Whenever we have been informed of a positive CV19 case then we will inform parents by text . The  ‘PHA Alert letter’ will also be posted on our website.
If you have any queries re this, I would ask that you contact either PHA Duty Room or the PHA Contract
Tracing service.

If you receive a positive COVID 19 test result ,you will be contacted by contact tracing

TEL 02895368888

Close Contacts
On Thurs 9th, all school Principals received an email from the Department of Health to say
that PHA will be taking over contact tracing. This change would take affect at 8am on Friday morning. In
doing this PHA also changed the definition of close contacts. There are now 2. There is a close contact
definition for inside school and a close contact definition for outside of school:

Close Contact inside school definition:

• someone who attends the same school and has stayed in your household overnight.
• an intimate contact
• School trips over night
• someone providing personal care in school

Close Contact outside school definition:

• face to facecontact including being coughed on or having face to face conversation within one metre
• skin to skin physical contact for any lenght of time
• being within one metre for a minute or longer without face to face contact
• sexual contact
• Being within 2 metres of someone for 15 minutes or longer ( either as a one off contact or added up together over a day
• travelled in the same vehicle or plane

We have not been informed as to why there is this difference.
As you can appreciate these new guidelines are all very complicated and we kindly ask for your patience
and understanding when it comes to dealing with these matters as we may not have the answers.
Our school will continue to implement all our current mitigations and good practice learned to prevent the
spread of Covid in our school and local community.
We kindly ask you to continue to respect social distancing guidelines when dropping off and collecting
pupils and to wear a face mask/covering when coming on to the school site.
All mitigations will be reviewed at the end of each month (and in line with any new guidance) and you
will be informed of any changes needing to be implemented, this may be a short notice and may mean the reintroduction of specific mitigations including the reintroduction of staggered start and finish times should
the need arise. 

Pleasae read the Alert Letter below

CONFIRMED CASE OF COVID-19 IN SCHOOL SETTING – INFORMATION FOR
PARENTS AND STAFF
Where a case of confirmed COVID-19 (Coronavirus) has been reported in a person
with links to a school setting, all close contacts of the case who need to take specific
actions with regard to testing and self-isolation will be identified, contacted and
advised by the Public Health Agency (PHA) Contact Tracing Service.
If you are contacted by PHA Contact Tracing Service, please follow the guidance
that they provide to you. Information on the latest self-isolation requirements can be
found on NI Direct (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/coronavirus-covid-19-selfisolating). The advice on what to do if a close contact changed on 16th August2021.

What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID 19
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are recent onset of:
 new continuous cough and/or
 high temperature and/or
 a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

Please book a free PCR test, even if an earlier one was negative. Your child
should stay at home and self-isolate until you receive the result. Please see
Coronavirus (COVID-19): self-isolating | nidirect for guidance on whether other
people in your household also need to self-isolate while you are waiting for your
child’s PCR result.
Tests can be arranged at your closest testing site or by requesting a postal kit which will
be sent to your home address. You can choose whichever option is more convenient for
you. Going for a COVID test is one of the reasons your child can leave home during the
self-isolation period, however, they should not use public transport. Please order a
postal test if you do not have private transport to a test site.

How to stop COVID-19 spreading
There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with
getting ill with COVID-19:
 Please get vaccinated if you are eligible and haven’t already done so
 wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
 use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
 wash your hands as soon as you get home
 cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands)
when you cough or sneeze
 put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwardsFurther information

For further information, please see the NI Direct website Coronavirus (COVID-19):
self-isolating | nidirect the Public Health Agency website
https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/covid-19-coronavirus or contact NHS 111. If your
child feels unwell and you are worried about their symptoms or about anyone else in
the home, please contact your GP.