26 July 2021

Dear Parents and Carers,

Re: Changes to contact tracing in education and childcare settings

As you know, the Prime Minister announced on 12 July that Step 4 of the roadmap would go ahead on 19 July.

One of the key changes that will take place from 19 July is that education and childcare settings will no longer be asked to conduct routine contact tracing. As with positive cases in any other setting, NHS Test and Trace will work with either the positive case – or in the case of children – the parents, carers or guardian of the positive case to identify close contacts.

NHS Test and Trace already manages the contact tracing process for the rest of society – including children who have recorded a positive PCR test – and has expertise in supporting people to identify close contacts.

This letter sets out in more detail below how that process will work and what you need to do if your child tests positive for COVID-19.

Self-isolating and taking a test

1. If your child has symptoms, they and other members of the household should self-isolate – and you should inform their education or childcare setting. You should immediately order a PCR test for them. If the PCR result is negative, they and other members of their household can stop self-isolating (unless instructed to self-isolate for other reasons). If the PCR result is positive, they, other members of their household and any close contacts identified by NHS Track and Trace must self-isolate until 10 days after the onset of symptoms.

1. If your child has a positive result from a lateral flow device (LFD) test, they and other members of the household should self-isolate – and you should inform their education or childcare setting. You should immediately order a confirmatory PCR test. If the confirmatory test is taken within two days and the result is negative, they and other members of their household can stop self-isolating (unless instructed to self-isolate for other reasons). If the confirmatory PCR test is positive (or is taken more than two days after the LFD), other members of their household and any close contacts identified by NHS Track and Trace must self-isolate until 10 days after the LFD test.
2. PCR tests can be booked online through the NHS Test & Trace website or by calling 119.
3. PCR test results will be recorded with NHS Test and Trace automatically, but you should also communicate the result to the education or childcare setting during term time or summer provision.

Contact tracing

1. If your child gets a positive PCR test result, NHS Test and Trace will contact you, using the details you registered when ordering the PCR test. You and/or your child will be asked a series of specific questions designed to identify who your child has been in close contact with. Being in an education or childcare setting with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 will not necessarily mean a person is identified as a close contact.

1. You will be asked to provide the contact details, if you know them, of any of the individuals – or their parents or guardians – who have been identified as close contacts. NHS Test and Trace will then get in touch with these close contacts and provide appropriate instructions or advice (see below).

Self-isolation and/or testing of close contacts

1. At present, anyone identified as a close contact is legally required to self-isolate and must not attend their education or childcare setting (the only exception is if they are participating in a daily contact testing trial). Anyone identified as a  non-household close contact by NHS Track and Trace must self-isolate until 10 days after the date of their most recent contact with that person. If they live in the same household, they must self-isolate until 10 days after the date of that person developing symptoms (see point 1 above) or, if that person was asymptomatic, the date of their test (see point 2 above). NHS Test and Trace will notify you of the day on which the self-isolation period ends.
2. Close contacts are also advised to take a PCR test. If the test result is negative, they must still complete the full self-isolation period, as the test will not detect all positive cases. If the result is positive, they will need to self-isolate for a further 10 days – and NHS Test and Trace will contact them to identify any close contacts.
3. From 16 August, if the close contact is under 18, they will not have to self-isolate (in line with the policy for fully vaccinated adults) but will be asked to take an PCR test immediately, other than for very young children identified as non-household contacts, and they will not need to self-isolate while awaiting the results of the test. If the PCR test is positive, they will be required to self-isolate for 10 days from the date of the test. NHS Test and Trace will then get in touch to identify close contacts (see points 5 and 6 above). Further guidance on these changes to self-isolation will be provided shortly.

We recognise how difficult the past 18 months have been and the sacrifices that all families, education and childcare settings have had to make. This has been an enormously challenging time for everyone and we would like to take the opportunity to thank you for everything you have done.

Yours sincerely

Mrs A Halley

Headteacher

Wakefield Council is helping parents and carers understand the normal crying pattern of young infants. The ICON – ‘Babies Cry, You Can Cope’ programme is designed to help parents and carers understand that infant crying is normal and to help them develop successful coping mechanisms to deal with this. It comprises of four simple messages:

I – Infant crying is normal

C – Comforting methods can help

O – It’s Ok to walk away (for a few minutes if baby is safe)

N – Never, ever shake a baby

It comes after research suggests that some people lose control when a baby’s crying becomes too much, with Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews demonstrating that crying is the main trigger for babies being shaken. Abusive Head Trauma (AHT), previously known as ‘shaken baby syndrome’, causes catastrophic brain injuries, which can lead to death, or significant long term health and learning disabilities.

The ICON programme has already been successfully implemented across the district’s 0-19 health service, including establishing set ICON discussion points in midwife appointments, the health visitor birth visit, and baby’s six week check with the GP and attention has now turned to sharing the ICON messages more widely across the district. You can find more information here.

Wakefield Council are working with over thirty voluntary and community organisations, local schools and childcare providers as part of a locally branded WF Happy Healthy Holidays programme to provide a summer of free activities and food for children (aged 5-16) eligible for income – related free school meals throughout the district. The programme aims to reduce inactivity and isolation experienced by many children across the Wakefield district during the school holidays, as well as providing children with healthy meals and nutritional education. This opportunity is provided as part of the government’s expanded Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme.

What Activities are Available? There are lots of activities on offer including dance, pottery, climbing wall, forest Schools, fire fighter courses, football, rugby, family picnic days, cricket, archery, arts and crafts, cooking and baking, and much more!

How Can I Book a Place? If your child is eligible for Income Based Free School Meals please visit their website here. You will find a link to the booking site, which will go live on Friday 9th July. Please do check back as new activities / places may be added over the coming days.

Our school has signed up to the Wakefield Explorers (Love Exploring) School Competition.  There are currently 38 primary schools agreeing to take part.

The Love Exploring App is an interactive app that you download on your phone that uses your GPS positioning capabilities to enable you to play games, trails and activities at certain locations throughout the country.  In Wakefield, the App works in 17 of our parks and green spaces to give comprehensive coverage throughout the District.  Wakefield Council would like families to use the app to encourage them and go out and explore and gain the benefits of being physically active outdoors. 

You can find more information about the App and the School Competition here.

Life has been tough recently for many of us. Please see the attached posters offering FREE advice for children, young people, parents and carers in West Yorkshire. There are pop-up sessions in the Ridings Shopping Centre (near the Reel Cinema) on Wednesday afternoons from 1-4pm and there is Night Owls - an overnight listening / advice service from 8pm-8am every day. Phone 0300 200390, text 07894 392700 or email wynightowls.org.uk