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Important Notice: Please check back regularly for updates.
As a school we ask that parents and carers do not speculate on the current situation regarding the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) and instead visit gov.uk or the World Health Organization website to access up to date advice, situation reports and other useful information.
12/03/2020
Following an update from the Enquire Learning Trust and the Department for Education we would like to once again confirm that, unless instructed to do so by Public Health England, schools will not be closing.
There are no known (confirmed or suspected) cases of COVID- 19 Coronavirus amongst staff or pupils of Buckingham Primary Academy and the Enquire Learning Trust.
If anyone has come into direct contact with a confirmed case, they should self- isolate. At this time it is still very remote to have been in contact with a confirmed case.
If there's a confirmed case within one of the Enquire Learning Trust schools, Public Health England will send a team to support the school and advise whether to close or not.
As such, we have been advised to continue each day as normal, until we hear differently.
It is extremely difficult to advise on the best course of action regarding potential contact with someone who may have COVID- 19 Coronavirus. If you feel unwell and have similar symptoms please contact the NHS 111 helpline or alternatively if you have any questions please contact the Department for Education 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)
Thank you to all of our parents & carers for your patience and understanding, your cooperation is very much appreciated.
09/03/2020
Parents & Carers are reminded that children are required, by law, to attend school.
Pupils who fail to attend school will receive an unauthorised absence mark if parents & carers fail to produce sufficient evidence of why their child has been absent e.g. proof of medical appointments etc
Parents and carers who are not advised by a medical professional, but choose to self- quarantine their children due to concerns regarding Coronavirus, may face legal action and a fixed penalty notice.
Furthermore, we would like to advise the following to all parents and carers considering home educating their child:
- you are required to notify the Principal in writing
- once agreed by the Local Authority, your child will be removed from the school roll
- if you choose for your child to return to the school setting, after a period of home education, you must re-apply for a school place through the Local Authority
- your child may not be accepted back into the school if places have been filled by children already on the waiting list
Buckingham Primary Academy staff are committed to promoting the safeguarding and welfare of all children and young people and are available to listen to your concerns and offer advice regarding good hygiene practice to help you reinforce this message to your children at home.
05/03/2020
Queries regarding pupil use of hand gel- Pupils are not permitted to bring hand gel onto the school site due to the COSHH implications of this type of product and the requirement to assess each type of hand gel brought onto the premises. We would like to remind parents and carers that hand gel products may contain alcohol, may be flammable, and/ or may cause an allergic reaction and advise that parents and carers exercise caution when considering the use of such products by children. Hand gel brought into school will be stored securely and out of reach of children and returned to parents at the end of the school day. We would like to reiterate that there are suitable hand washing arrangements within all Enquire Learning Trust academies and good hygiene practice is promoted to all pupils from FS1 through to year 6. We would like to thank all of our parents and carers for their support and understanding, your cooperation is very much appreciated as we look to answer your queries, concerns and provide updates as quickly and effectively as possible.
02/03/2020 (PM)
The Department for Education has launched a new helpline to answer questions about the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) related to education.
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 DfE have stipulated that 'No school should close in response to a suspected (or confirmed) COVID- 19 case unless directed to do so by Public Health England' and have advised the following:
'Personal hygiene is the most important way we can tackle COVID-19.'
02/03/2020 (AM)
Following recent news reports regarding a suspected case of Coronavirus in the local area, we can confirm that the school has no concerns at this time. The family in question has no known links to the school and the latest news articles suggest that the family have been advised to self quarantine as a precautionary measure.
As a school we are committed to notifying parents and carers, as efficiently and effectively as possible, in the event that a risk is identified to our school community and are continuing to promote good hygiene practice amongst staff and pupils.
26/02/2020
Please note: The following letter from the Enquire Learning Trust and Public Heath England Poster have been shared with parents and carers of Buckingham Primary Academy pupils as an advisory and precautionary measure. There are no known cases of Coronavirus amongst staff or pupils of the Enquire Learning Trust.
To put the outbreak into perspective here are some interesting facts we have gathered from articles available on BBC News Online and The World Health Organisation Website (26/02/2020).
- 7.8 billion people make up the world population
- 81,000 reported cases of Coronavirus to date
- 48,000 active cases of Coronavirus to date
- Currently effecting 0.0006% of the world population to date
- 13 reported cases of Coronovirus in UK - 8 of which have recovered from Coronavirus to date
Based on data from 44,000 patients with the coronavirus, the WHO says (26/02/2020):
- 81% develop mild symptoms
- 14% develop severe symptoms
- 5% become critically ill
To put this into context, about one billion people catch influenza every year, with between 290,000 and 650,000 deaths. The severity of flu changes every year.
We hope this helps alleviate the concerns of parents & carers and that the following documents advise you accordingly.
Coronavirus Letter to Parents & Carers
