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28TH FEBRUARY 2020 **UPDATED INFORMATION RE CORONAVIRUS FROM PUBLIC HEALTH ENGLAND**
Fri 28 Feb 2020Coronavirus: latest Information from Public Health England
Posted by school: 28TH February, 2020
What are the signs and symptoms of this new virus?
The symptoms of this new coronavirus (now known as COVID-19) include fever and respiratory symptoms including coughing, sneezing, and shortness of breath. The current evidence is that most cases appear to be mild.
If you have returned from these specific areas since February 19, you should call NHS 111 and stay indoors and avoid contact with other people even if you do not have symptoms:
- Iran
- Specific lockdown areas in the Lombardy and Veneto regions of Northern Italy as designated by the Government of Italy
- Daegu or Cheongdo in South Korea
- Hubei province (returned in the past 14 days)
If you have returned from these areas since February 19th and develop symptoms, however mild, you should stay indoors at home and avoid contact with other people immediately and call NHS 111:
- Northern Italy (defined as North of Pisa but not including Pisa, Florence and Rimini)
- Vietnam
- Cambodia
- Laos
- Myanmar
If you have a cough, or fever or shortness of breath and have visited any of the following areas in the last 14 days
- China
- Thailand
- Japan
- Republic of Korea
- Hong Kong
- Taiwan
- Singapore
- Malaysia
- Macau
Stay indoors and call NHS 111 informing them of your recent travel to the city.
What does self-isolation mean for people who don’t have symptoms?
Just like when you have the flu, individuals should remain at home and should not go to work, school or public areas. Where possible, individuals should avoid having visitors to their home but it is ok for friends, family or delivery drivers to drop off food. Individuals should not use public transport or taxis until 14 days after their return from Wuhan.
Individuals should monitor their symptoms and call NHS 111 (or your national alternative) if they develop any of the following symptoms – fever, cough, and difficulty breathing.
How does this new coronavirus spread – I’m concerned I could catch it?
Because it's a new illness, we do not know exactly how it spreads from person to person, but similar viruses spread by cough droplets or sneeze droplets. These droplets fall on people in the vicinity and can be directly inhaled or picked up on the hands and transferred when someone touches their face.
How long any respiratory virus survives will depend on a number of factors; for example:
- what surface the virus is on
- whether it is exposed to sunlight
- differences in temperature and humidity
- exposure to cleaning products
Under most circumstances, the amount of infectious virus on any contaminated surfaces is likely to have decreased significantly by 24 hours, and even more so by 48 hours.
We will continue to update you as necessary and thank you for your co-operation. For full information, please click on the following link:
https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/01/23/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-what-you-need-to-know/
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Corona Virus - updated advice from Public Health England
Thu 27 Feb 202024th February 2020
Dear Parent/ Carer,
Re: Coronavirus concerns
You are likely aware of the outbreak of novel coronavirus in China and the subsequent confirmed cases in the UK. At St Mary’s Catholic Academy, we take the health and safety of our pupils and staff very seriously, so we’re sharing guidance from Public Health England on steps you should be taking.
There is currently no cause for concern at the school, but we will keep you informed about any developments and ensure we are keeping the school clean to prevent the spread of any virus.
Prevent the spread of infection
Make sure you and your children follow these general principles to prevent spreading any respiratory virus:
Wash your hands often – with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or an alcohol-based sanitiser if soap and water are not available
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
Avoid close contact with people who are sick
If you feel unwell, stay at home and do not attend work or school
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in a bin
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces in the home
If you’re worried about your symptoms, please call NHS 111 – do not go directly to your GP or other healthcare environment
If you or your children have returned from anywhere in Hubei province in past 14 days
Contact NHS 111 for advice, and:
Self-isolate for 14 days after leaving Hubei (see the home isolation advice sheet for help with this).
If you become unwell, call NHS 111 immediately for an assessment (or 999 if you require emergency medical
attention) – see below for the symptoms to look out for:
If you or your children have returned from a specified area in last 14 days
The specified areas are:
China (other than Hubei)
Hong Kong
Japan
Macau
Malaysia
Singapore
South Korea
Taiwan
Thailand
If you or your children are well:
You don’t need to avoid contact with other people
Your other family members don’t need to take any precautions or make any changes to their own activities
If you become unwell (see below for a list of symptoms):
Stay indoors and avoid contact with other people as you would with other flu viruses (see the home isolation advice sheet for help with this)
Call NHS 111 immediately for an assessment (or 999 if you require emergency medical attention)
Symptoms to look out for
If you’ve returned from the specified areas or Hubei, look out for the following symptoms:
Cough
Difficulty in breathing
Fever (a temperature of 38 degrees C or higher)
According to other official guidance, while you wait for further advice:
Avoid contact with others
Stay at home – don’t go to work or school
Do not travel while sick
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing,
throwing tissues in the bin
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (or an alcohol-based sanitiser if soap and water aren’t available)
If you or your child have any further concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Turner.
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E-Champs take the lead on Online Safety for our school community.
Wed 26 Feb 2020After a successful application process our E-champs have been selected.
These children will be part of a committee that will meet regularly to discuss problems or share news about current Online Safety strategies.
They will be the voice of Online Safety in our school, providing a link between Mrs Else, our school Computing Lead and the classes.
Our first meetings have been held and were successful. We have already selected a mascot to be used and displayed in school to remind us all of our Smart rules to stay safe online. All will be revealed to the children in the coming weeks, but for anyone who wants a sneaky peek, shortlisted designs can be found on the e-safety page.
Lots of useful links, information and presentations can be found on the Online safety section of the school website, including the published minutes from each of our meeting which will be updated fortnightly.
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A free chance to observe teaching for mastery in maths
Tue 25 Feb 2020The North Midlands Specialist Maths Hub, based at Painsley Catholic College, is offering an opportunity for primary school teachers to see a ‘Mastery’ lesson being delivered by two Mastery Specialist teachers at Meir Heath Academy, Stoke-on-Trent on 11th and 12th March. The two teachers, one from Meir Heath Academy, Stoke-on-Trent and one from The Priory in Walsall were selected last year to take part in a prestigious teacher exchange, focusing on mathematics, with a partner school in Shanghai.
Mrs. Andrea Turkmen and Mr. Lewis McGee are among around 100 expert mathematics teachers from schools across England taking part in the exchange programme as part of the Maths Hub Mastery Programme.
The purpose of the programme is to further develop the understanding and implementation of mastery approaches to teaching maths in Meir Heath Academy and The Priory School, and in local partner schools, they will be working with during the school year 2019/20.
The Mastery lesson will give colleagues from across the region the chance to see a demonstration of excellent classroom practice and to find out more about the wider Teaching for Mastery programme. Places are free but interested parties do need to sign up in advance, to find out more contact the local Maths hub by emailing mathshub@painsley.staffs.sch.uk.
This is one part of the Teaching for Mastery Programme, run by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) in conjunction with the Maths Hubs Programme, and funded by the DfE. Funding for the four-year programme, initially amounting to £41m, was launched in July 2016 and over 200 schools have worked with the North Mids Maths Hub on the mastery programme since 2016.
There are 37 Maths Hubs, spread across England, each led by a school with a record of high achievement in maths, and of supporting, improvements in maths teaching and learning in neighbouring schools.
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Coronavirus - Information For Parents
Fri 14 Feb 2020Coronavirus - information for parents:
Based on the scientific advice of SAGE, the UK Chief Medical Officers are advising anyone who has travelled to the UK from mainland China, Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia or Macau in the last 14 days and is experiencing cough or fever or shortness of breath, to stay indoors and call NHS 111, even if symptoms are mild.
Thank you
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The Painsley Catholic Academy on Target to Raise £100,000
Thu 13 Feb 2020The Painsley Catholic Academy has raised just over £50,000 for Mary’s Meals at the halfway point in the school year.
In September, all fifteen schools within the academy decided to take part in a campaign that they have called ‘20:20 for Mary’. This campaign aims to motivate each child and staff member to try to raise a target of £20 for the Mary’s Meals charity by February half term, and another £20 by the end of July during 2020. The overall aim is to raise an ambitious target of £100,000 in just one school year.
“The concept of Mary’s Meals is so very simple and yet effective, it really appeals to our students,” commented Mr. Steve Bell, C.E.O of The Painsley Catholic Academy. “Mary’s Meals is about providing children with a daily meal at a place of education something that our students of all ages can really relate to. The efforts of each and every one of our students, from age just 4 or 5 years to 18 years, are very much appreciated. I am proud and delighted that at the halfway point in the year, we are just over halfway to our target. Well done and thank you to everyone who has supported this worthy cause.”
The 20:20 campaign began in September with both secondary and primary school children busy running cake sales, fashion shows, raffles, Christmas gifts and craft sales, art shows and sponsored sports events. The schools have not lost momentum and have more events planned for the next few months including a sponsored skydive, a marathon run, and a sponsored row.
Mary’s Meals was founded in 2002 and has grown from its first feeding operation of 200 children in Malawi to a worldwide campaign, providing free school meals in hundreds of schools and feeding more than one and a half million children daily. Mary's Meals is named after Mary, the mother of Jesus, by its founders, who were inspired by their Catholic faith. The charity claims that just £15.90 is enough to feed one child for an entire school year. If The Painsley Catholic Academy can reach its target, this will feed over 6,000 children for a year.
