Dear Parent/Carer
We are not aware of any cases of suspected or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) at Workington Academy.
Following the government COBRA meeting yesterday, England has now moved to the ‘delay’ phase. This means advice to schools and families has now changed. Schools will currently stay open, and you are advised to take these actions if your children display any of the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Persistent dry cough
- Shortness of breath
If any of these symptoms are present your child must not come to school for seven days.
If students display mild symptoms parents/carers are asked not to call 111 unless these symptoms become severe or you are worried in any way that you or your child may have contracted coronavirus. If you have contacted the NHS, please then notify the school about the action you have been asked to take.
The current guidance is that if there is a confirmed case in the school then Public Health England (PHE) will advise on the appropriate and proportionate steps to take. Where a pupil is self-isolating due to contact with a confirmed case the current national advice is that schools should remain open.
The most important advice is to limit the spread of the virus. Health-care professionals stress the importance of hygiene and hand washing. They recommend:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water
- Catch it, Bin it, Kill it: Covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throwing the tissue in a bin
- People who feel unwell should stay at home
Students, staff and visitors should wash their hands:
- After using public transport
- Before leaving home and on arrival at school
- After using the toilet
- After breaks and sporting activities
- Before eating any food, including snacks
I would like to reassure you that the health and wellbeing of students and staff is our top priority. Having carefully considered the current situation, we are going to take the following measures with immediate effect:
- Progress evenings will not go ahead as planned, this includes the Y7 Progress Evenings scheduled for the 18 March and 25 March 2020.
- Trips and visits will be cancelled or postponed in line with the government’s guidance. We will endeavour to communicate any changes made in a timely fashion.
- We will review whether sports fixtures go ahead and inform teams as soon as possible. It is likely that all sports fixtures will be cancelled.
- We will minimise visitors to school. Anyone who does come into reception will be asked to sanitise their hands and be shown a copy of the Public Health England leaflet ‘Advice on coronavirus for places of education’.
We will continue to put in appropriate measures with all students as outlined in my previous letter dated 4 March 2020.
We will continue to monitor the coronavirus situation closely and follow the advice from Public Health England and the Department for Education. The Department for Education’s advice page for schools can be found using the link below:
Yours sincerely
Des Bird
Headteacher
