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• Advice To All Parents. Notification Of A Single Case Of COVID-19

  Tue 22 Sep 2020 Amy Findlay Head of School

  Dear Parents, 

   

  We have been advised by Public Health England that there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the school. 

   

  We know that you may find this concerning but are continuing to monitor the situation and are working closely with Public Health England. This letter is to inform you of the current situation and provide advice on how to support your child. Please be reassured that for most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

   

  The small number of children who have been in direct prolonged contact with the confirmed case will have received an individual letter and will be staying at home for 14 days. 

   

  The school remains open and your child should continue to attend if they remain well.

   

  What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID 19 

   

  If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, they must not come to school and should remain at home for at least 10 days from the date when their symptoms appeared. Anyone with symptoms will be eligible for testing and this can be arranged via https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.  

   

  All other household members who remain well, must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. This includes anyone in your ‘Support Bubble’.

   

  Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection 

   

  The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.

   

  Household members should not go to work, school or public areas and exercise should be taken within the home. 

   

  If you require help with buying groceries, other shopping or picking up medication, or walking a dog, you should ask friends or family. Alternatively, you can order your shopping online and medication by phone or online.

   

  Household members staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community

   

  If you are able, move any vulnerable individuals (such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions) out of your home, to stay with friends or family for the duration of the home isolation period.

   

  Symptoms

   

  The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:

   

  • a new continuous cough

  • a high temperature

  • a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

   

  For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

   

  If your child does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from the nhs.uk website at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/. If you are concerned about your child’s symptoms, or they are worsening you can seek advice from NHS 111 at https://111.nhs.uk/ or by phoning 111.

   

  How to stop COVID-19 spreading

   

  There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID-19

  
  

  Do

  • wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds 

  • use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available

  • wash your hands as soon as you get home

  • cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze

  • put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards

  
  

  Further Information

  Further information is available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ 

   

  Yours sincerely

   

  Amy Findlay

  Head of School

   

• Letter To Parents From Dr Justin Varney Director Of Public Health Birmingham

  Tue 22 Sep 2020 Dr Justin Varney

  Dear parent/carer,
  It’s been wonderful to see children back at school, learning and seeing their friends again. I know the past few months have been hard on all of us and I’d like to thank you for your continued support.
  You will have seen some changes to the way your school operates so I wanted to take this opportunity to remind you of why these are vital to the safe running of school; please remember that although many aspects of society have opened up again, although in a different way, the virus has not gone away.
  While changes will vary from school to school, depending on such things as building layout and number of pupils, the differences you will notice could include:

   

  • − Staggered drop-off and collection at the start and end of the day to minimise the number of people at the school entrance.
  • − Children will be in ‘bubbles’ to reduce contact as much as possible, but allow them to learn and play with friends.
  • − If a child or staff member within a bubble shows symptoms or is infected then the bubble may need to isolate, but the school will communicate with parents if this happens.
  • − Asking children to wash their hands even more than usual, use hand sanitisers and follow any one-way systems while staying apart as much as possible.

  
  I know some of these changes may be hard to get used to, and they may be frustrating, but they are entirely in order to keep all children, staff and parents safe.
  I would therefore ask for your continued patience and consideration as we all do our best to help each other get through this difficult and unusual time. School staff have been working so hard to ensure schools are a safe environment for learning and playing, so please do what you can to support them and each other and we will get through this.
  Please also keep in mind that it is important that we all play our part in not going for a test unless we have one of the three covid symptoms, a temperature, new continuous cough or loss of sense of taste or small, or if we are asked to by the NHS
  or public health teams.

   

  If you have any questions or concerns, please speak direct to your school – they are here to help.

  
  Yours sincerely,

  Dr Justin Varney
  Director of Public Health

  
  Birmingham City Council
  10 Woodcock Street
  Birmingham
  B7 4BL

• Update On Coronavirus Procedures At Cherry Oak School

  Mon 14 Sep 2020 Amy Findlay - Head Of School

  You will be aware that the rate of Coronavirus infection is increasing in Birmingham and as a result, tighter restrictions are coming into force.

   

  What does this mean for your child?

   

  Cherry Oak School remains open for all pupils.

   

  As all pupils are below year 7, no pupils will wear a face covering in school. Staff will wear face coverings when moving around school, for example in corridors and communal areas where social distancing cannot easily be maintained. They will continue to wear PPE when working directly with children, for example with personal care tasks.

   

  If your child has a high temperature, a new continuous cough or a change to their senses of taste or smell, DO NOT SEND THEM TO SCHOOL.

  Stay at home and ring 119 or go to www.nhs.uk/coronavirus to arrange a test. They must isolate for 10 days or until their test result comes back negative. Other household members must isolate for 14 days. Please refer to the table of guidance of different scenarios.  

   

  If your household is isolating, you cannot come out to drive your child to school.

   

  If your child develops symptoms at school, they will be kept in isolation and you need to collect them immediately and arrange for them to have a Coronavirus test.

   

  Please assist us to stop the spread of the virus by limiting to one, the number of adults accompanying a child to school. Please maintain social distancing from other parents, staff and children when you are dropping off / picking up your child. All school visits are strictly by appointment.

   

  Remember that frequent, rigorous handwashing for at least 20 seconds with soap and water is the best way to control the virus.

   

  REMEMBER:

  HANDS - wash your hands

  FACE - cover your face

  SPACE - leave enough space between yourself and others

   

  Covid-19 Pupil Absence Guide A Quick Reference For Parents & Staff

• Letter To Parents 4th September 2020

  Fri 04 Sep 2020 Amy Findlay Head of School

  Dear Parents and Carers,

  I hope you and your family are well and that you enjoyed some time with loved ones during the summer break. I am writing today to welcome you back for the academic year 2020/2021 and give you some updates on our return to school for all pupils on Monday 8th September. The start of the new academic year is always a mix of excitement and nerves and I know how much we are all feeling that this year.

  I am really pleased with how supportive so many of you have been with the staggered start we have put in place this week. This has allowed us to give the children a really focused transition day and ensure that we can appropriately risk assess the pupils. All of the staff have been very positive about how well the children have responded to this. It has allowed us to now be ready for a safe return to full school next week.

  The key areas of information are as follows:

  Organisation of the school day

  Pupils will arrive on transport as usual. All pupils will be collected one at a time from the buses and there will be a one way system in place for escorting pupils into school.

  Parents and children who do not use will need to access the school via the pedestrian entrance as usual. You will need to wait for a member of school staff to come to the gate to collect your child. I respectfully ask that parents do not congregate together in groups and that 2 metre social distancing is adhered to at all times. Drop off and pick up times are staggered to limit the number of people on the school site and therefore ensure the safety of children, parents and staff. Please keep to your allocated time slot as much as possible. If you miss your time slot then we may have to ask you to wait until all other children are in school.

  Staggered drop off times:

  8.55 am Pupils in Maple, Sycamore and Willow

  9.00 am Pupils in Rowan

  9.05 am Pupils in Daisies and Elm

  9.10 am Pupils in Clover

  9.15 am Pupils in Acorns and Bluebells

   

  Staggered pick up times:

  2.55 pm Pupils in Maple, Rowan, Sycamore and Willow

  3.00 pm Pupils in Clover, Daisies and Elm

  3.05 pm Pupils in Acorns and Bluebells 

   

  We will be reviewing this system and will inform you if we need to make further changes. Please assume these times continue to be in place unless we inform you otherwise.

  Although we are one school bubble, we are also trying to where possible, keep children in their own classroom. We will not be having children together in communal areas. We are minimising the passing of pupils in the corridor and stairs. However, we do not have the space to set up a one way system in the main school building 

  Safe access to toilets will be supervised by school staff.

  The government has advised that children should wear school uniform as normal. However, we will continue to take an individual approach to uniform to reflect the needs of your child. Please do not send your child with their PE kit until further notice. 

  Regular cleaning of school toilets and class equipment and furniture will be ongoing throughout the day, including lunchtime.

  Additional items from home, such as toys, are not permitted. The exception to this is where your child has a sensory or behaviour need and you have discussed with us the items that will need to come into school.

  Visitors, including parents and carers will not be allowed in school unless they have been invited. Any parents or carers who do enter the main school building must wear a face covering.

   

  Lunch and playtime

  We are still able to provide pupils’ usual lunches but there may be times when the menu is altered.

  Lunch will be eaten in the classrooms, children will then have time to play outside with other children. This will be done on a strict rota so that we only have a maximum of 3 classes (no more than 36 children) in a playground at one time

  All children will be able to play outside every day and will need a suitable coat for all weathers.

  We will not be accepting cash into school, payment for lunches must continue to be made via ParentPay.

  Our curriculum and environment

  The curriculum in all classes has been organised to support all children to catch up with missed learning. It is also heavily focused on supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing and to help rebuild friendships and relationships.

  We will continue to deliver the curriculum in full, including all subjects. However, we will not be putting pupils under any undue pressure to meet targets.

  The classrooms remain the calm and soothing environment they were before with relaxed lighting and neutral colours. There is less furniture but this gives children more space to move around. 

  All classes continue to be set up in the right way for the needs of the children. For example, some children will not be expected to sit at desks. They will have access to the learning environment as normal with increased washing of hands and equipment. 

  Staff are provided with PPE to be used when social distancing is not possible, for example when personal care takes place. 

  Current guidance is that primary school aged children should not wear face coverings.

  A return to remote learning

  I am sure you have seen in the media the government’s commitment to keeping primary schools open. However, I want to reassure you that if we find ourselves in a situation where school cannot provide learning in school then we will revert to the successful systems that we had in the summer term.

  Symptoms of Covid-19.

  If your child is displaying a symptom of COVID-19, then we will contact you immediately to ask you to come and collect your child. While we wait for you to arrive, your child will be taken to a safe, ventilated room in school with a member of staff. The member of staff will wear PPE and all areas that your child has been in contact with will be thoroughly cleaned. We will give you the most up to date information about testing and requirements for self-isolating. Currently the information is as follows:

  Your child and all family member that your child lives with will need to be tested and self-isolate. You can arrange a test by either phoning 119 or online at nhs.co.uk/coronavirus.

  Your child must self-isolate for 10 days or until they have a negative test result.

  Your family members that live with your child must self-isolate for 14 days or until your child has a negative test result. If your child receives a negative test result then all family members can stop self-isolating unless they have developed symptoms themselves. If they develop symptoms then they must follow advice to be tested and self-isolate.

  We will inform public health of your child’s symptoms and the advice we have given you. You must inform us of the outcome of any tests and development of symptoms of COVID-19 and we will share this information with public health. 

  Your child will not be able to return to school until the appropriate self-isolation has been completed or a negative test result has been received.

   

  Unfortunately there has been some ‘fake news’ circulating about schools and testing. Schools can only advise parents to get their child tested. School do not have the right to test children or take a child for a test. 

   

  It is crucial that we have up to date contact information for you. It has always been the case that we need to have a way of contacting you in an emergency and now it is essential that we can contact you immediately if your child develops a symptom of COVID-19. 

   

  As always, if you have any questions or concerns please contact me at school. I know this is still a difficult time and we as a school want to continue to support you.

   

  Amy Findlay

  Head of School