Covid-19

Government Guidance: What parents and carers need to know about schools in the autumn term.

All children and young people, in all year groups, will return to school full time from the beginning of the autumn term.

The prevalence of coronavirus (COVID-19) has decreased since schools restricted their opening to most pupils in March. The NHS Test and Trace system is up and running and we understand more about the measures that need to be in place to create safer environments.

The scientific evidence shows that coronavirus (COVID-19) presents a much lower risk to children than adults of becoming severely ill. There is no evidence that children transmit the disease any more than adults. However, there will still be risks while coronavirus (COVID-19) remains in the community.

To manage the risks, things will be a bit different in the new term. We have asked nurseries, childminders, schools and colleges to put in place a range of protective measures to help reduce the risks.

Attendance at school

It is vital that children and young people return to school, for their educational progress, for their wellbeing, and for their wider development. School attendance is mandatory from the beginning of the new academic year. This means that it is your legal duty as a parent to send your child (if they are of compulsory school age) to school regularly.

If you have concerns about your child returning to school because you consider they may have other risk factors, you should discuss these with your school. They should be able to explain ways they are changing things to reduce risks.

Self-isolation and shielding

A small number of children and young people may be unable to attend in line with public health advice because they:

• are self-isolating
• have had symptoms or a positive test result themselves
• are a close contact of someone who has coronavirus (COVID-19)

If your child is unable to attend school for these reasons, ask your school what support they can provide for remote education.

Shielding advice for all adults and children was paused from 1 August. This means that children and young people can return to school or college if they:

• are on the shielded patient list
• have family members who are shielding

Children and young people under the care of a specialist health professional may need to discuss their care with their health professional before returning to school. This should usually be at their next planned clinical appointment.

If children are not able to attend school because they are following clinical and/or public health advice, you will not be penalised.

Actions that schools will take

We have asked schools to:

• manage confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the school in line with current public health guidance - this means your child may be asked to self-isolate for 14 days (based on advice from their local health protection teams) if they have been in close, face to face contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus
• ensure that everyone cleans their hands more often than usual, including when they arrive, when they return from breaks, and before and after eating - this should be done for 20 seconds with soap and running water or hand sanitiser
• promote the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach, to ensure good respiratory hygiene
• enhance cleaning, including cleaning frequently touched surfaces more often

Schools will minimise contact and encourage maintaining distance as far as possible. They will decide how best to do this because it will be different for each school. This will involve asking children:

• stay within specified separate groups (or bubbles)
• maintain distance between individuals

We know that younger children may not be able to maintain social distancing. It is likely that for younger children the emphasis will be on separating groups, and for older children, it will be on distancing.

Actions you can take

Do not send your child to school if:

• they are showing coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms
• someone in their household is showing symptoms

Arrange a test if you or your child develops symptoms. Inform your school of the results.

If the test is positive, follow guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, and engage with the NHS Test and Trace process.

It is really important that you help schools to implement these actions by following the advice set out here and wider public health advice and guidance.