Teacher Training at MATTS during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Update 21 January 2024

Viruses - some guidance to help you decide if you should come into the school

Over the last year, several people have told me that they were unsure whether they should come in when they might be infected with one of the many viruses "doing the rounds" at the moment, including colds, tummy bugs, influenza and coronavirus.

1) Coronavirus: Please do not come in if you are acutely ill with Coronavirus: it can still be a dangerous disease and can have serious long-term effects. First of all, if you feel unwell, please take a LFT for coronavirus, and repeat daily for several days if symptoms persist. If you do not have your own LFTs, I keep a supply and most pharmacies continue to stock them. If you are very unwell, please ask us to arrange for a test kit to be delivered to you at home.

Current government advice is that if you have a positive test, you should assume you are infectious for 5 days after symptoms start, although there is a small chance that you will remain infectious for up to 10 days. If you feel recovered, you can return to the school after 5 days, but please make sure to wear a properly fitted Type II mask for a further week (see below) and sit apart during the tea break.

If you do not feel very unwell, and your test result is negative, then you are unlikely to be infected with Coronavirus, but it is still best to wear a mask for a few days "just in case" (see below).

2) Other infections: If your symptoms include fever, vomiting or diarrhoea, then the usual advice is that you should wait a full 24 hours after these symptoms have resolved before mixing with others.

3) Common Cold: If you believe that your symptoms are simply those of the common cold, then you should not come in during the most acute phase of the illness: generally, the first 2-3 days of symptoms are when you are at your most infectious. However, since colds can be infectious for up to two weeks, and also because many symptoms (such as cough and runny nose) can persist long after you are likely to be infectious, this should not prevent you from coming in, although you are encouraged to wear a mask (see below) and to make liberal use of hand sanitiser.

The Type II disposable masks, when properly worn, are rated as reducing the usual risk of transmission of all viruses by 98%, which makes the absolute risk of infecting someone else very low risk indeed. I keep a supply at the school. A clear plan to wear one of these if in doubt about your health status would be much appreciated.

Update 6 June 2022

Now that the main crisis seems to have passed, we now longer follow the protocol below. However, we are leaving it posted on the website for now in case of a future resurgence of Covid or some other dangerous virus.

MATTS re-opened as an in-person four days per week training course for teachers on 8th September 2021. During the recent "Covid lockdowns" we were unable to meet in groups for long periods and, with the support of STAT, developed a special training protocol to continue with part-time training during this period based on a combination of individual lessons and online group meetings.

Now that we are again meeting together as a group, we continue to take precautions against Covid. We provide as much ventilation as possible, run high quality HEPA filters in all the classrooms at all times, and enable working in the garden when the weather permits. All students and teachers are encouraged to take occasional rapid antigen (lateral flow) tests at home, and we have these available here also. Teachers and students are no longer required to wear masks when working together, but are welcome to do so if they prefer. We keep a ready supply of disposable masks.

Further information for students and teachers about Covid precautions: We believe that everyone is now fully vaccinated – if you are not, please let Peter know. If you have reason to believe that you may have become infected with Covid, it is best for you not to attend until you are able to check your status. If you think there is a possibility that you may have been exposed, but that the risk was very small, then please take a daily lateral flow test, try to work outside as much as possible and wear a properly fitted mask. If you are yourself particularly vulnerable for medical reasons, or you are shielding for someone who is, please wear a properly fitted FFP2 (N95) mask, or equivalent, which offers a very high degree of protection, and have your tea outdoors. Disposable masks are always available. Remember to bring a jumper for working in the garden.