Education Authority Western Region

STRABANE CONTROLLED PRIMARY SCHOOL

43 Derry Road

Strabane

                                                                                                                                                        Co. Tyrone

BT828DX

Tel. (028) 71 382510

Fax. (028) 71 382525

www.strabaneps.co.uk

                                                                                                16^th March 2020

Principal Mrs C Thompson

Ref. Coronavirus (COVID – 19)

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Due to the ongoing global situation which we all find ourselves in with relation to the Coronavirus, I wish to communicate with you further information at this stage.  Strabane Controlled Primary School continues to follow the guidance as directed by the Department of Education for Northern Ireland (DENI), the Public Health Authority (PHA) and the Education Authority (EA).

We await the outcomes and information dissemination as a result of further planned meetings today.  Communication with you will be through the school website, the school’s text messaging service and the PTA Face Book page.   

For now the school will remain closed for the St. Patrick’s planned holidays of Monday and Tuesday and it is currently intended that we will open as planned on Wednesday 18^th March 2020.

The following actions will be taken in order to mitigate risk at this stage;

• Hand washing throughout the school day will continue.
• Visitors to the school will be asked to wash their hands on arrival and will be restricted to essential visitors only.
• There will be no whole school assemblies.
• Pupils will remain in their classrooms as far as possible during class time.
• Pupils will be further educated on ‘Catch it, bin it, kill it’.
• The whole school community will actively promote social distancing as far as is reasonably possible.
• We will not continue to run After school activities until further notice. This includes Football and SU. 

Breakfast club will continue as normal.   

Pupils who have a new cold or who are displaying symptoms of the Coronavirus as described on the PHA guidance should remain at home and self-isolate for a minimum of 7 seven days. 

If you have recently returned from any holiday, I am also advising your child/children should remain at home for at least seven days.  Follow the PHA Guidelines.

Please inform the school by telephone of all absences.  Contact the NHS helpline on 111 for Coronavirus advice and/or contact your local GP.

If your child/children have any medical concerns or conditions which render them vulnerable, then you should decide, in line with medical advice, whether to send them to school.

As already stated, we will continue to inform you via the school website, text service and the PTA Facebook page of any further updates.

Thank you for your support during this difficult time.

Yours faithfully,

Cherith Thompson

Principal