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Plan for reopening
3 articles
Communicate with your school community
- Coronavirus: staff worried about coming into school If you have staff who are worried about being in school whilst there's an increased risk of coronavirus in your area, here's an overview of their rights and how you can approach concerns they raise about not wanting to come into school.
- School reopening: letter to parents The government has announced that schools should open to all pupils from 8 March. Download and adapt our template letter to let parents know about the latest rules on attendance, and reassure them about your protective measures to keep everyone safe.
- School reopening: reassuring parents that their child is safe Parents will be understandably concerned about their children coming back to school. Find out how to get a handle on how they're feeling, tailor your messaging and make them feel as reassured as possible – whenever their children are returning.
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Keep pupils and staff safe
- Coronavirus: compliance checklist Download our checklist to make sure you're taking all the necessary steps to keep your staff and pupils safe and educated. Use it to help you confidently speak to inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive or Ofsted about your compliance with requirements on protective measures, remote learning provision and more.
- Coronavirus: extended provision risk assessment Use our risk assessment to help you set the protective measures you have in place for your extended provision, such as after-school and breakfast clubs.
- Coronavirus: how to approach cleaning in your school Find out what regular cleaning arrangements you should have in place to minimise the chance of coronavirus spreading in your school. Plus, download our checklist for a deep clean in the event of a suspected case of COVID-19, so you can be confident you've got everything covered.
- Coronavirus: how to deliver assemblies to multiple groups The DfE has advised against mixing groups of pupils in large gatherings such as assemblies or collective worship. Here are some alternative solutions for when you want to bring your whole school together during partial closure.
- Coronavirus: how to manage drop offs and pick ups By now you’ll have put measures in place to help keep pupils, staff and parents safe as they enter and leave your school. We've highlighted some common issues schools are experiencing and provided practical solutions to help you tweak your system. Download our template letter to update parents on any changes you're making.
- Coronavirus: keeping self-isolation records Download our template to collect records of who is self-isolating and who has tested positive for COVID-19. Plus, get clear on when you can share this information under data protection law, including when and what you can tell others about a confirmed case in school.
- Coronavirus: operational guidance summary UpdatedFind out what you need to do to run your school safely, based on the DfE's latest operational guidance. Here we cover the main changes to government rules, including on attendance, face coverings, and coronavirus testing.
- Coronavirus: pupil hygiene and wellbeing posters Use our child-friendly posters on health and hygiene around your school. They'll help you signpost pupils where to go if they're displaying symptoms, how to safely remove their face covering and wash their hands properly.
- Coronavirus: responding to a suspected case in school UpdatedDownload our flowcharts outlining the steps to take if a pupil or staff member develops coronavirus symptoms in school, or if they're asymptomatic and get a positive lateral flow test result. Now up to date for primary and secondary schools with the DfE's operational guidance that applies from 8 March.
- Coronavirus testing for pupils and staff: what you need to know and do UpdatedFollowing the return of pupils on 8 March, school staff will be taking at-home coronavirus tests and you'll be offering testing for pupils in secondary schools. Get answers to FAQs alongside a summary of the latest updates.
- Poll results: wearing face coverings when your secondary school reopens Have your say and find out what other secondary school leaders are saying.
- School reopening: how to carry out COVID-safe learning walks With schools reopening to all pupils, you might be turning your attention to school improvement planning. Use these tips to help you carry out learning walks safely, and see what you might focus on this year.
- School reopening: how to keep office staff safe If you have office staff who need to work on-site, be clear what measures you should have in place for them, such as social distancing.
- School reopening: how to monitor in-class teaching safely With all pupils returning to the classroom, you might be thinking about how to gather evidence for your school improvement planning. If you’re considering doing lesson observations, use these tips to help you carry them out safely.
- School reopening: how to safely run interventions (primary) Learn how to safely run interventions when your primary school reopens, so that you can provide effective targeted support for pupils while sticking to social distancing guidelines.
- School reopening: template equality impact assessment Use our template to help you consider how your approach to reopening may disproportionately impact different groups of people in your school, on the basis of characteristics like race, disability and gender.
- School reopening: template risk assessment You must review your whole-school risk assessment in preparation for all pupils returning from 8 March. Use our template to find out which control measures to add or adapt, based on the latest government guidance.
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Learn lessons from lockdown
- School reopening: how to apply what you've learned during lockdown to improve your school See how the changes you’ve made to adapt during this turbulent period can help you improve learning, parental engagement and staff wellbeing as you prepare for September. With suggestions from Patrick Ottley-O'Connor at North Liverpool Academy, and other school leaders across the country.
3 articles
Settle pupils back into school
- School reopening: providing high-quality outdoor learning Learning outdoors makes it easier to maintain social distancing – and it supports pupils’ wellbeing too. Find out how to make the best use of whatever outdoor space you have and safely deliver high-quality outdoor lessons. Download our checklist of equipment staff will need as they take the classroom outside.
- School reopening: supporting pupil mental health Help your pupils feel emotionally settled and secure when they come back into school. Find out how you can identify your pupils’ mental health needs and support them when they return.
- School reopening: supporting pupils with SEND to transition back to school Find out how to help pupils with SEND get back into school life after lockdown, whether they've been learning from home or coming into school. You know your pupils best, so pick the approaches that work best for their needs.