Covid-19 Guidelines & Policy

Here’s what to do if your child is aged 13 or older. 

When to keep your child at home

Keep your child at home if they:

• have symptoms of COVID-19
• have a positive PCR or antigen test result
• are any kind of close contact – unless they had their booster vaccine more than 7 days ago or have had their first round of COVID-19 vaccine and have also had COVID-19

When it’s OK to send your child to school or childcare

It is usually OK to send your child to school or childcare if they:

• do not have symptoms of COVID-19
• are a close contact but had a booster vaccine more than 7 day ago
• are a close contact but have recovered from COVID-19 after testing positive since 1 December 2021
• are a close contact but had their first round of COVID-19 vaccine and also tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 3 months
• only have nasal symptoms, such as a runny nose or a sneeze, but otherwise feel well
• are not taking any form of paracetamol or ibuprofen that could hide a high temperature (38 degrees Celsius or over)
• got a negative COVID-19 PCR test result or negative antigen test results and have not had any new symptoms for 48 hours
• have not had diarrhoea for 48 hours
• are being tested as part of a serial testing programme, but have no symptoms. For example, some children in direct provision centres
• are tested regularly because they are in a vulnerable group
• are doing antigen tests because of a case of COVID-19 in their pod or class – as long as they do not have symptoms and their antigen test results are negative

Students under 13 years of age

When to keep your child at home

Keep your child at home if they:

• have symptoms of COVID-19
• live with someone who has symptoms of COVID-19 and is waiting for a PCR test result or doing repeat antigen tests – if all 3 of their antigen tests or their PCR test is negative, your child can return to school
• have a positive PCR or antigen test result
• are a household close contact
• have diarrhoea

 

When it’s OK to send your child to school

It is usually OK to send your child to school or childcare if they:

• only have nasal symptoms, such as a runny nose or a sneeze, but otherwise feel well
• are a non-household close contact and do not have symptoms of COVID-19
• have recovered from COVID-19 after testing positive since 1 December 2021
• are not taking any form of paracetamol or ibuprofen that could hide a high temperature (38 degrees Celsius or over)
• got a negative PCR or antigen test result, are not a close contact, and have not had any new symptoms for 48 hours
• have not had diarrhoea for 48 hours
• are being tested as part of a serial testing programme, but have no symptoms. For example, some children in direct provision centres
• are tested regularly because they are in a vulnerable group
• are doing antigen tests because of a case of COVID-19 in their pod or class – as long as they do not have symptoms and their antigen test results are negative

 

If your child has symptoms of COVID-19

If your child has symptoms of COVID-19 they need to:

• stay at home and isolate from other people
• get tested – find out what type of test they should get
• wear a medical, respirator or well-fitted face mask, depending on their age

 

If your child has a positive test result

If any of your child’s tests are positive, you need to:

• isolate them from other people and keep them at home
• report their positive test result and close contacts, if they have been using antigen tests

They can return to school or childcare when both of these apply:

• they have not had a high temperature (38 degrees Celsius or over) or other symptoms for 48 hours
• it has been 7 days since they first developed symptoms

 

If your child has a negative test result

What the people your child lives with need to do

People your child lives with need to restrict their movements at least until your child gets their PCR test result or completes their antigen tests.

They do not need to do this if they:

• have had a booster vaccine more than 7 day ago – boosters are only available to over 16s
• recovered from COVID-19 in the past 3 months and have had their first round of COVID-19 vaccine
• recovered from COVID-19 after testing positive since 1 December 2021

Returning to school after a positive test

If you child has completed their isolation period for the length of time needed, they can return to school.

They do not need to do another test or to show a negative test result to return. They do not need a GP cert or a note from a GP.

Updated : 14th January 2022

 

Covid 19 Policy & Response Plan

 

Our full Covid19 Response Plan is available to download here

 

Updated : August 2021