Living with Covid-19

From Thursday 24 February, the Government removed the legal requirement to self-isolate following a positive test. However, adults and children who test positive will continue to be advised to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for at least 5 full days, and then continue to follow the guidance until they have received 2 negative test results on consecutive days. 

Anyone with one or more symptoms of coronavirus - a high temperature, a new continuous cough; or a loss or change in sense of smell or taste - should self-isolate and book a test or call 119 in England and Wales, or 0300 303 2713 in Scotland

and Northern Ireland.

 

 

If a pupil, student or staff member has COVID-19 symptoms, should they get a PCR test?

Yes, anyone with symptoms should take a PCR test, stay at home and follow government guidance if positive. People who have tested positive will continue to be advised to stay at home for five full days and then receive two negative test results on consecutive days before returning to their workplace or setting.

 

 

Contacts will no longer be required to self-isolate or advised to take daily tests. Staff, children and young people should attend their education settings as usual. This includes staff who have been in close contact within their household, unless they are able to work from home.

 

We are revising our Risk Assessment in the light of this latest guidance. From Monday 7th March we anticipate adjusting our measures in school, to include mixing of classes outdoors during break and lunchtimes and re-introducing whole school assemblies and gatherings. This will be providing there is not a  further outbreak of Covid-19 within school. 

Covid Guidance Update

As we have a number of cases of Covid within the school community, we thought it would be helpful to clarify the isolation process so parents will know when their child(ren) may return to school. The advice we follow to manage the safety of our school is based on guidance we received from the Department for Education.

 

When is day one of isolation?

The official “day one” of isolation refers to the first FULL day. The day your symptoms start, or the day you test positive if you do not have symptoms, counts as DAY ZERO. (If for example, you only tested positive at 11pm at night it would be unfair to call that a day of isolation).

 

When can I stop isolating?

The isolation period is now only five full days. But you may only stop isolating on Day 6 if you test negative on a lateral flow on Day 5 and Day 6, at least 24 hours apart, as long as you do not have a high temperature.

If one of these tests returns positive, you must wait until receiving two consecutive days of negative tests to leave isolation, or wait the full 10 days. (Previously, people who did not have symptoms but tested positive on a lateral flow had to order a PCR. They then had to restart their isolation period from the day they took the PCR rest, if the result returned positive.)

If you have any questions about when your child (or any siblings affected) should return to school, please do call the school office on 01453 762774 BEFORE your child comes back.

Covid Guidance Update

As we have a number of cases of Covid within the school community, we thought it would be helpful to clarify the isolation process so parents will know when their child(ren) may return to school. The advice we follow to manage the safety of our school is based on guidance we received from the Department for Education.

 

When is day one of isolation?

The official “day one” of isolation refers to the first FULL day. The day your symptoms start, or the day you test positive if you do not have symptoms, counts as DAY ZERO. (If for example, you only tested positive at 11pm at night it would be unfair to call that a day of isolation).

 

When can I stop isolating?

The isolation period is now only five full days. But you may only stop isolating on Day 6 if you test negative on a lateral flow on Day 5 and Day 6, at least 24 hours apart, as long as you do not have a high temperature.

If one of these tests returns positive, you must wait until receiving two consecutive days of negative tests to leave isolation, or wait the full 10 days. (Previously, people who did not have symptoms but tested positive on a lateral flow had to order a PCR. They then had to restart their isolation period from the day they took the PCR rest, if the result returned positive.)

If you have any questions about when your child (or any siblings affected*) should return to school, please do call the school office on 01453 762774 BEFORE your child comes back.

 

Should I keep siblings off?

*We are asking parents to keep siblings at home, please, if one of their children tests positive. This is because it takes time for symptoms to develop or a LFT to show positive and in the meantime, they could be spreading Covid around their class. 

 

YogaBugs online offer

 

We have an offer for families who can claim a FREE eCode to access YogaBugs Virtual - Healthy Screen time for the whole family throughout January & February 2022. Please could you pass on these messages to families who you think will benefit from the platform.

 

What is it?

 

YogaBugs virtual gives online access to hundreds of yoga & well-being videos for the whole family to take part in from the comfort of your own home! Perfect if people are worried about going out due to rising cases of COVID but still want to get some exercise in.

 

https://yogabugs.com/parent-form/ to watch a short video to find out why it’s a great option for families!

 

Why sign up?

 

• It is FREE!
• It takes less than 60 seconds to sign up.
• Help families feel calm, increase your child’s confidence & help get your family active over the cold winter months.
• Suitable for children with SEN.

 

How to gain access?

Visit: https://yogabugsvirtual.com/my-account/

Click on parents, enter the unique eCode gloucestershire-1361 and follow the simple registration (it takes less than 60 seconds!) Enjoy YogaBugs at home!

 

If you have any queries regarding this offer please get in contact by emailing haftickets@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Holiday Free School Meal Voucher Scheme

 

This February half term, Gloucestershire County Council is providing vouchers to parents who have signed up to their Holiday Free School Meals (FSM) scheme. These vouchers are provided by Gloucestershire County Council as part of its commitment to ‘no child goes hungry’. The vouchers are funded through COVID-19 grant funding which is separate to that of the term time free school meals.

 

Parents who have signed up to the scheme will receive a voucher for £15 for each child who is eligible for FSM which will cover the February half term week. The scheme is eligible for children aged 4-16 years old. 

 

Parents who have signed up previously do not need to re-register, they have already been included, but new parents are encouraged to sign up as soon as they can.

 

Applications for Holiday Free School Meal Vouchers for the February half term period is now open until the 14^th February.

 

Voucher emails will be sent out between 15^th and 16^th of February.  Please check your junk/spam email folders during this period as sometimes the vouchers end up there. If parents have not received their vouchers by then please get in contact with GCC by emailing childrensfund@gloucestershire.gov.uk.

 

For more information and to sign up if you haven't already please visit the  Holiday School Meal vouchers page on the GCC website.

Changes to the self-isolation period for those who test positive for COVID-19

From Monday 17 January, people who are self-isolating with COVID-19 will have the option to reduce their isolation period after 5 full days if they test negative with a lateral flow device (LFD) test on both day 5 and day 6 and they do not have a temperature. For example, if they test negative on the morning of day 5 and the morning of day 6, they can return to their education or childcare setting immediately on day 6.

The first test must be taken no earlier than day 5 of the self-isolation period, and the second must be taken the following day. All test results should be reported to NHS Test and Trace.

If the result of either of their tests is positive, they should continue to self-isolate until they get negative results from two LFD tests on consecutive days or until they have completed 10 full days of self-isolation, whichever is earliest.

Anyone who is unable to take LFD tests or anyone who continues to have a temperature will need to complete the full 10 day period of self-isolation.

Further information on self-isolation for those with COVID-19 is available.

We have been advised by the Department for Education that from 11th January, the need to take a PCR test after a positive LFT has been temporarily suspended. If you or your children test positive on a Lateral Flow Test, you no longer need to book a PCR test to confirm this. You should follow the guidance on self-isolation for 7 days. A negative LFT on day 6 and again on day 7 (24 hours apart) and no temperature, will mean it is okay to come back to school. 

Close contacts of positive cases should carry out daily LFTs or self-isolate for 10 days. 

Happy New Year everyone! We hope you have all had a lovely Christmas holiday and enjoyed time with your families. 

The Department for Education has issued revised guidance for schools as follows:

 

Information on the changes to the self-isolation period for individuals who test positive for COVID-19

Since Wednesday 22 December, the 10 day self-isolation period for people who record a positive PCR test result for COVID-19 has been reduced to 7 days in most circumstances, unless you cannot test for any reason.

Individuals may now take LFD tests on day 6 and day 7 of their self-isolation period. Those who receive two negative test results are no longer required to complete 10 full days of self-isolation. The first test must be taken no earlier than day 6 of the self-isolation period and tests must be taken 24 hours apart. This also applies to children under 5, with LFD testing at parental or guardian discretion. If both these test results are negative, and you do not have a high temperature, you may end your self-isolation after the second negative test result and return to your education setting from day 8.

 

Daily testing for close contacts of COVID-19

People who are fully vaccinated, or children and young people aged between 5 and 18 years and 6 months, identified as a close contact of someone with COVID-19, should take an LFD test every day for seven days and continue to attend their setting as normal, unless they have a positive test result or develop symptoms at any time. (If you are not able to take Lateral Flow tests daily, then we request that close contacts of people with Covid should isolate, due to how easily transmitted the Omicron variant is.)

 

If possible, as a precaution, please carry out LFTs on your children on the morning of Thursday 6th January, or prior to their return to school. Thank you for your support and co-operation. Let's hope 2022 is a healthier one for us all

In the final 'All About Family' magazine of 2021, you will find some advice on the importance of teaching our children to swim, parent safety advice about social media platforms, book reviews, and some great tips from the Fire Brigade to keep us safe during the Christmas period.

 

Visit the Pastoral page to read the magazine

Thank you to both Martyn King and Lianna Williams for standing in the election for Rosary School Parent Governor. Thanks also to all the parents who took the time to consider the nominations and cast their vote. It was an extremely close election, but I am happy to announce that Lianna Williams has been voted in and will serve as a Parent Governor for a 4-year term.

 

Congratulations, Lianna - and thank you for volunteering for this role. To Mr King, and others who were contemplating standing, there will be other opportunities in the future to sit on the Governing Board, and I encourage you all to consider roles as they become open. If you are a practising Catholic, you might like to consider becoming a Foundation Governor, which does not require an election, but applications do need to be approved by the Bishop.

 

Just a friendly reminder to all parents, a Parent Governor is a representative parent, not a parent representative (like an MP). If you have ideas or concerns, or anything you wish to discuss about the Rosary School, please go through the normal channels rather than contact the Parent Governors. Thank you!

During the December holiday period, Gloucestershire County Council is providing vouchers to parents who have signed up to our Holiday Free School Meals (FSM) scheme. These vouchers are provided by Gloucestershire County Council as part of its commitment to ‘no child goes hungry’. The vouchers are funded through COVID-19 grant funding we have received and is separate to that of the term time free school meals.

 

Parents who have signed up to the scheme will receive a voucher for £30 for each child who is eligible for FSM which will cover both weeks in the December holidays.

 

Parents who have signed up previously do not need to re-register, they have already been included, but, to ensure we get all who are eligible, we are encouraging new parents to sign up as soon as they can.

 

Applications for Holiday Free School Meal Vouchers for the December holiday period is open from Friday 26 November until midday Monday 13 December. Voucher emails will be sent out between 13 and 15 December. If parents apply after the deadline, we cannot guarantee delivery of vouchers before 25 December.

 

For more information and for sign up if you haven't already please visit our website: the Holiday Free School Meal vouchers page on our website.

 

Please contact childrensfund@gloucestershire.gov.uk if you have any queries not answered on the Holiday Free School Meal vouchers page.