Headteacher Update – 29 th May Covid-19 Jonathan Lewis Service Director – Education Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Authorities
Agenda for Meeting • Key Updates • Opening Guidance • Risks Assessments and Schools Intention to Reopen • Scientific Evidence from Government • Local Information / Public Health Guidance • School Reopening – LA perspective • Q & A
Key Updates • Free School Meals (updated 28 th May)– • Half term now confirmed as included in the guidance • Vouchers available for Children off sick / those choosing not to come in if you cannot provide meals in your normal way. • Meals should be available free of charge to all infant pupils and pupils who meet the benefits-related free school meals eligibility criteria. There is no requirement to provide universal infant free school meals to infant pupils who are not in school. • Shielding – we will not update list unless there is a change in the definition which leads to significant change. • PPE – more will be available if needed PPE@cambridgeshire.gov.uk. Please store appropriately once opened. Training for staff essential. • Visors are coming for those that requested them (next week). Eye protection needed where pupil risk assessment dictates risk. • Cleaning supplies – ESPO have stock / Amazon information to be circulated. • Bubbles and Wrap Around Care - schools should plan for their own scenario and use advice in guidance. Asked DfE clarification.
Key Updates Continued • Transport - • The teams with responsibility for commissioning home to school transport are in daily contact with operators to ensure that there is sufficient capacity, taking account of social distancing requirements, to meet anticipated demand from pupils entitled to local-authority provided transport. • All operators have been asked to complete risk assessments for their routes, but are dependent upon data from schools with regard to children likely to attend school. • PPE is being provided on vehicles used to transport children with SEND who require additional assistance. • Drivers will refuse to take children if they consider that social distancing requirements have been compromised in any way, e.g. more children trying to board a vehicle than seats available based on reduced capacity. • Attendance advice has been published - see update email last night. Schools should resume taking an attendance register / codes provided. • Data reporting – stopping LA system of data collection but this will only work if you complete the DfE system. We will remind people who haven’t replied to the DfE system at the end of the day so they do it the next day! Information still important to inform planning.
Key Updates Continued • Behaviour advice / annex released yesterday. • Complaints policy annex coming. • Social distancing outside schools – • Follow guidance and do sensible things on school grounds. • Set expectations with parents early • Headteachers have discretion to refuse entry if you don’t believe social distancing is being followed outside school appropriately (consider in light of new guidance)
Opening DfE Guidance • Early years guidance – for info / consideration – information from DfE is that Primary / Infant schools should follow Primary guidance but have regard to EY info. • Secondary – 15 th June onwards for year 10 / 12. Specials / AP – continue to increase numbers. • Transition – clear advice on not being on site and can do remotely – this may change. Suggestions for transition process for Y6/7 circulated next week. • ‘Nick Gibb’ - Next phase of opening unlikely to happen – current guidance does not allow. Keeping thinking about it. • Vulnerable pupils / EHCP – risks assessment / speak to LA. SEND guidance strengthened but remains HT choice
Risk Assessments and Proposal to Reopen • Thank you for the risk assessment – all LA maintained schools have been reviewed and agreed. The level of diligence, thought and commitment was hugely commendable. • Risk assessment key part of negating liability and making transparent decisions. • BAME risk assessment and individual staff risk assessment will be available. • All maintained school risk assessments have been shared with the unions so no need to respond to letters. • Risk assessments are dynamic documents – need to be kept up to date and shared with staff.
Responses from Schools (Primary and Nursery Schools) (27 th May) Cambs Peterborough % of Reception provision expected to open? W/C 1st June 71 77 W/C 8th June 95 90 W/C 15th June 96 90 % of Year 1 provision expected to open? W/C 1st June 68 71 W/C 8th June 85 88 W/C 15th June 88 96 % of Year 6 provision expected to open? W/C 1st June 60 57 W/C 8th June 73 75 W/C 15th June 77 77 % of overall uptake - Nursery School 43 45 - Primary 47 46 Average Size of Bubble in Primary Schools - Nursery 8 12 - Primary 10 10
Impact on Educational Delivery Cambridgeshire Peterborough Staggered start and finished times 91% 90% Shorter daily opening for parents 49% 53% Closing for up to half a day for PPA time / Cleaning / Staff wellbeing 55% 36% Closing for more than half a day for PPA time / Cleaning / Staff wellbeing 20% 7% Closure of breakfast and / or after school club 72% 84% Teaching Assistants leading classes under the supervision of a teacher 46% 48% Using spaces in school which have previously not been used as teaching spaces 34% 26% Non-contact staff leading class bubbles (SLT etc) 26% 17% Limited curriculum offer 78% 71% Reduced home learning offer for those not attending 34% 26% Unable to provide meals for pupils who attend school 14% 10%
Scientific Evidence from Government • 5 tests have been met and the government say it is safe to reopen early years settings and primary schools… • Test one: Making sure the NHS can cope • Test two: A 'sustained and consistent' fall in the daily death rate • Test three: Rate of infection decreasing to 'manageable levels' • Fourth test: Ensuring supply of tests and PPE can meet future demand • Fifth test: Being confident any adjustments would not risk a second peak that would overwhelm the NHS • No further guidance expected from the DfE.
Public Health Guidance • On current evidence, local public health advice is for schools to follow the national direction for limited opening providing the school risk assessment supports this. • Covid-19 confirmed cases (mainly hospital and care home testing) peaked later in Peterborough and Huntingdonshire than nationally but community impact low. • Total rates of confirmed cases in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough since the start of Covid-19 have been lower than national and regional averages. • It is important that any information from schools about a Covid-19 case amongst staff or children is reported immediately, including households self isolating due to symptoms. Processes for schools to follow will be provided.
Local Information / Guidance Cont’d • Establishment of test and trace procedures – • Education represented on Board. • Planning for local outbreaks in care homes and schools (e.g. defining monitoring arrangements, identifying potential scenarios and planning the required response) • Processes established / letter templates will be available. • Testing has been extended to under 5s – comprehensive position now with managing bubbles.
Test and Trace Process
Test and Trace Process • Step 1 - If you have one or more of the symptoms of coronavirus – a fever, a new continuous cough or a loss of taste or smell – you and the people you live with must immediately self-isolate. • Step 2 – You then must book a test on the NHS coronavirus website and if you don’t have internet access dial 119. Do not leave home for any other reason. If you test positive, you will then be contacted by the NHS Test and Trace service within 24 hours. • Step 3 – If you do test positive, NHS Test and Trace will help you establish who you have been in contact with and might have infected. This could be members of your own household already isolating or someone you have been within 2 metres of for more than 15 minutes. You will also be given clinical advice and support for dealing with the virus. NHS Test and Trace will then contact those contacts anonymously. If you are one of those contacts, you will be advised to isolate for 14 days, even if you don’t have symptoms or feel perfectly well. If you developed symptoms, you would be required to get a test.
Numbers and rates of cumulative lab-confirmed cases of Covid-19 Total Rate per Area cases 100,000 Cambridge 220 174.9 East Cambridgeshire 108 120.9 Fenland 169 166.5 Huntingdonshire 355 200.2 South Cambridgeshire 203 128.9 Cambridgeshire 1055 161.9 Peterborough 369 183.5 East of England 13,124 211.6 England 144,002 257.3 Notes: Rate per 100,000 resident population, crude rates calculated using mid-year 2018 population estimates Last updated Monday 18 May 2020 at 4.51pm Source: Public Health England (PHE), https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/
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