Children and young people (aged 18 years and under) who have symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19

Respiratory infections are common in children and young people, particularly during the winter months. Symptoms can be caused by several respiratory infections including the common cold, COVID-19 and RSV.

For most children and young people, these illnesses will not be serious, and they will soon recover following rest and plenty of fluids.

Very few children and young people with respiratory infections become seriously unwell. This is also true for children and young people with long-term conditions. Some children under 2, especially those born prematurely or with a heart condition, can be more seriously unwell from RSV.

Attending education is hugely important for children and young people’s health and their future.

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

Children and young people with mild symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, who are otherwise well, can continue to attend their education setting.

Children and young people who are unwell and have a high temperature should stay at home and avoid contact with other people, where they can. They can go back to school, college or childcare, and resume normal activities when they no longer have a high temperature and they are well enough to attend.

All children and young people with respiratory symptoms should be encouraged to cover their mouth and nose with a disposable tissue when coughing and/or sneezing and to wash their hands after using or disposing of tissues.

It can be difficult to know when to seek help if your child is unwell. If you are worried about your child, especially if they are aged under 2 years old, then you should seek medical help.

Children and young people aged 18 years and under who have a positive test result

It is not recommended that children and young people are tested for COVID-19 unless directed to by a health professional.

If a child or young person has 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. 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 and young people who usually go to school, college or childcare and who live with someone who has a positive COVID-19 test result should continue to attend as normal.

On Friday 8 April (the last day of the spring term), the children will be given time in class to decorate an egg for entry into our Easter Egg Competition.  If your child would like to take part, they will need to bring in an undecorated, hard-boiled egg and any other materials they would like to use – a range of resources will also be available in school.  Prizes will be awarded in the afternoon and the children will be able to bring their eggs home at the end of the day.

Dear Parents/Carers

Over the last two weeks of this term, we will be holding face-to-face parent-teacher meetings as follows:

• Monday 28 March – Y3
• Wednesday 30 March – Y5
• Thursday 31 March – Y1
• Monday 4 April – Y4
• Tuesday 5 April – YR
• Wednesday 6 April – Y2
• Thursday 7 April – Y6

A letter for each year group with further details and a form to complete and return will follow in due course (about a week before the date of the meeting).

Regards

Mr Kirtley
Headteacher

 

Next Friday (18 March) is Red Nose Day. As Friday is PE day for all our classes, we will not be asking the children to dress up because they will need to be in their PE kits as usual. However, they are welcome to wear any Red Nose Day accessories they may have.

We are aware of the strain on household budgets at the current time and we will, therefore, not be asking the children to bring a donation into school. Below, please find a link to the Comic Relief donation page where you can make a donation if you wish to do so.

https://donation.comicrelief.com/cart/1YsYOwm2pHZgBUhWr8ZL13

“Red Nose Day is coming. And whatever you do, no matter how small, you can help people live free from poverty, violence and discrimination. This includes funding organisations that are supporting people right now in Ukraine, and those attempting to cross the border. Because you have the power to change lives.”

 

Please see the message below from Durham County Council:

Watching the horrors of war unfold has been very difficult for many adults this week.  TV and radio news are full of information about the awful attacks on the Ukrainians and, perhaps one advantage of social media, is letting us all see what happens when one country invades another.  Much of the information on TV has, to a certain extent, been sanitised with the most horrific content removed, this is not the case on social media.  We have recently become concerned that some of our children are seeing horrific pictures and videos of the war, and some are struggling to cope with what they have seen.  There is not one particular app or website that is worse than the others.   Pictures and videos of the war are available on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and probably lots of other social media sites too.  In addition they are being reposted so they do not always come directly from Ukraine.  We strongly recommend you take some actions to help your children:

1. Discuss this with your children, have they seen upsetting content?  Explain what you would like them to do if they see something scary. (Turn the device upside down and get either Mum, Dad or their carer – they are not in trouble).
2. Carefully consider what social media (if any) is suitable for your children.  The minimum age for most platforms is 13 because the content providers cannot guarantee that it is suitable for a younger audience.
3. Set up parental controls on devices.  Many apps have settings which try and limit the most graphic content – but even with safety features turned on, content is not guaranteed to be “child friendly”.  The website “Internet Matters” https://www.internetmatters.org/  is particularly useful in providing advice on most apps and security settings.
4. Talk and listen to your children.  We can’t pretend this isn’t happening and they may well have questions and worries which are better discussed than kept secret.
5. If you have serious concerns then please talk to the school as staff there may be able to help, or it might be that other children from the school are equally affected.

There is no longer a legal requirement for people with coronavirus (COVID-19) infection to self-isolate, however if you have any of the main symptoms of COVID-19 or a positive test result, the public health advice is to stay at home and avoid contact with other people. This advice also applies to children who usually attend an education setting.

If you have COVID-19, stay at home and avoid contact with other people

If you have COVID-19 you can infect other people from 2 days before your symptoms start, and for up to 10 days after. You can pass on the infection to others, even if you have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.

If you have COVID-19 you should stay at home and avoid contact with other people. You should also follow this advice If you have a positive LFD test result, even if you do not have any symptoms.

You should:

• not attend work. If you are unable to work from home, you should talk to your employer about options available to you. You may be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay
• ask friends, family, neighbours or volunteers to get food and other essentials for you
• not invite social visitors into your home, including friends and family
• postpone all non-essential services and repairs that require a home visit
• cancel routine medical and dental appointments. If you are concerned about your health or you have been asked to attend an appointment in person during this time, discuss this with your medical contact and let them know about your symptoms or your test result
• if you can, let people who you have been in close contact with know about your positive test result so that they can follow this guidance

Many people will no longer be infectious to others after 5 days. You may choose to take an LFD test from 5 days after your symptoms started (or the day your test was taken if you did not have symptoms) followed by another LFD test the next day. If both these test results are negative, and you do not have a high temperature, the risk that you are still infectious is much lower and you can safely return to your normal routine. Report your LFD test results after taking each test.

How to safely return to your normal routine before 10 days

If your day 5 LFD test result is positive, you can continue taking LFD tests until you receive 2 consecutive negative test results.

Children and young people with COVID-19 should not attend their education setting while they are infectious. They should take an LFD test from 5 days after their symptoms started (or the day their test was taken if they did not have symptoms) followed by another one the next day. If both these tests results are negative, they should return to their educational setting if they normally attend one, as long as they feel well enough to do so and do not have a temperature. They should follow the guidance for their educational setting.

Avoid meeting people at higher risk of becoming seriously unwell from COVID-19, especially those with a severely weakened immune system, for the 10 days after your symptoms started (or the day your test was taken if you did not have symptoms).

While you are infectious there is a high risk of passing on COVID-19 to others in your household. These are simple things you can do to help prevent the spread:

• keep your distance from other people you live with and spend as little time as possible in shared areas such as kitchens and living rooms. This is particularly important if someone you live with is unvaccinated or at higher risk of becoming seriously unwell from COVID-19, especially those with a severely weakened immune system
• if you need to spend time in shared areas wear a well-fitting face covering made with multiple layers or a surgical face mask. Ventilate the room by opening windows and leaving them open for at least 10 minutes after you have left the room. Leave extractor fans running for longer than usual with the door closed after use
• cover your mouth and nose with disposable tissues when you cough or sneeze. Dispose of tissues into a rubbish bag and immediately wash your hands or use hand sanitiser
• wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser after coughing, sneezing and blowing your nose and before you eat or handle food. Avoid touching your face
• if you can, use a separate bathroom from the rest of the household. If this is not possible try and use the bathroom after everyone else
• regularly clean frequently touched surfaces, such as door handles and remote controls, and shared areas such as kitchens and bathrooms

GermDefence is a useful website that can help you identify ways to protect yourself and others in your household from COVID-19. It provides scientifically proven advice on reducing the risks from COVID-19 and other viruses in your home.

COVID case _20211207_Reducing_household_transmision

Please see the message below from Durham County Council:

Our Fun and Food programme is providing activities with healthy snacks and meals for children and young people this half term.

All activities are offered through Voluntary and Community Sector partners and schools who will be operating in a Covid-secure way. There is a range of activities planned across County Durham.

Find out what’s on in your area at www.durham.gov.uk/FunAndFood

Dear Parents/Carers

As we approach the half-term holiday, we have been reviewing our risk assessment in light of the most recent government and local authority coronavirus guidance. I am pleased to be able to let you know that we are aiming to return to some semblance of normality, once again, after the half-term break. Please note the following points:

DROP OFF AND PICK UP

The drop-off and pick-up arrangements will return to the way they were in the autumn term. All children are to arrive at school between 8:45am and 8:55am, entering via the side gate. We request that parents of children in Classes 3 and 4 leave their children at the pedestrian gate in order to reduce congestion on site. Class teachers will be waiting to greet the children and they will filter directly into classrooms to wash their hands. At the end of the day, the side gate will be opened at 3:15pm and parents will be able to walk round to the playground at the rear of building and collect their children directly from their classrooms. If more than one child is being collected, please collect the younger child/children first.

MIXING AND ‘BUBBLES’

It will no longer be necessary to keep the children in consistent groups (‘bubbles’). This means that children from different classes can play together at playtimes and there will be no need for staggered lunchtimes. We will also be able to return to having whole school assemblies once again.

CONTROL MEASURES

We will ensure that the following control measures continue to be in place:

• Ensuring good hygiene for everyone.
• Maintaining appropriate cleaning regimes.
• Keeping occupied spaces well ventilated.
• Following public health advice on testing, self-isolation and managing confirmed cases of COVID-19.

PE LESSONS

PE lessons for next half term will be as follows:

• Class 1 – Wednesday and Friday
• Class 2 – Monday and Friday
• Class 3 – Monday and Friday
• Class 4 – Monday (swimming) and Friday

HALF-TERM HOLIDAY

School will close for the half-term holiday today (Friday 18 February 2022) at 3.15pm. We return on Monday 28 February 2022.

Take care and stay safe.

Mr Kirtley (Headteacher)

On Thursday 3 March, we will be celebrating World Book Day at Byers Green. Children can come to school dressed as their favourite book character! We have always been so impressed by the children’s enthusiasm on our dress-up days. Please could they also bring along their favourite book (with their name on) to read with their friends?

Kind regards

Miss Dodds (Deputy Headteacher)

Please see the updated information below from NHS County Durham:

Where and when you can you walk in to get your jab in County Durham updated CURRENT