Updated Guidance and What It Means In Our School

 Good morning.

I hope you're all getting back into the routines without too many issues, the children

and especially the parents were delighted to be back on Wednesday.

You will find lots of information in this week's newsletter via Class Dojo, our app, social media pages and the website that I want to draw your attention to. I’ve taken the following information the newsletter as it specifically relates to the new guidance and procedures for handling positive Covid cases in our school. Please be aware that there have been over a dozen positive cases in schools in Newtownards in the last 24 hours so this is really important to ensure we can operate successfully.  

On Wednesday updated guidance came through from the Department of Education. It does significantly change how long a class will isolate for in the event of a positive case. You will see attached a letter from the Minister of Education and a flow chart that will help explain how a positive case impacts classes, staff and parents as well as factoring in vaccinations.

Putting out this guidance is one part of the process, schools have to interpret this process to ensure that we/I can effectively plot a course that ensure the safety of all people. What we've been able to do since March 2020 is communicate our plan to parents so we all know what happens next and this guidance is no different. So long as we all know what's happening should a positive case returns, we can get though it with a little less stress and worry.

So what happens if there is a positive case in a class bubble?

DAY 0

Someone within a bubble has symptoms and takes a PCR test, the result is due tomorrow, Day 1. School might be notified of a positive lateral flow test for example but classes will not close until a postive PCR test is returned.

DAY 1

School is notified that a member of a class bubble has a positive PCR result.

I/class teacher/Mrs McCluskie will notify members of the class bubble that a positive PCR result has been returned.

I will contact PHA as per DENI/EA guidance and identify close contacts.

Close contacts - all pupils within a class bubble including staff - will book a PCR test. They will need to isolate until the PCR test which will likely be the following day. Please be advised that postal tests will take several days to process and will delay a return to school.

Please note that bubbles that have been sent for PCR tests in other schools are being told that a PCR test isn't needed so it may be worth showing the letter from the minister which is attached below where this instruction is detailed.

DAY 2

Class bubble is closed, room is cleaned.

PCR tests taken by members of the class bubble identified as close contacts.

Staff will upload literacy and numeracy activities to Class Dojo. Pupils will have access to Mathletics and Bug Club/Accelerated Reader.

DAY 3

Class bubble remains closed to allow collation of PCR results by staff.

Whilst there is no instruction for parents to send proof of a negative test result to school, I am asking that parents do this. Without this information a difficult job becomes so much harder to manage. All results should be returned to class teacher via Class Dojo as a screen shot of the text message you will receive from PHA.

No test result provided will be treated as a positive result and the child will be required to isolate for the remainder of the 10 days.

Staff will upload literacy and numeracy activities to Class Dojo. Pupils will have access to Mathletics and Bug Club/Accelerated Reader.

DAY 4

Members of the bubble who have a negative result or who have had a positive PCR result within the previous 90 days and are not in isolation or displaying symptoms can return to class.

Members who have a positive PCR result or staff that are unvaccinated will remain off school for the remaining days of isolation.

Staff will upload literacy and numeracy activities to Class Dojo. Pupils will have access to Mathletics and Bug Club/Accelerated Reader.

DAY 5 and DAY 6

Hopefully quiet days!

DAY 7

Members of the bubble that returned on Day 4 will need to book a PCR test.

DAY 8

Members of the bubble that returned on Day 4 will need to take a PCR test.

DAY 9

If a positive result is returned by any of the members of the class bubble, they will begin a period of 10 days isolation.

DAY 10

The person/people who tested positive in first instance can return provided they no longer have symptoms.

DAY 11

Any person/people who tested positive on Day 1 can return to school.

It's great to have everyone back in school this week. Despite the rising cases and the impact on school which will undoubtedly follow over the coming days and weeks, we are up and running and together again. That said, we all will enjoy the incredibly well-timed Bank Holiday weekend to catch our breath! This year our shared spaces will be back in use throughout the school, with the ongoing support we received from parents last year, the experiences your children enjoy within our school will be enhanced even more.

Have a great weekend and see you on Tuesday. Please remember that this will still be an early finish, the first full day is Wednesday 1st September.

Mr Gray