Coronavirus Update

a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)

a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

Should anyone in your household develop any of the above symptoms you need to book a COVID-19 test and get back a negative result before your children return to school.

If you do not get the person with symptoms tested then that person would have to isolate for 10 days and everyone else in the household for 14 days.

Please see the attached Public Health England flowchart that clarifies this.

Thank-you for your continued support.

PHE South East Health Protection Team Guidance For Childcare And Educational Settings In The Management Of COVID 19

Risk Assessments for the return to school in September

STAFFING

ORGANISATION

SAFEGUARDING

INFECTION CONTROL AND HYGIENE

CLEANING ARRANGEMENTS

Posted 29/05/2020

Dear Parents,

Please see below the advice we have been asked to share re the 2019 Novel Coronavirus.

Advice from Public Health England to share with your school community:

What is the coronavirus?

The 2019 Novel Coronavirus has been spreading since it was first reported in December 2019.

Symptoms include fever and respiratory symptoms including coughing and shortness of breath. Generally, coronavirus can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease.

If you develop these symptoms and have recently travelled to an area where the coronavirus is being widely reported or believe you may have come in contact with the virus then you should stay indoors and call NHS 111 informing them of the details linking you to the virus.

What should I do?

If you are feeling unwell and have not been contacted by Public Health England, then there is no need for concern.

You should continue to treat your symptoms as usual for seasonal flu or a common cold. If you feel unwell and do not know what you should do, then call NHS 111.

As always, if you have symptoms of a cold or flu, then there are measures you can take to bugs spreading:

Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze. Then bin the tissue, and wash your hands, or use a sanitiser gel.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after using public transport. Use a sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with people who are unwell.

How do I know if I’ve been in contact with a case?

Public Health England is in the process of contacting people who have had close contact with the confirmed cases.

Close contacts will be given health advice about symptoms and emergency contact details to use if they become unwell in the 14 days after contact with the confirmed case. This tried and tested method will ensure any risk to them and the wider public is minimised.

Where can I find more information?

Information for the public: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public
Blog and frequently asked questions: https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/01/23/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-what-you-need-to-know/

Travel advice for those travelling and living overseas: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus

Posted 11/05/2020

Dear Parents/Carers

Re: COVID-19 UPDATE – PM’s ANNOUNCEMENT 10th MAY 2020

Last night’s announcement from the Prime Minister made it clear that if schools are going to re-open at some point during this academic year, then the earliest possible date this would happen would be June 1st. Furthermore, this would initially be for pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 only (further clarity is required to see whether or not this would extend to nursery).

Therefore, it is clear, that until further notice, arrangements will remain the same at John Hampden and Tetsworth Schools.

I’m sure many of you are wondering what the potential reopening of school will look like for you and your children. While this news may create elements of anxiety and generate further questions, please rest assured that, together with other local schools, Oxfordshire CC and clear guidance from the DfE, the team and I are actively developing a structure and a plan to ensure that when we do reopen the school, considered measures will be in place. When we have more detail and information to share, we will of course keep you informed.

Take care and stay safe.

Thank-you for your continued support,

Paul Hankey

Executive Headteacher

John Hampden and Tetsworth Schools’ Federation

Thame Oxon OX9 3HU 01844 212291

Posted 03/04/2020

An updated Bereavement Policy is now online. To view the policy, please visit the Policies Page or click here.

To read the latest safeguarding policy concerning the Covid 19 virus, please click here.

Posted 19/03/2020 21:50

Dear Parents/Carers,

ONLY COMPLETE THE GOOGLE FORM LINK BELOW IF YOU ARE A PARENT WHO BELIEVES THEY ARE A KEY WORKER AND REQUIRE CHILDCARE NEXT WEEK

From Monday 23 March, schools in England will only stay open for children whose parents count as key workers and for children who are vulnerable.

In order to find out how many of our children this applies to I need to know how many of our parents believe they are key workers.

A definitive list of key workers in this current context (COVID-19 national emergency) is yet to be published but I need an indication of probable numbers ASAP to aid forward planning. Specifically how school will be structured next week is work in progress and you will of course be notified as soon as plans to manage this are finalised.

It may be that the government directs schools to only accept or prioritise children where all adults in the household are key workers – so completing this form does not guarantee that your child/children will be offered a place at school next week.

So – if you believe that you are a key worker and require childcare from Monday next week please follow the link below and complete the GOOGLE FORM.

https://forms.gle/oUrVcUaWJkWtDKbE7

Thank-you for your continued support,

Paul Hankey

Executive Headteacher

John Hampden and Tetsworth Schools’ Federation

Thame Oxon OX9 3HU 01844 212291

Posted 19/02/2020 21:10

Dear parents/carers,

Re: Coronavirus update – school closure to most pupils

Following on from my last update, I’m now writing to confirm that we have now been instructed to close the school after the end of the day on Friday, until further notice. We are open as usual tomorrow.

The government expectation is that schools will stay open for the children of key workers (e.g. NHS staff, police, others in frontline services) and children with certain needs. I am waiting for the government to publish more information on what this means. I will be in touch again as soon as I am sure who this applies to and how this will be managed.

All other children will need to stay at home, so we ask that you do not send your child into school from Monday onwards.

Please note that this is a national closure – as you may have heard in the news – so while it is a challenging situation, we are not alone. We’ll re-open fully as soon as we can and will let you know when this is by posting on our website and sending out an email.

What we’ll continue doing while your child is at home

Your child’s learning is of course important to us and we have set work and a suggested timetable to help structure your days at home. The children are quite excited about the work that has been set. It is of course essential that they keep learning! We will update this in blocks of work as needed. This work will be e-mailed to you as well as being available on our web-site and on the TPS Facebook page. We understand that with so many schools trying to access some of the recommended web-sites that you may find that they are not immediately available.

This is as much as we know right now and we appreciate your continued patience as we deal with this ever-changing situation. I understand that this latest news will have an impact on you and your family and it’s far from ideal, but we will continue to keep in touch with any further updates as the situation develops today and tomorrow

If you want to get in touch to share any concerns, please don’t hesitate to do so via our school office email address (we read this daily) or by phone.

Thank you again for your continued support, and we will be in touch with more information when we can.

Yours sincerely,

Mr. Paul Hankey Mrs. Alison Charlton

Executive Headteacher Head of Teaching and Learning

Posted 16/02/2020 20:30

Dear Parent(s)/Carer(s),

Re: Coronavirus (Covid-19) Update

This evening Government advice has changed. For the school, this means the following:

Whole households to stay at home
If any person in your household starts to display symptoms, everyone living there must stay at home for 14 days. Please do not send your child to school if they, or anyone in the household, is displaying symptoms. If your child presents with symptoms during the school day, we will contact you to come and collect him/her.

Please let the school know if your child/ren are going to be absent by calling 01844 281328 or emailing office.2456@tetsworth.oxon.sch.uk

Further advice on self-isolation can be found here: Self-isolation advice from the NHS

Avoiding social contact
We have been told to limit social contact and reduce unnecessary journeys, therefore, all school fixtures, trips, after school events/extra-curricular clubs/activities will be cancelled with immediate effect. This will include Parents Evenings that are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday next week – please consider them postponed. We will continue to review the calendar of events and inform you as the situation develops.

Work for students who are well but in isolation
If you have children at home who are feeling well and able to complete school work, they can access the following on-line resources:

https://ttrockstars.com/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/primary

You will be signposted to further and more comprehensive home learning resources later in the week.

Yours sincerely

Paul Hankey

Executive Headteacher

Posted 16/02/2020 16:30

Dear Parents/Carers,

Vulnerable children with underlying health conditions

Whilst the latest government advice for schools does not offer specific advice regarding children with ongoing/underlying health conditions – I would recommend that parents seek appropriate medical advice from the healthcare professionals who manage their children’s needs as to whether or not the coronavirus presents increased risks and how they can be minimised – including recommendations on whether or not to stay off school.

School work/activities for absent children

Teachers are looking at supporting families at home with online learning resources. This will take a couple of days to set up and you will be notified when this work is done.

School Lunches

If your child is off school please remember to log-in to Dolce/School Grid and cancel your meal orders

Thank-you for your continued support

Paul Hankey

Executive Headteacher

Posted 15/02/2020

Dear Parent(s)/Carer(s)

Re: Coronavirus (Covid-19) Update

Following my communication on Friday, I wanted to clarify and reiterate the key points:

The Government directive is that all people with a high temperature (37.8 degrees or above) and/or a new continuous cough should self-isolate (stay at home, away from other people) for seven days. Therefore if your child displays any symptoms please do not send them to school and let us know us by email or telephone. Needless to say, any absence will of course be authorised.
Staff will be extra vigilant during the day and we will contact you if your child starts to look/feel unwell and ask you to collect them with the expectation that they would then be off for the seven day self-isolation period.
There is currently no direction to close schools to attempt to delay the spread of the virus. If this becomes necessary, we will follow the advice of Public Health England and advise you accordingly.
If you have any concerns regarding your family’s health please don’t seek advice from school staff. You should visit https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19 for advice.
You can expect at least a weekly update from the school via parent mail, the school website and the PTFA Facebook page.

Parents’ Evenings

The parents evenings scheduled over the next two weeks will go ahead as planned unless of course the situation changes. I think it would be sensible that we have non-handshaking appointments on this occasion. Again, if you have any of the above symptoms, please do not attend. We can reschedule or arrange a telephone conversation at a mutually convenient time. Please e mail or call in advance if you are unable to attend in person.

Hygiene

Please be reassured that the school is maintaining good hygiene practices. Desks, door-handles and toilets are cleaned daily and we have a special hand-washing song we’ve been singing with the children. The children will be washing their hands at regular intervals. There is also an NHS video which shows how to wash your hands effectively: Click here

Just to reiterate, if you are in any doubt about whether to send your child to school, please visit https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19 and complete the simple questionnaire.

I would ask that you please keep reinforcing the following advice with your children:

https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response

Kind regards,

Paul Hankey