We recognise the current Coronavirus outbreak is causing some anxiety and that messages from other educational institutions in the UK are resulting in confusion.

Our key messages are as follows:

• The risk to individuals in the UK remains low.
• Confirmation of a case in Brighton does not alter the current advice from Public Health England (PHE).
• There are several precautions staff and pupils should take as a matter of course – a public information poster is available here.
• Pupils should not be excluded or asked to stay at home based solely on recent travel to Asia (except Wuhan or Hubei provinces).
• If a pupil has symptoms consistent with Coronavirus and has travelled to a higher risk country, it would be appropriate to ask them to remain at home.
• There is no reason why a child should not continue to attend school as normal.
• Please refer to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) latest travel advice, if you are aware of families or children who plan to travel to China during the forthcoming half term period.
• For the latest advice, please visit https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus.

Guidance from PHE is as follows:

Anyone who has travelled to the UK from mainland China, Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia or Macau in the last 14 days and is experiencing cough or fever or shortness of breath, to stay indoors and call NHS 111, even if symptoms are mild.

Additionally, anyone who has travelled from Wuhan or Hubei Province to the UK in the last 14 days should immediately:

• stay indoors and avoid contact with other people as you would with a flu
• call NHS 111 to inform them of your recent travel to the area

Please follow this advice even if you do not have symptoms of the virus.