St Anne's Catholic School St Anne's Catholic School

Parent Update 1st March 2022

1st March 2022

Dear Parents,

Welcome to the new half term! We hope you had a good break. It is national offer day, and we are delighted to welcome all those starting with us in year 7 in September of which many are younger sisters of pupils already in the school.

Ukraine

As a school community, we are horrified by what we are seeing taking place in the Ukraine. We stand in solidarity with all those who are victims of war and violence. We have spoken to pupils about it over the last few days to help them understand what is happening, and to give them a chance to voice any worries they have. The DfE have released a blog with some tips and advice for schools and parents, and our local Southampton NHS Mental Health Team have published the attached resource for supporting conversations about what is happening. If you want more support as a parent with this, don't hesitate to contact your daughter's head of year.

COVID

With the national changes to the regulations around COVID over the half term, here are some updates on what is happening at St Anne's:

Self-isolation rules

The law has now changed, but guidance remains the same. See the NHS website for more information.

In essence, if your child has the main COVID symptoms, or tests positive for COVID through any test, they should stay home while they are still infectious, and let us know.

They can do a rapid lateral flow test from 5 days after their symptoms started (or the day they had the test if they do not have symptoms) and another the next day. If both tests are negative and they do not have a high temperature, they are less likely to pass COVID-19 to others and they can return to school. If their test result is positive on day 5, they can carry on doing rapid lateral flow tests every day until they get 2 negative test results in a row. By day 10, they will no longer be infectious and can return to school, even if rapid lateral flow tests are still positive.

Face coverings

These remain optional for staff and students to wear. As we start this new half term, the majority of pupils and staff are still choosing to wear them around school.

Saliva Testing

We continue to offer saliva testing for anyone that would like to complete it every Monday and Thursday. We still had lots on Monday despite the national decision to stop expecting twice weekly testing, so thank you for your continued vigilance. Please do keep testing.

Vaccinations:

Information from NHS: Information for parents of pupils aged 5 to 17 years old on the vaccination programme

Vaccinations help to increase protection against COVID-19, which is particularly important for those with underlying health conditions. Being vaccinated minimises the need for children and young people to have time off from school or college, and helps them to continue to carry out their hobbies, attend social events and live their lives to the full.

We have published some frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the vaccination programme including information on eligibility, accessibility and advice for parents of children at high risk from COVID-19.

Guidance on how to book appointments for children aged 12 years and over is available on the NHS website. Further information on the vaccination of high risk children aged 5 to 11 years old is available in the guide for parents of children aged 5 to 11 years published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

God Bless

Mr Rouse

Headteacher

How to talk to your child about whats happening in Ukraine .pdf