if your GP has said you are in a special category, see: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing/get-tested-for-coronavirus/ or you can pay for a test if you fall outside these categories.

If you have a high temperature and do not feel well enough to go to work or school, you should stay at home until you feel better, or your temperature has reduced to normal.

If you have tested positive for coronavirus you should stay out of the way of others for 5 days if you are an adult and 3 days if you are a child or young person and follow the advice on the NHS website shown below.

Will home testing still need to take place?

This is no longer recommended, and test kits are no longer be supplied to schools for this general purpose.

What if you or your child has come into contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid?

Staff, children and young people who are contacts should attend school as usual. This includes staff who have been in close contact within their household.

If your child is unwell, should you still send them to school?

If a child has mild symptoms of any respiratory condition such as a cough cold, sniffles, sneezes etc they should continue to attend as normal if they do not have a high temperature. If they feel too poorly to come to school as with any period of illness, they should return when they feel better. Any periods of absence will affect attendance as they did before Covid-19 was a factor.

Will you be safe to visit school?

We continue to welcome visitors to school for meetings, events and performances. We would ask that if you have tested positive in the last 5 days if you are an adult or 3 days if you are a child that you do not attend school in this time, to minimise any spread to individuals at risk. Guidance on when to stay at home can be found here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/when-to-self-isolate-and-what-to-do/

Wherever possible, areas will continue to be ventilated fully and overcrowding will be avoided for the safety of all pupils, staff and visitors. However, please feel free to wear a mask when you visit school should you wish to do so.

What measures will schools be taking to minimise the spread?

We will be continuing to enforce the governments updated recommendations on health protection, good estate management and emergency planning through: