Dear Parent/Carer
We are writing to inform you there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19 in Year 8 at Ormiston Park Academy.
We know that you may find this concerning, but we 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.
A small number of children, who have had contact with the individual testing positive for COVID-19, have been asked to stay home for 10 days.
The academy remains open and your child should continue to attend as normal if they remain well. All students and staff, regardless of year group, should remain vigilant regarding COVID-19. All parents/carers are advised to continue with the routine twice weekly (Sunday + Wednesday) asymptomatic LFD COVID-19 testing of those ages 11 and above in the household.
What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID-19
If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19 they need stay at home and self-isolate immediately and get a test through https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by calling 119. Your household needs to isolate too. This includes anyone in your ‘Support Bubble’.
If your child tests positive, your child and household need to continue isolating for at least 10 days from the date when their symptoms appeared (or date of their positive test if they do not have symptoms). Add your child’s details to NHS Test and Trace and inform the school/educational setting so that other close contacts can be identified and advised to isolate.
The isolation period includes the day their symptoms started and the next 10 full days. This means that if, for example, symptoms started at any time on the 15th of the month, the isolation period ends at 23:59 hrs on the 25th. In the absence of symptoms, the isolation would start from the date of the test was taken and continue for 10 days after this. If the person does not have symptoms when testing positive but goes on to develop symptoms, the isolation is extended for 10 days after the onset of symptoms as explained here (in the “if you tested positive” section). If other household members become unwell they need to extend their isolation period as shown in this infographic.
If your child has COVID-19 symptoms and does not get tested they will need to isolate with the household and support bubble for at least 10 days from the onset of symptoms.
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 or order your shopping online and medication by phone or online. There is also support available for those are self-isolating: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/help-and-financial-support-while-youre-self-isolating/
Household members staying at home for 10 days, will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community.
Those who are clinically extremely vulnerable should be supported to minimise their contact with other people in the household during this period, regardless of whether others have symptoms or not.
Please see the link to the PHE ‘Stay at Home’ 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
What to do if your child / family member tests LFD positive
If someone in your household receives a positive LFD test, you should get a PCR COVID-19 test as soon as possible. The person testing positive should isolate with their household following the stay at home guidance. If your child tests positive with an LFD or PCR test you must inform the school immediately so they can start contact tracing.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:
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:
Further Information
Further information is available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
Further information on rapid lateral flow tests are available at: https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests
Guidance in different languages: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance
Thank you for your continued support during these challenging times.
Kind regards
Mark Roessler
Principal