Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Junior School

Processes for People Showing Symptoms

What are the symptoms?

The main symptoms of COVID-19 are:

• new continuous cough and/or
• fever (temperature of 37.8°C or higher)
• loss of or change in, normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia) Children may also display gastrointestinal symptoms.

What is the mode of transmission?

COVID-19 is passed from person to person mainly by large respiratory droplets and direct contact (close unprotected contact, usually less than one metre). These droplets can be directly inhaled by the person, or can land on surfaces which another person may touch which can lead to infection if they then touch their nose, mouth or eyes.

What is the incubation period?

The incubation period (i.e. time between exposure to the virus and developing symptoms) is between 1 and 14 days (median 5 days).

When is a person infectious?

A person is thought to be infectious 48 hours before symptoms appear, and up to seven days after they start displaying symptoms.

Are children at risk of infection?

Children of all ages can catch the infection but children make up a very small proportion of COVID-19 cases with about 1% of confirmed cases in England aged under 19 years. Children also have a much lower risk of developing symptoms or severe disease.

Can children pass on the infection?

There is some uncertainty about how much asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic children can transmit the disease but the evidence so far from a number of studies suggests children are less likely to pass it on and do not appear to play a major role in transmission. Most children with COVID-19 have caught the infection from adults and not the reverse. This is unlike ‘flu.

Why is PPE not recommended for teachers and children?

Transmission of Covid-19 is usually through droplets; the mainstay of control measures are minimising contact and thorough hand and respiratory hygiene. When these measures are maintained, and symptomatic persons are excluded, the risk is minimal.

When will PPE be used in school?

PPE will be used by school staff when administering first aid, when supporting pupils with personal hygiene and when supporting anyone (a child or an adult) who is displaying symptoms for Covid-19.

What to do if a child is unable to attend school because they have COVID-19 symptoms:

Anyone who develops symptoms of COVID-19, or whose household member develops symptoms, should immediately self-isolate. They should not attend school and should follow the steps below.

• Parent/Carer should notify the school of their absence by phone immediately.

• Follow Stay at home guidance for isolation advice for child and their households. The person with symptoms should isolate for 10 days starting from the first day of their symptoms and the rest of their household for 14 days.

• The child should get tested via NHS UK or by contacting NHS 119 via telephone if they do not have internet access. This would also apply to any parent or household member who develops symptoms.

• School will follow up if the test has taken place and inform Governor services of the outcome.

• If a parent / carer does not engage with the testing process – school will request support from governor services to support parent / carer with the process.

• If confirmation of laboratory diagnosis is delayed (failure to get a test appointment within 3 days of developing symptoms) the following actions should be followed:
  • The symptomatic child needs to be excluded for 10 days
  • Siblings from the same household who attend school should be excluded for 14 days
  • Any other household contacts should self-isolate for 14 days

• If the pupil with symptoms cannot get a test appointment within 3 days of onset of symptoms please contact school.

What will happen if your child falls ill whilst at school:

If anyone becomes unwell with a new continuous cough, a high temperature or a loss of or change in their normal sense of taste or smell they must be sent home as soon as possible

• While a child is awaiting collection, they will be moved, if possible, to a designated isolation room where they can be isolated behind a closed door and the window in the room will be open for ventilation. Depending on the age of the child a member of staff will remain outside of the room and they will monitor your child through the glass panel. A member of staff will monitor the child in the room for younger children. If it is not possible to isolate them, the child will be moved to an area which is at least 2 metres away from other people.

• If they need to go to the bathroom whilst waiting to be collected, if possible they will use a separate bathroom.

• The isolation room (and bathroom, if used) will be cleaned following the PHE guidance once the child has been collected.

• If a 2 metre distance cannot be maintained (because the child has to be monitored by staff inside the isolation room) then the following PPE will be worn by the supervising staff member:

Fluid-resistant surgical face mask

• If direct contact with the child is necessary, and there is significant risk of contact with bodily fluids, then the following PPE should be worn by the supervising staff member

Disposable gloves Disposable plastic apron

Fluid-resistant surgical face mask

Eye protection (goggles, visor) will be worn ONLY if a risk assessment determines that there is a risk of fluids entering the eye from, for example, coughing, spitting or vomiting

• The school will record and keep details of the use of the isolation room in case it is needed for future case or outbreak management.

• Follow the guidance above regarding isolation and testing.

What will happen if a member of staff falls ill at school:

• If a member of staff falls ill and they can drive themselves home, they will do so immediately.

• Where an adult needs to be collected they will be removed to a room where they can be isolated with the door closed and a window open for ventilation.

• All areas that have been used should be cleaned down using schools usual cleaning materials following PHE guidance.

• If it is not possible to isolate them, they will be moved to an area that is at least 2 metres away from other people.

• Staff will follow the guidance above regarding isolation and follow Government guidance regarding testing for essential workers.

If a child who attends or staff member who works at an educational setting tests positive for COVID-19 then school will use the guidance below to appropriately identify and exclude close contacts if appropriate.

The school will follow the steps below:

 ·The confirmed case should be advised to self-isolate until the latest of:

• 10 days after the onset of their symptoms

or

• 10 days after their test day if they asymptomatic

The headteacher or appropriate member of the leadership team at the educational setting will gather the following information to assist with identification of close contacts:

• The case’s date of onset of their illness, the date on which they were

tested, and their attendance record at school

• The case’s bubble

The INFECTIOUS PERIOD IS FROM 2 DAYS BEFORE ONSET OF

 SYMPTOMS (or the date of test if they don’t have symptoms) UNTIL 10

DAYS AFTER SYMPTOMS STARTED

• If the staff member or pupil has not been at school during the infectious period, the school does NOT need to take any further action.

• If the staff member or pupil has been at school during the infectious period, the headteacher should identify direct and close contacts of the case during the 48 hours prior to the child or staff member falling ill. The social distancing measures put in place by educational settings outside the classroom should reduce the number of other direct/close contacts.

All close contacts should be excluded from school for 14 days following their last contact with the case. For example, if the case tests positive on Thursday and was last in school on the previous Monday the first day of the 14 day period is on the Monday. Household members of contacts do not need to self-isolate unless the contact develops symptoms.

Close/direct contact is considered to be:

• • being coughed on, or
  • having a face-to-face conversation within 1 metre, or o  having unprotected skin-to-skin physical contact, or o travel in a small vehicle with the case, or
  • any contact within 1 metre for 1 minute or longer without face- to-face contact
  • extended close contact (between 1 and 2 metres for more than 15 minutes) with a case

• The school will send to the identified close contacts and their families a standard letter containing the advice.

Contacts will not be tested unless they develop symptoms. If a contact should develop symptoms, then the parent/carer should arrange for the child to be tested via NHS UK or by contacting NHS 119 via telephone if they do not have internet access This would also apply to any parent or household member who develops symptoms.

Cases and Contacts

Should a child come to school if a member of their household is unwell?

No. If a member of the child’s household is unwell with COVID-19 symptoms then the child should isolate for 14 days starting from the day the household member(s) became ill. If the child subsequently develops symptoms then they should isolate for 10 days from the date they developed symptoms. See Stay-at- home-guidance above. The household member(s) should be tested within 5 days of symptom onset. If all symptomatic household members test negative, the child can return to work.

If school is notified by a parent that their child is ill, will the other children in their class be excluded (authorised absence)?

No, classmates and staff can attend school as normal. The child who is ill should stay at home (Stay-at-home-guidance) and be advised to get tested. If the child has any siblings who attend the school they should also be self-isolating at home for 14 days. If the child tests positive for COVID-19, direct and proximity contacts should be excluded for 14 days.

Who is considered a contact in a school setting?

A person who wore appropriate PPE or maintained appropriate social distancing (over 2 metres) would not be classed as a contact.

A contact is defined as a person who has had contact (see below) at any time from 48 hours before onset of symptoms (or test if asymptomatic) to 10 days after onset of symptoms (or test):

• • a person who has had face-to-face contact (within one metre) with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), including:
    • being coughed on, or
    • having a face-to-face conversation, or
    • having skin-to-skin physical contact, or
    • any contact within one metre for one minute or longer without face- to-face contact

• • a person who has been within 2 metres of someone who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) for more than 15 minutes

• • a person who has travelled in a small vehicle with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) or in a large vehicle near someone who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19)

• • people who spend significant time in the same household as a person who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19)

Which contacts need to self-isolate?

Where the child, young person or staff member tests positive and they had attended the school in the 48 hours prior to developing symptoms, direct and close contacts will be identified and will be excluded from school for 14 days following their last contact with the case.

Please note: The other household members of that wider class or group do not need to self-isolate unless the child, young person or staff member they live with in that group subsequently develops symptoms.

Can the siblings of a child who has been excluded because they are a contact of a case attend school?

Yes, other household members of the contact do not need to self-isolate unless the child, young person or staff member they live with in that group subsequently develops symptoms.

A child/parent reports to school that they have had contact with someone with symptoms – what should the school do?

There is no action required of the school. No-one with symptoms should be attending school and anyone who develops symptoms while at school should be isolated and sent home as soon as possible.

If a child has COVID-19 symptoms, gets tested and tests negative, can they return to school even if they still have symptoms?

If the child is NOT a known contact of a confirmed case the child can return to school if the result is negative, provided they feel well and they have not had a fever for 48 hours.

If the child is a contact of a confirmed case they must stay off school for the 14 day isolation period, even if they test negative. This is because they can develop the infection at any point up to day 14 (the incubation period for COVID- 19), so if a child tests negative on day 3 they may still go on to develop the infection.

If a child who was a contact of a confirmed case tests negative, can they return to school?

No, the child should complete 14 days of isolation.

If the school get confirmed cases does the school need to close?

The school does not need to close on public health grounds. Schools will generally only need to close if they have staff shortages due to illness or being identified as contacts. It is expected that only the class of a confirmed case will need to be excluded. If there are a number of confirmed cases across different classes and year groups at the same time then the school may be advised to close by the Health Protection Team in consultation with other partners.

Testing

How can a parent arrange testing?

The parent can arrange for any child to be tested via NHS UK or by contacting NHS 119 via telephone if they do not have internet access.

Will the school be informed of any test results?

The school will be informed if a child or staff member tests positive as part of NHS Test and Trace. The school will not be informed of any negative results.

Can anyone be tested if they do not have symptoms? No. People should only be tested if they have symptoms. High Risk Groups

Should children who are shielding (classed as clinically extremely vulnerable due to pre-exisiting medical conditions) attend school?