Preparing Your School To Return From The Covid-19 Pandemic

All schools should conduct a fire drill in the first week back – fire safety in new and existing school buildings.

You will also need to ensure that you have at least one member of staff with paediatric first aid training and DSL training in school each day.

The government understands that social distancing is not always possible with younger children. Therefore the DfE have confirmed that you should work through the hierarchy of measures set out in implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings as follows:

General compliance with the statutory social distancing measure is still important and contact should be reduced where possible by having young children mix in only small, consistent groups, with each group staying apart from other groups.

Primary school groups should be split in half, with no more than 15 pupils per group and one teacher (plus a teaching assistant if necessary).
Vulnerable children and children of critical workers in other year groups should also be split into small groups of no more than 15. Desks should be spaced out as far apart as possible.

Drop-off and collection times should be suitably staggered to reduce the number of parents on the school premises at any one time. Signage should be used to encourage social distancing, and you should communicate with parents in advance to ensure they understand the new rules.
You will also need to ensure that break times and lunch times are staggered, and children only eat lunch with those in their own groups.

If any safeguarding issues arise, they should be dealt with in accordance with the school or trust’s Safeguarding Policy.

The DfE guidance regarding implementing protective measures states that it is not necessary for staff to wear masks, gloves and aprons unless they are carrying out activities that would usually require the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) or if a child, young person or other learner becomes unwell with symptoms of coronavirus while in their setting and need supervision until they can return home. You should use your local supply chains to obtain PPE. Where this is not possible, and there is an unmet urgent need for PPE in order to operate safely, you may approach your nearest local resilience forum.

Staff and pupils in all settings will be eligible for testing if they become ill with coronavirus symptoms, as will members of their households. Those who are clinically vulnerable, or are living with someone who is, should follow the protective measures guidance.

The DfE have provided guidance on implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings.

Children should not be sharing resources until they have been cleaned thoroughly.

The DfE have advised that schools should display these posters around their premises:

The DfE have suggested that schools equip themselves with the following:

You should review your current staffing availability for the week commencing 1st June. If you have any clinically extremely vulnerable individuals, remember that they are advised not to work outside of their home. It is reasonable to request proof of an employee being classed as clinically extremely vulnerable if you have any doubts.

Clinically vulnerable individuals are those staff who are at higher risk of severe illness (those with the conditions set out in the staying at home and away from others (social distancing) guidance). These members of staff should take extra care in observing social distancing and should work from home where possible. You should endeavor to support this, for example by asking those staff to support remote education, carry out lesson planning or in other roles which can be done from home. If working from home is not possible, you should offer these staff the safest available on-site roles, maintaining a 2-meter distance from others, unless the individual chooses to take on a role that does not allow for this. You must assess whether this involves an acceptable level of risk.

If you have any members of staff who live with someone who is clinically extremely vulnerable ( see guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable) it is advised that they only attend work if stringent social distancing can be adhered to. If it cannot then you should not be asking those members of staff to attend school.

Any members of staff who live with someone who is clinically vulnerable can attend work as per all other members of staff.
You can ask staff to inform you immediately if their situation changes. You can also ask staff members if they are prepared to undertake different roles temporarily, providing you do not enforce a reduction in pay or hours.

If you have to use staff from another school, or supply staff, then this should be done on a weekly basis, not daily, to minimise the contact with different people.

You should avoid opening the school if you do not have a head or deputy, at least one person with paediatric first aid training, at least one person with DSL training, access to advice from a SENDCo and a caretaker and/or cleaning staff in school each day.

It is to be expected that some staff will be worried about coming into school, even if the risks for them are very low. You will know your staff best and so will be in the best position to work out how to proceed in individual cases. If you are facing an issue with staff refusing to attend school, then please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss individual cases.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (Furlough Pay/Leave) can continue to be used for staff typically paid for through private income, on condition that the principles in the DfE’s sector specific guidance continue to be met.

The government’s stance on attendance has changed very slightly. Previously, it was advised that children of key workers should only attend school if there is no-one available to look after them at home. The advice has now changed so that children of key workers are actively encouraged to attend school. Only one parent need be a key worker to render a child eligible for schooling at present.

If someone in the same household as a child or young person is extremely clinically vulnerable, the child should only attend school if stringent social distancing can be adhered to, and the child is able to understand and follow those instructions. No-one with symptoms should attend a setting for any reason.

The DfE has advised that you should assume that all eligible children will attend for the purposes of planning, even if you think that this is unlikely. This includes ensuring that you follow the attendance expectations for vulnerable children guidance. You should determine your half-class groups taking into account any limitations of your school buildings and outside space.

Any vulnerable children or children of critical workers who are in reception, year 1 or year 6 should in included within their year group from 1st June.

Secondary schools, sixth form and further education colleges are being asked to offer some face-to-face support to supplement the remote education of year 10 and year 12 students who are due to take key examinations next year, alongside the full-time provision that they are offering to priority groups.

Special schools should be working towards a phased return of more children and young people without a focus on specific year groups.

You should not permit any year groups other than those listed above to attend school. (Other than vulnerable children and those of key workers).

Should parents or carers decide that they do not feel comfortable with their children attending school, they will not face fines or other sanctions. Your school will also not be held to account for attendance figures during the Coronavirus outbreak. The DfE does encourage schools to regularly contact parents who decide not to send their children in.

You should continue to inform social workers where children assigned to them do not attend school.

Remember that qualified teachers are qualified to teach any primary year group, including EYFS.

If you have a shortage of teachers then you can use a teaching assistant to lead a group, working under the direction of another teacher.

If you do not have the staff available to be able to cover all of the new teaching groups you have created, you will need to consider possible solutions with your local authority and/or trust. You can use supply teachers and teachers on loan from other schools, trying to maintain consistency as much as possible to reduce the risks. You can also use members of SLT providing there is sufficient leadership time remaining.

If you still cannot find enough cover to enable all eligible children to attend, or cover cannot be provided consistently at another local school then you should focus first on continuing to provide places for priority groups.

Year groups should then be prioritised from the youngest to the oldest. Rota systems should not be used; children should be offered schooling consistently.

You will need to continue completing the daily data returns using the DfE portal.

Schools are temporarily not obligated to offer a broad and balanced curriculum to pupils. No examinations or assessments will take place this term and Ofsted have paused all routine inspections.

You should consider establishing new, temporary school rules. If you do make any temporary updates to your behaviour policy, don’t forget to communicate these changes to staff, pupils and parents. Staff will need to explicitly teach and supervise health and hygiene arrangements.

The DfE has provided example new school rules here (Annex A) and posters that can be displayed in school here. They have also provided model guidance for staff, which can be found here.

Youth Sport Trust have provided some non-touch sports resources for use in schools.

Taking books home – the exchange and number of shared resources taken home by both pupils and staff should be limited. Hands and surfaces should be cleaned before and after handling books.

Uniform – Normal washing of clothes will suffice following a day in school. Uniform that cannot be machine washed should be avoided. You should show leeway for any child who has grown out of any parts of their uniform since March.

Drop off and pick-up routines – Communication with parents is essential. You should determine a queuing system and a process for staff to greet each child, ensure they wash their hands immediately on arrival and then go straight to their classroom. Parents need to be informed that they cannot gather at the school gates.

Visitors – external visitors during school hours should be limited. Parents should only be entering the school premises is strictly necessary.

EYFS requirements have been amended by temporary legislation, providing flexibility to schools to respond to changes in workforce availability and potential fluctuations in demand. This legislation came into force on 24th April 2020 and can be found here – EYFS learning and development requirements.

Year 1 – where possible, schools should ascertain where children have fallen behind or have progressed further against the school’s existing reading curriculum. Where there are small numbers significantly behind others then ensure they receive support as intensively as can be managed to catch up and liaise where possible with parents and carers to ensure they can support too.

Year 6 – it is unlikely than many of the end of term traditions will be able to take place, for example, whole year or class assemblies and school trips. Schools should provide opportunities for children to discuss this as It may be a source of anxiety. Though visits to secondary schools for induction will not take place this year, some secondary schools may have capacity to undertake remote induction briefings or other types of sessions for pupils, for example to meet form tutors, heads of year or other key staff, or have a virtual tour of the school. You should discuss these options with the secondary schools. Teaching during this time should focus on readiness for secondary school, including academic readiness, with a particular focus on mathematics and English.

You should ensure that information is transferred to destination secondary schools as soon as possible, and if practical in the absence of SATs results ensure that secondary schools are briefed in as much detail as possible about the attainment profile of transferring pupils, along with other information normally transferred.

As part of the introduction of the new health education during 2020-2021 the DfE will be producing some training materials for teachers on teaching about mental health and wellbeing.

If you normally provide breakfast and after-school clubs as part of ‘wrap-around’ provision, you are not required to continue with these. You should only run such provision if you are able to keep children within the groups that they are in during the school day, or they are safely distanced.

Meals should be provided for all children in school, and meals should be available free of charge where pupils meet the free school meal eligibility criteria. Educational settings are expected to reopen their kitchens and ensure that meals are able to be prepared and served safely. Meals or food parcels should be provided for benefits-related FSM pupils not in school. Food vouchers will continue to be available where needed.

The fund for schools to cover specific additional costs as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak remains open and should be used by schools as appropriate.

You will need to communicate with parents to ensure they know:

Clear communicate in advance and clear signage should be displayed regarding social distancing however you have no responsibility for the actions of parents or children outside of school grounds.

You should be prepared to be flexible in the interests of social distancing. For example, if you have a parent with children in two separate, eligible year groups, you should contact them and agree joint start and finish time for both children, rather than enforcing the staggered start and finish times with the rest of the year group.

Now that primary schools will be opening more widely, larger numbers of staff will be needed to provide face-to-face teaching at school, making it more difficult to maintain the same level of remote education provision for pupils in the year groups that are not eligible to attend, or for those pupils in year groups who are eligible to attend but who cannot.

The DfE encourages the use of Oak National Academy in these circumstances.

Where pupils do not have access to online resources, you should consider whether it is possible to provide printed resources.

The DfE’s guidance on remote education during the coronavirus outbreak can be found here.