Guidance For The Full Opening Of Schools

We have updated this guidance to:

• provide more advice on risk management.
• provide clarification on the age requirements related to face coverings on public transport.
• confirm revised guidance on cleaning has now been published.
• set out that the Department for Education will be supporting schools over the summer on communications with staff, parents and pupils.
• give more information about pupils with education, health and care plans.
• give more information about managing contractors and other visitors to schools, including immunisation programmes.
• clarify some details of the test and trace process.
• provide additional advice on staff who are clinically vulnerable and clinically extremely vulnerable.
• expand on use of space and ventilation.
• provide a link to the recorded webinar on mental health and wellbeing, clarify resources available from MindEd, and link to e-Bug resources to support teaching children about hygiene measures.
• provide advice on exam results day.

Introduction

It is our plan that all pupils, in all year groups, will return to school full-time from the beginning of the autumn term.

This guidance is intended to support schools, both mainstream and alternative provision, to prepare for this. It applies to primary, secondary (including sixth forms), infant, junior, middle, upper, school-based nurseries and boarding schools.

We expect independent schools to follow the control measures set out in this document in the same way as state-funded schools. The guidance also covers expectations for children with special educational needs and disability (SEND), including those with education, health and care plans, in mainstream schools.

Separate guidance is available for early years, further education colleges and for special schools.

This guidance is in 5 sections. The first section sets out the actions school leaders should take to minimise the risk of transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19) in their school. This is public health advice, endorsed by Public Health England (PHE).

The rest of the guidance is focused on how the Department for Education (DfE) expects schools to operate in this new context. This includes:

• school operations.
  curriculum, behaviour and pastoral support.
• assessment and accountability.
• contingency planning to provide continuity of education in the case of a local outbreak.

This guidance has been prepared with input from school leaders, unions and sector bodies and in consultation with PHE and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

We will keep this guidance under review and update as necessary.

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