Rising Covid cases; please be vigilant

You will all be aware of rising Covid cases in our locality and many children and young people being sent home to isolate. So far in the BAWB Federation, we have managed to avoid sending any of our bubbles into isolation but the risk of that happening is escalating considerably.

In light of this I would like to reinforce some of the key safety measures we have in place and ask for heightened diligence as we move towards the end of term. We are obviously keen to avoid any instances of isolation as we approach the summer holiday.

What we are doing:

• Wearing masks when moving around communal areas or school, and outdoors when greeting parents
• Maintaining the integrity of bubbles
• Being vigilant about spotting symptoms in children and amongst colleagues
• Reinforcing messages to children and model good practice around hand washing, social distancing, and general hygiene
• Limiting staff numbers in the staffroom and avoid lingering conversations in communal areas
• Discouraging visitors from coming to school during the school day, unless they are doing essential work that cannot be done remotely or out of hours
• Ensuring that cleaning staff come after the children have left
• Conducting all meetings (eg staff CPD, governor monitoring, etc) remotely where possible
• Carrying out lateral flow tests at least twice weekly, and more frequently if possible / appropriate
• Accepting short notice vaccine appointments
• Supporting staff to work from home if their own children are sent home to isolate

How you can help:

• Continue to wear your mask at drop-off and collection times
• Maintain social distancing at these times 
• Respect current guidance around pupil drop-off and collection arrangements (check with school first if your child’s playdate arrangements may compromise the integrity of bubbles, e.g. if you’re hoping they can use transport)
• Report symptoms immediately (please note that a cough is no longer one of the main symptoms of the Delta variant, and in some cases an infection can feel like a summer cold or hay fever)
• Respond to track and trace instructions
• Ensure that your child has a test if (s)he is sent home with Covid symptoms

I thank you in anticipation of your continued support and please do not hesitate to ask if we can help in any way (we have lots of detailed guidance available if you are ever unsure of protocol).