Announcement

Coronavirus Advice

As you will be aware, the situation relating to the COVID-19 virus, otherwise known as Coronavirus, is changing all the time and new information is being issued by the government frequently.

Guidance for Parents/Carers, Staff and Pupils

The following message is to update and reassure you about the precautions that Venturers Trust and it’s Academies are taking, in light of the highly publicised Coronavirus.

All Academies in Venturers Trust, are following the School specific advice from Public Health England.Also see NHS guidance for more information.

Department for Education Helpline

The Department for Education has launched a new helpline to answer questions about COVID-19 specifically related to education. Staff, parents and young people can use the helpline using the details below:

Phone: 0800 046 8687
Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk
Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Mon to Fri)

Precautions

  • Follow normal hygiene rules
    • Wash hands properly and regularly
    • “Catch it, Bin it, kill it” – Coughing and/or sneezing into a tissues before throwing it away and washing hands.
    • We continue to promote this through assemblies, classroom teachers and posters (Hand Washing Technique Poster).
  • We continue to ensure good cleaning practices
  • We are committed to keeping staff, pupils and parents/carers updated with advice from government.

The government has now stated that we are moving into the next phase, from containment to Delay – part of this could be to self-isolate. IF YOU ARE ASKED to self-isolate – what does this mean and why is it important?

Travel

We recognise that some families or children may be planning to travel during the forthcoming holiday period. If so, please refer to the Foreign Office’s latest travel advice

Racist Behaviours

This week, Local Authorities, along with Avon and Somerset Constabulary, have been notified that pupils of Chinese heritage have been shunned, bullied and subject to peer on peer harm. BBC radio also reported incidents of racism relating to school children that led to isolation and distress to them and their families.

Every major disease outbreak brings with it an accompanying element of fear and alarm. When links are made to particular groups or communities, there is potential for racist sentiment to build in our schools and settings. Please support us by challenging such behaviours if they emerge at home. We take a zero tolerance approach to any racist incidents and we continue to monitor this closely.

I can reassure you that we are not aware of any incidents in the Trust however if you have any concerns please contact your child’s Academy.

Background and Latest Advice

A new infection has been detected in Wuhan, China, a new strain of coronavirus.  As a group, coronaviruses are common across the world. Typical symptoms of coronavirus include fever and a cough that may progress to a severe pneumonia causing shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

Based on the World Health Organization’s declaration that this is a public health emergency of international concern, the UK Chief Medical Officers have raised the risk to the public from low to moderate. This permits the government to plan for all eventualities. The risk to individuals in the UK has not changed at this stage.

Furthermore, In order to introduce and strengthen legal powers to keep individuals in isolation where required corona virus has been declared as an imminent threat to public health.

We ask parents and staff to make the Principal aware, if any families have traveled to or from or had relatives/ friends visiting them recently from any of the category 1 areas listed in the travel section.

World Health Organisation – here you will find a useful section of frequently asked questions and myth busters around the corona virus.

Public Health England