Dear parents and guardians,
Public Health England has sent a letter to all schools to share information on how they should work together to ensure they continue to provide children and young people with the best education in the safest way possible.
Below is a translation of the letter:
One important part of ensuring the safety and well-being of students, parents and our communities is testing for the coronavirus. We all have a responsibility to ensure that the right people have access to testing at the right time. Any time the test is used inappropriately, a person with symptoms of Covid-19 may miss testing.
Therefore, we ask that you all adhere to these principles:
- You should only book the test if your child has any of these three symptoms of coronavirus:
1. high temperature : high temperature in which the child has a fever on the chest or back (the temperature should not be measured)
2. new persistent cough: full-blown coughing for more than an hour or three or more episodes of coughing in 24 hours
3. loss or change in sense of smell or taste: noticeable loss of smell or taste or smell and taste that is different from usual.
- Your child does not need a test if they have a runny nose, sneeze or feel unwell, but do not have a fever, cough or loss or change in smell or taste, as these are not usually symptoms of the coronavirus.
- If you’re not sure whether to get tested, check the official list of symptoms on the NHS website, which is regularly reviewed: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/
- Only the person with symptoms should get tested. You do not need to get tested for anyone else in your household unless they also have any of the three symptoms listed above. All household members should self-isolate while waiting for their test results.
- If a person with symptoms tests positive, other members of their household should continue self-isolation for 14 days and will only get tested if they develop symptoms of coronavirus.
- If a student in a class or bubble tests positive for the coronavirus, anyone advised to self-isolate does not need a test, unless they subsequently develop symptoms.
No one from the same class or bubble as the symptomatic person needs to take any action unless advised by the school. Schools have detailed guidance and access to the Department for Education and Public Health England helpline for all advice and support.
Contacts of a person who has had a positive test must carefully and fully follow the guidelines, which means they must stay at home for 14 days. This is because it can take several days after contact with an infected person before an individual develops symptoms or the virus can be detected. Students should only book a test if they develop symptoms.
The NHS has produced some guidelines to help parents understand when their child can and cannot attend school, which you may find useful:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
It is vital for children’s education and future opportunities that they can return to school and college. It is therefore vital that we all work together and do everything we can to make this possible.
Respectfully,
Professor Viv Bennett CBE Dr. Susan Hopkins
Chief Nurse and Director of Maternity and Interim Chief Medical Officer | NHS Test & Trace
Early Years | Public Health England Deputy Director | Public Health England
Head of the World Health Organisation Consultant in Infectious Diseases &
Collaborating Center for Public Health Microbiology Royal Free, London
Nursing and Midwifery
Follow me on Twitter: @VivJBennett
