Castle Acre Primary School
Coronavirus/ Emergency School Closure
Our schools will always be kept open wherever possible. However, in the event of Coronavirus lockdown, severe weather or problems with health and safety such as the heating or water systems, the buildings may need to be closed. You can find out whether our school is closed by:
- checking the Norfolk County Council Website here
or
- listening to a local radio station such as BBC Radio Norfolk or KLFM.
Please do ensure that the school office has up-to-date emergency contact numbers i.e parents, family or friends.
Please continue to observe all guidance regarding Coronavirus, which can be found here:
Please also continue to avoid the use of school transport if you have Covid-19 symptoms, to wash or sanitise your hands before and after using transport services and following guidance for the removal of face coverings where worn and to follow the guidance of the transport provider regarding the wearing of these.
Self-isolating and taking a test
1. If your child has any of the following symptoms,
• a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
• a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
they should self-isolate and you should inform us in the usual way.
You should immediately order a PCR test for them. If the PCR result is negative, they can stop self-isolating (unless instructed to self-isolate for other reasons). If the PCR result is positive, they must self-isolate until 10 days after the onset of symptoms.
Other members of the household should self-isolate where required to do so in line with published guidance https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection
2. If your child has a positive result from a lateral flow device (LFD) test, they should self-isolate – and you should inform us in the usual way. You should immediately order a confirmatory PCR test. If the confirmatory test is taken within two days and the result is negative, they can stop self-isolating (unless instructed to self-isolate for other reasons). If the confirmatory PCR test is positive (or is taken more than two days after the LFD), they must continue to self-isolate until 10 days after the LFD test. If you do not get a PCR test within two days they should continue with their 10 day self-isolation.
Other members of the household should self-isolate as required in line with published guidance https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection
3. PCR tests can be booked online through the website https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing/ or by calling 119.
4. PCR test results will be recorded with NHS Test and Trace automatically, but we would ask that you also keep us informed.
Contact tracing
5. If your child gets a positive PCR test result, NHS Test and Trace will contact you, using the details you registered when ordering the PCR test. You and/or your child will be asked a series of specific questions designed to identify who your child has been in close contact with. Being in an education or childcare setting with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 will not necessarily mean a person is identified as a close contact.
6. You will be asked to provide the contact details, if you know them, of any of the individuals – or their parents or guardians – who have been identified as close contacts. NHS Test and Trace will then get in touch with these close contacts and provide appropriate instructions or advice (see below).
Self-isolation and/or testing of close contacts
7. From 16 August, if the close contact is under 18, they will not have to self-isolate (in line with the policy for fully vaccinated adults) but will be asked to take an PCR test immediately, other than for very young children (under five years old) identified as non-household contacts, and they will not need to self-isolate while awaiting the results of the test. If the PCR test is positive, they will be required to self-isolate for 10 days from the date of the test. NHS Test and Trace will then get in touch to identify close contacts (see points 5 and 6 above).
Further guidance on guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection is available here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection#exempt
Further guidance for contacts of people with confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection who do not live with the person is available here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-with-possible-or-confirmed-coronavirus-covid-19-infection-who-do-not-live-with-the-person/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-with-possible-or-confirmed-coronavirus-covid-19-infection-who-do-not-live-with-the-person
We recognise how difficult the past 18 months have been and the sacrifices that all families, education and childcare settings have had to make. This has been an enormously challenging time for everyone and we would like to take the opportunity to thank you for everything you have done.
We would also thank you in advance for continuing to do the following to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID-19
• Follow the current guidance on how to stay safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19
• wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
• use hand sanitiser 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
When deciding whether you would like your child to attend an after school club, you may wish to read the following guidance: