With the Government moving to their ‘Living with Covid’ strategy, it is important that we provide families with the latest information regarding managing children’s absence.
There is now an assumption that testing will not occur as PCR tests are not routinely available and LFD tests are no longer free of charge. Consequently, the management of children who may be unwell is to be the same as with any other respiratory illness.
What do I do if my child is unwell?
As with cold virus’s, if your child is unwell, parents/carers have to make a judgement about whether they are able to come into school.
If a child has a temperature (37.8 or above), they should not be in school until the temperature has reduced. If we find that a child’s temperature in school is =high, we will contact parents/carers to collect.
If a child is under the weather, has a runny nose etc. this does not mean they should be absent from school as they may be more than able to manage the day. However, if a child is clearly too unwell to be in, we know parents/carers will make the decision to keep a child at home for the minimum amount of time required to recover.
What if I have tested my child and they have Covid-19?
As there is still some access to LFD tests in the short term, some children may be identified as having Covid-19. If this is the case, the child will need to be at home for three days after the test result or symptoms. For example:
- Test is taken and positive on Friday – Day Zero
- Child stays at home Friday (0), Saturday (1), Sunday (2) and Monday (3)
- Child returns to school on Tuesday
Management of School Attendance
All attendance will once again be managed in the same way as before Covid-19.
Children should attend for at least 96% of the time to give them the best chance of succeeding in school (maximum 9 days absence in the year).
If children fall below 90%, there will be focused monitoring by school. Where there is inadequate improvement, a referral will be made to the Legal Intervention Team which would lead to a fine.
