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- Prolonged school closures bring high risk of poor mental health, obesity, and child abuse, as well as loss of learning. 2 The National Mental Health of Children and Young People study showed that likely mental health disorders in English children and young people increased from 1 in 9 to 1 in 6 during the pandemic. 3 The National Child Measurement Programme found that childhood obesity in England increased by 4.5% from 2019 to 2020/21. 4 School closures reduce the visibility of children at risk,...
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Why did schools and colleges open in June last year?
When will schools open to more young people?
Should UK schools reopen in March?
Will schools reopen after Christmas break?
Why do we keep schools open?
Should schools reopen to more pupils?
Jan 7, 2022 · As schools in England return for the start of the new term this week, these authors argue why schools should be provided with resources to remain open amid rising covid cases. As cases of the omicron variant rise rapidly across the UK we are faced with possible new restrictions to curb its transmission. This raises questions about whether there ...
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As schools in England return for the start of the new term...
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- Schools and Colleges
- Early Years Settings
- Universities
Has anything changed?
The only things that have changed are the rules on self-isolation, temporary introduction of face coverings in secondary schools and colleges, the vaccination programme for school aged children and Ofsted inspections. If a child or pupil tests positive they may be able to end their self-isolation period before the end of the 10 full days. They can take a lateral flow device (LFD) test from 6 days after the day symptoms started and another LFD test on the following day. The second LFD test sho...
What has remained the same?
We are continuing to ask that all schools and colleges encourage students and pupils to participate in regular LFD testing at home after taking their initial test before they return to the classroom. All secondary schools should be doing one test on-site at school as pupils return. Information on testing in education settings is available in our recent piece here: Five ways we’re protecting education - The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk). Education staff and college students are being asked to se...
Are schools and colleges definitely going to return after Christmas?
Yes - all schools and colleges should return after the Christmas break. We recognise that there will be pressures on staffing where case rates are high and that’s why we’ve asked ex-teachers to come forward to offer their services. We are also providing advice for schools and colleges on continuing face-to-face education should they have high rates of staff absence. Secondary schools can stagger the return of students throughout the first week of term, to enable on-site testing to take place....
Has anything changed?
Our guidance published on 14thDecember continues to focus on safeguarding face-to-face education and childcare. Early years settings should organise their provision around this principle. Whilst doing so, there are number of actions that can be taken to keep both children and staff as safe as possible. These are set out in the guidance Actions for early years and childcare providers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), which has been updated with a few key changes.
What about self-isolation and testing?
The UKHSA has advised there are limited public health benefits to regular testing of early years children with LFD tests. The exception is if they have tested positive for COVID-19 themselves. If a child tests positive they may be able to end their self-isolation period before the end of the 10 full daysby following the guidance on LFD testing. Testing is at the discretion of a parent or carer, but those who do not receive negative LFD test results will need to complete a 10-day self-isolatio...
What are settings expected to do if they have a high number of staff absent?
We consider COVID-19 to be an exceptional circumstance in which the staff-to-child ratios set out in the early years foundation stage (EYFS)can temporarily be changed if necessary, for example to respond to COVID-related workforce absences. In some cases, providers may choose to respond to staff and child absences by temporarily mixing age groups of children who would otherwise be educated or cared for separately. Ratios should be guided by all relevant requirements and by the needs of indivi...
What’s changed?
The only change temporary change for universities is that we are recommending that face coverings should be worn by students, staff and adult visitors in teaching settings, for example in workshops, laboratories, offices, libraries, teaching rooms and lecture halls. This builds on the existing guidance that face coverings are worn when moving around the premises such as in corridors and communal spaces. This is a short term measure and will also be reviewed on 26 January. Universities have th...
What else is happening?
We strongly encourage students to test before they travel back to University after the Christmas break, using either a home test kit collected from their university, local pharmacy or by ordering a test online. To help avoid a rise in cases, we are asking universities to continue to strongly encourage students and staff to test twice a week, 3-4 days apart, using home test kits (LFD Collect), where possible. When testing at home, test results must be reported online to NHS Test and Trace whet...
What are the rules for international students who have gone home over Christmas – can they return?
It is important that all students and staff who are travelling to the UK stick to the government’s latest travel advice, which can be found on Travel to England from another country during coronavirus (COVID-19) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) In the first instance international students should speak to their university directly if they have concerns. Concessions for those on Student (or Tier 4) visas allow for the provision of online learning for students outside the UK until the 6 April 2022. These v...
Feb 22, 2021 · Secondary school and college students will take COVID-19 tests as they return the classroom from the 8 March. Schools and colleges will have discretion on how to phase the return of their...
Jan 26, 2021 · Since the early stages of the pandemic we have prioritised opening schools, colleges and early years settings to as many young people as possible. That’s why schools and colleges opened their...
May 11, 2020 · As the Prime Minister announced yesterday, by 1 June at the earliest primary schools in England may be able to welcome back children in key transition years – nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year...
Jan 26, 2021 · Schools in England will reopen "as soon as possible", Schools Minister Nick Gibb has told the Commons. Mr Gibb said the government would "prioritise the reopening of schools as we begin the...
Feb 9, 2021 · Reopening UK schools to all pupils in early March is feasible, as long as other lockdown measures continue, say researchers who have modelled the likely impact, external on infection numbers.
