Purpose of this document
On 10 May the Prime Minister announced a roadmap towards recovery, including plans for the phased return of some children to school from the week commencing 1 June.

We have created a planning framework to help school leaders and trusts to prepare and decide arrangements for more children returning to school. It’s a starting point from which schools and trusts may choose to develop their own plans. This planning guide builds on that – it gives school leaders the ‘next-level down’ of detail from the planning framework.

This guide has been designed by school leaders for school leaders. It is intended to provide a step by step guide for those responsible for mainstream primary schools to prepare for extending their opening to include all pupils in reception, year 1 and year 6 from the week commencing 1 June, alongside priority groups (vulnerable children and the children of critical workers). Eligible children should be offered a full-time place. Schools are not required to use this guide, and may choose to follow alternative approaches to preparing for wider opening, or to use some sections of this guidance alongside other approaches. We hope that some of these suggestions will be helpful to headteachers who are leading this important work, to support their own decision-making.

Timeframe this document covers
This guide covers the first phase of wider opening from the week commencing 1 June. The government’s ambition is for all primary school children to return to school before the summer for a month if feasible. This position will be kept under review, and further advice will be provided as and when needed.
Options for delivery
Schools should not plan on the basis of a rota system, either daily or weekly. This guide sets out other options for schools if they are unable to cater for all of the vulnerable children, children of critical workers, nursery children (where applicable – any pre-existing, standard rotas may remain unchanged), reception pupils, year 1s and year 6s with their available staff or in their available space.

In most cases the preparation for wider opening will be undertaken by the headteacher and senior colleagues. However, relevant bodies (such as local authorities, academy trusts or governing bodies, depending on the school type) retain responsibility for key decisions and plans should be confirmed with them, particularly risk assessments of the school opening more widely, before pupils and staff return.

We expect schools and trusts to work closely with:

• parents, staff and unions as they normally would, when agreeing the best approaches for their circumstances
• their local authorities to determine what services they require and agree on any specific arrangements during this period

A similar guide for early years settings will be published shortly. Schools with nursery classes, 2-year-old provision and maintained nursery schools, may wish to consult this guidance.

Much of this will be relevant and useful for special schools and alternative provision (AP) providers, though it has not been developed for those settings.

While aiming to be comprehensive, the guide may not be exhaustive and there may again be particular circumstances which necessitate the consideration of factors not covered here.

This guide does not supersede any legal obligations relating to health and safety, employment or equalities and it is important that as an employer you continue to comply with your existing obligations, including those relating to individuals with protected characteristics. It contains non-statutory guidance to take into account when complying with these existing obligations. When considering how to apply this guidance, take into account agency workers, contractors and other people, as well as your employees.

Background
As a result of the huge efforts everyone has made to adhere to strict social distancing measures, the transmission rate of coronavirus (COVID-19) has decreased. We therefore anticipate, with further progress, that we may be able, from the week commencing 1 June 2020 to welcome back more children to early years settings, schools and colleges. Primary schools are being asked to welcome back all children currently in nursery, reception, year 1 or year 6. This guide is designed to support schools’ planning for this phase of return.

From 1 June at the earliest, secondary schools will also be asked to provide some face-to-face support for pupils in year 10 and year 12 facing exams next year to supplement their remote education. We will be working with sector representatives over the coming week to develop models of how this could operate, and this will be published along with further guidance for secondary schools shortly.

1. Preparing the site
Health and safety check of the building
If your whole school site or buildings have been closed for many weeks, or if parts of the building have been out of use for a long period, then you should consider undertaking a health and safety check of the buildings concerned. You should speak to your trust or local authority about this if you are unsure whether you need it or how to commission it.

Read more about managing school premises during the coronavirus outbreak.

You might also need to make adjustments to your fire drill and practise it in the first week when more pupils return. Refer to advice on fire safety in new and existing school buildings.

Cleaning and hygiene
You will want to decide and make clear to the school staff and parents what your expectations are about cleaning and hygiene.

Once children are back in school, all frequently touched surfaces, equipment, door handles and toilets used during the day will need to be cleaned thoroughly each day. Talk to your cleaning provider about what will be needed.

Refer to guidance on cleaning non-healthcare settings for more information.

The guidance on implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings provides detailed advice on measures schools need to consider.

You may also wish to consider your plans for:

• the availability of soap and hot water in every toilet (and if possible in classrooms)
• the location of hand sanitiser stations, for example at the school entrance for pupils and any other person passing into the school to use, and their replenishment
• the location of lidded bins in classrooms and in other key locations around the site for the disposal of tissues and any other waste, their double bagging and emptying
• ensuring you have a good supply of disposable tissues to implement the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach in each classroom and enough to top up regularly

See annex d: list of things to consider acquiring for other things you may need to get.

Movement around the school
Try to reduce possible contact between different groups of children, and between adults, it may be helpful for corridors to be used on a one way basis at any given time.

The guidance on implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings provides more suggestions on planning things like corridor access, lunch breaks and pick-up and drop-off times.

Site examination
Start with an examination of the classrooms available, and any other rooms to be used as temporary classrooms.

You may need to spread out into different classrooms or spaces than is usually the case. If you are having to split, for example, a reception class and use a non-reception classroom for half class, you may need to move some essential resources into the non-reception room, if there is space to do so.

You should be mindful to minimise the number of resources in order to make sure they can be wiped clean. Wherever possible, resources which are not easily washable or wipeable should be removed.

Display the posters in annex c (or others you think are suitable) in every classroom to be used, at the main entrance or front office, in places visible to those at the school gate if possible, in the staffroom and in all toilets.

2. Reviewing your staff for availability in school
Audit your whole staff to ascertain who will be available to be in school from the week commencing 1 June
Remember staff may need to work with different groups of children than usual.

You may also be working with some staff who are anxious and may value the opportunity for discussion and reassurance.

The guidance on implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings contains information about clinically vulnerable and clinically extremely vulnerable adults.

Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals are advised not to work outside the home. We are strongly advising people, including education staff, who are clinically extremely vulnerable (those with serious underlying health conditions which put them at very high risk of severe illness from coronavirus and have been advised by their clinician or through a letter) to rigorously follow shielding measures in order to keep themselves safe. Staff in this position are advised not to attend work.

Read guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable for more advice.

Clinically vulnerable individuals who are at higher risk of severe illness (for example, people with some pre-existing conditions as set out in the staying at home and away from others (social distancing) guidance) have been advised to take extra care in observing social distancing and should work from home where possible. This includes pregnant women. Education and childcare settings should endeavour to support this, for example by asking staff to support remote education, carry out lesson planning or other roles which can be done from home.

If clinically vulnerable (but not clinically extremely vulnerable) individuals cannot work from home, they should be offered the safest available on-site roles, staying 2 metres away from others wherever possible, although the individual may choose to take on a role that does not allow for this distance if they prefer to do so. If they have to spend time within 2 metres of other people, settings must carefully assess and discuss with them whether this involves an acceptable level of risk.

If a member of staff lives with someone who is clinically vulnerable (but not clinically extremely vulnerable), which includes those who are pregnant, they can attend work.

If a staff member lives in a household with someone who is extremely clinically vulnerable, as set out in the guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable, it is advised they only attend work if stringent social distancing can be adhered to. If stringent social distancing cannot be adhered to, we do not expect those individuals to attend. They should be supported to work at home.

Your staffing picture may change so you should update your audit frequently. Ask staff to update you immediately if their situation changes as you will need to base decisions on your most recent staff availability audit.

What to consider when working out staff ratios

1. How many staff do you have available to work in school?
2. How many teachers do you have available to work in school?
3. How many support staff including teaching assistants do you have available for work in school?
4. Do you have a head or deputy available for work in school?
5. Do you have at least one person with paediatric first aid training available for work in school?
6. Do you have at least one person with up to date Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) training available to work in school?
7. Do you have your special educational needs coordinator available for work, or an alternative staff member who could take on this role?
8. Do you have a caretaker and/or cleaning staff, and if necessary at least one office staff member available during the school day?

If the answer to questions 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 is no, then you should try to find a solution to this before going further. You should speak to your local authority and/or trust who may be able to provide a suitable person temporarily to cover 5, 6, 7 or 8. In some cases, staff members may be prepared to undertake a different role to their normal role temporarily.

Keep your staffing arrangements as consistent as possible. In instances where you do need to use staff from other schools, ensure cover is agreed on a weekly basis, not daily, to limit contacts.

3. Familiarise yourself with the maximum safe group size
We know that, unlike older children and adults, early years and primary age children cannot be expected to remain 2 metres apart from each other and staff. In deciding to bring more children back to early years and schools, we are taking this into account.

You should, therefore, work through the hierarchy of measures set out in implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings:

• avoiding contact with anyone with symptoms
• frequent hand cleaning and good respiratory hygiene practices
• regular cleaning of settings
• minimising contact and mixing

It is still important to reduce contact between people as much as possible, so children, young people and staff where possible, should only mix in a small, consistent group and that small group should stay away from other people and groups. If you can keep older children within those small groups 2 metres away from each other, you should do so. While in general groups should be kept apart, brief, transitory contact, such as passing in a corridor, is low risk.

For primary schools, classes should normally be split in half, with no more than 15 pupils per small group and one teacher (and, if needed, a teaching assistant).

Vulnerable children and children of critical workers in other year groups should also be split into small groups of no more than 15. Where desks are used, they should be spaced as far apart as possible.

4. Creating and staffing your temporary teaching groups
If you have answered yes to questions 4, 5, 6 and 7 in section 2, and know how many teachers, teaching assistants and other support staff you have who are available for work, you should begin the process of working out how you can support eligible pupils.

In so doing you should:

• assume all eligible children will attend for the purposes of the first stage of planning, even if you think that is unlikely – that includes ensuring you follow the attendance expectations for vulnerable children
• determine your half class groups (maximum size of 15), taking into account any limitations of your school buildings and outdoor space (see implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings for more details)
• include children of critical workers and vulnerable children who are in reception, year 1 or 6 in groups of 15 within their year group
• determine your small groups (maximum size of 15) of children of critical workers and vulnerable children not in reception or years 1 and 6
• assume that the staffing model will be one teacher per group (or 2 teachers sharing the week if you have existing jobshares) – qualified teachers are qualified to teach any primary year group, including early years foundation stage (EYFS)
• if there are any shortages of teachers then teaching assistants can be allocated to lead a group, working under the direction of a teacher

As a result of this exercise, and in the light of your staffing audit and the school premises, you will know if you can cater for all eligible children, including children of critical workers and vulnerable children of all ages.

If you do not have the staff available to be able to cover all the new teaching groups you have created, and this may be more likely for infant schools, you will need to consider possible solutions with your local authority and/or trust.

Possible approaches to managing a shortfall in staffing include:

• bringing additional teachers in to help, who may be supply teachers, teachers on temporary agreed loan from other schools, or teachers provided by your trust or local authority (considering the guidance in section 2 about consistent staffing across the week)
• asking suitably experienced teaching assistants who are willing to do so to work with groups under the supervision of a teacher
• using some senior leadership time to cover groups, although you should as headteacher consider your own workload and that of your senior colleagues to make sure this is manageable and you have sufficient leadership time remaining

We trust headteachers to make the best decisions they can. If you still cannot get enough cover in place and an arrangement which enables eligible children to attend consistently at another local school is not manageable, schools should focus first on continuing to provide places for priority groups of all year groups (children of critical workers and vulnerable children). Then, to support children’s early learning, you should prioritise groups of children as follows:

• early years settings – 3 and 4 year olds followed by younger age groups
• infant schools – nursery (where applicable) and reception
• primary schools – nursery (where applicable), reception and year 1

Schools should not plan on the basis of a rota system, either daily or weekly.

Attendance reporting
Prepare to resume taking the attendance register and continue completing the daily data returns using the DfE portal (further guidance on what attendance and absence codes to use at this time will be published shortly).

You should also prepare to continue with any arrangements that have been made with the local authority with the aim of safeguarding vulnerable children.

Parents and carers of eligible year groups, and critical workers/parents and carers of vulnerable children, are strongly encouraged to bring in their children, but they will not face fines or other sanctions if they don’t.

Your school will not be held to account for your attendance figures during this time.

You should encourage parents whose children have been invited in to call you each day if they are not coming in as normal, so you understand why and can discuss it with them if needed.

5. Practical steps to reduce risk
You should plan for putting in place protective measures to reduce risks, for example by adjusting timings of the school day and agreeing this with the relevant body (such as your governing board). The overriding aim here is to reduce contact between different groups.

You should consider steps including:

• how you might stagger start and end times between year groups by a short period to reduce volume at the entrance
• ensuring parents and carers are aware of recommendations on transport to and from school, which means reducing any unnecessary travel on coaches, buses or public transport where possible (for example, by walking or cycling to school) and avoiding peak times
• using signage to guide parents and carers about where and when they should drop off and pick up their children – you will want to communicate this to parents in advance
• working out arrangements for breaks or play times so that ideally only one group of maximum 15 children is in the same play area at any one time
• ensuring that staff remain at a safe distance from each other at lunchtime or during breaks (including how to manage if your school has a small staff room or other staff areas)
• arranging for assemblies to take place with individual groups in their allocated classroom spaces rather than bringing children from different classes together into one hall or large space

You should also consider working with your catering supplier and kitchen staff on arrangements for lunchtime. Children in reception and year 1 should have the option of a free meal under the universal infant free school meals policy. Meals should be available for all pupils in school, and these should also be free of charge for pupils that qualify for benefits-related free school meals. With your kitchen staff, you will need to consider how meals will be prepared and served safely. Plans will need to be in place to ensure food supplies are in place for when children return.

Work out arrangements for lunch (and any ‘snack’ times for early years) so that children do not mix with children from other groups – this could mean having several lunch sittings or serving lunch in more than one location, including if appropriate in a classroom, or asking your caterers to look at other flexible ways of giving pupils access to lunch such that it can be eaten in the small group setting (for example taking cold or ‘packed’ lunches to children in the areas they are in for the day).

6. External support for SEND and behaviour
Schools may normally work with external agencies to support pupils with special educational needs and disability (SEND) or with behaviour or other issues. Headteachers should check with local authorities or other providers of such support services to ascertain whether or when such services will be available. For pupils with education health and care (EHC) plans, it may not be possible to provide the full range of provision set out in the plan, and it may be necessary to make different arrangements if some of the support services are not available in their usual form from the start of June. If this is the case you should work with the local authority and parents, and confirm what special provision can reasonably be provided.

We have published guidance on conducting a SEND risk assessment during the coronavirus outbreak – this will be reviewed ahead of 1 June.

Headteachers should also be aware that there may be additional pupils, including those with SEND, who display symptoms of stress or anxiety and additional support may be needed for them. Schools should check with local authorities on their capacity to support with this.

7. Changes to routines for staff and pupils
Ahead of opening for more pupils, schools will need to update their behaviour policy to reflect the new rules and routines, and communicate these changes to staff, pupils and parents.

Think about if and how your school rules need to change. There are some example new school rules given in annex a which you could adopt or adapt. Any revised rules will need to be referenced in the revised behaviour policy with sanctions.

Consider how the new rules and routines will be communicated to pupils and parents/carers. Best practice suggests this includes:

• proactively teaching new rules to staff, pupils and parents
• regularly and rigorously reinforcing behaviour throughout every day
• consistently imposing sanctions when rules are broken, in line with the policy, as well as positively reinforcing well-executed rules through encouragement and rewards

Display the posters in annex c, which are suitable for reception, years 1 and 6.

Prepare guidance for staff (see a model in annex b) and ensure all staff are trained in the new rules and routines, including the use of sanctions and rewards, so that they can support pupils to understand them and enforce them consistently.

Staff will need to explicitly teach and supervise health and hygiene arrangements such as handwashing, tissue disposal and toilet flushing.

Taking books home
Limit the number of shared resources that are taken home by staff and pupils and limit the exchange of such resources.

Teachers should make sure they wash their hands and surfaces, before and after handling pupils’ books.

Uniform
There is no need for anything other than normal personal hygiene and washing of clothes following a day in a school. Uniform that cannot be machine washed should be avoided.

You will want to think about leeway for any child who has grown out of any parts of their uniform since March but whose parents cannot currently replace it.

Drop off and pick up routines
Changes to drop off and pick up routines will be required. You should tell parents when they can drop off their children and that this should happen at the school gate.

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.

Schools should inform parents that this is to reduce the number of people on the school site in the interest of infection control. If it is customary for parents to gather in the playground or to enter the buildings to drop off or collect children this should no longer be allowed, and neither should any gathering at the school gates to talk to other parents.

Visitors
Limit the external visitors to the school during school hours.

Parents should come into school buildings only when strictly necessary, by appointment, and ideally only one (unless for example, an interpreter or other support is required). Any such meetings should take place at a safe distance (and so the use of small offices may not be suitable).

8. Communicating with staff
Undertake an online staff meeting before wider opening from the week commencing 1 June, to take staff through arrangements if possible.

Ensure you or senior colleagues are free to be present around the school especially during the early part of wider opening. Staff and pupils may require additional support and reassurance, and you will be more easily available to pick up on any issues or problems.

Arrange regular opportunities to get feedback from staff on the new arrangements.

9. Communicating with parents
You should communicate with parents to make sure they know :

• whether their child will be able to attend from the week commencing 1 June
• what protective steps you’re taking to make the school a low-risk place for their child
• what you need them to do (such as on drop off and collection)

A model letter will be available shortly on preparing for the wider opening of schools from 1 June, which you can use if useful and adapt as you wish.

You may also want to consider senior leaders calling parents in eligible groups to discuss with them directly, where this is feasible.

10. Managing pupil and staff wellbeing and mental health
The coronavirus outbreak may have caused significant mental health or wellbeing difficulties for some children. It is important to recognise that while ‘getting back to normal’ is important and will be reassuring for many, school staff will need to consider how to support:

• individual children who have found the long period at home hard to manage
• those who have developed anxieties related to the virus
• those about whom there are safeguarding concerns
• those who may make safeguarding disclosures once they are back in schools

Some children may also have experienced bereavements in their immediate family or wider circle of friends or family or had increased/new caring responsibilities.

All children will have missed the routine of school, seeing their friends, and being supported by their teachers and other adults in the school.

Staff may wish to provide:

• opportunities for children to talk about their experiences of the past few weeks
• opportunities for one-to-one conversations with trusted adults where this may be supportive
• some refocussed lessons on relevant topics, for example, mental wellbeing or staying safe
• pastoral activity, such as positive opportunities to renew and develop friendships and peer groups
• other enriching developmental activities

As part of the introduction of health education during 2020 to 2021, we are producing some training materials for teachers on teaching about mental wellbeing and these may be a useful source of information for teachers and headteachers.

The different experiences all pupils will have had at home will naturally play a large part in how easily they re-adapt to attending school and its routines. Staff will need to strike an appropriate balance between reintegrating pupils into a reassuring and familiar work ethic to support their mental wellbeing on the one hand, and identifying and taking time to address explicitly individual concerns or problems on the other.

If safeguarding issues come to light they should be addressed using the school’s safeguarding policy, which may need to be updated in light of wider opening. Headteachers should consider how they might manage any increase in referrals as pupils return to school.

Alongside this, governing boards and school leaders should consider the mental health and wellbeing of staff (including school leaders themselves), and the need to implement flexible working practices in a way that promotes good work-life balance for teachers and leaders.

11. Planning what to teach, and how
The priorities for young children at this time are resocialisation into new style school routines; speaking and listening, and regaining momentum in particular with early reading.

Each school context will vary and needs are likely to be greatest where children have not been able to access remote education consistently. Children who have had limited opportunities for exercise should be encouraged to exert themselves physically, making use of supervised non-touch running games within their group. Youth Sport Trust are also offering some support to schools.

For younger children, the resources made available for child-initiated learning should be carefully considered. For example, malleable resources, such as play dough, should not be shared and consideration should be given to their safe use, depending on circumstances.

Resources for activities such as painting, sticking, cutting, small world play, indoor and outdoor construction activities should be washed before and after use (more detailed guidance on this will be included in the guide for early years providers) and where possible, children should be discouraged from sharing these.

Children should be taught to wash their hands frequently, but particularly after using wheeled bikes, trikes and other large, movable toys. Children should be encouraged where possible not to touch their faces or to put objects in their mouths. Sharing stories, singing and playing outdoor games will help all children to socialise and resettle into familiar everyday classroom routines.

We have amended legislation to allow for the temporary disapplying and modifying of a number of requirements within the early years foundation stage (EYFS), which covers children in reception, giving settings flexibility to respond to changes in workforce availability and potential fluctuations in demand. These temporary changes came into force on 24 April 2020. During the coronavirus outbreak, schools should use reasonable endeavours to meet the existing EYFS learning and development requirements. As far as possible, children should benefit from a broad range of educational opportunities, but this also provides schools with the flexibility to give additional focus to fundamental areas where support is required following time spent out of school, such as reading.

For year 1, where possible schools should ascertain where children have fallen behind or have progressed further against the school’s existing reading curriculum. If they have forgotten aspects already covered, then reteach and practise this material, where necessary reteaching phonics and using appropriately matched reading books to practise reading. 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.

In year 6 it is unlikely that many of the end of term traditions will be able to take place, for example, whole year or class assemblies with parents, school journeys and trips. Schools should provide opportunities for children to discuss this as it may be a source of anxiety or sadness. 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 tour of the school virtually. You should discuss the options with your secondary schools.

Primary schools should, if not already in hand, 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.

Year 6 teaching during this time should focus on readiness for secondary school, including academic readiness, which could involve additional teaching in any subject, but in particular mathematics and English to make up for any losses to learning incurred while at home.

Physical education lessons may continue to take place providing they are strictly non-contact and do not involve more than any one temporary group.

12. Remote education during wider opening
Many schools will have been able to offer high-quality remote education opportunities or programmes over recent weeks. Now that primary schools will be opening more widely, larger numbers of staff will be needed to provide face-to-face teaching at school. This means that it may be more difficult to maintain the same level of remote education provision for pupils in the year groups who are not eligible to attend, or for those pupils in year groups who are eligible to attend but who themselves cannot.

In these circumstances consider how Oak National Academy or other remote education platforms can provide additional support for learning, as well as how learning delivered in school, if manageable, could be made available to pupils learning remotely.

Equal consideration should also be given to pupils who do not have suitable online access and where possible would benefit from printed resources.

We have produced guidance on remote education during the coronavirus outbreak, including an initial list of educational resources and case studies.

Frequently asked questions
What if for example, my year 1 teacher(s) cannot come into school, but my year 2 teacher(s) can? Is it OK to invite year 2 children to school instead of year 1 children?
No. Only pupils in the eligible years (reception, years 1 and 6) plus vulnerable children and children of critical workers should come in to school from the week commencing 1 June. You should support your year 2 teacher(s) to teach the year 1 class(es), or ask the year 1 teacher(s) to set the work, or teach via video link, while another adult, for example, your year 2 teacher(s), supervises the class. Any qualified teacher is qualified to teach any year group in a primary school, including reception.

We normally run breakfast and after school clubs as part of our ‘wrap-around’ provision. Are we required to re-start them?
No, you are not required to do so. You should only run such provision if you are able to keep children within the groups they are in during the day or safely distanced.

We have worked through this document and are ready to extend our opening from week commencing 1 June. Do I need to convene a meeting of my governing body to secure their agreement? Do I need to tell the local authority or the diocese?
Throughout each stage of this process, it is important to consult members of staff and governors to gain their involvement and support. You should keep your appropriate authority (who may be your governing body, trust board or local authority) informed of arrangements being made and key strategic decisions should be taken by them. This process can provide very helpful support for headteachers.

Some parents have children in, for example, reception and year 1 so staged start times are not practical for them. What should I do?
You are encouraged to contact parents where this is the case and agree a start time for both or all children concerned. A model letter will be available shortly on preparing for the wider opening of schools from 1 June, which you can use if useful and adapt as you wish.

What if parents do not observe social distancing at the school gate? Is it my job to enforce social distancing outside the school gates?
It is likely to be helpful to parents for you to explain clearly what the arrangements are for the start and end of the school day, and decisions you make about this should allow for the need for social distancing outside the school. Clear communication, including if possible or appropriate, through signage, can be helpful. Reminders may be useful as well from time to time.

Some of my staff have asked to have masks, gloves and aprons. Am I required to provide them?
We have published guidance on implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings. The guidance 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 needs 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.

Can I direct staff to come into school?
It is natural 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. We are working in an unprecedented context, and more reassurance and discussion than usual may be required. It is always best, if at all possible, to work out a sensible way forward in individual cases that acknowledges any specific anxieties but which also enables the school’s responsibilities to be effectively discharged. If you need support in finding a solution, speak to your local authority or trust.

Annex A: Behaviour principles
In light of the need for children to behave differently when they return to school, and any new systems you have put in place to support that, you’ll need to make changes to your behaviour policy. Behaviour policy changes will also need to be communicated to pupils, parents and staff.

Areas schools may wish to add to their behaviour policy are:

• following any altered routines for arrival or departure
• following school instructions on hygiene, such as handwashing and sanitising
• following instructions on who pupils can socialise with at school
• moving around the school as per specific instructions (for example, one-way systems, out of bounds areas, queuing)
• expectations about sneezing, coughing, tissues and disposal (‘catch it, bin it, kill it’) and avoiding touching your mouth, nose and eyes with hands
• tell an adult if you are experiencing symptoms of coronavirus
• rules about sharing any equipment or other items including drinking bottles
• amended expectations about breaks or play times, including where children may or may not play
• use of toilets
• clear rules about coughing or spitting at or towards any other person
• clear rules for pupils at home about conduct in relation to remote education
• rewards and sanction system where appropriate

Identify any reasonable adjustments that need to be made for students with more challenging behaviour.

Annex B: Principles for staff

1. Do not come to work if you have coronavirus symptoms, or go home as soon as these develop (informing your manager), and access a test as soon as possible.
2. Clean your hands more often than usual – with running water and soap and dry them thoroughly or use alcohol hand rub or sanitiser ensuring that all parts of the hands are covered.
3. Use the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach.
4. Avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes.
5. Clean frequently touched surfaces often using standard products, such as detergents and bleach.
6. Think about ways to modify your teaching approach to keep a distance from children in your class as much as possible, particularly close face to face support (noting that it’s understood that this is not possible at all times, which is why hygiene and hand cleaning is so important).
7. Consider avoiding calling pupils to the front of the class or going to their desk to check on their work if not necessary.
8. Help your class to follow the rules on hand cleaning, not touching their faces, ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ etc. including by updating your classrooms displays with posters.
9. Prevent your class from sharing equipment and resources (like stationery).
10. Keep your classroom door and windows open if possible for air flow.
11. Limit the number of children from your class using the toilet at any one time.
12. Limit your contact with other staff members, and don’t congregate in shared spaces, especially if they are small rooms.
13. Make sure you’ve read the school’s updated behaviour policy and know what role in it you’re being asked to take.

Annex C: Posters
e-Bug has produced a series of helpful coronavirus posters:

• Horrid hands
• Super sneezes
• Hand hygiene
• Respiratory hygiene
• Microbe mania

Annex D: List of things to consider acquiring
This might include:

• posters (for example, to encourage consistency on hygiene and keeping to own group)
• soap for sinks, and where there is no sink nearby, hand sanitiser in rooms/learning environments
• disposable paper towels
• cleaning products
• sanitising wipes for wiping some equipment
• lidded bins
• tape for cordoning off areas and marking floors

 

Post Covid-19 action plan Buckinghamshire v3[9149]

Dear Colleagues,

We apologise for any confusion, please see attached an updated version of the document sent last evening to all schools

For clarification the PPE section on p14 has been removed.

Kind Regards

Kathryn Hathaway
Side by Side Team Leader
Childrens Services
Buckinghamshire Council

As part of national social distancing measures to limit the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), we have had to limit the numbers of children and young people attending educational and childcare settings, to ensure that pupils and staff attending could do so safely. That is why, since 23 March 2020, education and childcare settings have only been open to priority groups (vulnerable children and children of critical workers)1.
As well as offering face-to-face provision for those able to attend, settings have also done a huge amount to support the remote education of those who have been staying at home. Innovative and fast-paced work has taken place, by committed staff, to develop resources to make this education the best it can be.

Throughout this period, the work and dedication of critical workers has been crucial to our country. This of course includes all our critical workers working with children and young people – leaders, teachers, support staff, childcare workers, social workers and others, who have worked tirelessly to support the education and welfare of young people.

As a result of the huge efforts everyone has made to adhere to strict social distancing measures, the transmission rate of coronavirus (COVID-19) has decreased. We therefore anticipate, with further progress, that we may be able, from the week commencing 1 June 2020 to welcome back more children to early years, school and further education settings. We will only do this provided that the five key tests set by government justify the changes at the time, including that the rate of infection is decreasing and the enabling programmes set out in the Roadmap are operating effectively. As a result we are asking schools, colleges and childcare providers to plan on this basis, ahead of confirmation that these tests are met.

We have worked closely with the sector, and will continue to do so over the coming weeks to support the wider opening of schools, colleges and childcare settings. In this document we are setting out the overarching aims and principles of this next phase, including information about protective measures which will be in place. We will work with the profession to produce more detailed guidance ahead of 1 June 2020.

Next steps
Education and childcare settings are already open to priority groups. Now that we have made progress in reducing the transmission of coronavirus we are encouraging all eligible children to attend – it is no longer necessary for parents of eligible children to keep them at home if they can. In particular, as per the existing guidance on vulnerable children and young people, vulnerable children of all year groups continue to be expected and encouraged to attend educational provision where it is appropriate for them to do so.

From the week commencing 1 June 2020 at the earliest, we will be asking primary schools to welcome back children in Nursery, Reception, year 1 and year 6, alongside priority groups. We will ask secondary schools, sixth form and further education colleges 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 exams next year, alongside the full time provision they are offering to priority groups.

We are also asking nurseries and other early years providers, including childminders, to begin welcoming back all children. Alternative provision settings should mirror the approach being taken for mainstream schools and also offer some face-to-face support for years 10 and 11 students (as they have no year 12). Special schools, special post-16 institutions and hospital schools will work towards a phased return of more children and young people without a focus on specific year groups.

We want to get all children and young people back into education as soon as the scientific advice allows because it is the best place for them to learn, and because we know how important it is for their mental wellbeing to have social interactions with their peers, carers and teachers. Children returning to educational and childcare settings in greater numbers will also allow more families to return to work.

We are therefore gradually increasing the numbers of children and young people attending schools and colleges. This decision is based on the latest scientific advice. By returning pupils gradually settings can initially reduce the number of children and young people in classrooms compared to usual and put protective measures in place to reduce risks. Children will need to stay within their new class/group wherever possible and we will ask settings to implement a range of protective measures including increased cleaning, reducing ‘pinch points’ (such as parents dropping children off at the start and end of day), and utilising outdoor space. Staff and pupils in all settings will be eligible for testing if they become ill with coronavirus symptoms, as will members of their households. A negative test will enable children to get back to childcare or education, and their parents to get back to work. A positive test will ensure rapid action to protect their classmates and staff in their setting. Those who are clinically vulnerable, or are living with someone who is, should follow our protective measures guidance.

In childcare settings, providers will be asked to welcome back all children below statutory school age from the week commencing 1 June 2020. Demand for childcare is likely to be lower than usual at first, and existing space requirements and staff to child ratios for these age groups should allow for small group working. Where the physical layout of a setting does not allow small groups of children to be kept at a safe distance apart, we expect practitioners to exercise judgement in ensuring the highest standards of safety are maintained. In some cases, it may be necessary for providers to introduce a temporary cap on numbers to ensure that safety is prioritised. From 1 June 2020, childminders can look after children of all ages, in line with usual limits on the number of children they can care for.

Our ambition is to bring all primary year groups back to school before the summer holidays, for a month if feasible, though this will be kept under review. We will only welcome back additional year groups if the most up-to-date assessment of the risk posed by the virus indicates it is appropriate to have larger numbers of children within schools. The safety of children and staff is our utmost priority.

Year groups in first phase of wider opening
The three year groups within mainstream primary have been prioritised because they are key transition years – children in Reception and year 1 are at the very beginning of their school career and are mastering the essential basics, including counting and the fundamentals of reading and writing, and learning to socialise with their peers. We know that attending early education lays the foundation for lifelong learning and supports children’s social and emotional development. Year 6 children are finishing Key Stage 2 and are preparing for the transition to secondary school, and will benefit immensely from time with their friends and teachers to ensure they are ready.

We will prioritise younger children in the first phases of wider opening, for several reasons. Firstly, because there is moderately high scientific confidence in evidence suggesting younger children are less likely to become unwell if infected with coronavirus (COVID-19); and secondly because evidence shows the particularly detrimental impact which time spent out of education can have upon them. In addition, older children are more likely to have higher numbers of contacts outside of school so pose a greater transmission risk, and they are typically better able to learn at home.

The two year groups in mainstream secondary schools and colleges have been prioritised because they are preparing for key examinations next year, and are most at risk of falling behind due to time out of school or college. From 1 June 2020, we expect that secondary schools and colleges will be able to offer some face to face contact with year 10 and year 12 pupils. This will not be a return to full timetables or pupils back in school or college full time, rather some support to supplement pupils’ remote education. In line with implementing protective measures and reducing contacts, schools and colleges should limit the attendance of the year 10 and 12 cohort in the setting at any one time and to keep students in small groups as set out in our guidance. Schools and colleges should also ensure that the use of public transport for travel to and from school/college is minimised, especially at peak times. We will be consulting with sector representatives over the coming week in order to develop some suggested models to demonstrate how this could operate, which will be published along with further guidance for secondary schools in the coming weeks.

Our approach is in line with other countries across Europe, who have begun to bring pre-school and school-age children back in a phased way and are focusing on primary schools and younger children. Approaches between countries will vary slightly based on different public health circumstances.

We expect all mainstream schools and colleges, including independent schools, to follow the same approach. We encourage middle schools to do the same and welcome back children in year 6, to ensure national parity for children in this year group.

Any educational or childcare settings which have closed should work towards reopening from the week commencing 1 June 2020 to cater for children in nurseries, Reception, year 1, year 6 and priority groups, and to provide some face to face support to pupils in years 10 and 12.

We will provide all educational and childcare settings with further guidance and support to help them to prepare for wider opening over the coming weeks and continue to work closely with the sector.

What the latest science tells us
The above approach is underpinned by our latest understanding of the science, which indicates that we need to take a phased approach to limit the risk of increasing the rate of transmission (often referred to as R) above 1. We have factored in:

• severity of disease in children – there is high scientific confidence that children of all ages have less severe symptoms than adults if they contract coronavirus (COVID-19)
• the age of children – there is moderately high scientific confidence that younger children are less likely to become unwell if infected with coronavirus (COVID-19)
• numbers of children going back – which needs to be limited initially then increased gradually as the science permits
• systems to reduce the size of the groups coming into contact with each other – such as smaller class sizes spread out across settings

Approach: First phase of wider opening of educational and childcare settings (from 1 June 2020 depending on the most up-to-date assessment of the risk posed by the virus)
From the week commencing 1 June 2020 at the earliest, we are asking nurseries and other early years settings to open to all children; primary schools to welcome back pupils to Nursery, Reception, year 1 and year 6 (including in middle schools); secondary schools and colleges to offer some face to face support for children and young people in year 10 and year 12 to supplement their remote education; alternative provision to mirror the approach being taken for mainstream schools and also offer some face-to-face support for year 10 and year 11 students (as they have no year 12); and special schools, special post-16 institutions and hospital schools to welcome back more pupils and students.

We will assess the impact of these changes closely, working with medical and scientific advisers as well as sector leaders. When the most up-to-date assessment of the risk posed by the virus indicates that it is appropriate to do so, we will ask more primary year groups to return to school, and issue revised guidance.

The following principles will apply to this phase of wider opening by settings:

• children and young people in eligible year groups are strongly encouraged to attend (where there are no shielding concerns for the child or their household), so that they can gain the educational and wellbeing benefits of attending
• vulnerable children of all year groups continue to be expected and encouraged to attend educational provision where it is appropriate for them to do so (for children with education health and care (EHC) plans this will be informed by a risk assessment approach)
• children, young people and staff who have been classed as clinically extremely vulnerable due to pre-existing medical conditions have been advised to shield. We do not expect people in this category to be attending school or college, and they should continue to be supported to learn or work at home as much as possible. Clinically vulnerable (but not clinically extremely vulnerable) people are those considered to be at a higher risk of severe illness from coronavirus. Few if any children will fall into this category, but parents should follow medical advice if their child is in this category. Staff in this category should work from home where possible, and refer to the detail in our protective measures guidance
• a child/young person or a member of staff who lives with someone who is clinically vulnerable (but not clinically extremely vulnerable), including those who are pregnant, can attend their education or childcare setting
• if a child/young person or staff member lives in a household with someone who is extremely clinically vulnerable, as set out in the guidance on shielding, it is advised they only attend an education or childcare setting if stringent social distancing can be adhered to and, in the case of children, if they are able to understand and follow those instructions. This may not be possible for very young children and older children without the capacity to adhere to the instructions on social distancing. If stringent social distancing cannot be adhered to, we do not expect those individuals to attend. They should be supported to learn or work at home
  staff and children or young people should not attend if they have symptoms or are self-isolating due to symptoms in their household
• protective measures will be put in place for staff and pupils, as far as is possible, to ensure that the risk of transmission is reduced

Implementation: Managing risk and rate of transmission
Scientific advice indicates that a phased return that limits the number of children in education settings and how much they mix with each other will help to control the rate of transmission. This is set out in our guidance.

There are a number of immediate issues which educational and childcare settings will need to consider. The following list of issues are the ones we have identified as the top priorities. We recognise that each setting and community is different, and that leaders will need to make their own judgements on the most important issues for them. Further guidance on these, and other important areas, will be developed with the sector in the coming days and weeks.

Key issues
Risk assessment
Every setting should carry out a risk assessment before opening. The assessment should directly address risks associated with coronavirus (COVID-19), so that sensible measures can be put in place to control those risks for children and staff. All employers have a duty to consult employees on health and safety, and they are best placed to understand the risks in individual settings.

Class sizes and staff availability
One of the protective measures we can take to reduce transmission is to have smaller group and class sizes. We know that, unlike older children and adults, early years and primary age children cannot be expected to remain 2m apart from each other and staff. In deciding to bring more children back to early years and schools, we are taking this into account. Schools should therefore work through the hierarchy of measures set out in our guidance:

• avoiding contact with anyone with symptoms
• frequent hand cleaning and good hygiene practices
• regular cleaning of settings
• and minimising contact and mixing

It is still important to reduce contact between children and staff as far as possible, and settings can take steps to achieve that and reduce transmission risk by ensuring children, and staff where possible, mix in a small group and keep that small group away from other people and groups. For pre-school children in early years settings, the staff to child ratios within Early Years Foundation Stage continue to apply, and we recommend using these to group children. In mainstream schools and college settings the basic principle is that classes should be halved. Normally one teacher should be allocated to a group but if there are any teacher shortages then support staff may be used to lead groups, under the direction of a teacher. More detail is provided in our protective measures guidance.

Public Health England are clear that if early years, school and college settings do this, and crucially if they also apply comprehensive infection control measures, such as taking steps to ensure symptomatic individuals do not attend settings, regular hand cleaning, respiratory hygiene and cleaning measures and handling potential cases of the virus as per our advice, then the risk of transmission will be lowered.

Where settings can keep children and young people in those small groups 2m away from each other, they should do so. While in general groups should be kept apart, brief, transitory, contact such as passing in a corridor is low risk.

Each setting’s circumstances will be slightly different. Any setting that cannot achieve these small groups at any point should discuss options with their local authority or trust. This might be because there are not enough classrooms / spaces available in the setting or because they do not have enough available teachers / staff to supervise the groups. Solutions might involve children attending a nearby school (on a consistent basis). If necessary, settings have the flexibility to focus first on continuing to provide places for priority groups and then, to support children’s early learning, settings should prioritise groups of children as follows:

• early years settings– 3 and 4 year olds followed by younger age groups
• infant schools – nursery (where applicable) and reception
• primary schools – nursery (where applicable), reception and year 1

Our ambition is to bring all primary year groups back to school before the summer holidays, for a month if feasible, though this will be kept under review. We will review this advice on class sizes as and when the science indicates it is safe to invite more children back to childcare settings, schools and colleges.

Protective measures in education and childcare setting
The DfE guidance on Implementing Protective Measures in Education and Childcare Settings contains detailed advice for settings on:

• cleaning, including supplies of cleaning and handwashing products
• testing and tracing
• PPE
• what settings should do in response to a case of COVID-19 being confirmed

Attendance
No one with symptoms should attend a setting for any reason. Eligible children – including priority groups – are strongly encouraged to attend their education setting, unless they are self-isolating or they are clinically vulnerable (in which case they should follow medical advice). If someone in their household is extremely clinically vulnerable, they should only attend if stringent social distancing can be adhered to, and the child is able to understand and follow those instructions. Families should notify their nursery/school/college as normal if their child is unable to attend so that staff can explore the reason with them and address barriers together. Parents will not be fined for non-attendance at this time, and schools and colleges will not be held to account for attendance levels. Schools and colleges should continue to inform social workers where children with a social worker do not attend.

Schools and colleges should resume taking their attendance register and continue to complete the online Educational Setting Status form which gives the Department for Education daily updates on how many children and staff are attending. The Department will continue to monitor attendance at early years settings, via local authorities. This is to ensure that we have up-to-date information on available early years and childcare provision during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, which children are accessing it and to monitor sufficiency in particular areas.

Vulnerable children and young people
There is a continuing expectation that vulnerable children and young people of all year groups will attend educational or childcare provision, where it is safe and appropriate for them do so. As per the current guidance, where these children and young people are currently not attending but attendance is appropriate, we expect providers and local authorities to consider how to encourage their attendance.

Vulnerable children and young people in this context include those who:

• are assessed as being in need under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, including children who have a child in need plan, a child protection plan or who are a looked-after child. Attendance is expected, unless their social worker decides that they are at less risk at home or in their placement. The educational provider should notify the social worker in cases where these children or young people do not take up their place at school or college
• have an education, health and care (EHC) plan and it is determined, following a risk assessment, carried out with educational providers and parents, that their needs can be as safely or more safely met in the educational environment
• have been assessed as otherwise vulnerable by educational providers or local authorities (including children’s social care services), and who are therefore in need of continued education provision – this might include children on the edge of receiving support from children’s social care services, adopted children, those at risk of becoming NEET (‘not in employment, education or training’), those who are young carers and others at the provider and local authority’s discretion

Alternative Provision
Alternative Provision (AP) settings should follow the same principles and guidance as mainstream schools and welcome back, from 1 June 2020, all children in Reception, year 1 and year 6. AP settings do not have a year 12, so they should also offer some face to face support for students in year 10 and year 11 to supplement their remote education, as they are approaching key transition points. In line with the advice above for mainstream provision, settings should limit the numbers in attendance at any one time and aim to keep students in small groups as set out in our guidance. Settings should also consider ways to minimise use of public transport to get to and from school at peak times, in consultation with local authorities. Priority groups of all ages should continue to be offered a place and strongly encouraged to attend.

Special schools
Special schools, special post-16 institutions and hospital schools should work towards welcoming back as many children and young people as can be safely catered for in their setting. They may want to prioritise attendance based on key transitions and the impact on life chances and development, and to consider creating part-time attendance rotas so that as many children as possible can benefit from attending their setting. Special settings should work with local authorities and families to ensure that decisions about attendance are informed by existing risk assessments for their children and young people, which should be kept up to date.

Sixth form and further education (FE) colleges
Sixth form colleges should offer some face to face support to students in year 12 to supplement their remote education, alongside their offer to priority groups.
Further education (FE) colleges should also offer some face to face support to students who are in the equivalent of year 10 and year 12, who are studying for key examinations next academic year, along with those in priority groups. We will work with the sector to provide additional guidance for FE colleges on provision for these and other disproportionately affected learners.

Curriculum
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards that schools and childcare settings must meet for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old. Early years settings should use reasonable endeavours to deliver the learning and development requirements as far as possible in the current circumstances, as set out here.

Schools and colleges continue to be best placed to make decisions about how to support and educate all their pupils during this period, based on the local context and staff capacity.

Where year groups are returning to school, we would expect school leaders and teachers to:
consider their pupils’ mental health and wellbeing and identify any pupil who may need additional support so they are ready to learn.

• assess where pupils are in their learning, and agree what adjustments may be needed to the school curriculum over the coming weeks.
• identify and plan how best to support the education of high needs groups, including disadvantaged pupils, and SEND and vulnerable pupils.
• support pupils in Year 6, who will need both their primary and secondary schools to work together to support their upcoming transition to Year 7.

Schools should use best endeavours to support pupils attending school as well as those remaining at home, making use of the available remote education support.

No school will be penalised if they are unable to offer a broad and balanced curriculum to their pupils during this period.

Priority groups
Settings will need to consider how they integrate children and young people from priority groups who are attending but not in any of the transition year groups into their education offer. Settings have the flexibility to make the right decision for their circumstances on how these pupils are supervised, continue to learn and are supported in school.

Assessment and accountability
There are no changes to the previously announced expectations on assessment and accountability. No examinations or assessments will take place this term and Ofsted will continue to pause routine inspection.

Staff workload and wellbeing
Governing boards and senior leaders should be conscious of the wellbeing of all staff, including senior leaders themselves, and the need to implement flexible working practices in a way that promotes good work-life balance and supports teachers and leaders.

Workload should be carefully managed and schools and colleges should assess whether staff who are having to stay at home due to health conditions are able to support remote education, while others focus on face-to-face provision. Senior leaders and boards will want to factor this into their resource and curriculum planning, and consider where additional resource could be safely brought in if necessary.

Transport
Parents and children and young people should be encouraged to walk or cycle where possible, and avoid public transport at peak times.

Government will shortly publish guidance on how to travel safely, which schools, parents and young people can refer to when planning their travel, particularly if public transport is required.

Home to school transport provided or organised by schools, trusts or local authorities varies widely. Schools, trusts and local authorities should work together and with relevant transport providers to put in place arrangements which fit the local circumstances, including the measures being put in place to reduce contact. Further guidance is available in Guidance on implementing protective measures.

Food
Schools should provide meals for all children in school, and meals should be available free of charge where pupils meet the free school meal (FSM) eligibility criteria. To ensure food is available for pupils who attend, educational settings are expected to reopen their kitchens and ensure that meals are able to be prepared and served safely.

We are also continuing to ask schools to work with their food providers to offer meals or food parcels for benefits-related free school meal pupils not in school. Now that schools are opening more widely, school catering teams will be better placed to do this. The provision of food vouchers for those eligible under the benefits criteria will also continue to be available where needed. Information on supporting those in FE with free meals is in the FE operational guidance.

Costs associated with opening for more children and young people
As previously confirmed, schools will continue to receive their core funding allocations – as determined by the local authority for maintained schools and through the general annual grant (GAG) for academies. FE colleges continue to receive funding in line with the flexibilities that have been announced in recent weeks including payment on profile for 16-19 study programmes without reconciliation. In addition, we have announced a fund for schools to cover specific additional costs as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak – this remains open and should be used by schools as appropriate. Access to the wider business support schemes, including Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), can continue to be used for staff typically paid for through private income, on condition that the principles in Department of Education’s sector specific guidance continue to be met.

For early years settings, the dedicated schools grant (DSG) should continue to be paid by local authorities for provision of free entitlements. Where parents are accessing hours beyond the free entitlements they are eligible for, early year providers should continue to charge parents in the normal way. The wider business support packages can continue to be used as appropriate, including the loan schemes and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), on condition that the principles in Department for Education’s sector specific guidance continue to be met.

We are continuing to work with the childcare sector to understand how the early years sector can best be supported to ensure that sufficient safe, appropriate and affordable childcare is available for those returning to work now, and for all families who need it in the longer term.

Further guidance and support
We have published:

• supporting guidance on protective measures which should be implemented in education settings
• guidance for parents and carers

This complements the existing guidance for schools and educational settings that continues to be relevant (and which will be updated in due course where needed).

We will publish further guidance for senior leaders to enable them to work through the actions they need to take to get ready for 1 June 2020. This will be co-produced with experienced school and trust leaders and sector representatives.

Throughout this document there is a distinction made between ‘vulnerable children’ which has a wide definition as described in this link and in the relevant section below; and those who are ‘clinically vulnerable’ to coronavirus.

 

 

 

 

 

Sent on behalf of Tolis Vouyioukas, Corporate Director, Children’s Services Directorate

Dear Colleagues,

As we move into week 8 of the lockdown period and in advance of the government announcement on Sunday, I wanted to update you on the work that is underway as part of the joint work between the Local Authority and the Chairs of Partnerships. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be circulating a series of documents which are intended as guidance and support for your staff and school community as we all move into the next stage of this experience. These will include:

• Principles of future planning
• Provision options for Special Schools
• Information regarding a CPD offer for all staff as we get used to the new normal
• Standard secondary transition form
• Reopening checklist

  The purpose of these documents is to provide clarity during these uncertain times. In addition, Jo Cassey, Gareth Drawmer and Hero Slinn will be attending the upcoming PEB, BASH and SSHT meetings to talk to this work and respond to any queries you may have. I know from my discussions with many of you and feedback from my team, that you and your staff continue to work tirelessly to support our children and young people and I am truly grateful for all that you have done throughout this time. I appreciate the toll that this will be having on you individually and collectively. I know that some of you will be working over the Bank Holiday to provide vital care for children of key workers and our most vulnerable.

  I also wanted to let you know that some of the stories that you have shared with me about the various acts of kindness shown are truly inspiring and there isn’t enough space here to refer to them all. There is one example of kindness though that stood out for me this week from one of our Y11 pupils who sent an Amazon voucher for our hospital to purchase gowns. This was from money that he probably didn’t have!

  Finally, our new permanent Service Director for Education, Simon James starts on 18th May. I want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to Jo Cassey for working with me and the team covering this role during the last several months.

  I will write to you again next week after the Prime Minister’s announcement.

  Take good care and thank you again.
  
  Tolis Vouyioukas
  Corporate Director
  Children’s Services Directorate
  Buckinghamshire Council

  01296 383 104
  tolis.vouyioukas@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

  The Gateway, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury HP19 8FF
  

Annual-reviews-guidance-v4[28124]                     EHC needs assessment guidance v8[28127]

Specialist Teacher Coronavirus Response v3[28125]       What has changed about Section 42 – 04.05.20[28126]

 

Sent on behalf of Joanna Cassey, Service Director for Education 

Dear colleagues,

You may be aware that as of last Friday 1st May, regulations came into force enacting parts of the Coronavirus Act 2020 in relation to SEN related issues, including EHCPs. The link to the regulations and the helpful government guidance can be found below.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/471/contents/made

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-law-on-education-health-and-care-needs-assessments-and-plans-due-to-coronavirus/education-health-and-care-needs-assessments-and-plans-guidance-on-temporary-legislative-changes-relating-to-coronavirus-covid-19

We have also amended our Buckinghamshire guidance following these changes; these are attached and are in relation to EHC Needs Assessments, Annual Reviews and the Provision within EHC Plans.

As a general summary, the changes fall into two main parts:

1. Those relating to the s42 duty to make the provisions identified and set out in an EHCP
2. Timescales

It is also important to note which parts of the Coronavirus Act 2020 have not been enacted by the regulations; the Secretary of State has not enacted all the provisions in the Coronavirus Act 2020 in relation to SEN.

The overarching message is that we should all be continuing ‘business as usual’ unless prevented from doing so by the challenges raised by the COVID-19 crisis.

1. In terms of s42, the absolute duty to deliver the provisions identified is modified by the regulations. ‘Reasonable endeavours’ must be used to deliver as much of the identified provision within EHC Plans as possible. The modification of the s42 duty does mean that the provision set out in an EHCP does not have to be delivered, but rather that consideration is given in relation to each child as to what it is reasonably possible to deliver. This should take into consideration the local circumstances arising from the restrictions imposed by COVID-19 and the needs and views of the child/young person. Importantly, where unable to fulfil s42 duties, decision making should be recorded and the young person and/or parents should be kept fully informed.

2. In terms of timescales, the guidance is clear that these remain unaltered unless it is not possible for them to be adhered to because of the restrictions imposed by COVID-19. Where timescales cannot be adhered to, the required actions should be carried out as soon as ‘reasonably practicable’. The timescales include those in relation to:

· Issuing EHCPs
· Reassessments
· Annual Reviews
· Handling of requests for assessments for EHCPs
· Mediation processes
· Changes to EHCPs
· Review of personal budgets for first time
· Actions LA must take further to non-binding decisions by first tier tribunals

It should be noted that the modifications set out in the regulations only apply to the timescales and that duties to undertake these actions remain unchanged. If they cannot be completed within the statutory timescale because of reasons relating to COVID-19, they must be done so as soon as is “reasonably practical”. No blanket policy to either amendment to the legislation can be applied; each child must be considered on an individual basis, and ‘reasonable endeavours’ employed to prevent an exceptional circumstance being applied.

The guidance also helpfully sets out the matters which are not affected by the regulations and the parts of the Coronavirus Act 2020 which the Secretary of State has not yet enacted. These include:

· Parents/young people must respond to draft EHCPs with their comments within 15 days.
· The final EHCP must include all the relevant information and advice.
· Annual Review must still take place.
· Schools must admit students, i.e. can be named on an EHC Plan and taken onto the school roll, even where a school is temporarily closed.
· School must still respond to proposal to name / consultations, if they have representations, within 15 days.
· The right of appeal to the LA.
· The right of appeal to the first-tier tribunal.

Whilst it might not be the usual circumstance for admitting students, if schools wish to make responses to consultations, they must still do this within 15 days and must use the paperwork provided as part of the consultation to assist them with this. Where a response is not given within 15 days, or the Local Authority considers this response not to apply to the legislative framework, schools can and must be named. This is highlighted clearly in the guidance so as not to place the child or young person at any disadvantage during the COVID-19 period.

We hope you will find the attached guidance useful; the information can also be found on both SchoolsWeb and the Local Offer for your future reference. Should you have any further questions, please do discuss with your EHC Coordinator.

Best wishes,

Joanna Cassey
Service Director for Education
Children’s Services Directorate
Buckinghamshire Council

01296 382081
joanna.cassey@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

Room G37, Council Offices, Walton Street, Aylesbury HP20 1UA