Rhydri: Positive COVID:19 case in Gold class

Dear Parent / Carer,

 There has been a confirmed case of COVID-19 in Gold Class. Your child should continue to attend school and unless confirmed as a close contact by TTP does not need to conduct daily Lateral Flow Tests (LFTs). However we ask that you look out for symptoms of COVID-19 in your child.

The three key symptoms of COVID-19 are:

§  a high temperature: this means that they feel hot to touch on their chest or back

§  a new, continuous cough: this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours

§  a loss or change to their sense of smell or taste: this means they’ve noticed they cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal.

If your child has any of these three key symptoms, please do not send your child to school and arrange a PCR test for them immediately. You can book a PCR test online through the NHS website at gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119. Anyone else in your household with any of these three key symptoms should also isolate and take a PCR test.

Please note that if your child is under the age of 5 years old they should not take COVID-19 tests unless directed to do so by a doctor or if you believe a test is absolutely necessary and in the best interests of your child. They should however remain off school if they have a high temperature until it returns to normal and they feel better.

If any member of your household has tested positive for COVID-19, we also recommend that children 5 and over should take a daily lateral flow test every day for seven days. This should start on the day a member of your household is confirmed positive from a lateral flow or PCR test result.

Anyone with a positive test result should follow the rules set out at gov.wales/self‑isolation. If the test is negative, your child can return to school as soon as they feel better.  As a school we are not always aware of personal circumstances and there may be adults or children with conditions that increase the risk from COVID-19 in your household or extended contact group. You may choose to limit contact with anyone at greater risk from the effects of COVID-19 infection as a precaution.

This letter is for information so you are aware to look out for any symptoms of COVID-19. You may receive further correspondence from the Test Trace Protect (TTP) team who may provide you with further information and instructions. We know how disruptive the last year has been for everyone. This year we want to keep your child in school as much as possible, but we also want to keep our schools and communities safe from the effects of COVID-19.          

Yours sincerely,

 R Cook.

Head Teacher

The Federation of Bedwas Junior and Rhydri Primary Schools