Marton & District C E Aided Primary School

NHS Test and Trace COVID-19 app – resources for schools, parents and young people

Today, NHS Test and Trace has launched the NHS COVID-19 app. The app has been launched to help control the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). It will do this by alerting people who may have been exposed to infection so that they can take action.

The app is available to download on smartphones for anyone aged 16 or over. This means that some students in year 11, students in years 12, 13 and in further education colleges will be eligible to use the app and benefit from its features. In addition to the guidance for schools and further education colleges which we published yesterday, NHS Test and Trace has published guidance and resources to support the use of the app which are available to download.

Schools and further education colleges may find the fact sheet for parents and the poster about storing phones in lockers useful.

Personal protective equipment deliveries to schools and further education colleges

Schools and further education colleges have been sent a small amount of personal protective equipment (PPE). This one-off distribution of PPE was provided free of charge by the Department of Health and Social Care to help build resilience across the education sector to respond to any suspected cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) arising in schools and colleges. The PPE should be used strictly in accordance with guidance on safe working in education, childcare and children's social care settings, and should not be re-purposed or used for non-coronavirus (COVID-19) related situations.

If your school or further education college has not received the PPE delivery, please check for undelivered parcels at your local Royal Mail depot. Following this, you can notify the Department using this online form. The online form will be available until 6pm on Wednesday 30 September.

Personal protective equipment available to children’s homes, secure children’s homes and residential special schools

Children’s homes, secure children’s homes and residential special schools are able to order personal protective equipment (PPE) free of charge from the Department of Health and Social Care PPE portal. The PPE should be used strictly in accordance with guidance on safe working in education, childcare and children's social care settings, and should not be re-purposed or used for non-coronavirus (COVID-19) related situations.

Eligible settings have been sent an email inviting them to register for the PPE portal. Emails have been sent to the address that we hold on Get Information About Schools (GIAS). Any setting that has not yet registered with the portal will receive a second invitation email in the next week.

From 2 October, if you have not received this invitation email, please contact the Department of Health and Social Care customer service support team:

Phone: 0800 876 6802

Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 7am to 7pm

Callers will be asked to provide their Unique Reference Number (URN) when contacting the team to authenticate their eligibility.

Parents to receive letter from NHS on annual flu vaccinations

This week, parents and carers of children in years 7 and below will receive a letter from the NHS reminding them that it is time for their child to receive their annual flu vaccination. The letter also provides details of where the vaccinations will take place and the need for parents and carers to provide consent before the vaccination can be administered.

The information below hasn’t changed since our last update

Department for Education coronavirus (COVID-19) helpline opening hours

The Department for Education coronavirus (COVID-19) helpline remains available to answer questions about coronavirus (COVID-19) relating to education and children’s social care. Please listen carefully to the available options and select the most appropriate to your nursery, school, or college’s current situation.

Staff, parents and young people can contact this helpline by calling:

Phone: 0800 046 8687

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm
Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm