In the interests of the health of our entire school community I am asking you to keep your child at home if you believe that they are unwell for any reason. This year, more than ever, we need to work together to ensure that we look after each other and keep each other as safe as possible.

Please also remember that the new Google Classrooms for Toucans, Peacocks and Eagles which I informed you about in July have been available to use since the start of the academic year and are being used in the classroom on a regular basis. In the event of your child having to self-isolate, increased content will be made available on a daily basis to ensure that they continue to be able to access their learning through Google Classroom while they cannot be physically in the classroom. In addition to this, your child should continue to use Doodle Maths, Spelling Shed and Reading Eggs on a regular basis and, in the event of self-isolation, on a daily basis. Please contact the school office if you are unable to access your child's Google Classroom on admin@wymondley.herts.sch.uk.

For our Puffins children, all communication will be sent through Tapestry this year, both for regular updates regarding their learning and for home learning content during a period of self-isolation. Please contact a member of the Early Years team if you need any support with Tapestry.

I would politely ask you to please be mindful that class teachers are teaching in the classroom throughout the school day and will therefore not be able to respond to Google Classroom issues immediately, but will do their very best to respond as soon as they are able to. As the school is now fully open once again we ask that all parents direct email questions or concerns through the school office at admin@wymondley.herts.sch.uk. As before, class teachers are available at the end of each school day and I am usually standing by one of the gates at the start and the end of the day to resolve any questions or concerns that you may have.

Thank you all for your continued and ongoing support.

The following is a letter from Professor Viv Bennett CBE - Chief Nurse and Director Maternity and Early Years, Public Health England, Dr Susan Hopkins - Interim Chief Medical Officer, NHS Test & Trace, Deputy Director, Public Health England - Consultant in Infectious Diseases & Microbiology, Royal Free, London

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This is an important letter to share some information on how we can work together to make sure we can continue to give children and young people the best education in the safest way possible.

One important part of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of pupils, students, parents and our communities is testing for coronavirus. We all have a duty to make sure that the right people have access to get tested at the right time. Every time a test is used inappropriately, a person with COVID-19 symptoms may miss out on getting tested.

Therefore, I ask that you all follow these principles:

• you should only book a test if your child has any of these 3 coronavirus symptoms:

  1. a high temperature: any new high temperature where your child feels hot to touch on their chest or back (you do not need to measure the temperature)
  2. a new continuous cough: coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
  3. a loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste: a noticeable loss of smell or taste or things smell and taste different to normal
• your child does not need a test if they have a runny nose, are sneezing or feeling unwell but do not have a temperature, cough or loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste because these are not normally symptoms of coronavirus
• if you are unsure about whether to get a test, please check the official list of symptoms on the NHS website, which is reviewed regularly
• only the person with symptoms should get a test. You do not need to get a test for anyone else in the household unless they also have any of the 3 symptoms listed above. All members of the household need to self-isolate whilst waiting for the test result
• if the person with symptoms’ test comes back positive, other members of their household should continue self-isolating for 14 days and only get a test if they develop coronavirus symptoms
• if a pupil or student in a class or bubble tests positive for coronavirus, anyone who is advised to self-isolate does not require a test unless they subsequently develop symptoms.

No one else in the same class or bubble as the symptomatic person needs to take any action unless advised by the school or college. Schools and colleges have detailed guidance and access to a Department for Education and Public Health England helpline for advice and support.

Contacts of a person who has tested positive must follow the guidance carefully and in full, which means they must stay at home for 14 days. This is because it can take several days following contact with an infected person before an individual develops symptoms or the virus can be detected. Students should only book a test if they get symptoms.

The NHS has produced some guidance to help parents understand when their child can and cannot attend school which you may find useful.

It is vital for children and young people’s learning and future opportunities that they are able to return to school and college. It is therefore vitally important that all we work together and do our bit to make this possible.