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• Information for parents from Public Health England

  Mon 14 Sep 2020 Wendy Burke

  Dear parents and carers

  Please see key messages from Wendy Burke (Public Health North Tyneside) about Coronavirus and how we can all do our bit to minimise the spread of transmission. 

   

  North Tyneside like all other areas across the North East has seen significantly increasing rates of infection over the last few weeks and there is now widespread community transmission of the virus.

  Working closely with North Tyneside Council and Public Health England the school continues to ensure that we operate safely, and that we minimise the spread of the virus. This includes maintaining high standards of hygiene inside and outside classroom settings, grouping children in ‘bubbles’ and maintaining social distancing where ever possible.

   

  As parents or carers, you can support the endeavours to help control the virus in North Tyneside by adhering to the national restrictions, maintaining social distancing and good hand hygiene.

   

  We are also asking that you please keep your child at home if anyone else in the household is suspected of having or has had a positive test for COVID-19, or if your child has any of the following symptoms of Covid-19:

  · A fever – this means hot to the touch on the chest or back

  · A continuous cough - a dry cough and coughing a lot for over an hour with more than 3 episodes per day

  · Loss or change of taste and smell - this means no smell or taste, or things smell or taste different to normal

   

  It is important that the whole household self isolates until anyone in the household with symptoms get tested as soon as any symptoms start to occur via www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or calling 119. Only people with symptoms should get tested.

   

  If the test is positive the person will need self isolate for 10 days, the rest of the household for 14 days.

   

  The action we will take in school if a member of staff or a pupil has a positive test result for COVID-19 is as follows

   

  o As soon as we are informed of the positive test result, we will carry out a risk assessment with Public Health colleagues to identify any other children or staff who may have been a close contact with the confirmed case.

   

  o If your child is not identified as a close contact of the confirmed case we will contact you to tell you that you do not need to make any change to your usual routine and that it is safe for your child to continue to attend school.

   

  o If your child is identified as having been in close contact with the confirmed case we contact you and ask you to keep your child at home to self-isolate for 14 days, in line with government guidance. Your child DOES NOT need to be tested. Other members of your household or contacts of your child DO NOT need to self isolate and can continue normal activities. If your child does develop symptoms while self isolating then the household should self isolate and the child should get a test.

   

  The evidence from the Chief Medical Officer is very clear that the balance of risk is strongly in favour of children attending school and that serious illness or deaths in children and

  teenagers from Covid-19 are extremely rare. Therefore, it is really important that all children continue to attend school or college (unless asked to self-isolate) for their educational progress, for their wellbeing and for their wider development.

• Coronavirus Advice for parents from the School Nurse

  Thu 03 Sep 2020 J Crudace

  Coronavirus Advice for parents from the School Nurse 

   

  The advice around managing Coronavirus in our community can be confusing so I’ve tried to put it into simpler detail specific to the information most parents need to know just now.  

   

  The symptoms of Coronavirus are:  

   

  • a high temperature 

  • a new, continuous cough 

  • a loss of, or change to, your sense of smell or taste 

   

  Currently these are the only symptoms we look for to diagnose Coronavirus. Other symptoms such as abdominal pain, headache, diarrhoea and vomiting could be caused by lots of things that aren’t Coronavirus so if you have anything like that ring 111 for advice.  

   

  Advice for anyone with symptoms in their house 

   

  If someone in your house is unwell with a Coronavirus symptom then none of your children should come into school. 

   

  If your child develops a Coronavirus symptom at school, they will be sent home straight away. If they have siblings who live in your house, they will also be sent home at the same time. 

   

  If anyone in your house has a Coronavirus symptom you should all isolate at home for 14 days and the person with symptoms should get a Coronavirus test.  

   

  If someone in your child’s school has Coronavirus symptoms and your child has been in close contact with them, your child does not need to be sent home and does not need to self isolate unless they develop symptoms as well.  

   

  To book a test if you or someone in your home has symptoms dial 119 

   

  The best way to prevent Coronavirus spreading is to: 

  Wash your hand for 20 seconds 

  Socially distance at least 2 meters apart   (in school, children are in class bubbles and do not stay 2 metres apart from each other, instead the bubbles are kept apart.) 

  If you cough or sneeze catch it in a tissue, bin it and kill the virus 

   

  If you’re not sure about a symptom or a test you can dial 111 for advice 24/7 

   

  All this information is available at https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus 

• Looking forward to welcoming you back!

  Tue 01 Sep 2020 J Driver

  Dear parents and carers

  We are looking forward to welcoming your child back to school tomorrow. Please check your emails to remind yourself of their starting time and entrance. We can't wait to see you!

  Mrs Driver

  

• Barnardo's 'See Hear Respond' service

  Wed 08 Jul 2020 J Driver

  This service has been created to help children and young people in England who are experiencing harm and increased adversity during this period by providing support to those who are not being seen by social care or other key agencies.

  See Hear Respond accept referrals from any source either through the Freephone number 0800 151 7015 and via the online referral hub (link on our website mental health and well-being page)

• Live chat service for people living with Domestic violence

  Thu 04 Jun 2020 J Driver
  North Tyneside have launched a new live chat service for people living with domestic abuse. www.myharbour.org.uk 

• Staying Safe Online

  Fri 29 May 2020 J Driver

  Dear parents and carers

  Please see the latest guidance from the Home Office regarding keeping children safe online. This information can be found on our home learning and useful links pages on the website entitled 'Digital Safety during Covid-19 North Tyneside'. 

  Stay safe!

  Mrs Driver

   

   

• Governing Body decision regarding wider opening of school

  Wed 20 May 2020 J Driver

  Update regarding wider re-opening of schools 

  Following a meeting of the full governing body last night it has been decided that Balliol Primary will reopen only when it is safe to do so - rather than following the Government's June 1st target. At present we do not feel that we have enough clear information to enable us to make that decision and we are not prepared to risk the safety of parents, children or staff in reopening too soon.  We appreciate that many parents may have jobs that they need to return to and we would encourage those parents to contact the school office in the first instance to see if we can accommodate your child under the key worker guidance.  

  We will remain open for vulnerable and keyworker children, as we have throughout this crisis and will be open for these families over the May half term week (including the bank holiday).  

  Staff will continue to provide online learning via the school website each week (except in school holidays) and after half term we aim to increase our contact with pupils by asking them to submit some work via the Class Blog or See Saw and increasing the calls we make to homes.  We are aware that pupils in different schools may be attending school at this time and we do not want our pupils to fall behind. We would appreciate your support in this. 

  The school will be implementing the latest government guidance around social distancing for those children who do attend and continuing to prepare for wider school opening. The governing body will sit again on 16th June to reassess the ever-changing situation and if we feel it is safe to begin a wider opening, we will of course inform you at that point.  

  Finally as it is National ‘Thank a Teacher’ day, I am sure that you will join us in showing your appreciation for all the staff at Balliol Primary and the incredible hard work and dedication they have shown throughout this crisis.  

  Kindest regards 

  Mrs Driver

• Phased re-opening of school

  Mon 11 May 2020 J Driver

  Dear Parents and Carers, 

  Phased re-opening of Schools 

   

  Last night the Prime Minister set out the next steps in the government’s response to Coronavirus. Step 2 will see the phased re-opening of schools in June 2020, beginning with children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. Only if infection rates and the government’s other tests at the time allow it.   

   

  Our overriding consideration is one of safety. We are being asked by the Department for Education to prepare to open for more children. We will be using the next two weeks to make sure we manage the process of re-opening well, and that we have all sensible measures in place, so school will be a safe place for your child to return to.

  This ‘new normal’ may mean that timings of the school day differ from what was previously available as we accommodate smaller groups of children.  As always, we will be guided by what is published by the government. There will be more detailed guidance released for schools to consider in the coming days. 

   

  We will be contacting you to let you know the arrangements for your child’s return to school in due course and ask for your patience during this time.  

   

  With warmest regards 

  Mrs. Judith Driver 

  Headteacher 

• Free online book explaining Coronavirus for children

  Thu 30 Apr 2020 J Driver

  Axel Scheffler (The Gruffalo illustrator) has illustrated a digital book for primary school age children, free for anyone to read on screen or print out, about the coronavirus and the measures taken to control it. The book has had expert input: Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine acted as a consultant, and answers key questions in simple language appropriate for 5 to 9 year olds:

  • What is the coronavirus?
  • How do you catch the coronavirus?
  • What happens if you catch the coronavirus?
  • Why are people worried about catching the coronavirus?
  • Is there a cure for the coronavirus?
  • Why are some places we normally go to closed?
  • What can I do to help?
  • What’s going to happen next?

   

  It can be downloaded free from the link below:

  https://nosycrowcoronavirus.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Coronavirus_ABookForChildren.pdf

• Domestic violence support

  Wed 29 Apr 2020 Northumbria Police

  Please see message below received from Northumbria Police: 

  🚨 NP Alerts 🚨 

  For two million victims of domestic abuse, home may not be the safe place it should be.
  We can help support you if you are experiencing domestic abuse, you can contact Northumbria Police by telephone on 101 or 999 in an emergency.
  If you dial 999 and are unable to speak, the emergency operator will ask you to dial 55 and to follow their instructions to quickly put you in touch with police.
  You can also get information and report incidents online via our website www.northumbria.police.uk
  There is also a wide range of support services that we work closely with to support victims of domestic abuse.
  These services are available across our force area and offer fantastic support to victims in need of advice and information.

  Area specific:
  
  Northumberland
  DASN – Domestic Abuse Service Northumberland
  01670 820199
  
  North Tyneside
  Harbour
  0191 2513305
  
  Gateshead
  Domestic Abuse Team Gateshead
  0191 4333333
  
  Newcastle
  NIDAS- Newcastle Integrated DA Services
  0191 2146501
  
  South Tyneside
  Impact Family Services
  0737 5788835
  
  Sunderland
  Wearside Women In Need
  0800 0665555
  
  General:

  
  Angelou Centre
  (support for BME/refuges)
  0191 2260394
  
  National Domestic Abuse Helpline
  0808 2000247
  
  Men’s Advice Line
  0808 8010327
  
  National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline
  0800 9995428

   

  We're here for you