Stanmore Post - 13 March 2020 - Coronavirus
Dear Parents/Guardians,
You will be aware that the Government updated its advice on the Coronavirus on the 12th March 2020.
They have made the decision that schools will not close unless there is a confirmed case of COVID19 within the school community. Stanmore Primary School will, therefore, continue to operate as usual for the time being.
Community events
Our priority is to keep everyone safe and provide an education for children in school for as long as possible. Key advice from the government is to maintain good hand hygiene. While we have a supply of soap, hand sanitiser is in short supply and we need to prioritise these resources towards the continuing day to day running of the school.
As part of our risk assessment, we have considered the logistics of ensuring all visitors to our events can wash their hands on arrival and before leaving school. This means that we have had to consider each community event that we have planned for the next few weeks and regrettably make some changes.
The Year 3 / 4 Spring Production Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th March
This will go ahead as it is fully prepared and the children have been working really hard. The audience are asked to enter the school via the KS2 gate and wash their hands in Acorns before entering the KS2 corridor and the hall. This will be repeated at the end of the show. If you have hand sanitiser please bring this as an alternative.
The Mothers’ Day Breakfast Friday 21st March
This will, unfortunately, need to be postponed due to the number of people expected and the nature of the event.
Parents’ Evening
This will go ahead as planned but the usual face to face meeting may be replaced by a telephone consultation. Please book online for a time slot when the system opens as usual and we will review this nearer the time.
The ‘Listen to Me’ concert and The Easter Service on Thursday 2nd April
Both these events will be under review and may be subject to change.
There are general principles anyone can follow to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses which can be found here:
People who feel unwell should stay at home and should not attend work or any education or childcare setting. This includes our school events.
Pupils, students, staff and visitors should wash their hands before leaving home and arriving at school and after using the toilet.
If you are worried about your symptoms or those of a child or colleague, please call NHS 111. Do not go directly to your GP or another healthcare environment. Further information can be found on the Public Health England Blog and the NHS UK website.
Possible Closure
With schools being shut in other countries it is clearly possible that this may happen here in the future. We cannot say when this might be required but we expect the Government to give us some notice of this decision and we will keep you informed.
If the school is required to close, we will continue the children’s education by using online resources including Purple Mash and Times Table Rock Stars. Please check that your child’s login for these is in their home school diary. Every child should have a reading book in their bag. In addition to this, we will post the ‘Stanmore Jigsaw’ of activities for each year group, spellings and spelling strategies. Maths will be updated daily on the website for each year group.
Please check the school website for updates. There is a department for Education helpline number and email address for staff, pupils and parents to raise any queries. Please note that the helpline is very busy and it may take some time to get through.
Phone 0800 046 8687
Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk
Opening Hours 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday)
More information can be found at this link
https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response
What to do if you think you may have the virus
Anybody developing symptoms such as a new cough, temperature or fever should self-isolate for 7 days
If symptoms develop or you are concerned then you should ring 111 or go online to https://111.nhs.uk/service/covid-19 and follow the advice given.
Any children needing to self–isolate should report their absence to the school office. It is important that the reason for absence is made clear to the school
We understand that this is a difficult and worrying time for everyone. The situation may change and it is important that you check our website regularly. We will inform you of any changes as soon as we are able to.
Best Wishes
Sharon Taylor