Coronavirus update and school plan

Dear parents/carers,

As you’re probably aware, the government’s guidance on the coronavirus has changed from the ‘contain’ phase to one of delaying the spread of the virus. We’re getting in touch to let you know what we’re doing in light of this, and what we expect from all of you, to help make sure our school community keeps safe and calm.

We’d like to reassure you that at Clare Mount Specialist Sports College we’re taking all of the necessary steps to protect our community and are continuing to follow official guidance from the government, Public Health England (PHE) and our Local Authority

What’s the current situation?

As you will be aware, the government has now announced that schools will be closed to everyone
from Monday as part of the country’s response to minimise the spread of Coronavirus by restricting
social contact. Exceptions may include children of ‘key workers’, vulnerable children and those that
have EHCPs.
Tomorrow (Friday) all families will receive a letter outlining our full position as we endeavour to offer a school service to those who need it.
Pupils should continue to attend this week unless they feel unwell – if your child has any of the following symptoms they should remain at home for 14 days:
A new, continuous cough and/or
A high temperature
Pupils should also remain at home for 14 days if anyone they live with has the above symptoms
If your child is unwell or is self-isolating, report this as you would normally by contacting the school as soon as the illness begins
All trips are cancelled until further notice. Pupils will remain in school.
We’ll keep you up to date with any changes to the current situation

What we’re doing to protect and support pupils and staff

If a pupils is showing any sign of the above symptoms whilst in school, they will be sent home and asked to follow medical guidelines
Lessons or assemblies for pupils about hygiene and how to deal with anxiety

What we need you to do

If you’ve recently changed your contact details, please inform the school office as soon as possible via email/telephone
Talk to your children about the coronavirus. It’s a scary time and we should make sure children feel supported. BBC Newsround has regular updates for younger children and YoungMinds has practical steps older children can take to help with anxiety
Come and collect your child straight away, if we ask you to (we’ll contact you if they become ill with either a temperature or a new, continuous cough)

What happens if the school has to close?

We’ll only close if we’re either officially advised to do so or we don’t have enough staff to run the school.

In either case, we’ll:

Send parents/carers a text and post information on our website
When we are to re-open parents/carers will be informed by text and a post on our website

If you have any questions

Please consult the:

School office, if you have any questions about our response to this issue
NHS, if you want to know more about the symptoms of coronavirus. If you think you or your child may have the symptoms, use NHS 111 online if at all possible before calling 111
Department for Education’s coronavirus helpline: 0800 046 8687, if you have any questions about the government’s response to coronavirus in relation to schools
Government’s travel advice, if you want to know whether any upcoming trip or holiday you’re taking abroad should go ahead

It’s a tricky time and we know you’re worried about the impact this might have on our community. It’s important we keep each other safe and talk about these events to help with any anxiety.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kim Webster

Headteacher