Skip to content ↓

Information for Parents - COVID-19 and contact tracing over the February half term

Dear mums, dads and carers

I am writing to tell you what you need to do about reporting cases of COVID-19 and contact tracing over the February half term.


As you know schools have played an important role in contact tracing. We have been identifying anyone who has been in close contact at school with someone who has tested positive for COVID19, up to 2 days before that person had symptoms. Those contacts then need to self-isolate for 10 days because they are at risk of having caught COVID-19 and being contagious themselves.


Contact tracing will be slightly different during the February half term when schools are closed and there is less chance of being a contact of someone in school.


Please follow the guidance below if your child begins to show symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19 during the February half term.

If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19 within 48 hours of their last day in school

· Get a test for your child
· Everyone in your household must isolate at home until the test result is back
· If the test result is positive for COVID19, you must inform the school -we will identify any other people in the school community who are close contacts
· If the test result is negative, you do not need to take any further action

If your child has no symptoms of COVID-19 but tests positive within 48 hours of being in school

· Let the school know straight away- we will identify any other people in the school community who are close contacts

(It is important to follow the guidance around only getting a test if they are showing signs of COVID-19)

If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19 more than 48 hours after their last day in school - ie, after 20 December 20

· Get a test for your child
· Everyone in your household must isolate at home until the test result is back
· If the test result is positive for COVID-19, you must contact NHS Test and Trace and follow the advice given by them: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/
· You do not need to tell the school


The quickest way to get a test is to book a test at your local testing centre via https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test. Please do not use postal tests unless absolutely necessary as these take longer.

During the holidays, please contact the school by emailing me at keith.barr@kender.lewisham.sch.uk


You must provide the following:
• Child’s name
• Class/year group
• Date last in school
• Date symptoms started/ child began to feel unwell
• Date of test
• Date positive result received


If you are contacted by the school because your child is identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, they must self-isolate for 10 days.
We ask that you stick to all COVID-19 social distancing social mixing guidance until the end of term to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus and keep us all safe and well over the holiday period. It is also important to follow guidance over the holidays

 

Starting school on 22nd February 2021

If your child will be attending school after half term, you should contact the school if your child will be absent on the first day of the new term via email to office@kender.lewisham.sch.uk and let us know if they are self-isolating.

It is really important that your child gets a test and does NOT return to school in January if they have any of the three main COVID symptoms:
· Fever
· New continuous cough
· Loss or change to smell or taste

To be extra safe, if your child is attending school and has any of the following symptoms, please keep them at home and contact the school on the first day of term:


· Loss of appetite
· Diarrhoea
· Nausea
· Vomiting
· Extreme tiredness
· Headaches Your child should NOT get a test if they have these
· Joint pain symptoms WITHOUT one of the three main COVID
· Muscle ache symptoms
· Runny nose
· Sore throat
· Sneezing

Thank you for your cooperation and ongoing support.

Headtecher

Mr Barr