Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance

Advice for schools and childcare settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, including operating guidance and emergency contacts.

Updates and letters

September return: Covid-19 contingency framework for schools (pdf) - Letter to schools from Gary Redhead (1 September 2021)
Sample letter to warn and inform parents (doc)
Response to email from Concerned Parents Group (pdf)

Flowchart on what to do if there is a suspected or confirmed case (pdf)
Risk assessment tool (doc)
Asymptomatic testing
Remote education

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Government guidance

DfE contingency framework
September 2021 reminder: Clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) children, home test kits and NHS test and trace
Actions for schools during the coronavirus outbreak
Coronavirus: how to stay safe and help prevent the spread

DfE helpline: 0800 046 8687 (Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, weekends 10am to 4pm)

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School operating guidance

Guidance for schools and early years providers during the pandemic.

• Asymptomatic testing in schools
• Attendance
• Bereavement
• Early years providers
• Educational psychology
• Emergency contacts
• Facilities, buildings and cleaning
• Financial support
• Free school meals
• Home working
• Planning and risk assessment
• Protective measures and equipment
• Remote education
• Safeguarding
• School governance
• SEND
• Staffing
• Symptoms and testing
• Vulnerable groups
• Wellbeing and mental health

Asymptomatic testing

School testing guidance and FAQs (pdf) NHS

Lateral flow testing resources (Google Drive GOV.UK)

Lateral flow testing risk assessment template (doc)

Test site job profiles

• Test site team leader job description (doc)
• Test site operative - processing and results recorder job description (doc)
• Test site operative job description (doc)

Waste collectionsfrom lateral flow device test

If your school needs assistance securing testing waste collection services, please contact Laurence Field at FieldL@ealing.gov.uk

Attendance

Attendance guidance for schools.

Schools should be taking an attendance register and using the codes suggested on this page to record attendance and absence. All settings should submit daily attendance figures using the educational setting status form by midday every day.

Guidance for off rolling for children gone abroad April 2021

Bereavement

During the pandemic, schools may have to deal with the death of a member of staff as a result of the coronavirus or for other reasons. Read about what you should do when an employee dies and use our letter template to correspond with the next of kin in these circumstances.

Early years providers

• Early years Q & A January 2021 (pdf)
• Actions for early years and childcare providers during coronavirus
• Managing the return to early years settings Please use this document to support your practice and COVID safe risk assessments alongside current government guidance
• Managing cases of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 in early years settings
• COVID-19 Risk assessment for schools and childcare settings

Educational psychology

Recovery, re-introduction and renewal: Safe and successful returns to school (a handbook by the Association of Educational Psychologists)

Educational psychology service delivery

Advice for schools: Transition and back to school during COVID 19

Emergency contacts and support

Local authority and Ealing Learning Partnership teams will do all they can to support schools. For urgent support, please refer to the emergency contact list. For other support requests, please contact Julie Lewis or Gary Redhead.

There are tactical groups in place to plan and communicate back to the emergency management response team to keep schools open and in relation to short and long term school recovery issues arising from COVID-19.

Facilities, buildings and cleaning

Ventilation planning strategy

Air conditioning and ventilation during the coronavirus (HSE)

Cleaning

Cleaning of non-healthcare settings guidance (GOV.UK).

The following companies can provide cleaning services for schools:

Ealing facilities management Tel: 020 8825 9000. Op. 2 Email: ealingfmhelpdesk@ealing.gov.uk

Extreme Environmental Services Ltd Unit 2, Hall Farm Workshops South Moreton Didcot OX11 9FD. Tel. 0844 561 2277

Initial Washroom Hygiene Riverbank Meadows Business Park, 1 Station Approach, Camberley, Surrey, GU17 9AB. Tel: 0800 313 4979

Financial support

• Self-isolation payments for parents and carers (news item 25 March)
• Covid-19 catch-up premium: provisional allocations guidance (GOV.UK)
• Self-isolation payments (Ealing Council)
• Closing of accounts and new year budget setting during COVID-19 (PDF)

DfE guidance on furloughing staff now takes into account the sums you receive from government free entitlement payments and other sources of income you receive, including parental fees. Refer to the coronavirus job retention scheme guidance sheet (pdf). The income percentage calculator (xlsx) can help you work out the percentage you can claim through the coronavirus job retention scheme.

Free school meals

COVID Winter Grant scheme and Holiday Activity and Food programme: Unredeemed vouchers from Easter (news item 21 June)

Coronavirus (COVID-19) free school meals additional costs claim form now available (news item 9 April)

Coronavirus (COVID-19): free school meals guidance (GOV.UK) - Latest update includes information on the support available to schools during the national lockdown beginning January 2021.

Free school meals during lockdown beginning January 2021 (news item 11 January)

Government has advised that they expect catering providers to support pupils eligible for benefits-related free school meals who have to be at home for reasons relating to coronavirus (COVID-19) by providing food parcels. There is no requirement to provide universal infant free school meals to infant pupils who are not in school.

Home learning

School can share this with parents and carers

Supporting your children's education during coronavirus (COVID-19) - Information, guidance and support for parents and carers of children who are learning at home. GOV.UK

Home learning support pack for parents and pupils of English as an additional language (pdf)

For staff

Courses and other online learning for staff.

Home working guidance

• DSE workstation checklist (word)
• Protect home workers (DSE) - Includes video on how to set up a workstation for temporary home working
• Microsoft Teams quick start guide (pdf)
• Communicating via Teams (pdf)
• CIEHF Home working and staying healthy (pdf)
• Advice from Posturite

Planning and risk assessment

• Risk assessment tool (doc)
• Individual risk assessment and support plan template (doc)
• Risk assessment example for pregnant workers (doc)
• Addressing individual staff concerns
• Arrangements for the provision of children’s services from September
• Health improvement recovery curriculum
• Guidance for professionals working with parents to support children’s return to school (ppt)
• Supporting your child's return to school booklet (Ealing Familes directory)
• List of suppliers for cleaning products, protective equipment, non contact thermometers, social distancing signs and more.
• Ealing COVID-19 outbreak prevention and control plan (Ealing Council)

Protective measures and equipment

• List of PPE suppliers including protective wear, social distancing signs, non-contact forehead thermometers.
• Examples of protective measures (pdf)

Safeguarding

• DSL guidance for primary school pupils (pdf) (EGfL login required)
• DSL guidance for high school pupils (pdf) (EGfL login required)
• COVID-19 safeguarding toolkit for school DSLs (doc) Updated February 2021 (EGfL login required)
• This is an updated resource to guide and support your DSL role in carrying out safeguarding duties both for children in school and those who are learning at home. It also provides contact details for professional support service.
• Private fostering during COVID-19 Updated March 2021(pdf).

School governance

Governing and trust boards should continue to take a pragmatic approach to meetings. Whilst face to face meetings are now possible this should be informed by the latest national COVID-19 guidance and the school’s risk assessment. Governing boards will need to collectively decide whether a blended approach of face-to-face and virtual meetings would be appropriate or to continue with online meetings but planning a schedule of visits by governors to monitor agreed key priorities as part of the boards monitoring role.

• School governance update (GOV.UK) July 2021
• Wellbeing and workload guidance for governing boards (EGfL login required)
• Ealing governance news For any further information or advice please email governors@ealing.gov.uk.

Staffing

Coronavirus job retention scheme (CJRS) /furlough scheme

• CJRS /furlough letter to schools January 2021 (pdf)
• Letter template confirming agreement to temporary furlough (word)
• Letter template confirming agreement to flexible furlough (word)
• Letter template confirming extension to temporary or flexible furlough (word)
• Furlough claim template (excel)
• How to complete furlough claim form (pdf)

Extension of furlough scheme (news item 9 November)

Staffing guidance (pdf) 6 September 2021

Revised joint guidance on the conduct of schools on professional matters in light of the covid-19 pandemic (NAHT)

Addressing individual staff concerns

Wellbeing guide for staff working in schools and trusts

All year round (AYR) support staff leave during the Covid-19 emergency (pdf)

Letter template - Informal warning for failure to maintain social distancing (doc)

Teachers and head teachers performance management during restricted opening (pdf)

Agency/supply staff and casual/AWR staff guidance (pdf)

Key roles in schools during the coronavirus pandemic (updated 26 May) (pdf)

Symptoms and testing

Lateral flow testing risk assessment template (doc)

Flowchart on what to do if there is a suspected or confirmed case (pdf)

COVID-19 confirmed case school notification reckoner (Excel) Report any positive cases: Complete spreadsheet and email to schoolshealthandsafety@ealing.gov.uk

COVID-19 Schools resource pack (pdf) PHE LCRC July 2021 and documents:

• On-site risk assesment checklist (doc)
• Template letter for contacting the LCRC (doc)

Parents' flowchart: What to do if someone has COVID-19 symptoms (pdf)
Translated versions for September 2021 will be added shortly and will be available to download in these languages: Arabic, Polish, Punjabi, Somali, Tamil, and Urdu

Coronavirus (COVID-19): test kits for schools and FE providers (GOV.UK)

Guidance for anyone who thinks they may have symptoms, please see: Stay at home: guidance for households with possible coronavirus (COVID-19) infection

Ask for a test to check if you have coronavirus (NHS)

Vulnerable groups

How schools are working to overcome the challenges facing vulnerable groups of pupils during the pandemic:

• COVID-19 Vulnerable groups addendum report (pdf) March 2021
• COVID-19 Vulnerable groups report 1 (pdf)
• COVID-19 Vulnerable groups report 2 (pdf) August 2020.

Where schools have concerns including not have a designated safeguarding lead (DSL) they should contact ECIRS. Emergency contact list

Keeping in touch guidance for DSLs (word)
Please use this guidance to support members of staff keeping in touch by phone with parents of vulnerable children.

Guidance: keeping in touch calls for children with an EHCP (word)
To support members of staff keeping in touch by phone with parents of children with EHC plans.

Support your school's response if you have low attendance of vulnerable pupils:

• Ealing Safeguarding process to help increase attendance of vulnerable children during COVID-19
• Ealing Safeguarding guidance – Frequently asked questions COVID-19

Children and young people, social care

• Virtual child protection conference guidance effective 6 May 2020 - Social workers and child protection advisors (pdf)

• Virtual child protection conference guidance effective 6 May 2020 -Partner agencies (pdf)

• COVID-19 practice guidance (pdf)

Wellbeing and mental health

• Staff wellbeing during COVID-19 (pdf)
• Wellbeing and mental health support