This article has been brought to you by Slough Borough Council's Interim Senior EYFS Advisory Teacher, Karen Loft on behalf of the DfE. This is for the attention of all schools.
Key COVID Guidance
We have now moved to Plan B of the COVID-19 Response to reduce pressure on the NHS. Plan B sets out a number of additional measures across society to control transmission of COVID-19. Key DfE guidance includes:
- The Contingency Framework has the latest information on face coverings, contact tracing and isolation.
Testing
Throughout the Christmas holidays and into the spring term, we strongly encourage all education staff to continue regular testing (LFD not PCR) and reporting their results, and to encourage pupils and students in year 7 and above to test and report their results.
You are strongly encouraged to ask parents, guardians and other visitors to take a lateral flow device (LFD) test before entering an education setting.
For secondary schools the recommendation is to prepare to test pupils on-site on return in January.
Further guidance and resources to help you with your end of term communications and preparations for January:
- Letter templates, planning tools, posters, training documents and FAQs can be found on the document sharing platforms for Early Years and primary schools and secondary schools and colleges.
- Resources for social media are available on the Coronavirus Resource Centre – we will continue to add to this throughout the next few weeks.
- Read this blog featuring 4 top tips on keeping students engaged in testing from schools and colleges with high numbers of students testing and reporting results.
- There are graphics for social media to support your communications with parents at the end of this email.
If you require test kits to enable testing over the holidays and on return in January, please call NHS Test and Trace on 119.
Vaccines
All eligible staff and students aged 12 and over are encouraged to take up the offer of the vaccine, including boosters. Vaccination makes people less likely to catch the virus and pass it on.
Face Coverings
Face coverings should be worn by students in year 7 and above, staff and visitors in communal areas, unless exempt.
More information in the guidance for schools during the COVID-19 pandemic
Tracing Close Contacts and Isolation
Close contacts in schools continue to be identified by NHS Test and Trace.
All individuals who have been identified as a close contact of a suspected or confirmed case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, irrespective of vaccination status and age, will continue to be required to self-isolate and asked to book a PCR test.
The Government plans to introduce daily contact testing as soon as possible as an alternative to self-isolation for contacts who are fully vaccinated or under the age of 18 years and 6 months. We will keep you updated.
Ofsted
To support contingency planning, Ofsted has confirmed that schools and colleges will not be inspected w/c 13 December unless there are safeguarding concerns. Secondary schools will not be inspected, unless there are urgent concerns, during the first week of schools’ return in January.
Absence
School attendance remains mandatory, and all the usual rules continue to apply. To support schools and colleges dealing with persistent absence, both related to COVID-19 and not, we have pulled together some resources:
- Northern Education Trust will host a webinar on Tuesday 14 December sharing their approach to managing and improving attendance in their schools. Register your interest in the attendance webinar.
- The workforce fund has re-opened to support schools and colleges facing significant staff absences and financial pressures. Read the guidance for schools and colleges. You can also take a look at this resource to support you in managing staff absences.
- The Attendance Action Alliance met for the first time bringing together leading experts who have the power and expertise to effect change across the full spectrum of issues.