Many parents feel anxious about their child returning to school in June, here's what the phased reopening of schools might mean for you and your family.
Since Lockdown began schools have remained open for the children of key workers, vulnerable and special educational needs children. The Department for Education unveiled plans to being a phased reopening of schools in England.
From 15 June, secondary schools are able to offer face-to-face support for a quarter of the year 10 and 12 cohort at any one time. Alongside this the government is asking secondary schools to:
- continue providing full-time provision for vulnerable pupils in all year groups (including year 10 and year 12)
- continue providing full-time provision for children of critical workers in all year groups (including year 10 and year 12)
- provide some face-to-face support to supplement the remote education of year 10 and year 12 pupils, with a clear expectation that remote education will continue to be the predominant form of education delivery for these year groups and that this should be of high quality
- continue to use best endeavours to support all other pupils remaining at home, making use of the available remote education support and ensuring a high quality offer
The government are asking schools to adopt a range of approaches and actions which, when implemented, create an inherently safer environment, where the risk of transmission of infection is substantially reduced. This includes:
- minimising contact with individuals who are unwell by ensuring that students and staff who have coronavirus symptoms, or who have someone in their household who does, do not attend school
- cleaning hands more often than usual - students and staff should be encouraged to regularly wash their hands thoroughly for 20 seconds 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
- ensuring good respiratory hygiene by promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach
- cleaning frequently touched surfaces often, using standard products such as detergents and bleach
- minimising contact and mixing, as far as possible, by keeping pupils in small groups for face-to-face support and keeping those groups as consistent as possible whilst in school (e.g. for arrival, lunchtime, breaks and departure) and altering the school environment (e.g. changing classroom layouts so desks are further apart or dividing groups into different classrooms)
As well as the measures above, secondary schools should ensure that only a quarter of pupils in year 10 and year 12 are in school at any one time, including vulnerable children and children of critical workers in those year groups who are still encouraged to attend full-time. This is in addition to vulnerable pupils and children of critical workers who might be in full-time attendance from other year groups.
No students will be allowed on the school grounds unless for agreed contact time or attendance as above.
Why has the government decided to reopen schools?
Since the lockdown was introduced on 23 March, the rate of infection has reduced significantly, to the point where the government has decided it is safe for some school students to return.
Why have Year 10 students been prioritised?
Year 10 students are in the middle of their GCSE education, with less than a year until they take their exams so the government wants to make sure they are optimising their learning.
Do I have to send my child back to school?
The government has said that children in Year 10 are no longer required to stay at home. However, a decision to send a child back to school rests with parents and carers. Parents will NOT be fined if they decide to continue with remote learning – and schools are not expected to keep physical attendance records.
What will happen to exams this year?
Exams are not going ahead at the end of this academic year. Instead, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) has decided that all students who were preparing for their GCSEs examinations will instead be given a grade based on their previous schoolwork, tests and their teacher’s assessment.
What are schools doing to keep children safe?
The government has issued specific guidance for schools to minimise the risk of infection, including smaller class sizes.
Schools are expected to rearrange classrooms so that the two-metre distance rule is upheld as much as possible, encourage both staff and students to wash their hands regularly for at least 20 seconds and ensure that the facilities are always kept clean.
We’ve also been asked to reduce the number of ‘pinch points’ – times where a lot of people could potentially be in contact – by altering timetables and staggering break times.
Students who develop COVID symptoms will be sent home. If they later test positive for the virus, the whole class will be sent home and will need to self-isolate for 14 days.
Will face masks or coverings be needed?
The new guidance specifically says that neither adults or children are required to wear face masks, coverings or other personal protective equipment (PPE) at school. According to the government, face coverings can be helpful for short outings – like going to the shop or if you have to use public transport.
If a student is ill with coronavirus symptoms in school, anyone looking after them should use appropriate PPE until the student is able to return home.
What if someone in my household is clinically vulnerable?
People with pre-existing conditions might be especially at risk of catching COVID-19 and so the people living with them must take some additional precautions.
If your child is in the clinically vulnerable category, you should seek the advice of a doctor before deciding to send your child back to school or not. If your child is living with someone who’s clinically vulnerable, they’ll still be encouraged to attend school while adhering to strict social distancing.
The same can’t be said if your child’s condition falls into the extremely clinically vulnerable category, in which case they are not encouraged to return to school but instead to keep ‘shielding’ at home.
My child has special educational needs (SEN)
Schools remain open to all vulnerable and SEN children and they are encouraged to attend as they might receive better support there than at home. Vulnerable children can continue distance learning if their social worker believes that they are less at risk at home or in placement.
If your child has an education, health and care (EHC) plan, your local authority can help you carry out a risk assessment on whether your child’s needs can be met at home or if it’s in their best interest to return to their education setting.
When will schools return to normal?
COVID-19 will continue to impact society so it’s hard to predict when or if schools will return to the way they were before the outbreak.
Find out more