(The following is an abbreviation of letter circulated in schools on March 29th,
signed by Deborah Harkins, Director of Public Health and Julie Jenkins, Director of Children and Young People’s Services)
With schools open more widely and education returning to something a bit more normal, we want to take the opportunity to thank those of you whose children were at home during the last lockdown, for your hard work, supporting your children with home learning.
It’s wonderful to see children and young people back at school and able to see their friends classmates and school staff once again. Social interacton is an important part of learning for young people.
Schools continue to do everything they can to keep children safe from COVID-19 . Please do continue to be polite to school staff. They don’t make the rules, they’re following public health advice, acting on professional advice and trying to keep everyone safe.
The wider opening of schools was the first step on the Government’s roadmap and as we look forward to the coming weeks and months, further restirctions will be lifted if all goes to plan. We’re on the right path but it’s really important we all do what we can to keep moving in the right direction. The more we can do to stop the spread the safer everyone will be and the less disruption there will be to education.
Please do keep your child at home if they have any symptoms of COVID-19:
- A high temperature
- A new and continuous cough
- A loss or change to the sense of sell or taste
When a child with symptoms attends school, it doesn’t just create the risk of transmission but also interrupts the education of all involved and creates challenges for all as everyone the child had contact with may require to self isolate.
From March 29th we’re back to the Rule of 6, where up to 6 people can meet up, or two households if between them there are more than 6 household members. This applies for outdoors meetings, there will still be no indoors mixing, unless it is between members of a support bubble.
Please think carefully about what you do at the school gate and the way back from school. Please do keep up the good work by avoiding mixing with other households indoors. This applies to your children too – no sleep overs or after school meet ups, please.
Finally, please wear face coverings at drop-off and pick-up while you’re on foot. It is an easy protective measure and can make a real difference. School staff wear them wherever is feasible to do so and it will really support them in their efforts to keep your children safe.
We’re really proud of the efforts our schools and families have taken in Calderdale to help reduce COVID-19 infection. Over 330 people in Calderdale have died of COVID-19. The roll out of the vaccination programme is a vital step towards reducing the impact of the infection but all other measures we have used over the last year are still really important too.
If you or your child have concerns about COVID-19, contact the Healthy Futures Calderdale school nursing team
by phone on 0303 330 9974
by text on 07480 635297 (young people)
or 07507 332157 (parents/carers).
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