For many, the news about Covid-19 and the Coronavirus can seem a bit unsettling.

Barrowby CE Primary School is currently open to all pupils who are not showing any symptoms for the Covid-19 virus.

We would like to reassure you, we will do our very best to keep you up to date with any changes from the DFE or Public Health England.

At this stage, we continue to follow the advice from Public Health England and encourage all our school community to:

• regularly wash their hands for 20 seconds; and
• use hand sanitisers when entering and leaving the building. 

We are ever vigilant with the cleaning of our school building and continue to ensure that all surfaces e.g. door handles, light switches etc are cleaned daily.

We would ask that you follow the advice which is published:

• If your child develops a ‘new, persistent cough’ or fever then they should remain at home (self-isolate) for 7 days.  Please inform the school.  
• However, if your child/ren are not showing any symptoms then they should continue to attend school as normal. 

Any changes to this advice will be communicated to parents via ParentmailPMX and our school's website.

This is a difficult time but we would urge everyone to remain calm.  Please refer to the latest guidance below:

Government announces move from Contain to Delay phase

Yesterday, the Government announced that we are moving from the Contain phase of the coronavirus action plan and into the Delay phase, in response to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Full details of each stage in the government action plan can be found here:

To support the delay of the spread of the virus, the Department for Health and Social Care has asked anyone who shows certain symptoms to stay at home for 7 days, regardless of whether they have travelled to affected areas. This means people should stay at home and avoid all but essential contact with others for 7 days from the point of displaying mild symptoms, to slow the spread of infection.

The symptoms are:

You do not need to call NHS 111 to stay at home. If your symptoms worsen during your stay at home period or are no better after 7 days contact NHS 111 online at 111.nhs.uk. If you have no internet access, you should call NHS 111. For a medical emergency dial 999.

Current advice remains in place: no education or children’s social care setting should close in response to a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case unless advised to do so by Public Health England.

The Chief Medical Officer has advised that the impact of closing schools on both children’s education and on the workforce will be substantial, but the benefit to public health may not be. Decisions on future advice to schools will be taken based on the latest and best scientific evidence, which at this stage suggests children are a lower risk group.

Department for Education coronavirus helpline

The Department for Education coronavirus helpline is available to answer questions about COVID-19 relating to education and children’s social care. Staff, parents and young people can contact this helpline as follows:

• Phone: 0800 046 8687
• Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday)