What are we doing at Abbey Multi Academy Trust?

We wish to assure you that each of the academies within Abbey Multi Academy Trust is following the latest advice from the Department for Education, to ensure the health and wellbeing of our pupils, staff and the wider school community which is, as always, our top priority.

We are of course being extra vigilant and encouraging pupils, parents and staff to continue taking all necessary precautions to minimise the spread of Covid19, including maintaining high levels of personal hygiene, regularly washing hands and following the Catch it, Bin it, Kill it advice when sneezing or coughing. As you would expect, we already promote these practices within our academies and we would appreciate your support in continuing to encourage the same at home.

Each of our academies will continue to follow the latest government guidance and keep this under review. This includes: the use of teaching resources with the children around hygiene and hand washing, advice posters, regular and thorough cleaning and the sharing of any DfE and Public Health England guidance as it is published. Each academy has a detailed Covid19 risk assessment to document the control measures in place to assist in the management of Covid19 within the academy. Copies of the risk assessments are available on the individual academy websites.

We would also encourage you to closely monitor the health of your child(ren) and if they or a member of your family show any symptoms or you have any concerns, your child should be kept at home and not attend their Academy. You should then please contact 111 or visit the NHS’s website for advice (https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19) and not attend your local GP Surgery or A&E. We would also ask that you notify the Academy immediately, to allow to us to take any necessary steps. Coronavirus testing is now available to all individuals and it is critical that we are informed if your child(ren) has tested positive for Covid19.

The link to the full guidance being provided by the Government is also available to at https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response This website is regularly updated so you may find it useful to return to the site from time to time as it will keep you up-to-date with the latest Government advise as it is issued.

As a Trust, we have updated our contingency plans in the event that we have to close or partially close due to government instruction e.g. as a measure within local lockdown. In the event of any closure, partial or full, we will use or usual means of communication to inform you. Most importantly, we will be open fully from September 2020 and hope for excellent attendance across all our academies.

As a Trust, we take our duty of care extremely seriously and we will keep you updated on any further developments should the need arise. If you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

You can help to slow the spread of Coronavirus!

Make sure you and your children follow these general principles to prevent spreading any respiratory virus:

• Wash your hands often – with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or an alcohol-based sanitiser if soap and water aren’t available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• If you feel unwell, stay at home and don’t attend work or school.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in a bin.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces in the home.

If you’re worried about your symptoms, please call NHS 111 – don’t go directly to your GP or other healthcare environment.

Government Coronavirus action plan

This document sets out what the UK as a whole has done to tackle the Coronavirus (COVID-19), and what it plans to do next. The action plan can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-action-plan

The document includes:

• what we know about the virus and the disease it causes
• how we have planned for an infectious disease outbreak, such as the current coronavirus outbreak
• the actions we have taken so far in response to the current coronavirus outbreak
• what we are planning to do next, depending upon the course the current coronavirus outbreak takes
• the role the public can play in supporting this response, now and in the future

Current advice remains in place: No school should close in response to a suspected (or confirmed) COVID-19 case unless advised to do so by Public Health England.

The importance of hygiene

Personal hygiene is the most important way we can tackle COVID-19, especially washing hands more; and the catch it, bin it, kill it strategy for those with coughs and sneezes.

Please help us in sharing simple and effective hand hygiene messages. https://twitter.com/NHSuk/status/1235112744917049346

Public Health England has a dedicated webpage with a range of posters and digital materials at:

‍https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/resources/campaigns/101-coronavirus-/resources‍

Sign up is quick, free and means you will be alerted as more resources are made available.

Department for Education Coronavirus helpline

On Monday the Department of Education launched a new helpline to answer questions about COVID-19 related to education. Staff, parents and young people can contact the helpline as follows:

Phone: 0800 046 8687

Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk

Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday)

Where to find the latest information

Updates on COVID-19: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Guidance for parents / carers on educational settings: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-in-the-autumn-term

Travel advice for those travelling and living overseas: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus