Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information and Advice

COVID-19 Update Information

If your child has symptoms of COVID-19 or has tested positive for COVID-19, please follow the steps in the flowchart for parents and carers below:

COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS UPDATE – 28th Feb 2022

A reminder that in MK, cases of COVID-19 are higher than those nationally and as such, we have in place additional restrictions advised by the local Health Team in Milton Keynes and in line with our Outbreak Management Plan - our local PH Team will review their recommendations 11th March 2022.

Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support with these measures.

Mrs Zamora

The information below is now archived

On the advice of the Local Director for Public Health, from 4th November we will be introducing some measures to address the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Milton Keynes. 

Please read the Headteacher's letter to parents, the Director of Public Health's letter to parents and the helpful Flow Chart for Parents below. They explain the measure that will be in place from 4th November.

Please find below a document detailing the procedures and measures that will be in place from the start of the new school year (2021-22). The  document is fully in line with the newly issued government guidance for schools regarding Covid-19 from Step 4.

Please do read the document carefully - particularly familiarise yourself with the changes to Drop-off and Pick-up. Please note that this doc was updated on 01/09/21 following updates to government guidance to schools.

Please see the helpful videos below relating to some of the measures in place to support your child's safe return to school.

Please note that the information below relates to the pandemic before 19th July (Step 4)

We were delighted to welcome ALL pupils back to school from March 8th 2021. Please do continue to check this page and the information below for ongoing updates relating to Covid-19.

Click on the link below for resources to support parents and caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

www.covid19parenting.com/tips

Below you can read the September 2020 Full Opening Plan for Parents which details of the safety measures in place of children, staff and parents/carers. 

Videos are also available below along with information/transition videos and very useful advice for parents and carers. 

(If at any time you are returning from a visit abroad, please ensure you are fully up to date with the most recent quarantine requirements: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors)

Summer Term 2020 Phased Wider Opening

We commenced Stage 1 of our wider opening for Nursery, Reception, Y1 and Y6 pupils in addition to continuing our childcare provision for Critical Worker and Vulnerable Children on 1st June.

Our Plan for the phased wider opening has been shared by letter with all parents. The letters can be seen below along with the school's risk assessment. The Wider Opening Plan and Risk Assessment were approved by the Governing Board on 19th May and additional amendments have since been approved.

Stage 2 of our phased wider opening was approved by the governing board on 17th June and commences on w/c 29th June for Y5 pupils; w/c 6th July for Y2 pupils and w/c 13th July Y3 and Y4 pupils. We are delighted that all of our pupils will have the opportunity to spend some time on-site with their teachers and peers before the end of the academic year 2019-20.

The letters below are essential reading for all parents and carers as they detail all of the measures that we are putting in place to keep children, families and staff as safe as possible. Please read the letter relevant to your family carefully so that you understand your role in this. We have also prepared a number of videos to help to explain our plan. They can also be seen below and viewed only when your child is first logged onto Google Classroom with their school email address.

The following videos have been prepared to help you to understand the measures, detailed in the documents above, that have been put in place to make St Bernadette's as safe as possible. 

To watch the videos below, your child will need to be logged into google classroom with their school email address. 

Please see the helpful document below prepared for parents by the government

Heateacher's Information Letter - Coronavirus. 12:30 17/03/2020

Dear Parents, Carers and Staff,

Please read each of the information sections below:

Staffing

As we endeavour to keep the school open unless directed otherwise by the government, it is inevitable that staffing levels at the school will be affected. We will do everything we can to manage the situation and ask that you remain supportive, flexible and understanding as we do the best we can for our children in ever-changing, challenging circumstances.

Helping the most vulnerable

One of my primary concerns at this time to ensure that support is in place for the most vulnerable families with regards to food and other essential items. Food Banks are being sorely affected at this time. At challenging times such as these, it is essential that those who can pull together to help and support. If you can spare any tinned, dried or long-life food or other essentials such as hygiene and sanitary products, please bring them to school and we will distribute them to those in our community who are most in need in the best way we can.  If you think you might be able to help with delivering to doorsteps or have other suggestions of how you can help, please let me know ZamoraJ@stbernadettesschool.com If your family or a family you are aware of within our school community is in need of this type of support, contact me on the same email address. For other communications, please contact me via the school office or telephone as usual. I am also available to speak to each morning at the school gate.

Online Learning

Staff have been preparing to move learning online via Google Classrooms so that we are ready to respond if forced to close.

I have also asked staff to begin populating the online Google Classrooms in order to be able to provide for current self-isolating families.

Your child should now have login details in the back inside cover of their planners for Google Classroom. Please liaise with your child’s teacher if you have not received these details. For those children who are absent currently and have not received the login details, we will endeavour to circulate those to you via email.

You can access a Google Classroom Guide with details on how to login via your child’s Class Blog within our website learning tab: https://www.stbernadettesschool.com/class-blogs/ Please log on, join the classroom and try the test document awaiting your child as soon as possible so that we can iron out any potential glitches as soon as possible.

Please be patient as staff get to grips with this new approach to providing online learning tasks.

Please remember that all of my updates can be found via the dedicated page on the website: https://www.stbernadettesschool.com/coronavirus-covid-19-information-and-advice/

Please keep our school community in your prayers,

Kindest regards,

Mrs Zamora

(Headteacher)

IMPORTANT HEADTEACHER UPDATE CORONAVIRUS 7PM 16^TH MARCH

Dear Parents/Carers and Staff,

Governmental guidance has been updated this evening – it is essential that this guidance is followed by all in our school community.

Please note:

• If one person in any household starts to display symptoms (a new continuous cough and/or a high temperature), EVERYONE living there must stay at home for 14 days. No child or adult exhibiting these symptoms will be permitted to enter the school.

A number of additional measures have been put in place at St Bernadette’s to minimise risk for our children:

• Nursery (FS1) and Reception (FS2) parents, please drop your children at the door and do not enter the classrooms. We are unable to ensure all parents wash their hands on arrival and therefore cannot permit you entry.
• All parents, please do not gather by the classroom door when dropping and collecting children – please stand back and your children will be sent to you when collecting at the end of the day.
• Please ensure that you respond immediately to all phone calls from the school and check your emails regularly.
• All trips and visits planned for the coming months will be postponed or cancelled.
• The Year 3 and Year 4 Easter Performances will not take place to avoid unnecessary visitors entering the school
• Tomorrow’s Stations of the Cross will be the final session of the Lent Season

These are unprecedented times and we must work together as a school community, supporting one another, remaining calm and keeping the school family in our prayers. Please alert me if you are aware of any family in particularly vulnerable circumstances due the virus and the restrictions in place.

Updated Guidance for Schools 16th March

Updated guidance for education settings on coronavirus (COVID-19)

Today, the Department for Education and Public Health England have issued updated guidance for education settings on COVID-19. 

What you need to know:

Update 13th March -AMENDED due to changing guidance received 16th March

In answer to a number of queries we have received, please see the information below:

As a school, we follow governmental guidance which can change at any time. If you are concerned or require additional information, please call 111 and visit the government website. https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response The NHS website has clear advice: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

• We are sorry to inform you that St Bernadette’s Football Festival will not take place on Saturday 28th March. Due to the high numbers of pupils and family members from across Milton Keynes attending, we would not be able to provide the high level of hand and respiratory hygiene that we are required to maintain to mitigate the potential spread of the coronavirus. We hope to be able to reschedule for a future date.

Update 12th March 2019 - amended 16th March

Public Health England has released new guidance today (12^th March).

The symptoms of the coronavirus are listed as:

Recent onset of:

• A new continuous cough, and/or high temperature
• A high temperature

The new key messages are:

If you have symptoms of coronavirus infection (COVID-19), however mild, stay at home and do not leave your house for 14 days from when your symptoms started.  

Therefore, if your child or anyone in your family home has a new continuous cough and/or a high temperature, they must not attend school. Please support us by respecting this new directive.

Headteacher Update 4th March

The Department for Education (DfE) have launched a Coronavirus Helpline. Staff, parents and young people can contact the helpline as follows:

Phone: 0800 046 8687
Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk
Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday)

The current advice from the government regarding school closures is clearly stated: “No school should close in response to a suspected (or confirmed) COVID-19 case unless advised to do so by Public Health England”.

Current advice is as follows:

• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in a bin. Catch it, Bin it, Kill it
• People who feel unwell should stay at home and should not attend work or any education or childcare setting

The government has also given stricter guidelines on handwashing which we are implementing as a school and ask that you also support this approach to maintaining good hygiene and preventing the spread of any respiratory viruses.

Handwashing Guidelines:

• Wash your hands often - with soap and water, or use alcohol sanitiser if handwashing facilities are not available. This is particularly important after taking public transport

Pupils, students, staff and visitors should wash their hands:

• before leaving home
• on arrival at school
• after using the toilet
• after breaks and sporting activities
• before food preparation
• before eating any food, including snacks
• before leaving school

The following poster and video are useful to share with your child: