As an Academy, the health, safety and wellbeing of our pupils, parents and staff is of the utmost importance and we are working incredibly hard, alongside the Trust and the appropriate authorities to provide a safe teaching and learning environment and minimise the risk of COVID-19 as much as possible.

As the circumstances regarding COVID-19 continue to evolve, we have created this central information hub to ensure our parents and carers receive the most up-to-date information.

At Stanground Academy, the following bubbles are currently self-isolating as a precautionary measure:

Year Bubble	End of isolation
Year 11	22 March 2021 - students may return on 23/3
Year 9	22 March 2021 - students may return on 23/3

I hope this finds you well and you are staying safe and healthy during this unprecedented time.

I am writing to you today, to inform you that we have been advised by Public Health England of a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the Academy.

In line with the latest government and Public Health England advice, the affected people, identified through our contact tracing process, are now self-isolating as a precautionary measure.

I appreciate this may cause some concern but I want to reassure you that, as an Academy, we take the health, safety and wellbeing of our pupils, staff and the wider school, community extremely seriously and are working in partnership with the local public health authority to ensure the appropriate steps are taken. We are also working closely with the Department for Education, and the Trust, to ensure the risk of further transmission continues to be minimised as much as possible, and we will remain in contact with our parents and carers to provide regular updates and information.

Additionally, our contact tracing and robust health and safety measures have allowed us to effectively respond to this matter and ensure the Academy continues to be safe for all other pupils and staff, and your child should continue to attend if they remain in good health and not show any COVID-19 symptoms.

In the meantime, I would also like to take this opportunity to remind you of the steps that we can all take to reduce the risk of spreading infection. These simple measures are:

If your child, a household member or a member of your support bubble develops any of the following symptoms, we ask that you notify the school immediately and arrange a test by visiting https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by phoning 119.

• a new continuous cough
• a high temperature
• a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

If your child develops any of these symptoms, they must not come to school and should remain at home for at least 10 days from the date when their symptoms appeared. All other household members who remain well, must stay at home and not leave the house for 10 \days from the date when their symptoms appeared. This includes anyone in your ‘Support Bubble’.

Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection.

If your child or anyone in the household does develop symptoms, you can seek further advice from NHS 111 at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/ or by phoning 111.

As a community, we can also help reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 by:

• washing your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
• using hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
• washing your hands as soon as you get home
• covering your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
• putting used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards

I know these are challenging circumstances for our pupils, staff and wider school community and would like to thank you for your ongoing support during this time.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Academy or use the following link to access further information: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/.

Yours faithfully

Gary Carlile
Principal