Coronavirus
UPDATED 17 MARCH 2020
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’re getting in touch to let you know what we’re doing in light of this, and what we expect from all of you, to help make sure our school community keeps safe and calm.
We’d like to reassure you that Kingsway Park High School are taking all of the necessary steps to protect our community and are continuing to follow official guidance from the government, Public Health England, the Department for Education and Rochdale Council.
What’s the current situation?
The school remains open – this is the current official guidance we have been given.
School continues to run as normal. However, trips and events will be postponed or cancelled until further notice.
Students should attend unless they have any complex health problems or feel unwell – if your child has any of the following symptoms they should remain at home for 14 days:
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- A new, involuntary, continuous cough and/or
- A high temperature of 37.8 or above (hot to touch on chest or back).
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If your child is unwell, report this as you would normally by phoning 01706 716761 and leaving a message on the attendance line.
We’ll keep you up to date with any changes to the current situation.
What we’re doing to protect and support pupils and staff:
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- If a student shows any symptoms whilst on school premises our first aid team will contact you and arrange for them to be sent home.
- Our cleaning routines continue, focusing on keeping surfaces clean and sanitized.
- Yesterday, all students received more information on the importance of hand-washing and personal hygiene to minimize the spread of infection.
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What we need you to do
If you’ve recently changed your contact details, please inform the school office as soon as possible via 01706 716761
Talk to your children about the coronavirus. It’s an uncertain time and we should make sure children feel supported. BBC Newsround has regular updates for younger children and YoungMinds has practical steps older children can take to help with anxiety
Come and collect your child straight away, if we ask you to (we’ll contact you if they become ill with either a temperature or a new, continuous cough)
We are preparing for a possible school closure, should it be necessary, and our aim is to continue to teach via remote learning platforms from home. More information will follow shortly on this.
What happens if the school has to close?
We will only close if we’re either officially advised to do so or we don’t have enough staff to run the school.
In either case, we will:
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- Alert parents via an SMS text message and message on our website: www.kingswaypark.org
- Teaching will continue wherever possible either via homework sent home with your children or instructions on how to access on-line lessons through our website.
- Alert parents about school re-opening via an SMS text and message on our website.
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Please keep in mind that we’re only sending out this information to help the school community prepare. There are currently no plans to close.
If you have any questions
Please consult the:
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- School office, if you have any questions about our response to this issue
- 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
- Department for Education’s coronavirus helpline: 0800 046 8687, if you have any questions about the government’s response to coronavirus in relation to schools
- Government’s travel advice, if you want to know whether any upcoming trip or holiday you’re taking abroad should go ahead
It’s a difficult time and we know you are worried about the impact this might have on our community and your child’s education. It’s important that we take the necessary steps to keep each other safe and get back to normality as soon as possible.
Thank you for your continued support.
Yours faithfully
Deborah Ball
Headteacher
