COVID advice from Tim Bowman - Local Department of Education
Dear Parents/carers
As you will be aware Covid-19 case rates in Stockport remain high. Despite everyone’s best efforts, currently we have very high case rates in our secondary schools, and they are rising in our primary schools.
Like you, we at school and within the Local Authority are very keen to minimise any disruption to your child’s education.
Having considered our local situation carefully with our public health team we would like to ask for your support in respect of two issues. The first refers to face coverings. It would be very helpful you would wear face coverings if you need to come onto our school site, particularly as you drop off and collect your children.
The second request is to increase the use of lateral flow tests. People who live with someone who currently has COVID-19 have the highest risk of catching and passing on the virus. Should anyone in your house get COVID-19, It would assist us in reducing infection rates in school, if you could test everyone else in the household, including any child who is in Year 3 or above, daily for 10 days. If the test is positive, we would ask you to keep whoever has tested positive away from school (self-isolate) and book a PCR test.
Please be assured that requests are in addition to all the existing measures that are in place in our school. Our public health colleagues have also asked that we take this opportunity to remind you to continue with regular testing, regular handwashing, social distancing and meeting outdoors or in well-ventilated spaces whenever possible, and of course to consider carefully the offer of a vaccine.
Whilst we recognise that this is a largely unwelcome message, we would really appreciate your support. We will keep these measures under review, but it is likely that we will need to ask you to continue following these recommendations until the end of the Autumn Term.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
Tim Bowman
Director of Education (Stockport and Tameside)