Advice from Public Health England to prevent the spread of norovirus

Public Health England (PHE) West Midlands advises that they are seeing a significant increase in outbreaks of norovirus (winter vomiting bug) in schools compared to this time last year.

Norovirus is highly infectious. The main symptoms include:

• feeling sick
• fever
• sudden onset of vomiting, often projectile
• watery diarrhoea

Some people also have a slight fever, headaches, painful stomach cramps and aching limbs.

The symptoms appear one to two days after people become infected and typically last for up to two or three days.

The most effective way to stop norovirus spreading is by washing hands thoroughly with soap and warm water after using the toilet and for affected staff and pupils to stay away from school until they have been symptom free for 48 hours.

PHE West Midlands is asking schools to promote good hand hygiene and to ensure that toilets are fully stocked with soap and toilet paper. It has been shown that most alcohol gels and antibacterial wipes do not kill norovirus, so pupils must be encouraged to use soap every time they wash their hands and report to staff if the soap has run out.

If your nursery or school experiences an outbreak, i.e. two or more cases of diarrhoea and/or vomiting, please contact Public Health England on 0344 2253560 option 2, option 1 for advice. 

To access a copy of the norovirus nursery/school poster please click here.

Eligibility for Service Pupil Premium deadline reminder

Service Pupil Premium (SPP)

SPP was introduced by the Department for Education (DfE) as part of the commitment to delivering the Armed Forces Covenant. SPP enables schools to provide extra, mainly pastoral support for children with parents in the regular Armed Forces. SPP is paid directly to state schools, free schools and academies across England for supporting Service children.

The amount is £300 per child in classes Reception to Year 11.

Who is eligible?

Children of regular Service personnel (PStat Cat 1 and 2 only) who have been recorded as Service children on any January census since 2015 in state schools, free schools and academies in England in years reception to year 11 are eligible for SPP.

Schools can claim SPP for children of regular Service Personnel, for those who have had a Service parent who has died in Service as well as those who have left including through injury for up to a maximum of six years or up to the end of year 11 (whichever comes first).

If a child is not recorded as a Service child whilst the parent is serving, and the Service person has left the Services, schools will not be able to claim SPP.

If a child is home educated, parents agree to take on the financial responsibility and therefore are not eligible for SPP.

The deadline for recording Service children on the next January census is 16 January 2020. Parents are encouraged to inform their child/ren’s school of their Service status ahead of this date to ensure the school can secure SPP funding.

Service Pupil Premium - what you need to know (gov.uk)

DCYP-MOD Service Pupil Premium poster

Wheelchair skills training helps young people to become independent

A good day was had by all who attended a Wheelchair Skills Workshop, organised by Warwickshire's Integrated Disability Service (IDS), in collaboration with the National Charity Go Kids Go on Thursday 7 November 2019. 

The one-day event was hosted at Weddington Primary School in Nuneaton and gave 12 young people from across the county an opportunity to learn new skills helping them to gain more independence and meet other children who use both manual and powered wheelchairs. 

The school hall and outdoor facilities provided the ideal space for the young people to learn new ways of manoeuvring up and down surfaces, practice safe road crossing and even try out a few handy dance moves just in time for their Christmas parties! Parents and carers also had the opportunity to get involved and try out the wheelchairs for themselves. The day concluded with a rather competitive game of wheelchair basketball! 

There was lots of positive feedback from both the young people and their families on the day and it was such a success that IDS is hoping to organise similar workshops next year. In the meantime, they hope to support Roy Wild and his team from Go Kids Go, in raising some much needed funds so they can continue to offer these opportunities to young people free of charge.

So, look out for further news of their fundraising event in spring 2020!

Free Child Accident Prevention training

Schools and families with children under five may be able to benefit from a free training course to help them make positive changes to their physical and mental health and wellbeing.

In an attempt to reduce the total number of accidents in children aged 0-5 years old which result in hospital admissions, Child Accident Prevention MECC (CAP) was introduced in Warwickshire. In 2016/17, the county had the fourth highest rate of hospital admissions caused by unintentional and deliberate injuries in 0-4 years across the West Midlands region.

The Child Accident Prevention MECC (CAP) training provides a fully-funded three-hour course based on Making Every Contact Count (MECC), an NHS designed intervention. At the end of the training, by working through all course objectives, attendees will be better equipped to understand potential needs, recognise the causes of accidents, discuss issues with greater confidence and learned techniques as well as where to find help and information.

All attendees who complete the course will be able to access ongoing support, advice and up-to-date information from Citizens Advice and Warwickshire County Council.               

Who is the course for?

It is for anyone who works with or has children aged 0-5, though the themes of CAP can also support people working with children of all ages.       

Schools, nurseries or parent groups who wish to benefit from the training can choose a date and location that works best for them. Sessions last for three hours and can be booked in the morning, afternoon or evening with some weekend availability also.  

If you are interested in attending this course, please contact erinyork@warwickshire.gov.uk or lynnbassett@warwickshire.gov.uk