DfE - Statement by the Secretary of State for Education

Welcome to today’s briefing from Downing Street. I am joined by Dr Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer.

First, I want to update you on the latest data on the coronavirus response.

2,489,563 tests for coronavirus have now been carried out in the UK, including 136,486 tests carried out yesterday;

240,161 people have tested positive, that’s an increase of 3,451 cases since yesterday;

10,484 people are currently in hospital with coronavirus, down 12% from 11,872 this time last week.

And sadly, of those tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, 34,466 have now died. That’s an increase of 468 fatalities since yesterday. This figure is in all settings not just hospitals.

Before we begin questions from the public and from the media I want to remind people of the details of the next phase of our fight against coronavirus.

First, in order to monitor our progress, we are establishing a new COVID Alert Level System, with five levels, each relating to the level of threat posed by the virus.

The alert level will be based primarily on the R value and the number of coronavirus cases.

And in turn that alert level will determine the level of social distancing measures in place.

The lower the level, the fewer the measures; the higher the level, the stricter the measures.

Throughout the period of lockdown which started on 23 March we have been at Level 4.

Thanks to the hard work and sacrifices of the British people in this lockdown, we have helped to bring the level of infection down and we are now in a position to begin moving to Level 3, in very careful steps.

We have set out the first of three steps we will take to carefully modify the measures, gradually ease the lockdown, and begin to allow people to return to their way of life - but crucially avoiding what would be a second peak that overwhelms the NHS.

After each step we will closely monitor the impact of that step on the R and the number of infections, and we will only take the next step when we are satisfied that it is safe to do so.

Step 1, from this week, means those who cannot work from home should now speak to their employer about going back to work. You can now spend time outdoors and exercise as often as you like. You can meet one person outside of your household in an outdoor, public place provided you stay two metres apart.

Having taken the first step in carefully adjusting some of the measures and our advice to people on what to do, we have also updated what we are asking people to do, which is to Stay Alert, Control the Virus and Save Lives.

If everyone stays alert and follows the rules, we can control coronavirus by ensuring the R number does not go above one and reducing the number of infections. This is how we can continue to save lives, and livelihoods, as we begin as a nation to recover from coronavirus.

At this time of year GCSE and A level students would have been making final preparations for their exams, while others were enjoying their summer term.

If you are one of them, can I say how sorry I am that this has happened to you this year.

The sacrifices that you and all young people have made have been especially tough.

It is now almost eight weeks since we asked schools, nurseries and colleges to close to all but a small number of children.

Once again I would like to say an enormous thank you to all the school, college and childcare staff who have been going above and beyond the call of duty to care for smaller groups of children of critical workers, vulnerable children as well as making sure there are resources available at home for children to learn, interacting with them and making sure that children know you are there for them. You have been simply outstanding and we’re so grateful for what you have done.

We have been quite clear all along, that we would only start inviting more children back into schools when our five key tests had been met. That position has not changed and it is what is guiding our actions.

But we do want to see all children back in school because we know how much children grow and benefit from being in school.

We can now start the planning for a very limited return to schools for some pupils potentially as early as next month.

Let me explain how this will work because I know that some people, including parents and teachers, are very anxious about this.

If the rates of infection are decreasing, it will give us a green light to get children back into childcare and more of them back into school from 1 June.

As part of a cautious phased return, those in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 will be allowed back into school in smaller class sizes. We are also planning to get some secondary school students back – those in years 10 and 12 – to make sure they have the opportunity to come back to school on a limited basis and have some face to face time with teachers.

We are prioritising these children because they stand to lose more by staying away from school. The first years of school are pivotal for children to develop social and behavioural skills and to learn the basics that are going to have a huge bearing on how well they do in their life. Students in Years 10 and 12 need support in the run up to vital exams next year and it’s vital that we do all we can to help them succeed and help them do well.

This is particularly important for vulnerable and disadvantaged young people.

There are some who would like to delay the wider opening of schools. But there is a consequence to this. The longer that schools are closed, the more children miss out. Teachers know this. Teachers know that there are children out there who have not spoken to or played with another child of their own age for the last two months.

They know there are children from difficult or very unhappy homes for whom school is their happiest place in their week. It’s also the safest place for them to be and it’s thanks to their teachers and the support that their teachers give to them that they are safe and happy.

The poorest children, the most disadvantaged children, the children who do not always have support they need at home, will be the ones who will fall furthest behind if we keep school gates closed. They are the ones who will miss out on the opportunities and chances in life that we want all children to benefit from what teachers and schools deliver for them.

So we’re asking some children to come back from the 1 June. And we are asking schools to adopt a number of strict protective measures.

This includes reducing class sizes, and making sure pupils stay within these small groups, creating a protective and small bubble around them.

Schools will also be rigorous about hygiene, cleaning and hand washing. School staff can already be tested for the virus but from 1 June we will extend that to cover children and their families if any of them develop symptoms. Track-and-trace methods will then be used to prevent the virus from spreading.

Together, these measures will create an inherently safer system, where the risk of transmission is substantially reduced – for children, their teachers and also their families.

My department has been issuing full and detailed guidance on how to implement these measures and prepare for wider opening. We have worked closely with the sector, listening to those who work in the classroom. We will continue to do so, to ensure schools have the support they need.

It goes without saying that we will be carefully monitoring the impact this first phase has and we will use this to guide us when we consider our next steps.

This phased return is in line with what other European countries are doing to get their own schools, colleges and nurseries back.

I know a lot of you may be worried about sending your children to school. Every one of us wants the very best for our children and I know how stressful this time has been for many families. I want to reassure you that this approach is based on the best scientific advice, with children at the very heart of everything we do.

Education is one of the most important gifts we can give any children.

So when we are advised that we can start to bring some children back to school we should do so, so that they don’t miss out on the enormous opportunities to learn, to be with their friends and to benefit from everything that their teachers and schools can offer them. We owe it to the children in order to be able to do that.

I would like now to hand over to Jenny and then we will take some questions.

Gavin Williamson MP

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📋 Parent Survey about Reopening Plans

Dear Parents,

I think that The Prime Minister's announcement last Sunday regarding schools and a potential phased return of children in June has sparked some strong opinions. In order to gain your views on whether or not you would send your child back to school before the summer break if encouraged by the Government to do so, please fill in this short online questionnaire so we can plan and make decisions accordingly. I appreciate your time and continued support. Hope everyone is well.

Dear Parents, I think that The Prime Minister's announcement last Sunday regarding schools and a potential phased return of children in June has sparked some strong opinions. In order to gain your views on whether or not you would send your child back to school before the summer break if encouraged by the Government to do so, please fill in this short online questionnaire so we can plan and make decisions accordingly.

Mrs. Tennant

Head Teacher

Letter to Families from Mrs. Tennant re: Possible Reopening Preparations

Dear Parents,

You will be aware from the Prime Minister’s announcement on Sunday that the Government plans for schools across England to potentially open to more children with protective measures in place from Monday 1st June 2020 at the earliest. The Prime Minister said that progress will be monitored every day and If the virus stays on the downward slope with the R remaining below 1 then and only then will it become safe to go further, move to the second step and reopen schools.

Primary Schools have been asked to start preparing in order to welcome back initially children in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6  with other year groups later in the month before the summer break. This will be kept under review and will only happen as planned if we receive confirmation based on scientific advise that it is safe to do so as the Government’s five key tests have been met. 

Groups of children including vulnerable children and children of critical workers who have been eligible to attend while school has been closed will continue to be able to do so under the same arrangements as they are currently. We are being asked to continue with this provision as before so will not be able to offer places to any children who do not fall into at least one of these categories before the next phase in a return of more children to school. There is no instruction from the Government to care for children of workers returning from this week in addition to those categorised as critical.

At the moment, as you can probably appreciate there is a lot to read, digest and think about in preparation for a possible reopening of our school to more children as early as next month.

I would imagine that many of you will be concerned about sending your children back to school. You may be wondering if it will be safe to do so regardless of any protective measures that we put into place. The Government will strongly encourage you to take up the offer of a place in our school again when the time is right unless your child or a family member is shielding or your child is particularly vulnerable due to an underlying condition but there will be no penalty for families who do not send their children back to school before the summer break.  

Some of the protective measures being thought about at the moment include:

• Producing a risk assessment regarding the threat to health posed by the virus in order to establish if and when it is deemed safe to bring back more children into school.

• Ensuring that staff, parents and children who have coronavirus symptoms, or who have someone in their household who does, do not attend school which may become problematic if we experience staff shortages due to those shielding and in high risk groups, displaying coronavirus symptoms or caring for others.

• Enabling all children eligible to return to school to have access to testing if they display symptoms as well as any symptomatic members of their household as all staff can do now.

• Making sure that if a positive test occurs within school the people with whom the individual who tested positive has mixed closely with will be sent home and told to self-isolate for 14 days.

• Practising strict social distancing measures including altering the school day such as staggering arrival, break, lunch and home times and reorganising classrooms so that everyone can stay 2 metres apart though how we do this with the youngest children is going to be challenging! Also, after measuring our classrooms, in order for everyone to be socially distanced, we can only accommodate 10 children and a member of staff per classroom which is inevitably going to be a problem more difficult to solve as numbers increase. Only one adult per child to drop off and collect their children.

• Removing unnecessary items from classrooms if storage space permits.

• Keeping small cohorts of children together at all times each day not mixing different groups during the day or on subsequent days, assigning the same staff members to each group and using the same classroom as much as possible.

• Utilising as much as possible outdoor space as weather permits.

• Not allowing large gatherings including assemblies and church services.

• No unnecessary visitors allowed to enter the school building.

• Insisting that everyone to thoroughly wash hands with soap under running water and more often than usual. 

• Promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it' approach to coughs and sneezes.

• Liaising with the Cleaning Company in school to assist with more frequent cleaning of touched surfaces.

• Possibly using face masks and other PPE though this is not recommended in schools at the moment.

The above list in not exhaustive and poses more questions than answers at the moment which I hope we will receive further advice on in the coming days so more definite decisions and plans can be made soon. 

Please remember that at this moment in time these plans are conditional on a further decline in the transmission of the virus and schools may not be asked to welcome back more children as early as the beginning of June after all. It does pay to be prepared though and once everyone has managed to think about their own personal decision then I will be asking parents to indicate whether you will be sending your children back to school before the summer break if given the opportunity to do so from next month so we can plan according to numbers expected. I will respect and support whatever you believe is in the best interests of your child and current family situation. Please understand though that school will not be exactly like how you left it in March due to these unprecedented times and the unique circumstances we are living in at the moment. 

There are links on our school website which takes you to the guidance. Any concerns at the moment, please do not hesitate to send an enquiry email or telephone but I will be keeping you all fully informed along the way to a possible wider opening in June so you know exactly what is happening. This will begin with an online survey of your views which I will send out by the end of this week. Please return this form by next Wednesday 20th May 2020 so we can plan further.

My overriding message to you all is that I am determined not to feel pressured into doing anything that it is felt may pose even the slightest of risks to the health, safety and wellbeing of our children, staff and parents.  

Hope you and your families are all safe and well.

Mrs Tennant

Head Teacher

https://www.allsaintsnh-pri.manchester.sch.uk/

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DfE - Schools reopening Q&A

Yesterday, Monday 11 May, the Department for Education published guidance on the wider opening of nurseries, schools and colleges.

These guidance documents provide detail on a range of areas including what settings can do to help make sure they are safe, information on testing, and details for alternative provision and special schools.

There are a number of key issues which we know parents, sector staff and the media will be interested in. These include the rationale behind the year groups that will return in the first phase, guidance on what protective measures should be in place, and whether or not attendance at a child’s education setting will be compulsory. These issues are addressed below.

Why are certain year groups going back in the first phase?

The rate of infection remains too high to allow the full opening of schools for all pupils yet.

There are three key reasons why nurseries, Reception, Year 1, Year 6, Year 10 and Year 12 are being prioritised.

1.  The value that face to face interaction with teachers and education staff provides for young people:

• 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.

• 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.

• Year 10 and 12 pupils 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.

2. There is high scientific confidence that children of all ages have less severe symptoms than adults if they contract coronavirus and there is moderately high scientific confidence that younger children are less likely to become unwell if infected with coronavirus.

3. Older children are better able to continue learning at home. We know it’s hard for parents and children, but everyone is playing their part in the national effort to combat this virus. There are many innovative ways to learn outside the formal school or college setting, and those who aren’t being asked to return to school or college immediately will continue to be educated remotely.

Priority groups – vulnerable children (including children in need, those with an Education, Health and Care plan and those assessed as otherwise vulnerable by educational providers or local authorities) and the children of critical workers – are also encouraged to attend, if appropriate for them to do so.

Do you expect children to follow social distancing guidelines? If so, how?

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.

Class sizes will be smaller, creating more space for children and teachers, and children will only mix with their small group. Schools will implement protective measures designed to reduce the risk of transmission, including increasing cleaning and reducing ‘pinch points’ in the school day such as breaktimes, pick-up and drop-off.

We’ve followed the best scientific advice and looked at what other countries are doing when drawing up this guidance.

What protective measures are you asking education settings to take?

Full details of the protective measures schools should implement is available in the guidance, and examples include:

• Making sure children and young people are in the same small groups at all times each day, and different groups are not mixed during the day or on subsequent days;

• increasing the frequency of cleaning, reducing the used of shared items and utilising outdoor space; and

• ensuring all adults and children frequently wash their hands with soap and water, including on arrival at the setting, before and after eating and after sneezing or coughing.

We are working with the sector to provide further guidance to settings.

Do teachers and education staff require PPE?

Wearing a face covering or face mask in schools or other education settings is not recommended. Face coverings may be beneficial for short periods indoors where there is a risk of close social contact with people you do not usually meet and where social distancing and/or other measures cannot be maintained, for example on public transport or in some shops. This does not apply to schools or other education settings.

Information on the very limited instances in which education staff may require PPE is available here.

Will teachers, children and young people have access to testing?

Yes. Staff, children and young people in all settings will be eligible for testing if they begin to display coronavirus symptoms, as will symptomatic members of their households. To access testing parents will be able to use the 111 online coronavirus service if their child is 5 or over. Parents will be able to call 111 if their child is aged under 5.

A negative test will enable children to get back to childcare or education, and their parents to get back to work. Where a setting has a positive case, the rest of their class or group within their childcare or education setting should be sent home and advised to self-isolate for 14 days. As part of the national test and trace programme, if other cases are detected Public Health England will work with settings advise on the appropriate course of action.

This could include a larger number of other children and young people may be asked to self-isolate at home as a precautionary measure – perhaps the whole class, site or year group. Where settings are observing guidance on infection prevention and control, which will reduce risk of transmission, closure of the whole setting will not generally be necessary.

Will parents be fined if they don’t send their children back to school?

No. While we are strongly encouraging children in eligible groups to attend, we will not penalise people for keeping their children at home. Parents will not be fined for non-attendance at this time, and schools and colleges will not be held to account for attendance levels.

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