Durham’s public health information for residents in Annfield Plain and surrounding areas – January 20th, 2021

Dear parent/carer,

We wanted to let you know that we have been notified of an increase in positive cases of Covid 19 in the Annfield Plain and South Moor areas. Public health Durham has asked us to pass on this information to our parents/carers.

We want to take the opportunity to reassure you that we are working closely with Durham County Council and are following their advice around the best way to keep all our staff and children safe.

As is part of our everyday routine already, we will be asking all children to wash their hands regularly and would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone of the importance of regular 20 second handwashing in the home, particularly when children leave for and arrive home from school. In addition to this, we would like to ask you to support us further by following social distancing guidance when dropping of and collecting your children for home.  If you do not have a dedicated childcare bubble, please do not ask other parents to pick up or drop off your children.

If you or your child develops any of the following symptoms: a persistent cough, a temperature or you lose your sense of smell or taste then you should book a Coronavirus test immediately and certainly within the first five days of feeling unwell. You can do this at https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.

If you need to self-isolate and are worried about managing at home, then the County Durham Together Community Hub is there to help you with practical support as well as advice about managing financially and ways to continue looking after your physical and mental health while in isolation, this includes information on educational and leisure activities for children, which you may find particularly useful. You can find out more details here: http://www.durham.gov.uk/covid19help

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support during these challenging times and to remind everyone that by following the hands, face, space preventative guidelines, getting tested if you have symptoms and staying at home if you’re asked to, we can all play our part in keeping all of our colleagues, friends and families safe.

Regards,

Mrs Burgess

Latest coronavirus guidance 

Please note that documents stating the isolation period to be 14 days should now be read as 10 days isolation.

Parents_carers guide to Covid

Symptoms of coronavirus

Coronavirus testing update September

Privacy Statement – Track and Trace

APJS School COVID 19 risk assessment version 5

APJS COVID-19 updates for current risk assessment Dec 20

Please find updated information for your use:

It is vital that all children’s absences and the symptoms of their illness are reported to the school office on the first day of illness, to ensure the right action is taken to keep our school community and your families safe.  (Tel: 01207 234531)

If your child is ill with any of the following symptoms, you MUST request a coronavirus test (even if you think it is another type of illness) and keep your child at home, until the test result is returned:

• A high temperature;
• A new, continuous cough;
• Loss or change of sense of smell or taste.

School needs to be informed if a child is taking a test and of the test result, whether it is negative or positive.

How to book a test.

There are a variety of ways to book a test:

• Using a drive-in, walk-in or mobile test unit (this has the quickest test result return);
• By ordering a home-test kit.

There are different ways to order a home-test kit or book an appointment at a test site:

• Online at: https://self-referral.test-for-coronavirus.service.gov.uk/antigen/name
• Phone 111 if symptoms worsen or go online to: https://111.nhs.uk/COVID-19
• Phone 119 for testing track and trace.

Returning home test kits.

You can return test kits by:

• Booking a courier online to pick up your home-test.
• Finding the nearest priority box at: https://www.royalmail.com/services-near-you#/

Waiting for the test result or/and a positive test result.  

For individuals who are symptomatic and/or test positive for coronavirus please follow the latest NHS guidance, which can be found at:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/when-to-self-isolate-and-what-to-do/

(Individuals with symptoms or/and a positive test result isolate for 10 days and the rest of the household isolate for 10 days.)

For guidance on responding to coronavirus in children, please follow the link at:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/coronavirus-in-children/

What to do if another person, who you have been in close contact with, tests positive.

You should self-isolate for 1o days since the last close contact with the affected person

Close contact is:

• Direct close contact –face-to-face contact with an infected individual 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.

If there were any positive cases in school, you would be informed immediately and public health would advise school which children and staff would need to self-isolate.

What do the different results mean?

Individuals can end their isolation if there are no symptoms and a negative coronavirus result. 

However, if further symptoms develop, there will be a need to isolate and a further test may be appropriate. Please follow the advice from track and trace for this:

parents/carers to contact https://111.nhs.uk/COVID

How to help school?

-Inform school in the first day of any illness by speaking to the school office, clearly explaining  the symptoms your child has.

-Following the advice above.

-Keeping school informed of any tests taking place and the result, whether negative or positive.

-If a child or your household has to self-isolate make sure we know the expected date of return to school for your child,

-When asked to self-isolate, follow this correctly for the correct time-scale.

How school can help you?

-If self-isolation has to take place, we will provide you with your child’s work to home-school for the period of isolation.

-There are a few coronavirus testing kits in school – they can only be distributed if there are no tests available to be delivered to you by courier which is bookable online, at local testing sites or through the 111/119 helpline.  All three must be tried and used, if available.

Current Drop-Off and Pick-Up Arrangements

All children enter in the morning through the front gate from 8:30 to 8:45 am (school starts at 8:45am) but this changes at the end of the day, depending on whose class children are in.   The school day ends at 3pm.

When dropping off or picking up please remember to socially distance.

Class 3 (Year 3): Miss Angus                 Exit at hometime through the front gate

Class 3/4 (Year 3/4): Mrs Taylor         Exit at hometime through the front gate

Class 4/5 (Year 4/5): Miss Smith         Exit at hometime through the side street gate of school

Class 5/6 (Year 5/6): Mrs West            Exit at hometime through the side street gate of school

Class 6 (Year 6): Mrs Dorward             Exit at hometime through the side street gate of school

Will school attendance be mandatory from September 2020?

Yes, the Government have advised that school attendance will be mandatory again from the beginning of the autumn term.

Which of the usual school attendance rules will apply in September 2020?

All of the usual rules will apply including:

• parents’ duty to secure that their child attends regularly at school where the child is a registered pupil at school and they are of compulsory school age;
• schools’ responsibilities to record attendance and follow up absence;
• the availability to issue sanctions, including fixed penalty notices in line with local authorities’ codes of conduct.

Important changes to restrict the spread of coronavirus (please discuss these with your child before they return to school).

-Every room in school has handgel, anti-bacterial spray, handwipes, tissues and lidded bins. Additional cleaning will take place throughout the day in all rooms: surfaces, touchpoints and toilets.

-Additional handwashing will continue to take place and should also be encouraged at home – when entering school throughout the day, before and after eating, after toileting and before leaving school. Pupils, who have a reaction to school soap, may of course bring their own soap/handgel.  Handgel will also be available in each classroom and used routinely throughout the day. Parents are reminded to ensure children wash their hands, on leaving the house and re-entering the house after school.

– School will use and ask parents/carers to use the “Catch It, Bin It and Kill It” followed by handwash/sanitising of hands, for sneezes.

-Pupils will enter school from 8:30am onwards (school starts at 8:45am), instead of mixing on the yard and to ensure handwashing takes place.

-School has split playtimes and staggered lunchtimes already; this will assist social distancing.

-Equipment used will be disinfected after each group’s use; this includes sports equipment.

–Every pupil needs to bring a named water bottle, filled from home each day.  Water bottles and packed lunch boxes need to be named and return home each evening to be disinfected/cleaned.

–The only items which pupils need to bring to school are: packed lunch if not on school dinners, snack, water bottle, coat, own soap/handgel if reactive to school’s soap and their PE kit.  No home equipment such as books, pens etc. will be allowed in school.

– School uniform should be worn. It is recommended that clothes are changed and washed on returning home and that clean clothes are worn each day.

-The main focus for pupils during the first term will be for teachers to assess catch-up requirements for English and Maths.  Additional sessions of English and Maths will be taught. Some subjects: Science, Geography & History, RE, French and DT will have a delayed start to the year, to allow for catch-up with English and Maths.  This will be reviewed each half-term.

-PE lessons will take place, pupils need their own PE kit in school all week, every week.  Currently we are told that  swimming lessons will re-start in January 2021 and music lessons (Y4 ukalele and Y5 brass) in September.

-We understand that for some children the period of lockdown has increased anxiety.  PSHCE daily check-ins will be used to support pupils in overcoming any worries or anxieties about lockdown they may have.

-We rely on parents/carers to make sure that pupils understand that outside of school they should also follow social distancing rules, to restrict the spread of coronavirus.

-The same as arrangements prior to the lockdown period, if parents need to contact school they are asked to phone, rather than go to reception, if they can.  Any education staff or contractors visiting school will have to follow lockdown health and safety restrictions.

-If any pupil or staff, or member of their household, present with coronavirus symptoms, they should not attend school, for any reason. Parents/carers should inform school, self-isolate with all members of their household and apply for a test to their doctor. We will then follow government guideline on informing contacts of the pupil/staff.  If the test is positive further action can be taken by school; if negative the pupil/staff can return to school if feeling well.

-Reading books will be used as normal, cleaned and left for 48 hours before being returned to the reading shelves.

-If staff or pupils use public transport to come to school, they must remove their face masks on entering school. If they are disposable, they must be put in one of the lidded bins.  It they are re-usable, they must be placed in a sealed plastic bag and placed in their bag.

-We will continue to use the anti-bacterial fogging machine to deep clean at the end of each week and disinfectant mats when entering each building.

Wellbeing

If your child has been struggling with wellbeing, during the coronavirus period, there are many support sites/workbooks for you to use in the parents’ information section of the news item on the front page. The website is useful for other information your child may wish to know about our school, during the summer holiday. (www.annfieldplain-jun.durham.sch.uk)

Children’s mental wellbeing organisations for support

Adult mental wellbeing organisations for support

School uniform

Please see the school uniform section on the parents’ section of the school website, for expectations of uniform. You can order school uniform items directly online from: totstoteams.com (Tots to Teams); we do not take orders in school. You will have the choice to have the items delivered direct to your door, for a delivery charge, or in bulk to school. Children are able to wear navy jumpers etc., without logos, from local shops such as Asda etc. Please write your child’s name in all of their clothing.

Parent Pay

School is now cashless. School dinners and educational visits need to be paid for on Parent Pay. Parent Pay information is found in the parents’ section of this website. We will be able to help you set up Parent Pay accounts. All parents will need to use parent pay as school trips will be paid for by this (including the Howtown visit in 2021).

School lunch

Once pupils are in Key Stage 2, there is no longer an entitlement to a no-cost school dinner, unless as a family you are entitled to Free School Meals (FSM). If you are unsure whether you will be entitled to FSM, school can undertake a quick check. Contact school with the claimant’s date of birth and the claimant’s national insurance number, if you would like this check completed. School dinners will cost £2:10 per day from September and must be paid for, in advance, through Parent Pay. Some people may have had a change in circumstances due to lockdown, please let school know if you have, even if you do not want FSM for your child; this allows school to receive additional pupil premium funding.

REMINDERS

• Every pupil needs to bring a filled water bottle to school every day. It needs to be clearly marked with their name.

• Children’s names should be written on all of their school uniform and PE kits. PE kits need to be in all week, every week.

• School’s dress code includes appropriate hair styles – i.e. no symbols, pictures, patterns, hair extensions or vibrant colours during term time.

• Packed lunch boxes must be clearly labelled with the child’s name.

• In line with school policy and to ensure consistency and keep packed lunches in line with food standards for school meals, packed lunches should not contain the following:

Fizzy / sugary drinks in cartons, bottles or cans

Chocolate or Chocolate-coated products / sweets / confectionary

Chocolate spread as a filling for sandwiches.

If these items are put in a packed lunch, they will be withdrawn and given to the child to take home at the end of the day (Please see packed lunch policy on the school website if you are unsure of what is allowed).

• READING – please encourage your child to read daily. They will gain a house point for each day they read to you and have their reading record signed. Record the use of online Reading Plus there too.

• Inside your child’s planner, there is a list of questions you could use to help your child understand the text they have read. Tables and grammar, punctuation and spelling information are also in the planner to help too.

USING BIKES or SCOOTERS TO TRAVEL TO SCHOOL

Pupils are allowed to travel to school on their bike or scooter, but it is school policy that a helmet must be worn.  Parents are reminded that the bikes and scooters are left in the yard at owner’s risk.

SCHOOL HOLIDAY DATES 2020-2021

Parent support

Action for Happiness

A range of ideas and resources linked to happiness. To discuss with your children about what matters the most. Which links well to the work on resilience we do in school.    https://www.actionforhappiness.org/toolkit-for-schools

Parent Pupil Wellbeing Pack – Juniors & Mental Health Website Support for Parents

Children’s mental wellbeing organisations for support

Adult mental wellbeing organisations for support

HOMESTAY 2020 schools

Citizen’s advice can offer support with finances, contact details,

http://www.citizensadvicecd.org.uk/

0300 330 9027 – Advice Line Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm

0300 323 2000 – Debt Advice Line Monday to Friday 9am to 1pm

0300 323 1000 – To cancel or rearrange appointments

Homestay [formally  Stonham] can offer support with finances, rent arrears etc.

To contact gateway ring Durham Homestay team.

Gateway on 0191 332 4935 / e-mail GatewayDurham@homegroup.org.uk

Stanley Community Centre

Telephone or text:  07775874413 if you need support around anxiety, food, social communication, your children.

Foodbank information:

The website link below will direct you to information about your local food bank.

Food Bank Information

FamilyLine offer a free service available to support adult family members on all aspects of family life issues, whether it is emotional support or practicable advice on any aspect of parenting or broader family issues  – Tel Number: 0808 802 6666, text: 07537 404282 or email: familyline@family-action.org.uk

SEND update for parents:

Durham SENDIASS have also devised a guide to help parents, carers and young people (16-25) to continue to access the service during the COVID-19 Outbreak. Please see the information guide below with key contacts.

Comms from SENDIASS

SENDIASS and MCT Virtual Zoom Coffee Mornings

SENDIASS and MCT are planning some twice weekly virtual Zoom coffee mornings / evenings until the middle of June for Parents / Carers of Young people ages 0-25 with a disability or additional need.

Please follow relevant date link below to register.

** Thursday 10am-11.30am** ( Link works for every Thursday until 11th June. Please register for every one you wish to attend)

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUoc-yqrT8jH9Yip0ac2512JahbkTv41pHf

** Tuesday 6pm-7.30pm * ( Link works for every Tuesday until 16th June. Please register for every one you wish to attend)

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYoc-itrz4rH9z2jClhHw5-mjAA1X44Axy0

Any questions please email us at SENDIASS@durham.gov.uk

North East Autism Society

Offer support with enquiries via telephone, email, and Facebook. They also have a private family network page where they are offering lots of support and guidance.

For more information call 0191 4109974

Face book page North east Autism Society

Email info@ne-as.org.uk

SEN Grant opportunities