Dear Parents
I would be grateful if you would read this latest advice from the Government about Covid-19 procedures:
Below is a summary of the changes in relation to the Management of Suspected & Positive Cases and Contact Tracing from 14th December 2021. Please read these carefully:
- From Tuesday 14 December, a new national approach to daily testing for contacts of COVID-19 is being introduced (including until the end of this term). All adults who are fully vaccinated and children aged 5 to 18 years and 6 months, identified as a contact of someone with COVID-19 – whether Omicron or not – should take a lateral flow device (LFD) test every day for 7 days instead of self-isolating. Daily testing by close contacts will help to slow the spread of COVID-19.
- Once notified by NHS Test and Trace as a close contact, all eligible staff, pupils and students should take an LFD each day for 7 days and report the results through the Online Reporting System and to their setting. If they test negative, they can continue to attend their education setting. Outside of the education setting, they should continue to follow the advice set out in the Sunday 12 December press release. This approach should also be adopted over the winter break and on return in January.
- If they test positive, they should self-isolate and order a PCR test to confirm the result. If the PCR is positive, they must self-isolate for 10 days. If the PCR test is negative, they no longer need to self-isolate but should continue to carry out the remainder of the daily tests, and only need to isolate if it is positive.
- For primary aged children, LFD test kits are available through the usual routes (community test sites, local pharmacies or online).
- Children under five years old do not need to take part in daily testing for contacts of COVID-19 and do not need to isolate.
Mr Langford
