St. Kevin's National School, Greystones

In relation to Swine Flu, the following measures will be put in place to reduce the risk of the spread of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in St. Kevin’s:

Raise awareness - Posters outlining appropriate respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene will be displayed in all classrooms and access areas. The main points of the poster campaign are: “Cover a Cough”, “Use a Tissue”, “Wash your Hands”.

Respiratory Etiquette - Students and staff are encouraged to cover their mouth and nose with a paper tissue when coughing or sneezing. Each class will be given an age appropriate SPHE lesson on respiratory etiquette in the first week of the new school year. Each child will be given a small packet of tissues on the first day of term and parents are asked to ensure that this supply of tissues is replaced as needed. If no tissue is available they should cough or sneeze into the inside of their elbow. A tissue should be used only once and disposed of quickly and carefully in a dustbin. Waste, including used tissues, will be disposed of in the normal way as there is no need to take special precautions in the handling of such waste.

Hand Hygiene – Students and staff are encouraged to wash their hands with soap and water. To further reduce the risk of contamination, Students should bring their own hand towel to school. Classroom towels will be provided as normal. These towels are changed at least once a day.

Routine cleaning – All hard surfaces will be cleaned with a regular household cleaner, as per current practice.

Responding to symptoms – The usual procedure will apply if a child presents with flu-like symptoms. Parents will be contacted and the child may be collected from the front desk. Contact details for parents/guardians must be kept up to date. You can familiarize yourselves with the symptoms by checking the information available on or alternatively, you can contact the Flu Helpline 1800 94 11 00.The school will contact the H.S.E. in Wicklow Town for advice in the event of any diagnosed case.


We would be grateful if you would support these measures and reinforce them at home – Thank you.