Managing Close Contacts in Schools (PLEASE ALSO SEE FLOWCHART BELOW)

To parents/guardians,

On Wednesday 25th August, we received updated guidance from PHA/DE regarding the management of Covid close contacts in schools. This week, we have already had a number of confirmed cases in households and some staff have had to book PCR tests. All of this supports our controlled and measured approach, as Covid is certainly still within our community.

Please take time to look at the flowchart below, as this is what we are using to make all our decisions in the event of a Close contact.

To summarise, if we contact you to inform you your child has had a close contact in their class, the following steps must be followed:

If they have NOT already had Covid in the past 90 days:

1. Your child should stay at home and a PCR booked immediately.

2. The child should self isolate until their results are know.

3. If NEGATIVE, please forward the NHS email to jhawe578@c2kni.net and then your child can return to school. It is

recommended a second PCR is booked on day 8. Unless symptoms are shown, your child can continue to attend school.

If POSITIVE, they should isolate for 10 days.

If a child HAS had Covid in the last 3 months. No action is needed and they can continue to attend school, unless new symptoms develop.

This reflects a change in how we manage transmissions within school and I would ask you to continue to do the right thing, being patient with us as we try to manage a difficult and changing situation. Be assured every decision we make will be taken under guidance and consultation and in each circumstance, we will continue to adopt a cautious and measured approach.

Thanks

Stephen Gray

Principal