Coronavirus Update: Prestatyn High Guidance

As you are probably aware, the government’s guidance on the coronavirus has changed from the ‘contain’ phase to one of delaying the spread of the virus. We are getting in touch to let you know what the school is doing in light of this, and what we expect from all of you, to help make sure our school community keeps safe and calm during this difficult period. We’d like to reassure you that at Prestatyn High we’re taking all of the necessary steps to protect our community and are continuing to follow official guidance from the Welsh Government, Public Health Wales and Denbighshire County Council.

What is the current situation?
• The school remains open – this is the current official guidance we’ve been given.
• So far, all parts of the school are open and will be running as normal.
• All physical education will continue but will be limited to non-contact sports and activities. Where possible, they will take place in large spaces with limited equipment. All competitions and fixtures have been cancelled for an indefinite period.
• Pupils should attend unless they feel unwell – if your child has any of the following symptoms, they should remain at home for 14 days:
o a new, continuous cough and/or
o a high temperature
o If your child is unwell, report this to the school as you would normally

School trips abroad at the moment have been banned by the government. We will contact all parents whose children are involved in the following trips abroad:
• The MFL department France trip has been cancelled
• The PE department trip to Holland has been cancelled
• The Science trip to CERN is pending a decision
All events not directly linked with teaching have been cancelled. This means that, unfortunately, the Awards Evening and the 6th Form Taster Evening have been cancelled. Staff have cancelled all external meetings, where possible, along with visits and courses. All governors meetings have been postponed.

All examinations are still scheduled to run on the same dates.

We will keep you up to date with any changes to the current situation.

What we are doing to protect and support pupils and staff:
• We are reminding pupils and staff about hygiene and how to keep safe.
• We are supporting all pupils experiencing anxiety at this time.
• Staff and pupils are consistently reminded about the importance of washing hands and we communicate regularly about this virus.
• We have hand sanitiser located around the school and in offices.
• We have disconnected the open spout water fountains in school to reduce infection. The bottle filler water fountains are cleaned regularly and remain in use.

What we need pupils to do

• Wash hands often – with soap and water, especially when they arrive in school after using public transport, after visiting the toilet, after break, before eating food and before leaving school.
• Covering their nose and mouth if they cough or sneeze with a tissue, throwing the tissue in the bin.
• If they feel unwell, please stay at home.
• If they start feeling unwell during the day, inform a member of staff immediately.
• Avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with other people, especially if they are unwell.

What we need you to do

• Ensure that your child is healthy before sending him/her to school.
• If you have recently changed your contact details, please inform the school office as soon as possible via email, letter or telephone.
• Talk to your children about the coronavirus. It’s a scary time and we should make sure children feel supported.
• Ensure all children have appropriate equipment in school; sharing is not acceptable. Provide paper tissues in school bags.
• Come and collect your child straight away, if we ask you to (we will contact you if they become ill with either a high temperature or a new, continuous cough).
• Ensure that your child has access to our website as we are currently uploading a full curriculum and pupil content for all year groups to complete whilst absent. Let us know if there are any issues by contacting websupport@prestatynhigh.co.uk (so we can make sure we’re well prepared for remote learning if the school does need to close at some point).

What happens if the school has many staff absences?

• We will try our best to keep the school open if some staff members are unable to work. However, this may have an impact on the school day.  We will be operating in order to ensure the least disruption possible to our learners’ education, and will prioritise examination groups, if necessary.

What happens if the school has to close?

• We will only close if we are either officially advised to do so or we do not have enough staff to run the school. In either case, we will alert parents to the closure via the Denbighshire County Council website, School Comms/School Gateway and a post on our website/Twitter account.
• This will be the same method used in letting parents know when the school will be reopened.
• We plan to set work for pupils through the website. Our teachers are currently uploading work onto this site as a precautionary step. We will be prioritising examination groups.

Please keep in mind that we are only sending out this information to help the school community prepare. There are currently no plans to close.

If you have any questions about our response to this issue, please consult the school office. Please consult the NHS if you want to know more about the symptoms of coronavirus. If you think you or your child may have the symptoms, use NHS 111 online if at all possible before calling 111.

It’s a difficult time and we know you’re worried about the impact this might have on our community. It’s important we keep each other safe and follow the guidance we get from the government and health board.

Prestatyn High School will postpone its Sixth Form Information and PHS Awards evenings, originally planned for March 17th/24th, to later this year.
The health and safety of our pupils, staff and, our wider community and staff are of utmost importance.

This guidance will assist schools, childcare and other educational settings

in providing advice for pupils, students, staff and parents or carers

regarding:

1. Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

2. How to prevent the spread of disease

3. Cases and contacts in educational and childcare settings

Download the full NHS WALES / PUBLIC HEALTH WALES guide here – PHW Novel Coronoavirus (COVID19) guidance for schools (1)

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Re: Coronavirus concerns

As you will be aware the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) is causing increasing problems across many countries. We take the health and safety of our pupils and staff very seriously, so we’re sharing guidance from Public Health Wales on steps you should be taking.

The NHS says the symptoms of Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, are a cough, a high temperature and shortness of breath – but they could also indicate other common illnesses such as a cold or flu.

How can you stop COVID-19 spreading?

• After you cough or sneeze and before touching food, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use a hand disinfectant containing >60% alcohol.
• If you need to cough or sneeze, catch it in a tissue, throw it into the bin, wipe it off by washing your hands with soap and water or a hand disinfectant. If there is no tissue, cough into your elbow
• Avoid close contact with people who appear unwell and avoid sharing personal items.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects /surfaces in the home and work environments

There’s currently no cause for concern at the school. We will in turn keep you informed about any developments.

The following table might be of help to parents/guardians with regard to action to take depending on countries/arears visited. It is of upmost importance that if you travel outside of the UK that you check the most up to date information before your child return to school.

https://phw.nhs.wales/news/public-health-wales-statement-on-novel-coronavirus-outbreak-in-china/

Please be aware that this information is correct as of the 27th of February.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Pupils of the week for week commencing 27/1/20. These pupils scored the highest praise points in their year groups last week, an amazing achievement by all, well done!