Respiratory Infections
Mindful of the national increase in notifications of scarlet fever and invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS) to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), above seasonally expected levels, below is some useful information.
Signs and symptoms of scarlet fever
Scarlet fever is a common childhood infection caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, or group A streptococcus (GAS). The early symptoms of scarlet fever typically includes sore throat, headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. After 12 to 48 hours the characteristic red, pinhead rash develops, typically first appearing on the chest and stomach, then rapidly spreading to other parts of the body, and giving the skin a sandpaper-like texture. Patients typically have flushed cheeks and pallor around the mouth. This may be accompanied by a 'strawberry tongue’. As the child improves peeling of the skin can occur.
Children / adults with suspected scarlet fever should be excluded for 24 hours after the commencement of appropriate antibiotic treatment.
For details of what to do if you think your child has measles and when to keep them off school please click here.
There are simple things you can do to help us reduce the spread of infections (including flu & Covid-19). This will help us to keep everyone well in Dolphins Pre-school and also to protect those at higher risk. These include:
Children or young people (aged 18 or under) who test positive for COVID-19 should stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 3 days. This starts from the day after they did the test.
Please, where possible, report absence via https://www.dolphinspre-school.co.uk/absence-reporting.html giving a clear reason so we can record accurately. Should you encounter any difficulties please notify us via email.
Changes to measures and guidance for managing COVID-19 in education and childcare settings from Friday 1 April 2022.
On Tuesday 29 March 2022, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid, set out the next steps for living with COVID-19 in England from Friday 1 April. The population now has much stronger protection against COVID-19 than at any other point in the pandemic. This means we can begin to manage the virus like other respiratory infections.
Free COVID-19 tests will continue to be available only for specific groups, including eligible patients and NHS staff, from Friday 1 April 2022.
Updated guidance
Adults with the symptoms of a respiratory infection, and who have a high temperature or feel unwell, should remain at home and avoid contact with other people until they feel well enough to resume normal activities and they no longer have a high temperature
Children / young people who are unwell and have a high temperature should stay at home and avoid contact with other people. They can go back to school, college or childcare when they no longer have a high temperature, and they are well enough to attend
IMPORTANT Adults who take a positive COVID-19 test should stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days, which is when they are most infectious. (For children and young people aged 18 and under, the advice will be 3 days)
As a setting we are still required to comply with health and safety law and put in place proportionate control measures. These will include continuation with temperature checks at the point of entry, hand sanitisation, requesting visitors wear masks in certain instances, use of PPE and regular cleaning.
In order to reduce the risks from COVID-19 so far as is reasonably practicable, we continue to regularly review our COVID-19 risk assessment as the circumstances in the setting, and public health advice, changes. This includes having active arrangements in place should cases suddenly increase.
The main symptoms of coronavirus are:
Remember to follow guidelines we know can help stop Covid from spreading:
Do I still have to self-isolate if I test positive for Covid-19?
New guidance states that "if you have any of the main symptoms of COVID-19 or a positive test result, the public health advice is to stay at home and avoid contact with other people."
· Do you or your children still have to self-isolate if you test positive for Covid-19?
· What restrictions have been lifted?
· What should you do now if you or someone in your family tests positive?
· Do you still need to wear a face covering?
Below we have outline some of the changes to the government requirements.
Changes to self-isolation and daily testing of close contacts
Adults and children who test positive are advised to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for at least 5 full days (3 full days if aged 18 or under).
Attending an early years setting
Staff and children should attend their education settings as usual. This includes staff who have been in close contact within their household.
What if my child is clinically vulnerable?
Children and young people previously considered CEV (Clinically Extremely Vulnerable) should attend the setting and should follow the same COVID-19 guidance as the rest of the population.
Do we still have to test our children?
Testing is no longer being required but this may change if we face a local outbreak.
Do parents and children need to wear face coverings?
Face coverings are no longer advised for pupils and staff. However, visitors may still be asked to wear a mask.
Can my child attend Pre-school if they test positive for Covid-19?
If your child has symptoms of Covid-19 or tests positive for Covid-19 and and you try to send your child in, Dolphins Pre-school has the right to refuse entry on the grounds that we need to protect staff and other children.
Working with your early years setting
Although legal requirements have been updated, it is in everyone’s best interest to ensure that staff remain Covid-free so that they can continue to provide high quality education for our children. Therefore Dolphins may retain certain measures (E.g. temperature checks, hand sanitisation Covid-19 cleaning)
Despite legal requirements being revised there is an expectation that parents/carers will continue to work together with Dolphins Pre-school to keep Covid out of the setting. The priority for Dolphins Pre-school is to ensure we can remain open and well-staffed so that we can deliver face-to-face, high-quality education and care to all our children.
If the number of positive cases substantially increases in the setting/areas an enhanced response might be directed by the Local Authority / Public Health with additional measures introduced without warning.
We continue to work hard to try and ensure we can remain open.
To access our Covid-19 Sickness Procedure / Action Plan / Risk Assessment simply complete the form below.
Signs and symptoms of scarlet fever
Scarlet fever is a common childhood infection caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, or group A streptococcus (GAS). The early symptoms of scarlet fever typically includes sore throat, headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. After 12 to 48 hours the characteristic red, pinhead rash develops, typically first appearing on the chest and stomach, then rapidly spreading to other parts of the body, and giving the skin a sandpaper-like texture. Patients typically have flushed cheeks and pallor around the mouth. This may be accompanied by a 'strawberry tongue’. As the child improves peeling of the skin can occur.
Children / adults with suspected scarlet fever should be excluded for 24 hours after the commencement of appropriate antibiotic treatment.
For details of what to do if you think your child has measles and when to keep them off school please click here.
There are simple things you can do to help us reduce the spread of infections (including flu & Covid-19). This will help us to keep everyone well in Dolphins Pre-school and also to protect those at higher risk. These include:
- Practising good hygiene such as washing your hands and following advice to ‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’
- Consider wearing a face covering in crowded/enclosed/poorly ventilated spaces
- Following guidance for people with symptoms of a respiratory infections including COVID-19, or those with a positive COVID-19 test result.
Children or young people (aged 18 or under) who test positive for COVID-19 should stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 3 days. This starts from the day after they did the test.
Please, where possible, report absence via https://www.dolphinspre-school.co.uk/absence-reporting.html giving a clear reason so we can record accurately. Should you encounter any difficulties please notify us via email.
Changes to measures and guidance for managing COVID-19 in education and childcare settings from Friday 1 April 2022.
On Tuesday 29 March 2022, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid, set out the next steps for living with COVID-19 in England from Friday 1 April. The population now has much stronger protection against COVID-19 than at any other point in the pandemic. This means we can begin to manage the virus like other respiratory infections.
Free COVID-19 tests will continue to be available only for specific groups, including eligible patients and NHS staff, from Friday 1 April 2022.
Updated guidance
Adults with the symptoms of a respiratory infection, and who have a high temperature or feel unwell, should remain at home and avoid contact with other people until they feel well enough to resume normal activities and they no longer have a high temperature
Children / young people who are unwell and have a high temperature should stay at home and avoid contact with other people. They can go back to school, college or childcare when they no longer have a high temperature, and they are well enough to attend
IMPORTANT Adults who take a positive COVID-19 test should stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days, which is when they are most infectious. (For children and young people aged 18 and under, the advice will be 3 days)
As a setting we are still required to comply with health and safety law and put in place proportionate control measures. These will include continuation with temperature checks at the point of entry, hand sanitisation, requesting visitors wear masks in certain instances, use of PPE and regular cleaning.
In order to reduce the risks from COVID-19 so far as is reasonably practicable, we continue to regularly review our COVID-19 risk assessment as the circumstances in the setting, and public health advice, changes. This includes having active arrangements in place should cases suddenly increase.
The main symptoms of coronavirus are:
- high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
- loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
Remember to follow guidelines we know can help stop Covid from spreading:
- Wash hands or use sanitiser and clean shared surfaces regularly
- Use face coverings if you can in busy, indoor spaces, shops and on public transport.
- Maintain social distancing and meet outside where possible
- Limit contact
Do I still have to self-isolate if I test positive for Covid-19?
New guidance states that "if you have any of the main symptoms of COVID-19 or a positive test result, the public health advice is to stay at home and avoid contact with other people."
· Do you or your children still have to self-isolate if you test positive for Covid-19?
· What restrictions have been lifted?
· What should you do now if you or someone in your family tests positive?
· Do you still need to wear a face covering?
Below we have outline some of the changes to the government requirements.
Changes to self-isolation and daily testing of close contacts
Adults and children who test positive are advised to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for at least 5 full days (3 full days if aged 18 or under).
Attending an early years setting
Staff and children should attend their education settings as usual. This includes staff who have been in close contact within their household.
What if my child is clinically vulnerable?
Children and young people previously considered CEV (Clinically Extremely Vulnerable) should attend the setting and should follow the same COVID-19 guidance as the rest of the population.
Do we still have to test our children?
Testing is no longer being required but this may change if we face a local outbreak.
Do parents and children need to wear face coverings?
Face coverings are no longer advised for pupils and staff. However, visitors may still be asked to wear a mask.
Can my child attend Pre-school if they test positive for Covid-19?
If your child has symptoms of Covid-19 or tests positive for Covid-19 and and you try to send your child in, Dolphins Pre-school has the right to refuse entry on the grounds that we need to protect staff and other children.
Working with your early years setting
Although legal requirements have been updated, it is in everyone’s best interest to ensure that staff remain Covid-free so that they can continue to provide high quality education for our children. Therefore Dolphins may retain certain measures (E.g. temperature checks, hand sanitisation Covid-19 cleaning)
Despite legal requirements being revised there is an expectation that parents/carers will continue to work together with Dolphins Pre-school to keep Covid out of the setting. The priority for Dolphins Pre-school is to ensure we can remain open and well-staffed so that we can deliver face-to-face, high-quality education and care to all our children.
If the number of positive cases substantially increases in the setting/areas an enhanced response might be directed by the Local Authority / Public Health with additional measures introduced without warning.
We continue to work hard to try and ensure we can remain open.
To access our Covid-19 Sickness Procedure / Action Plan / Risk Assessment simply complete the form below.
