Dear Parents and Carers

After receiving questions from several parents regarding coughs, colds etc. we thought that we should clarify our procedures and give you the best advice that we can.

During the autumn term most children experience some form of mild illness (cough, cold, sickness) which is generally harmless and short-lived. However, as we are faced with a global pandemic, it is understandable that parents will be anxious about whether their child should be in school. Here are some steps to follow:

1. If your child is unwell, please keep them at home until they are well enough to return.
2. If your child is displaying symptoms of COVID-19, they must not attend school, instead, arrange for a coronavirus test and all household members should begin to self-isolate. Contact the School Office and inform them of your situation.
3. If your child has had a test for coronavirus, all household members (including siblings) should self-isolate until the result is returned. You are asked to inform the school of the result of the test(s) at the earliest opportunity. If the test is negative, anyone who is well enough, can return to school. If the test is positive, contact the school and continue to self-isolate, following NHS/gov.uk guidance.
4. If your child is well enough to attend school (eating, sleeping, fully attentive, not relying on Calpol), but is displaying symptoms that relate to other conditions/illness (asthma, cold, hay fever, allergy), they are okay to attend school.
5. If you have any concerns about your child’s symptoms, please contact NHS 111 and seek further advice – it is always best to be cautious.

If we feel your child is unwell whilst in our care, and that their symptoms suggest COVID-19, we will contact you and ask you to take them for a test.

Should you have questions or concerns at any point, please feel free to contact school. Although we are not medical professionals, we are always happy to help.

Kind regards

Mrs S M Penney

Headteacher

In addition, we have added a poster to the 'parents' section of the website and to our school Facebook page to help.

https://primarysite-prod-sorted.s3.amazonaws.com/torrisholme-community-primary-school/UploadedDocument/7861773485eb4b03af8b80a52d64f023/covid-poster-for-parents.pdf