Charlton School

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope this letter finds you well.

As you are aware the government, from 1st April, has moved to a position called “Living with Covid” which has seen the removal of all testing and the classification of Covid as a respiratory disease, that is managed in line with similar illnesses. There is a significant amount of Covid in the population currently and infection rates are high. We are struggling in many of our schools with staffing levels as we have lots of staff with Covid. The Easter holiday will hopefully see a break in the infection rate combined with warmer weather when there is a general reduction in these types of illness.

There has been very little guidance published to schools but the information we have is the following:-
For Adults:

If you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19, and have not taken a COVID-19 test:
Try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people. If you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as COVID-19, and you have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to go to work or carry out normal activities, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people, until you no longer have a high temperature (if you had one) or until you no longer feel unwell.

What to do if you have a positive COVID-19 test result:
Try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people. If you have a positive COVID-19 test result, it is very likely that you have COVID-19 even if you do not have any symptoms. You can pass on the infection to others, even if you have no symptoms. Many people with COVID-19 will no longer be infectious to others after 5 days. If you have a positive COVID-19 test result, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days after the day you took your test. Test kits are no longer supplied by school but can be purchased from supermarkets and pharmacists.

The advice for children and young people under 18 is:-

• Children with mild symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, or mild cough, who are otherwise well, can continue to attend school.

• Children and young people who are unwell and have a high temperature should stay at home and where possible avoid contact with other people. They can go back to school when they no longer have a high temperature, and they are well enough.

• If a child or young person has a positive COVID-19 test result they should try to stay at home and where possible avoid contact with other people for 3 days after the day they took the test. The risk of passing the infection on to others is much lower after 3 days if they feel well and do not have a high temperature.

• Children and young people who live with someone who has a positive COVID-19 test result should continue to attend as normal.

If you are unsure what to do, please contact your school for advice. This new approach to Covid is unlikely to change and the government has removed specific school guidance, schools now follow normal health procedures.
Can I take this opportunity to thank you for all your support this term, it has been another challenging period of time as we try to operate normally. We are acutely aware that children have not always had their regular teachers, but we have managed to keep the vast majority of children in school and do the very best for them.
My best wishes to you and your family.

Kind Regards,
Dr. Gill Eatough
CEO LCT