St. Matthew’s CE School Covid 19 Updates 14th May 2021

Dear Parents/Carers, Thank you for your ongoing support during the pandemic by continuing to follow the latest government guidance. On Monday, the Prime Minister announced changes linked to ’s progress along the roadmap out of lockdown. This included the intention to relax some measures from 17th May. I know that most people are looking forward to a little more freedom. Whilst the picture is very positive in most parts of the country, unfortunately this is not the case currently in and in particular in the areas of , Deane or Great Lever.

In our locality and in neighbouring areas there are cases of a variant of SARS-CoV2 (the virus that causes COVID-19). This variant is spreading quickly and has contributed to numbers of people with COVID-19 in some areas almost doubling in a week. It is really important in the next few weeks that we continue to use the strategies we already have in place to reduce the risk of infection and minimise transmission. Stay at Home If you or any member of your household displays symptoms please isolate and get a test. Children should not come to school if someone in the household is waiting for a test or has taken a test and is waiting for the results.

Isolate Isolation is important in breaking transmission. Those who test positive and their close contacts must isolate in line with national guidance. If your child or other members of the household need to isolate please contact school. The class teacher will then put the remote learning plan in place. Get Tested ( The following information is taken from the Bolton Council Website ) A new collection site has opened in Bolton allowing people who live and work in Bolton to pick up COVID-19 home test kits, helping to keep themselves and the community safe.

Moor Lane Collection site is open 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday and can be found by following the signs to “COVID Home Testing Kit Collection”. No booking is needed, and two take-home kits can be collected via walk-up and drive- through. This is in addition to the existing PCR test sites where you can already collect LFD home test kits. Find your nearest Community Collect site using the NHS Site Finder tool. One in three people who have COVID-19 do not suffer any symptoms but can still pass the virus on to others, including vulnerable relatives or colleagues. Asymptomatic testing using lateral flow device (LFD) tests can help find people who are infectious but don’t have symptoms, so they can protect others and prevent further spread by self-isolating. Rapid result lateral flow device (LFD) testing is already available at three venues offering supervised testing across the borough with results usually available within half an hour by text and email. Collection of testing kits for home testing is a new offer being made widely available across the borough to support families and businesses to keep COVID safe. We would advise residents to first carry out tests on site at least once or twice to ensure they are being done correctly.

The more we do to stop COVID from spreading the better we can protect those most at risk from the virus.

Bolton Council’s Director of Public Health, Dr Helen Lowey, said: “Home testing is a crucial part of our response to the pandemic, helping find people who have the virus and may be passing it to others without realising. “If you live or work in Bolton, I urge you to consider taking a home test, ideally twice a week. “The more we do to stop COVID from spreading the better we can protect those most at risk from the virus.”

Bolton Public Health have asked schools to share the following information around enhanced testing in the BL3 area

Enhanced testing to combat rising COVID rates

Enhanced Covid-19 testing has been rolled out in parts of Bolton as part of a coordinated response to rising infection rates in the borough.

Anyone who is living, working or studying in Rumworth, Deane or Great Lever who does not have Covid-19 symptoms is strongly urged to attend a Mobile testing Unit (MTU) this week for a PCR test.

MTUs will be deployed at:

 Memory Lane Wedding Venue, Gilnow Lane (BL3 5EL)  Makkah Mosque, Grecian Crescent (BL3 6QU)  Heywood Park, 12 Heywood Gardens (BL3 6RB)

Home PCR test kits will also be available for collection and return at:

 Deane Road Temple (Shree Swaminarayan Mandir), 161 Deane Road (BL3 5AH)

The MTUs and Deane Road Temple will be open 7 days a week, 10am until 4pm. You do not need an appointment to attend.

Anyone with Covid-19 symptoms should book a test as normal through the national portal and attend one of the regular PCR testing sites or, order a home test kit.

Vaccination Dr Helen Wall, Senior Responsible Officer of the Covid-19 Vaccination Programme in Bolton, said: “We have a good track record of vaccination and a high level of confidence in the programme already in Bolton and we aim to build on that with some targeted vaccination work to try and nip this in the bud to protect everyone in Bolton.

“We are so close to getting things back to normal; let’s keep up the momentum and stop this virus from spreading further.”

You will be eligible for a vaccine if you:

 Are aged 38 and over  a carer  are shielding  have a long term health condition

School Guidance

I know from talking to headteachers in and across Bolton that the number of schools needing to close a ‘bubble’ due to a member of staff or a child testing positive is increasing quite quickly at the moment so I would encourage all members of our school community to follow the guidance issued by Bolton Council.

As part of Step 3 of the National Roadmap on May 17th some restrictions will be eased, including those around close contact and hugging. However, the Government issued their latest guidance for schools earlier this week and it makes clear that our current system of controls must remain in place. This means that staggered start times, lunch and break times and layout of the classrooms will remain the same as will our social distancing and cleaning routines.

There is some good news – for example at the moment our Residential trip to Waddow is planned to go ahead on the 16th June and we are hoping to hold Sports Day and Leavers Events towards the end of the year.

The Director of Public Health for Bolton yesterday spoke to all headteachers and stressed that this is a fast moving situation and some information is outdated almost before it is printed. We are working hard to keep up with the situation in Bolton and will continue to share information as we have it.

In the meantime please do contact the school office if we can give any further help or advice.

Many Thanks

Mrs Ryding