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Schools and childcare settings: return in January 2021
Since the start of the academic year, the continuing efforts of leaders, teachers and staff across education and childcare have ensured that settings remain as safe and COVID-secure as possible.
To support public health efforts during the return to school in January 2021, we are offering secondary schools in England access to additional coronavirus (COVID-19) testing from the first week of January. This will help deliver the national priority of keeping as many pupils and teachers as possible in school beyond the start of term, minimising the spread of the virus and disruption caused by coronavirus (COVID-19) cases arising in education settings.
Secondary-age pupils are being prioritised for testing in response to the recent high rates of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. Primary schools will return as normal and these measures do not apply to early years providers.
All schools with secondary-age pupils (including special schools and alternative provision) will be offered the opportunity to test their pupils, reaching as many pupils as possible from the week of the 4 January. The government will encourage as many as possible to take up the offer.
In those schools with secondary-age pupils, vulnerable children, the children of critical workers and pupils in exam year groups (primarily years 11 and 13) are expected to access on-site education provision from each school’s advertised first day of term and should be prioritised for testing. All pupils in special schools or alternative provision are expected to attend from the week commencing 4 January. All other pupils should not attend that week and must be provided with remote education until 11 January when they should return to school and resume face-to-face attendance. Pupils will be encouraged to have a test but will not need to have had one in order to return to school on 11 January.
Throughout, all children and young people should continue to comply with the rules set out for the tier they are in, and parents are asked to help ensure their children are following these rules. That particularly includes those related to mixing with other households when they are not at school and when they are travelling to and from educational settings.
Rapidly identifying and containing any asymptomatic cases through this testing programme will contribute to public health efforts and support the effectiveness of the regular rapid testing programme that schools with secondary-age pupils are being supported to set up and deliver once this initial testing is concluded. The coronavirus (COVID-19) asymptomatic testing in schools and colleges guidance provides more detail. This will enable school staff to be tested weekly, as well as daily testing of both staff and pupils who are close contacts of a positive case, to avoid the need for self-isolation.
Our approach is intended to minimise the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) in education beyond the start of term and to support all pupils attending education. Being in education is vital for children’s development and wellbeing. Time spent out of settings is detrimental to children’s learning, development and wellbeing, particularly for disadvantaged children. That is why, beyond this exceptional period, it continues to be our aim that all pupils, in all year groups, attend school full-time.
The risk to children themselves of becoming severely ill from coronavirus (COVID-19) remains very low. For the vast majority of children, the benefits of being back in the classroom far outweigh the low risk from coronavirus (COVID-19) and schools can take action to reduce risks still further.
In relation to working in schools, while it is not possible to ensure a totally risk-free environment, there is no evidence that children transmit the disease any more than adults, and no evidence that staff in education settings are at any greater risk of fatal outcomes than many other occupations.
Where something is essential for public health reasons in this guidance, as advised by Public Health England (PHE), we have said ‘must’.
Continue reading the full article here: Schools return guidance
