Return to School

How will schools keep my child safe, if they cannot stay two metres away from others

The government advice on reopening schools’ states that, unlike older children and adults, early years and primary age children cannot be expected to remain two metres apart from each other and staff. In deciding to bring more children back to early years and primary schools, this was considered.

Schools are introducing many different measures to support social distancing between pupils and staff, including smaller class sizes and keeping children in small groups. This is in addition to many other effective infection control measures, including handwashing, cleaning and ensuring people with symptoms stay away from school.

Together, these measures will significantly reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection even when strict social distancing is not always possible.

What support is available for me to educate my child at home?

You may find information on your school website, or other reputable sources such as the BBC and the Department for Education. The Tower Hamlets website has a comprehensive list of Stay at Home resources, which includes education resources.

My school is still shut. Can I send my child to a different school?

Yes, contact your child’s school for more information or contact our Family Information Service on 020 7364 6495 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).

Should my child/should staff be wearing a mask and gloves?

No. It is not recommended in an education setting. PPE is available in schools, where it may be needed (eg someone becomes ill and needs to self-isolate at school before going home).

What are the risks of my child carrying a virus and infecting my household?

Children are likely to become infected with coronavirus (COVID-19) at roughly the same rate as adults, but the infection is usually mild.

The risk is currently considered to be small and that is why the government is recommending that schools open to more pupils.

Our school cannot eliminate the risk of infection entirely, but we are adopting sensible measures to manage and the reduce the risk.

The first defence against infection remains self-isolation. If your child, or someone in your household, has coronavirus or symptoms of coronavirus - do not send your child to school.

If a child, or member of staff, becomes ill whilst at school then they will be isolated and sent home.

If you have symptoms, visit 111.nhs.uk

What are the five tests?

The government said on Thursday 28 May it would only reopen schools if their five tests were met, these are:

  1. The NHS has sufficient capacity to provide critical care and specialist treatment right across the UK
  2. A sustained and consistent fall in daily deaths from Coronavirus
  3. Reliable data to show that the rate of infection is decreasing to manageable levels across the board
  4. Operational challenges including testing and PPE are in hand with supply able to meet future demand
  5. Confident that any adjustments to the current measures will not risk a second peak of infections that could overwhelm the NHS

Travel advice for going to/from school

  • Walk, scooter or cycle to/from school where possible – transmission is lower outdoors and it is easier to maintain social distance. It is also good to help children be healthy, get fit after long periods indoors, and exercise helps to improve your mood.
  • Avoid using public transport. Consider traveling at quieter times. Consider using a face covering – this is for the benefit of others in case you have COVID-19, there is no evidence that it protects you. PPE should be reserved for clinical settings (eg hospitals).
  • If using a car is unavoidable, use a private vehicle (not a taxi) and do not share your car, or enter a car, with people not from your household. Please try to park a few streets from the school and finish the journey on foot. This is to make the area around the school safe for people who are walking/cycling and will mean you are not polluting the air that school children are breathing.
Accelerated Reader

"Your school was such an eye opener and was such a lovely day. I couldn't believe how polite, welcoming and hard working students all were! And of course really nice to be in a school that promotes creativeness and cultural diversity. Had a very positive

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