Created: July 2020 by Jenny Owen
Last Reviewed/Updated: Reviewed and agreed by Nancy Monaghan 4/8/20
Related Documents
- Risk Assessment: COVID-19 – Return to Face-to-Face Classes
- Covid-19 Guidance for Safe Working
- Safeguarding and Wellbeing During COVID-19
- Safeguarding Policy
- Safeguarding Report Form
Statement
There are important actions that children and young people, their parents and carers, and those who work with them, can take during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak to help prevent the spread of the virus.
This Code of Conduct has been put together with reference to Government policy and guidance, and will be reviewed regularly. We will inform staff, students and parents/guardians of any changes that are made in line with developing Government policy and guidance.
We ask staff, students and parents/guardians to acknowledge receipt and understanding of this Code of Conduct, and any updates.
We encourage open communication and shared understanding of the measures in place. We welcome feedback, and will take perceived safety issues seriously.
How we have prepared for Face-to-Face Classes
We have created a Risk Assessment, which addresses the hazards associated with running Face-to-Face classes during the COVID-19 outbreak, and the measures we are putting in place to mitigate risk. We have also revised our policies ahead of re-opening, with specific considerations for the COVID-19 outbreak.
We have been in communication with the owner of Denshaw Village Hall to discuss their Risk Assessment for opening, and the measures they have in place. They have informed us that hand sanitisers have been installed, and the toilets reconfigured to promote social distancing measures.
In order to minimise the number of people at Denshaw Village Hall, we will at first limit the return to Face-to-Face classes to Drama classes. We will look to phase back Singing and Dance classes later, taking into account any guidance relating to these subjects.
We will assign staff and students to particular classes when they return, and have them stay in those consistent groups for future sessions, as far as it is possible. These classes will be kept small enough to allow social distancing of 2m.
We will design the timetable to allow for sufficient changeover time to clean the area between different classes or groups of children, and ensuring areas do not become overcrowded.
We will keep up-to-date records of the students attending, including the specific groups and members of staff they have been assigned to.
What we expect of parents/guardians bringing students to Face-to-Face classes, and students travelling alone
If you have, or are showing symptoms of, coronavirus (COVID-19) (a new continuous cough, a high temperature, or a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell – anosmia), or have someone in your household who is, you should not be attending face-to-face classes. You should be at home, in line with the guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection. If you have symptoms you should arrange to have a test to check if you have coronavirus.
If your child has been informed to isolate for 14 days by their school or another organisation, they must not attend face to face classes at Wild Things during this isolation period. If they do not have symptoms, you must not seek a test, as the scientific evidence shows that the test may not be able to detect whether you have the virus. Evidence of a negative test will not be accepted, therefore, as exemption from this rule. You must self isolate for 14 days after you were in contact (‘in contact’ is classed as being in the same bubble as the person who has tested positive for Coronavirus). This is crucial to avoid unknowingly spreading the virus. This guidance has been taken from the Gov.uk website
As far as possible, please avoid travelling by public transport. It is better to walk, cycle, or use a private vehicle (provided everyone in it is from the same household). Further guidelines on travel can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-safer-travel-guidance-for-passengers
Please respect social distancing at all times. We will put 2m markers outside the building and in the foyer.
Please avoid arriving very early for your class, as sufficient cleaning needs to happen in the time between classes, and we need to avoid queuing/gatherings.
Please wait outside before your class, adhering to social distancing indications. A member of staff will escort students between the class and carpark, in order to limit the number of people entering the building. Please bring an umbrella and/or a raincoat in case of rain.
Unless the Parent/Guardian has given permission for a student to arrive and leave class alone, they must stay with them before and after the class.
What students should bring to class
- Script(s) and Student pack
- Notebook
- Pen, pencil and rubber
- Bottled water – students will not be permitted to attend without their own bottle of water.
- Jumper, hoodie or similar (we will be keeping windows and doors open to promote natural ventilation)
- Packet of disposable tissues
- If bringing a reusable mask, please bring a plastic bag to keep this in. Disposable masks can be put in the bins provided.
What we expect of students attending Face-to-Face Classes
Respect social distancing of 2m at all times. You will be separated from other students in the hall, and markers will be used to help pairs and coaches keep a distance from each other while working together. Follow one-way systems in the foyer and corridor.
Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly when you arrive at Denshaw Village Hall, when you leave, and when you return home. You should also wash your hands after touching your face, blowing your nose and sneezing or coughing. Hand-washing instructions will be displayed at sinks, and hand-sanitiser is also available.
Avoid touching your mouth, eyes and nose. Cover your mouth and nose with disposable tissues when you cough or sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue, sneeze into the crook of your elbow, not into your hand. Dispose of tissues and immediately clean your hands with soap and water or use a hand sanitiser.
Please do not raise your voices. Be considerate of others sharing the space.
Do not share food or drinks. You must bring your own bottled water to class. Remember to wash your hands before eating.
We will limit the number of people using the toilet at any time, so please ask before you go. Follow the hand-washing instructions displayed at the sink.
What you can expect of staff running Face-to-Face Classes
When it comes to COVID-19 security, staff will follow the same guidance at students. They will aim to uphold the Code of Conduct by setting a good example, and by reminding students of the guidelines.
Staff will have their temperature taken on arrival.
We recognise that young children and children with special educational needs may not be able to understand the need for social distancing and may also seek close interaction with their peers or adults to provide reassurance at a period of disruption to their routines. We have conducted risk assessments around managing groups of children within the setting. This includes limiting the number of children in each group and reducing this to provide more space. As far as possible, small groups of children will be supported by consistent staffing, and groups will remain as consistent as possible throughout the outbreak.
We recognise that children are not always good at hand hygiene. Therefore, staff will pay special attention to children’s hand hygiene, as far as possible.
We will keep up-to-date records of the students attending, including the specific groups and members of staff they have been assigned to.
Students who require first aid will continue to receive care in the same way. No additional PPE is needed because of coronavirus (COVID-19) for anyone who does not have coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms. Treating the casualty properly will be the first concern.
If someone shows COVID-19 symptoms during class
If anyone becomes unwell with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature, or has a loss of, or change in, their normal sense of taste or smell, they must be sent home and advised to follow the guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. They should self-isolate for at least 7 days and arrange to have a test to see if they have coronavirus (COVID-19.) Other members of their household must self-isolate for 14 days from when the initial household member first had symptoms.
If a student is awaiting collection, they will be moved, if possible, to a room where they can be isolated behind a closed door, with appropriate adult supervision if required depending on the age of the child. Ideally, a window should be opened for ventilation. If it is not possible to isolate them, we will move them to an area which is at least 2 metres away from other people.
If they need to go to the bathroom while waiting to be collected, they will use a separate bathroom if possible. The bathroom will be cleaned and disinfected using standard cleaning products before being used by anyone else.
PPE will be worn by staff caring for the child while they await collection if direct personal care is needed and a distance of 2 metres cannot be maintained (such as for a very young child or a child with complex needs).
In an emergency, we will call 999 if they are seriously ill or injured or their life is at risk. The child should not visit the GP, pharmacy, urgent care centre or a hospital.
Any member of staff who has helped someone with symptoms, and any students who have been in close contact with them, do not need to go home to self-isolate unless they develop symptoms themselves or they are later advised to do so by NHS test and trace or the local PHE health protection team.
Everyone should wash their hands thoroughly for 20 seconds after any contact with someone who is unwell. We will clean the affected area with normal household disinfectant after the person with symptoms has left to reduce the risk of passing the infection on to other people.
NHS Test and Trace
To support NHS Test and Trace in reaching close contacts in the event of a positive test, we will keep a record of:
- students/participants and staff in specific groups/rooms
- close contact that takes places between students/participants and staff in different groups/rooms and
- the timing of the activities/interactions
This will be a proportionate recording process but detailed enough to support the Test and Trace process. We will keep records securely for at least 21 days.
We will also assist NHS Test and Trace with requests for that data if needed, except for where a Parent/Guardian instructs us not to supply their details to NHS Test and Trace.
When someone first develops symptoms and orders a test, they will be encouraged to alert the people that they have had close contact with in the 48 hours before symptom onset. If this includes Wild Things Performing Arts classes, they should contact Nancy Monaghan, who will in turn alert staff and other students/participants from the same group/room. We will not name the individual.
If the person with symptoms tests positive for COVID-19, the NHS Test and Trace service will instruct them to provide details of recent close contacts and places they have visited, so that these contacts can be notified and instructed to self-isolate. They will be told to do this online via a secure website, or will be called by an NHS contract tracer.
If Wild Things Performing Arts is included, NHS Test and Trace may ask us to contact staff and students/participants from the same group, or will require us to provide data and contact details – we will do this, except for Parents/Guardians who have instructed us not to. This contact will occur by either a phone call, text message, email or letter. When Test and Trace advises contacts to self-isolate, the service does not tell them the identity of the person who has tested positive. Likewise, Wild Things Performing Arts will not name the individual.
Contact tracing will be taken over by local public health experts where the person who has a positive test result works in or has recently visited:
- a health or care setting, for example a hospital, GP surgery or care home
- a prison or other secure establishment
- a school for children with special needs
- any setting where there’s a risk of a local outbreak