St Joseph's Academy – East Ayrshire

We know that the overwhelming majority of our young people can currently access Glow. In the event that you cannot access glow, you can ask any teacher to reset your password today. If you are at home and require a password reset, or have another Glow issue, please let us know via the contact us page of this site.

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/ea/stjosephsacademy/contact-us/

Dear Parent/Carer,

In an address this afternoon, the First Minister acknowledged that the most recent advice around potential self-isolation will result in some practical challenges for schools. With this in mind, I want to share with you some information around online provision of learning and teaching. It is hoped that all members of our school community will take a balanced, realistic view of what is and is not possible at this time. We are duty bound to prepare and deliver lessons in school, and are simultaneously tasked with trying our best to provide access to online learning experiences for those self-isolating.

I would like to stress that in accordance with NHS and government advice, all young people should be in school if they have no reason to self-isolate. A number of parents/carers have informed us of the fact that young people are not attending school as a precautionary measure.  While I empathise with the predicament families face when deciding to take precautionary measures, it would not be fair or appropriate to expect that elective absence outwith government advice can be supported by the delivery of online learning. It is not possible for staff to simultaneously teach classes and engage in widespread online delivery.

By way of clarity:

• While school remains open, priority will be given to the preparation and delivery of lessons in school
• Where staff have to self-isolate, there is potential for classes not having a subject specialist. However, at the time of writing this is not yet the case within our school. This may change given the challenges the most up to date guidance may bring
• Where pupils have to self-isolate, they will miss lessons delivered in school by school staff. During a self-isolation period, it may or may not be possible for young people to work online, but they may wish to access online material as follows
  • In the short term, we encourage S4-S6 pupils to access SQA and Scholar materials via the SQA website and Glow
  • In the short term, we encourage S1-S3 pupils to access BBC Bitesize Third and Fourth Level content – https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
• Over time, our own portfolio of online materials will increase and will be shared via Glow Groups/Teams
• Given the proximity to SQA exams, priority will be given to uploading materials for pupils in S4-S6

We have extensive contingency plans in place in the event of a school closure, and anticipate that all staff would be engaged in online provision on an ongoing regular basis.  However, while we remain open, we cannot enact these contingency plans fully. As such there can be no realistic expectation on my part that staff simultaneously teach classes and engage in extensive online delivery. This does not mean that we are not already doing all we can to upload content to our Glow site. Rather, it means we request patience in what is a unique set of circumstances.

Please do not hesitate to contact me using the ‘Contact Us’ page of our website if you have any concerns in relation to the above.  Finally, I urge all parents/carers to regularly check the latest government advice in relation to self-isolation. If reporting pupil absence, please state clearly if the absence is due to self-isolation as a result of following government guidance. This will allow us to capture absence appropriately.

Kind Regards

Mr Kane

Please see undernoted letter from Linda McAulay-Griffiths, Head of Education.

We are sharing the latest advice for schools and educational settings on our homepage. This advice is provided by Health Protection Scotland, and will be updated as and when any new guidance is released.  The advice is aimed at school staff but is shared here to alert parents/carers to the procedures we have been advised to follow.

Advice if a young person or staff member reports that they feel unwell when in school and believes that they may have been exposed to COVID-19. 

Call the GP or NHS24 (111) or 999 in an emergency (if they are seriously ill or injured or their life is at risk), and explain the possibility of exposure to COVID-19 in the last 14 days. You can do this on their behalf if this is easier. People who become unwell should be advised not to go to their GP, pharmacy, urgent care centre or a hospital. Whilst you wait for advice or an ambulance to arrive, try to find somewhere safe for the unwell person to sit which is at least two metres away from other people. If possible, find a room or area where they can be isolated behind a shut door, such as a staff office. If it is possible to open a window, do so for ventilation. They should avoid touching people, surfaces and objects and be advised to cover their mouth and nose with a disposable tissue when they cough or sneeze and put the tissue in the bin. If no bin is available, put the tissue in a bag or pocket for disposing later. If you don’t have any tissues available, they should cough and sneeze into the crook of their elbow. The room must be cleaned once they leave. If required, identify suitable toilet facilities that only the pupil/staff member will use. Make sure that children know to tell a member of staff if they feel unwell.

Advice if a young person or staff member is suspected of having COVID-19 and is awaiting test results

For those who are in contact with a suspected case in an early learning and childcare or educational setting, no restrictions or special control measures are required while laboratory test results for COVID-19 are awaited unless otherwise advised by your local health protection team. There is no need to close the setting or send other learners or staff home. You should contact your local Health Protection Team for advice before issuing any wider communications, always bearing in mind the confidentiality of the person who is unwell. Therefore, until the outcome of test results is known there is no action that staff members need to take. People who test negative for COVID-19 will be advised individually about return to education/childcare settings.

Advice if a young person or staff member is diagnosed as having COVID-19

The early learning and childcare or educational setting will be contacted by the local Health Protection Team to discuss the case, identify people who have been in contact with them and advise on any actions or precautions that should be taken. An assessment of each early learning and childcare or education setting will be undertaken by the Health Protection Team with relevant staff. Advice on the management of pupils or students and staff will be based on this assessment. The Health Protection Team will also be in contact with the patient directly to advise on isolation and identifying other contacts, and will be in touch with any contacts of the patient to provide them with appropriate advice. Advice on cleaning of communal areas such as classrooms, changing rooms and toilets will be given by the Health Protection Team. The local Health Protection Team will advise on any closure/restrictions, in consultation with the headteacher and school management team.

Advice if a young person or staff member has been in contact with another member of our school community who has COVID-19 and was symptomatic at the time of contact

If a confirmed case occurs in an educational setting the local Health Protection Team will provide you with advice and will work with the headteacher, principal and/or management team to identify contacts who might require further follow-up.

The definition of a contact includes:

• any child, pupil, student or staff member in close face-to-face or touching contact
  including those undertaking small group work (within two metres of the case for more
  than 15 minutes)
• talking with or being coughed on for any length of time while the individual is
  symptomatic
• anyone who has cleaned up any bodily fluids of the individual
• close friendship groups
• any child, pupil, student or staff member living in the same household as a confirmed
  case, or equivalent setting such as boarding school dormitory or other student
  accommodation

Contacts are not considered cases and if they are well, they are very unlikely to have
spread the infection to others, however:

• they will be asked to self-isolate at home, or within their boarding school dormitory
  room or residential accommodation, for 14 days from the last time they had contact
  with the confirmed case and follow advice for self isolation, which can be found on
  NHS Inform
• the Health Protection Team will advise on follow up requirements
• if they develop any symptoms within their 14-day observation period they should call
  their GP or NHS24 (111) for assessment
• if they become unwell with cough, fever or shortness of breath they will be tested for
  COVID-19
• if they require emergency medical attention, call 999 and tell the call
  handler/ambulance control that the person has a history of potential contact with
  COVID-19
• if they are unwell at any time within their 14-day observation period and they test
  positive for COVID-19 they will become a confirmed case and will be managed
  clinically as indicated.

Family and friends who have not had close contact (as listed above) with the original confirmed case do not need to take any precautions or make any changes to their own activities such as attending early learning and childcare or educational settings or work, unless they become unwell. If they become unwell, they should call their GP or NHS24 (111) and explain their symptoms and discuss any known contact with the case to consider if they need further assessment.

Outside those that are defined as close contacts, the rest of the school/setting does not need to take any precautions or make any changes to their own activities attending educational establishments or work as usual, unless they become unwell. If they become unwell they will be assessed as a suspected case depending on their symptoms. This advice applies to staff and children in the rest of the class/setting who are not in a close friendship group or children undertaking small group work. The decision as to whether children, pupils, students and staff fall into this contact group or the closer contact group will be made between the Health Protection Team, the educational setting and (if they are old enough) the student. Advice should be given as follows:

• if they become unwell with cough, fever or shortness of breath they will be asked to
  self-isolate and should seek medical advice from their GP or NHS24 (111).
• if they are unwell at any time within the 14 days of contact and they are tested and
  are positive for COVID-19 they will become a confirmed case and will be treated as
  such.

The following poster provides advice and guidance for schools. Please click on the poster to see an enlarged version.

For a more detailed overview of advice to schools, please see The Health Protection Scotland guidance https://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/web-resources-container/covid-19-guidance-to-educational-settings/ . This guidance is the key source of advice for all schools and educational settings including early learning and childcare settings.