Dear Parent /Carer

Firstly, I would like to thank you and your children for your support in reopening the College.  The students have been fantastic and I have been very impressed with their levels of maturity in following our newly introduced health and safety policies to keep the College safe.

When we planned for re-opening we expected a robust coronavirus testing system to be in place within Plymouth.  Although children are unlikely to become ill from coronavirus, they can carry it and often show no symptoms at all.  We looked at the symptoms that children may display and took the decision that to reduce the risk of anyone carrying the virus in the College we would send students home who may have some of the milder symptoms.  Our rationale was that if someone was sent home one day they would be able to get a test that same day and quickly return to College if the test was negative.

We are aware that it is now incredibly difficult to get a test within Plymouth and this is something that we are addressing with our colleagues in Public Health England and Plymouth City Council.  The lack of tests is, however, having a significant impact on students’ ability to return to College and today we have over 100 students who are at home with minor illnesses such as headaches and sore throats.  We have been advised that these students are unable to get a test.

It remains extremely important that any child with symptoms of Covid stays away from school, to avoid the risk of spreading infection to others, including the more vulnerable.  Public Health have defined these symptoms as:
•            high temperature – feeling hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
•            new, continuous cough – 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)
•            loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different from normal
If your child has these symptoms then they must get a coronavirus test.

To try and balance the risk of transmission of the virus against the detrimental effects of a student being off school we have amended our policy as below:

All students must be well to attend College.  If your child has a minor illness, like a slight cough, cold or upset tummy then please do not send them to College until they are well.  If their illness is very short (such as sickness overnight) please keep them at home for two full days before sending them back into school.  This period will ensure that any worsening symptoms are noted before their return and also reduce the risk of germs entering the College.

What this means is that if your child has been out of school with a minor illness since last week, or went home on Monday and they are now well then they can return to College tomorrow.  If they went home on Tuesday then they can return to us on Friday morning.  If they still have symptoms of their illness then they should stay at home until they are better.  If they have any of the three major symptoms of coronavirus (as above then they should not return to College until they have had a negative test result).

It remains the case that if anyone has had close contact with someone who tests positive then they should self isolate.  We have not had anyone who has tested positive at Sir John Hunt.  Students who have friends who are at home with suspected coronavirus symptoms do not need to stay at home themselves unless they are ill.

With the lack of tests and much confusion amongst parents we are experiencing very high call volumes to our student support team and I apologise if you encounter a delay when trying to telephone us.  Please could we request that if your child is poorly you do try and telephone us to explain exactly what is wrong with them, and ideally do this before 8.00AM and leave a message on our answerphone.  If you respond to our truancy call then, again, please give as much detail as possible about their illness so we do not have to call you back for further detail.

Until the testing system is running as it should we will be authorising all medical absences so to keep our College community safe, please do not send your child in if you have any concerns about their health.  If a student is off for an extended period due to self-isolation for the benefit of others then our team will contact the student to set work.  The work will be appropriate in that we will ensure it includes the work set within missed lessons and, where required, supports any students with additional support needs.

All Home Learning tasks (homework) will be added to Google Classrooms as normal which all students have access to and should complete as if they were in school.  While not in school our support staff are available to offer support with home learning or missed content and can be contacted via our contact us page on the website or via their Google Classrooms.  

To try and ensure that the testing system is only used by those who need it we have been asked to circulate the following information from Plymouth City Council which also outlines how to access a test for coronavirus.

If you have any questions in relation to the information above then please contact your child’s pastoral leader.

Once again may I thank you for your ongoing support in keeping our community safe in these challenging times.

With my very best wishes,

Mr Marner
Assistant Principal
 
 
Important message for Parents/Carers from Plymouth City Council
It has been great to see so many children and young people returning to school and the work that has been conducted locally to ensure a safe return.  It is inevitable that for some children and young people they will feel unwell and for many this could include Covid related symptoms. 
This message contains important information about how you can get a test. You cannot get a test by arriving at the Testing Centre without an appointment and you should not go to the hospital (Emergency Department) or your GP for a test.
 
Evidence to date has shown that children usually have much milder symptoms and they have tended to pick up the infection from home rather than from school.  However it remains extremely important that any child with symptoms of Covid stays away for school, to avoid the risk of spreading infection to others, including the more vulnerable.  These symptoms are:
 
•            high temperature – feeling hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
•            new, continuous cough – 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)
•            loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different from normal
 
Over the last week we have seen a number of children being referred for a Covid 19 test in accordance with national guidance. If your child has been in close contact with a confirmed case, they will be asked to self-isolate at home. Please DO NOT try to get your child tested unless they have developed the symptoms of COVID19. A negative test result does not mean that they can go back to school; it simply means that they had not fully developed the illness at the time of the test, and they could develop the illness at any point in the 14 days.
 
We are very aware that in Plymouth, as elsewhere, there have been delays in accessing tests. This is a national issue as laboratory capacity for analysing tests is being directed to areas in the country with the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases.  We are doing all we can to work with national agencies to increase the capacity available.
 
We understand how frustrating this can be, particularly with children returning to school and being asked to stay off school until they can get a COVID-19 test. However, it is crucial that we keep our schools open, and continue to keep our children and communities safe.
 
We therefore ask that you continue to follow government guidance and keep your child at home, and book a test as soon as you are able. You only need to get a test if your child has the symptoms listed above.  If your child has these symptoms, it is really important that you do not send them to school. The test is best done in the first 5 days of having symptoms.
 
The current routes for getting a test are :
•            Parents book a test online at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/coronavirus-in-children/ or by calling 119
•            If parents or carers are unable to book a local slot then they can email d-ccg.cornwalldevon.urgenttesting@nhs.net explaining that the test is for a child attending a Plymouth school and they will be supported to access local testing.
 
If you cannot book a test immediately, we ask that you try again as the system is currently very busy and your patience is appreciated.
 
If you are not able to secure a test, it is important that your child remains away from school for the 10 day isolation period. As part of creating a Covid safe school, children must not return before the isolation period is over.  Please work with your school to keep all children and young people safe.
 
You can also use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service if: 
•  you're worried about your symptoms
•  you're not sure what to do
Call 111 if you cannot get help online.
More advice on what to do can be found here.  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/
 
We would like to reassure you that we are working hard to put additional local arrangements in place to boost our local testing availability until national testing capacity can be increased and we will update you as soon as the situation changes.