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Plans announced for return to full-time education
A range of proportionate, protective measures to ensure all children and young people can return to full-time education in the autumn term have been published on the Government website (external link).
This latest guidance sets out a Public Health England-endorsed ‘system of controls’ to minimise the risks of coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission, as opposed to a ‘one size fits all’ approach for every possible scenario.
Depending then on a school’s specific circumstances, this will – as much as possible – include:
- Grouping children together
- Avoiding contact between groups
- Arranging classrooms with forward facing desks
- Staff maintaining distance from pupils and other staff as much as possible
These plans have been adapted from the arrangements already in place from the ongoing summer term, with the essential measures being the following:
- A requirement that people who are ill stay at home
- Robust hand and respiratory hygiene
- Enhanced cleaning arrangements
- Active engagement with NHS Test and Trace
- Formal consideration of how to reduce contacts and maximise distancing between those in school wherever possible and minimise potential for contamination so far as is reasonably practicable
Public health advice on how to minimise coronavirus (COVID-19) risks (external link) is also included in this guidance, along with contingency plans for any local coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreaks (external link).
This autumn term guidance is largely replicated in the proposed arrangements for the full reopening of special schools and other specialist settings (external link).
However, there’s some more specific information as well for early years settings (external link), mainstream schools (external link) and further education (FE) colleges and providers (external link) on the steps they will need to take to ensure children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can return to full-time provision.
There are further details too on individual risk assessments for children and young people with education, health and care (EHC) plans (external link) and the temporary changes to SEND legislation (external link).
Protective measures for out-of-school settings
The Government has issued guidance on protective measures for providers who run after-school clubs, community activities, holiday clubs, tuition and other out-of-school settings for children (external link).
Offering advice to support providers planning to reopen, this guidance outlines the practical steps they can take to minimise the risk to those who attend their settings by reducing the risk of infection and transmission of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
It is to be implemented from the end of the summer term, when Haringey state schools have closed.
Until then though, while those schools in the borough remain open, providers should follow the same protective measures as schools to limit different groups of children mixing.
Therefore, if a setting opens before the end of the summer term, they should ensure they are:
- Only caring for children from the eligible groups (Early Years, Reception, Year One and Year Six) and priority groups (children of critical workers and vulnerable children).
- Only caring for children from one school or Early Years provider
- Working closely with the school or Early Years providers that their children attend to ensure that, as far as possible, children are kept in the same small consistent groups that they are in throughout the day, and otherwise maintain social distance
Other issues for OOSS providers to consider going forward include:
- Group sizes (external link)
- Effective infection protection and control (external link)
- The management of toilet facilities (external link)
- Staff availability and appropriate staff-to-child ratios (external link)
- The provision of any Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (external link)
- The NHS Test and Trace service (external link)
The guidance runs through how providers should communicate with carers and parents (external link) about the re-opening of their respective settings and the new safety measures in place, while staff need to be kept informed of the very latest Safe Working Measures as well (external link).
The appropriate safeguarding measures to ensure the wellbeing of children and young people (external link) is outlined for providers too, while there’s guidance for carers and parents (external link) in the form of an informative FAQs/Q&A.
There’s also a breakdown of what would happen in the event of there being a confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in a setting (external link).
Update on resumption of library services
The government has announced that library services can begin to be restored from 4 July. We are currently considering plans to begin the resumption of some services across the borough’s libraries.
It is very important to note that our libraries will not be reopening in full yet and it will be some time before all facilities are restored to usual order.
We realise that library users will be keen to resume using the libraries, but it is imperative that we ensure public safety is the number one priority.
On Monday 6 July, St Ann’s and Muswell Hill Libraries will reopen some services.
Please note that both libraries will be open on Monday 6 and Tuesday 7 from 12pm – 2.30pm for book drops and for staff-selected book collection only.
From Wednesday to Saturday, both libraries will open from 10.30am to 2.30pm, for book drops, ‘grab and go’ and preselected book bags.
We will provide further updates as more library services reopen.
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