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Information for Parents

November 2022

For the time being as cases rise please note that any advice parentmailed to families will supercede any previous advice posted here. Currently we are asking families to lateral flow test where persons have symptoms and/or where they have been directly exposed to a positive case.

Summer 2022

When children with symptoms should stay at home and when they can return to education

From 1 April, adults with a positive COVID-19 test result will be advised to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days, which is when they are most infectious. For children and young people aged 18 and under, the advice will be 3 days. Obviously, if children are ill for longer, then they should stay at home, as they would do for any other illness, getting a doctor’s certificate if needed.

Children with mild symptoms such as a runny nose or sore throat, who are otherwise well, can continue to attend school.

All children with respiratory symptoms should be encouraged to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing and/or sneezing and to wash their hands.

Children who have had a positive test result

It is no longer recommended that children are tested for COVID-19 unless directed to by a health professional. If a child does have a positive COVID-19 test result they should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 3 days after the day they took the test, if they can. It also remains important that you inform the school if your child has returned a positive test.

After 3 days, if they feel well and do not have a high temperature, the risk of passing the infection on to others is much lower. This is because children and young people tend to be infectious to other people for less time than adults.

Children who live with someone who has a positive COVID-19 test result should continue to attend as normal.

What do I report to the school office?

Families are still required to inform the school when their child is unwell. Rather than reporting ‘unwell’ on parentmail or the school answer machine, it remains important you tell us the exact reason.

Communication with the school office

Please note that office opening hours are 9 to 9.10am and 3.20pm to 3.45pm. The plastic box will remain in place for deliveries and this includes parents dropping off forgotten instruments, packed lunches etc. You can continue to report absence by email and parent mail.

Home Learning

We will no longer be sending home learning for children who are absent as we would prefer a child to rest and recover properly during this time. If there is the case of prolonged absence due to COVID 19 symptoms and a positive test outcome, but a child is well enough to work, then we will direct you to our website where there are a number of learning activities for the different age phases. This is something we have updated recently, please click here

Communication with your child’s class teacher

If you have a question, a query or a message you wish to share with your child’s class teacher please speak to them at pick up at 3.30pm. This is a good opportunity for you to make contact or to arrange a meeting. However, if you are a working parent or if your request is of a more personal nature then please contact the class teacher directly on their personal email account. With all emails we aim to respond within 2 working days and when needed will follow up with a phone call or face-to-face meeting.

September 2021

Please read the following 2 documents for the most up to date information on the school's response to the pandemic. These were written in September 2021. As the situation is constantly changing, we will continue to keep you updated with the changes through our newsletters.

Close contact definition

Please read here

Close Contact

The information below was written was last updated in June 2021. Therefore some of the responses may now be outdated. We have chosen to keep this information here for you in case of any further lockdowns or the need for the school to revert to these systems.

Please click on the attachment below to read a letter from Public Health England to all school communities.

Public Health England letter to all Parents and Carers 2021

Please click on the image below to enlarge the picture and read about the different types of tests and what to do following a negative or positive test.

The following page is organised into 4 sections:

1/ What to do if your child or a member of your family is unwell.

2/ How to get a test.

3/ The school's response (risk assessments and protocol).

4/ How the school will help.

Part 1: What to do if your child or a member of your family is unwell

The following information explains what to do if your child or another member of your family displays symptoms of the coronavirus.

1.1 Sickness in school

Our usual sickness and absence reporting systems are still in operation. Therefore if your child is sick, you must report this to the school office. You can do this by e-mailing or calling the office, or via Parentmail, and we ask that you contact us by 9am, thank you. Please do not leave a message stating 'unwell' as we need to have details of their symptoms.

For further details on absence see here

1.2 What is coronavirus?

Coronaviruses (COVID-19) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe respiratory diseases.

1.3 What are the symptoms?

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

a high temperature (any new high temparature where your child feels hot to touch on their chest or back (you do not need to measure the temperature)
a new, continuous cough (coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours)
a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste (a noticeable loss of smell or taste or things smell and taste different to normal)

Most people with coronavirus have at least 1 of these symptoms.

Other symptoms which have been reported, may include:

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Muscle aches
Chills
Sore throat
Runny nose
Headache
Chest pain
Pink eye (conjunctivitis)

This list is not all inclusive. Other less common symptoms have been reported, such as rash, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Children have similar symptoms to adults and generally have far milder illness.

1.4 What you should do if your child has 1 or more of these symptoms

If your child has any of the main symptoms of coronavirus you must contact school immediately and report the absence and the reason for absence. You will need to keep your child at home - see information below.

1.5 Information on self-isolation

Your child must self-isolate for at least 10 days from when their symptoms started. You should arrange to have your child tested to see if they have the virus. See information about testing below.
If your child is not experiencing symptoms but has tested positive for the virus, they must self-isolate for at least 10 days, starting from the day the test was taken. If they develop symptoms during this isolation period, restart their 10-day isolation from the day they developed symptoms.
After 10 days, if they still have a temperature they should continue to self-isolate and seek medical advice.
They do not need to self-isolate after 10 days if they only have a cough or loss of sense of smell or taste, as these symptoms can last for several weeks after the infection has gone.

1.6 Other members of the household

All other members of the household who are living with someone who is symptomatic need to stay at home and not leave the house for 10 days or until a test result is returned. Read on to understand how to respond with a positive result or a negative result. Members of the household includes all siblings, regardless of age, as well as parents.

If the symptomatic person has a positive test result but no one else in the household displays symptoms, all household members must still isolate for the 10 day period.
The 10-day period starts from the day when the first person in the household became ill. If anyone else in the household starts displaying symptoms, they need to stay at home for at least 10 days from when their symptoms appear, regardless of what day they are on in their original 10-day isolation period.
Please note, even after the symptomatic person has recovered and completed their 10 day isolation, all other members of the household must continue to complete their 10 days of isolation.

Updated guidance (NHS 10th September 2020) states that only those who are displaying symptoms should be tested. There is no need for their households to have a test, unless they are also symptomatic. However they must self isolate for 10 days.

Anyone with symptoms must try and stay as far away from other members of your household as possible. It is especially important to stay away from anyone who is clinically vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable with whom you share a household.

Reduce the spread of infection in your home by washing your hands regularly for 20 seconds using soap and water, or using hand sanitiser, and covering coughs and sneezes.

If the member of the household who was displaying symptoms has a negative test result and no one else in the household is displaying symptoms, there is no further need to self isolate.

1.7 Any other sickness

If your child feels unwell, for example with a sore throat, stomach upset or a headache. They don’t need to book a coronavirus test but may need to stay off school and seek medical advice through their GP as usual and only return to school once they feel better.
If your child has symptoms of Chickenpox (rash that turns into itchy, fluid-filled blisters that eventually turn into scabs) or Measles (high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes, rash) please inform the school immediately. This is particularly important for children in our Reception Class.

Useful reading:

What to do if you or someone you share your home with has corona virus symptoms, click here
Stay at home, guidance for households click here

Public Health Letter to Schools

Part 2: How to get a coronavirus test

2.1 LFD Tests and PCR Tests

There are now 2 different types of test currently being used to detect if someone has COVID-19

- Lateral Flow Device (LFD) tests

- Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests

PCR tests are more reliable, it takes time to get the results because they are processed in a laboratory. LFD tests are simple and quick to use but not as accurate. Anyone who has tested positive using an LFD test should have a PCR test to confirm the result within 48 hours.

From January 2021 staff at Meadlands will complete LFD tests twice weekly. This will help identify those who are carrying the virus without displaying symptoms and hence reducing the risk of transmission.

You are able to order your own LFD test kits by requesting there online, at your local Ham pharmacy or community centres such as the centre based in Sheen Lane. You are also able to order a test kit by calling NHS 119.

PCR tests can be booked online click here or over the telephone by calling 101. The nearest drive through test center is located in Twickenham. If you cannot get to a center and are unable to order a test yourself, please contact the school office immediately. We have a limited number of home test kits available. Home test kits are reserved for those who face significant barriers to accessing a test and would not otherwise get tested.

2.2 Getting your test result

A person and their household should be self isolating as soon as they have any of the three main symptoms of COVID-19 and whilst they are awaiting the results of their test.

A positive PCR test result means they and their household must complete 10 full days of isolation period. The isolation period starts immediately from when one of the three main symptoms started, or, if they did not have any symptoms, from when the first positive test was taken, whether this was a LFD or a PCR test. This means that if, for example, the symptoms started at any time on the 15th of the month (or if they did not have symptoms but the first positive COVID-19 test was taken on the 15th), the isolation period ends at 23:59 hrs on the 25th of the month.

A positive LFD test result means that the person should take a confirmatory PCR test preferably within 48 hours and self-isolate (along with their household), until the result of the PCR test is available. A positive LFD test result means that the case and their household must complete 10 days isolation, unless this is followed by a PCR test - please read on:

If the subsequent PCR test is positive: then they need to complete 10 full days of isolation. All other household contacts would also need to complete 10 full days of isolation. At Meadlands, we would also need to identify close contacts of the case in their setting and either advise them to isolate or offer LFD tests (staff only).
If the subsequent PCR test is negative: the individual and their household can stop isolating and continue with their normal activities. They must complete any 7-day serial testing that they might have started if they had been a contact of a case.

Cases and their household members should therefore isolate after any test (including LFD tests, and then they should get a PCR test), but non-household and educational contacts of someone who is positive should only isolate after the case has had a confirmed PCR test (not after a positive LFD test alone).

Please note that school has a responsibility to identify contacts of PCR positive cases only. At this point we will track whether the case was in our setting, at school, 2 days before their symptoms started or 2 days before the test is they were asymptomatic. We have a very specific checklist, issued by the London Coronavirus Response Centre, to help identify those who need to be informed.

There is separate advice if you're contacted by NHS Test and Trace because you've been in contact with a person who has coronavirus. Click here

2.3 Awaiting test result where the whole household is self isolating

If only one member of your household is displaying symptoms and therefore has been tested and all other members are self isolating, a negative test result must be returned before any children can return to school.

2.4 Test and Trace

You will receive an email, text or call from the NHS Test and Trace service if you test positive after having symptoms. You'll be asked where you've been recently and who you've been in close contact with.

2.5 Tracking cases in school

We will inform families as soon as we have received confirmation of a positive case in our school. All families will be informed but only those deemed close contacts will be told to isolate.

It is our mandatory duty to report all positive cases to the DfE and Local Authority.

2.5 Sharing test results with school

We may ask your permission to see your test result. This can be emailed to the office for the attention of the headteacher who will acknowledge it. No test results will be saved or printed.

Part 3: The school's response

3.1 Absence

If your child is absent from school because they are unwell and showing symptoms of the coronavirus, we will code this as an authorised sickness absence. Since your child is unwell, we will not be sending any home learning, instead we would like your child to rest and recover.
If your child is absent from school because they are unwell but not with symptoms of coronavirus, this will also be authorised sickness absence. The only exception being if your child's attendance is already below 90%, in which case we would require a Doctor's note. Once again, we wish your child a speedy recovery and therefore will not be sending work home.
If your child is self isolating due to another family member showing symptoms, this will be an authorised sickness absence. In this instance, home learning will resume.

Please note, unauthorised absence is when we have not received a reason for the absence or we have not approved a child's leave from school after a parental request or if attendance is a concern.

Please see information on home learning below and refer to our Blended Learning Policy (September 2020)

3.2 How the school will respond if a child becomes unwell whilst at school.

This useful flowchart explains the school's response should a child or a member of staff become unwell whilst at school.

flowchart

3.4 Close and direct contact

At school we will carry out risk assessments to identify potential contacts with the person who has tested positive. We will review our registers for the hub, small group and large group work, additinal on site activities such as breakfast club and after school activities and any other events.

The definitions of contacts are below:

Direct Close Contact is face to face contact for any length of time (e.g. coughed on or spoken to) or within 1 metre for >1 minute

Proximity Contacts is <2m for >15 minutes

Travel Contacts is shared small vehicle together

3.3 If a member of my child's class is sent home with symptoms

The school will always seek permission to share information about children. If parental consent is given, we will inform parents of children in the same class that a child has been sent home unwell. We will also inform families whose children have previously needed to shield and who are considered vulnerable. The class does not need to close at this stage and therefore we will expect all children to continue to attend school.

3.4 If there is a positive case of coronavirus in my child's class

In such an instance we will follow the advice from Public Health Richmond and the NHS Track and Trace Team. Members of the class may be told to isolate. They will need to isolate for 14 days. If they begin to show symptoms they will also need to be tested.

The class teacher will be in touch with the members of their class within 24 hours and home learning will resume.

3.5 If there is a positive case of coronavirus in the school, but not my child's class

Only the children in the class where there has been a positive result need to self isolate. The rest of the school will remain open and the expectation is for all children to continue to attend school.

If you have 1 child in the symptomatic class and other children in different classes in the school, it is only the child in the symptomatic class who will need to self isolate. Your other children will only need to do so if your child at home begins to display symptoms.

3.6 If there are 2 or more positive cases in the school

The school will work quickly with AfC and Public Health England, Richmond. We will be directed by the guidance given to us.

3.7 Risk Assessments

The school has completed a full and detailed risk assessment which is inline with guidance from AfC and Public Health England. This risk assessment is reviewed at least fortnightly and shared with all staff members and the governing board.

The school communicates all updates to parents via the weekly newsletter and to children through assemblies. The guides and letters from the Headteacher since March 2020 can be accessed below. If you have any questions about this or would like further information, please contact the school office.

3.8 Close contact

If a positive case is confirmed at school, we will take guidance from PHE and may have to send home staff and possibly children who have been in close contact with the person who has tested positive, advising them to self-isolate for 10 days from the day after the contact with the individual tested positive. Close contact means:

direct close contact - face to face contact with an infected individuals for any length of time within 1 metre, including being coughed on, a face to face conversation, or unprotected physical contact (skin to skin)
proximity contacts - extended close contact (within 1 to 2 metres for more than 15 minutes) with an infected individual
travelling in a small vehicle, like a car, with an infected person.

Household members of those contacts who are sent home do not need to self-isolate themselves unless the child, young person or staff member who is self-isolating subsequently develops symptoms.

Please note if someone who is self isolating because they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus starts to feel unwell and gets a test, and the test delivers a negative results, they must remain in isolation for the remainder of the 10 day isolation period.

Part 4: How the school will help

4.1 Meadlands at Home

Please refer to our Blended Learning Policy (which will be shared with parents in October 2020) and our Work at Home flowchart for further guidance on home learning.

4.2 School lunch

Children who are self isolating and who are in receipt of the Pupil Premium Grant (PPG) and receive a free school meal, will continue to be offered a free lunch. This is likely to be a packed lunch and where circumstances allow, we will deliver this to you. It will be either a delivery of a daily packed lunch or a weekly food package, depending on circumstances. Please note this does not apply to universal infant free school meals, only those in receipt of the PPG funding.

4.3 Let's look after each other!

If your household is isolating and you need help with buying groceries or other shopping, picking up medication, or walking a dog, and you are not sure where to get help, please do get in contact with us. We are a small but strong community and will be able to help you in a number of ways.

4.4 Look after your wellbeing whilst at home

Staying at home for a prolonged period can be difficult, frustrating and lonely for some people and that you or other household members may feel low. It can be particularly challenging if you don’t have much space or access to a garden and if you have your own work to do as well as wanting to support your child with their home learning.

It’s important to remember to take care of your mind as well as your body and to get support if you need it. Stay in touch with family and friends over the phone or on social media. There are also professional sources of support and information that can help, such as the Every Mind Matters website.

Think about things you can do during your time at home. People who have stayed at home for a week or more have kept themselves busy with activities such as cooking, reading, online learning and watching films. If you feel well enough, you can take part in light exercise within your home.

Many people find it helpful to remind themselves why what they are doing is so important. Hopefully, none of your family will experience anything more than mild symptoms, but some people are badly affected by COVID-19. By staying home, you are helping to protect your friends and family, and other people in your community, as well as making sure the NHS does not get overwhelmed.

There are things that you can do to help make self-isolation easier. These include:

planning ahead and thinking about what you will need in order to be able to stay at home for the full duration of isolation
keeping in touch with school; we are your Meadlands Family and will do all we can to support your child and your family
thinking about and planning how you can get access to food and other supplies, such as medications, that you will need during this period
asking friends or family to drop off anything you need or ordering supplies online, but make sure these are left outside your home for you to collect
ensuring that you keep in touch with friends and family over the phone or through social media
thinking about things you can do during your time at home e.g. cooking, reading, online learning and watching films
planning out the full days of your self-isolation on a calendar. You may also find it helpful to plan in advance what you will do if, for example, someone in your household were to feel much worse, such as having difficulties breathing
remembering that physical exercise can be good for your wellbeing, when you are feeling better. Look for online classes or courses that can help you take light exercise in your home.

Part 5 The School's Communication

Please see below for all communication from the school following the outbreak of coronavirus in March 2020 up until the re-opening of the school in September 2020.

From 1st September the weekly Mallard Messenger newsletter was reinstated and can be found here

28 August 2020

Please see below for the return to school information newsletter.

17 July 2020

Please see below for Mrs McGeoch's weekly newsletter and other important information.

10 July 2020