COVID 19 Update

In Term 3 2022, your child’s school will operate with a number of COVID-smart measures that have been developed with NSW Health to minimise transmission and keep schools open.

These key measures include:

strongly encouraging mask-wearing indoors for all students and staff

rapid antigen testing (RAT) of students and staff who have COVID-19 symptoms or are identified as close contacts

strongly recommending staff and students keep up-to-dateExternal link with their vaccinations

maximising natural ventilation

requiring mask wearing for staff working with students who are at greater risk of serious illness should they contract COVID-19 in schools for specific purpose (SSPs), support units and some mainstream classrooms.

encouraging regular hand washing

boosting enhanced day cleaning of schools

assessing risk and applying appropriate safeguards across activities and events

learning remotely where face-to-face learning is not possible.

In certain circumstances, NSW Health and the Department of Education may advise that additional COVID-smart measures be temporarily reintroduced at your school. Your principal will work with the Health, Safety and Staff Wellbeing Case Management team and provide further details of any changes to COVID-smart measures at your school, when required.

These temporary measures may include:

*ceasing large indoor gatherings

*ceasing off-site and inter-school activities

*cancelling or postponing overnight activities and excursions, including school camps

*mandating mask wearing for adults and high school students

*limiting visitors to schools

*separating cohorts of students

*learning from home or remotely.

Close contacts attending school

Being together in a classroom is the most effective way for students to learn and grow. Since COVID-19 remains a relatively mild illness for most children, the NSW Government is committed to school safety in 2022.

Students and staff who are identified as close contacts and have no symptoms can attend school (excluding schools for specific purposes (SSPs) and support units) if they follow certain guidelines agreed with NSW HealthExternal link in addition to the NSW Health guidelinesExternal link:

They must notify the school and/or early childhood education (ECE) service provider (including their outside of school hours care provider) if they are intending to return under this provision.

They should conduct a daily RAT and return a negative result each morning before attending school for 5 school days.

They (if in a secondary school setting) must wear a mask indoors except when eating or exercising. Primary school students are recommended to wear a mask indoors (except when eating or exercising).

No student or staff member identified as a close contact will be permitted to participate in overnight excursions, including school camps.

No apprentices, trainees or students on placement or staff member identified as a close contact will be permitted to attend settings identified as high risk by NSW Health (healthcare, aged care, disability care or correctional facilities), which in the department context includes schools for specific purposes (SSPs) and support units.

Any visitor to a school site who is a close contact is required to advise the school that they are a close contact before they come on site. These visitors should conduct a daily RAT and return a negative result before attending. They must also wear a mask indoors at all times. Schools should consider if the visit can be conducted virtually.

The department has determined that close contacts will not be permitted to return to a school for specific purposes (SSPs) or to a support unit (including Assisted School Travel Program) and will be supported to continue learning or working from home where possible.

Students and staff at greater risk of serious illness, if they were to contract COVID-19, should speak with their treating medical practitioner or specialist, to review their health support plan or COVID-19 action plan and speak with the school about any local considerations.

Note that staff and students who have had confirmed COVID-19 in the last 4 weeks do not have to comply with the following guidelines if they become a household or close contact and are not required to self-isolate or test unless they develop new COVID-19 symptoms.

The department’s Health, Safety and Staff Wellbeing Case Management team will continue to work with schools around temporary use of additional COVID-smart measures for short periods of time based on localised risk assessments.

Testing

Remember: Staff and students cannot attend school if they are showing any symptoms of COVID-19External link, If symptoms occur at any time, your child should not attend school and should undertake a rapid antigen test (RAT).

All students and staff in schools and ECE services will be provided with 1 multipack containing 5 RAT kits in early Term 3. These RAT kits can be used for symptomatic testing or for daily testing as part of the close contact requirements.

In addition to this delivery, the department has advised schools to maintain appropriate levels of RAT supplies to support symptomatic testing in the event of an outbreak.

Beyond the RATs supplied, families should continue to access PCR and store-purchased RATs as required.

If a student is unwell and has any COVID-19 symptomsExternal link, even the mildest of symptoms, they should always test for COVID-19.

If the test comes back negative for COVID-19, the student should still not return to school until either:

The student no longer has any symptoms, or

A medical certificate is provided to the school confirming that symptoms are explained by another diagnosis (such as hay fever)

It is important that students do not attend school if they are unwell, even if they have tested negative for COVID-19. Rapid antigen tests can produce false negative results and symptoms of other illnesses can also be similar to COVID-19, including flu, the common cold and stomach bugs. Health advice is that students who are sick should always stay home to rest and recover and avoid putting other students and staff at risk of getting sick.

It is recommended that students and staff that return to school after recovering from COVID-19 do not participate in rapid antigen testing for 4 weeks following release from self-isolation unless they develop new COVID-19 symptoms. This is due to NSW Health advice that people who have recovered from COVID-19 have a low risk of contracting it again in the following 4 weeks.

For positive COVID-19 cases

If there is a positive case in your child’s class, year or other grouping, your child can continue to attend school in line with NSW Health advice.

If a student or staff member receives a positive RAT test, they need to:

record the positive RAT result through the Service NSW websiteExternal link or Service NSW appExternal link – please add details of your child's school or early childhood education centre when prompted

notify the school of the positive RAT or PCR test result as soon as possible

follow NSW Health adviceExternal link to isolate for 7 days.

Registering your child’s positive RAT with Service NSW is a requirement of the Public Health Order and helps NSW Health track COVID-19 in schools and address any public health issues early on if required.

Negative results do not need to be reported to Service NSW or to the school.

Schools will inform their community when there is a positive case in the school and guide families on NSW Health advice, including monitoring for symptoms.

For more information, including COVID-19 guidelines and fact sheets, refer to People who tested positive or were exposed to COVID-19External link.

Visitors on school grounds

Schools and early childhood education services can invite visitors – including parents, carers and families – to their sites regardless of their vaccination status, in line with settings in the broader community.

All visitors are strongly encouraged to wear a mask, particularly in indoor settings or when distancing is not possible, and when interacting directly with students.

Visitors to schools for specific purposes (SSPs) and support units, including workers and volunteers, must wear a mask if they are interacting directly with students.

Visitors must also comply with the close contacts in school procedures outlined above.

Vaccinations

COVID-19 vaccination is the best protection against severe illness and reduces the risk of spreading it to others.

We strongly recommend all eligible students (and their families) who are 5 years and older get vaccinated against COVID-19, including booster vaccinations as they become available to different groups.

For more information on booster vaccinations, including eligibility and timing, please refer to NSW Health Booster vaccinationExternal link. To book an appointment near you, visit the Find a vaccine clinic websiteExternal link.

On 18 July 2022, the Secretary announced the NSW Department of Education’s updated policy regarding COVID-19 vaccination for its staff, which will be implemented and phased in at our schools from the beginning of Term 3.

In line with this policy, department employees will no longer be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Unvaccinated staff may return to the workplace from Monday 1 August 2022. The exception to this is for department staff working at or visiting schools for specific purposes (SSPs), who must be double vaccinated with an approved COVID-19 vaccine, or hold a valid medical contraindication – this includes corporate and department staff. Additionally, Assisted Travel Support Officers (ATSOs) and Assisted School Travel Program (ASTP) drivers are covered by the Public Health Order for Care WorkersExternal link, which currently mandates that all care workers must have three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

NSW Health also recommend getting vaccinated against flu. Flu has different effects than COVID-19 and often affects children more severely than COVID-19. Flu vaccines are free for all children aged 6 months to 5 years, and for a small charge for those aged 5 years and older.

For more information refer to Vaccination requirements for school sites.

Cohorting

Schools are not required to keep students in their class or year group cohorts. This means schools do not need to stagger start and finish times and can conduct cross-year group activities and events such as assemblies.

Masks

Masks are an effective way of minimising the transmission of respiratory diseases.

In response to NSW Health advice and the current COVID-19 situation in the state, the Minister for Education and Early Learning has strongly encouraged mask-wearing indoors for all school-based staff and for all students, particularly during the first 4 weeks of Term 3.

A 4-week mask-wearing ‘blitz’ will help to reduce the risk of transmission events in our schools and keep our schools operational to support our students’ learning.

In line with community settings, workers who support our students in schools for specific purposes (SSPs), support units and some mainstream classrooms will be required to wear masks while working with students at greater risk of serious illness should they contract COVID-19.

Masks are still required on school sites for anyone doing any of the following types of work:

NDIS services

ATSP services – drivers and Assisted Travel Support Officers

education and/or support of a student in an SSP, support unit or mainstream setting where the student is dependent on the worker for mobility, health care, personal care, or constant supervision to minimise harm – including:

school learning support officers (SLSOs)

school counselling staff

learning and support teachers

early intervention staff

itinerant support teachers

assistant principals (hearing or vision)

assistant principals learning and support

support teachers transition

classroom teachers

allied health professionals engaged through the allied health pre-qualification scheme

attendant carers engaged through third-party providers.

Masks continue to be mandatory on public transport. This applies to students aged 12 years and older, and staff when travelling to and from school and during school excursions by public transport or by chartered transport services, including school owned transport such as mini-buses. 

In line with the latest advice from NSW HealthExternal link, masks are recommended for students and staff who have recovered from COVID-19, completed their 7-day isolation period and are no longer showing symptoms for an additional 3 days (from days 8 – 10 after receiving a positive COVID-19 result).

Additionally, mask wearing when indoors is mandatory for staff and high school students returning to school as close contacts for 5 school days and recommended for primary school students returning to school as close contacts for 5 school days. Where students or staff are unable to wear a mask, they will be supported to learn or work remotely.

In certain circumstances NSW Health and the Department of Education may advise that certain COVID-smart measures be temporarily reintroduced at your school. Your principal will work with Health and the department and provide further details of any changes to COVID-smart measures at your school when required.

For more information, refer to Guidance on wearing face masksExternal link.

Ventilation

Fresh air is the most effective form of ventilation to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Where there is no natural ventilation, schools will use mechanical ventilation to maximise fresh airflow in learning spaces. Using outdoor spaces will continue to be encouraged.

During the colder months, heating is being used in conjunction with windows and doors remaining slightly open to continue to allow natural ventilation.

For more information, refer to Ventilation.

Additional information for Assisted Travel School Officers

Drivers and Assisted Travel School Officers will be ensuring adequate ventilation is provided in vehicles through a combination of window and air-conditioning use.

Hygiene and cleaning 

Students and staff are encouraged to wash their hands regularly with soap and water.

Schools will use boosted day cleaning processes throughout Term 3. Target areas include high-touch areas, hard surfaces, door handles, lockers, light switches and handrails in stairways and areas where students and staff move through regularly.

Community use of school sites

Community use of school sites including community sports, playgroups, schools as community centres and for Parent and Citizens Association meetings are permitted. The school should have plans in place to avoid interaction between the community users and school students and staff.

Community use of school sites should use outdoor spaces and be held after hours where possible.

Community use of school sites should follow all relevant NSW Government rulesExternal link.

A Community Use Acknowledgement (PDF 190 KB) must be in place.

Community users do not need to be vaccinated, unless required by their organisation. Parents, carers and other visitors participating do not need to be vaccinated.

Community users during school hours must also sign in as visitors as per the school’s usual sign in procedures.

Language schools that operate on school sites

Community languages schools are allowed to operate on school sites, with a Community Use Acknowledgement (PDF 190 KB) .

For additional support, check COVID-19 Business rules in NSWExternal link for hospitality or complete an optional Hospitality COVID-19 Safety PlanExternal link.

Reducing the risk of illness this winter

All students, staff and their families should follow NSW Health’s advice to reduce the risk of not only COVID-19, but also other illnesses that may affect our schools this winter such as the flu. We can all protect our loved ones and our community by:

staying home if unwell or if displaying any COVID-19 symptoms

keeping up to date with our vaccinations – including the flu vaccine, which is available from your local GP, pharmacy or Aboriginal Medical Service now

flu vaccines are free for all children aged 6 months to under 5 years, or for a small charge for those aged 5 years and older

getting tested immediately for COVID-19 if you become symptomatic and isolating until you receive a negative result

practicing good hand hygiene by washing regularly with soap and water.

taking a RAT before visiting vulnerable loved ones or going to large gatherings and events.

Specific activities

Guidelines have been provided to schools on how to assess activities with a higher risk of exposure to COVID-19 and apply appropriate safeguards.

Parents and carers will be made aware of those risks and will need to give their permission for participation in extra-curricular, out-of-school hours or off-site activities.

Learning from home

Where face-to-face learning is not possible, learning from home options will be supported for short periods.

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Asher Munsies