RESPONDING TO A COVID19 OUTBREAK POLICY
Following the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic announced by the Government, Nelmes Pre-School actively look to follow the advice given by the Department of Health and the Department for Education and the Local Authority to influence our decisions in relation to the running of the Pre-School.
The well-being, safety and security of all the children in the setting is our main concern and in light of the current COVID19 pandemic this policy has been implemented to ensure the safety of all staff members and children attending setting.
The new Omicron variant of COVID19 is currently spreading rapidly and the varying symptoms, listed below, according to the government supported ‘ZOE Study’ should be noted.
• A raised temperature (adult 38° or more, children 37.5° or more).
• Anosmia (Loss of smell and taste)
• Aching limbs
• Headache (one of the earliest signs of COVID19).
• Runny Nose/Stuffy Nose (Second most common symptom).
• Sneezing (Sign of COVID19 in vaccinated people).
• Sore Throat (Similar to that of a cold or laryngitis).
• Loss of Smell (Strongest indicator of COVID19).
• Persistent Cough (One of the three main symptoms of COVID19).
• According to the ZOE study, COVID19 symptoms can differ depending on whether you ‘are’ or, ‘are not’ vaccinated.
With this in mind I would respectfully insist that as parents/carer’s you must not bring your child to school if they have COVID19 like symptoms, even if you feel your child may only have a cough or cold. Any child that displays any of the above symptoms in setting will have to be collected from Pre-School and will not be able to return until symptoms have subsided or a negative PCR test provided.
According to guidance published by the London Borough of Havering in December 2021:-
“If a parent or carer insists on a symptomatic pupil attending the school/setting, a decision can be taken to refuse the pupil if, in the reasonable judgement of school leadership teams, it is necessary to protect other pupils and staff from possible infection with COVID19’.
Parents and Pre-School need to work in partnership at this time and I cannot stress enough that Government guidance is followed regarding COVID19.
At the current time, and to keep our environment as clean and safe as we can for staff and children we will, for the continuing immediate future, only allow access into the building to external professionals such as Child Psychologists, Area SendCo’s, Community Nurses etc.
Havering Standard Operating Procedure for Managing COVID19 Cases in Educational Settings from December 2021.
Symptomatic Pupils in School/Settings
• If a child is awaiting collection, they will be taken to a separate room and, if possible, a window will be opened for fresh air ventilation. (Children will always be accompanied by an adult).
• Appropriate PPE will be used if close contact (within 2 metres) is necessary.
• Any rooms used will be cleaned after the symptomatic person has left.
Isolation Information for Close Contacts (Vaccinated). contacts) who:
• are under the age of 18 years and 6 months
• are adults who have had their second Covid-19 vaccine more than 14 days ago
• have taken part in/are currently part of an approved COVID-19 vaccine trial
• are not able to get vaccinated for medical reasons
DO NOT NEED TO ISOLATE
But should take an NHS rapid lateral flow test every day for 7 days.
Anyone whose rapid test comes back positive or who develops Covid-19 symptoms should self-isolate and take a confirmatory PCR test to verify the result. If the PCR result comes back positive, contacts must self-isolate for 10 days from the day they took the positive rapid test or developed symptoms. You do not need to continue taking rapid tests during the 10 day isolation period.
If the PCR result comes back negative, contacts can leave self-isolation but should continue to take rapid tests for the remainder of the 7 days.
Anyone identified as a contact with a negative rapid lateral flow result is strongly advised to limit close contact with other people outside their household, especially in crowded or enclosed spaces and with anyone who is more vulnerable. They should also follow government guidance on wearing a face covering and working from home where possible.
Isolation Information for Close Contacts (Un-vaccinated).
The isolation period for close contacts of a confirmed Covid-19 case WHO ARE NOT EXEMPT FROM ISOLATION (i.e. are over the age of 18 years and 6 months who have not had a second Covid-19 vaccine more than 14 days ago; in a vaccine trial; or not able to have the vaccine.)
• 10 days from the last contact so in a school/setting, that is 10 days from the last day the infected pupil/staff member attended the setting.
• Day 1 of isolation is the next day. The confirmed case should isolate for 10 days from the date of the onset of symptoms (or test date if asymptomatic).
• If the case was not symptomatic when they tested positive and then develop symptoms, their isolation needs to be extended to 10 days from the first symptom.
• If a close contact of a case in the school/setting is not exempt from isolation, only the close contact themselves (not their household members) have to isolate.
• If they become symptomatic during isolation, they should access a PCR Covid-19 test.
• If they test negative, they must complete the full 10-day isolation as they could develop Covid-19 at any time during the 10 days.
• Government guidelines regarding COVID19 can be found on the link below:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance
Possible Covid-19 Outbreak Management Actions
At the point of reaching a threshold, Nelmes Pre-School will review and reinforce the testing of staff, hygiene and ventilation measures that are in place.
Consideration will be given as to:
• whether further activities can take place outdoors.
• Improving ventilation inside, where this would not significantly impact thermal comfort.
• One-off enhanced cleaning focussing on touch points and any shared equipment.
Nelmes Pre-School may wish to seek additional public health advice from the LCRC (London Coronavirus Response Centre) or the Local Public Health team if concerned about COVID transmission in setting.
(LCRC@phe.gov.uk or phoning 0300 303 0450).
A Director of Public Health or LCRC may give Nelmes Pre-School advice reflecting the local situation. In areas where rates are high, this may include advice that local circumstances mean that the thresholds for extra action can be higher than set out above.
Local Authorities, Directors of Public Health and/or Heath Protection Teams may recommend precautions in Nelmes Pre-School. They will work closely with their Regional Partnership Teams and keep the situation under regular review.
They will inform Nelmes Pre-School when it is appropriate to stop additional measures, or if they should be extended.
Attendance Restrictions:
High quality face-to-face education for the children remains a priority and research has shown that the impacts of missing face-to-face education during the pandemic are severe for children. In all cases, any benefits in managing transmission should be weighed against any educational drawbacks.
In extreme cases, and as a last resort where all other risk mitigations have not broken chains of in-school transmission, a Director of Public Health may advise introducing short-term closure of the setting.
Attendance restrictions will only ever be considered as a short-term measure and as a last resort.
Preventing the Spread of Infection within Pre-School
The general principles to help prevent the spread of disease are through effective hand washing:
• Hand washing procedures taught and displayed: soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• All visitors, staff and children will be required to wash and/or sanitise their hands immediately upon arrival at the building. Staff will use the internal basins to wash your child’s hands before leaving school at the end of their day.
• Paper towels will be available to dry hands and be disposed of easily
• After visiting the toilet
• After coughing or sneezing
• Before food preparation
• Covering coughs or sneezes with a tissue, disposing of the tissue and washing hands “catch it, bin it, kill it”
• Avoid touching eyes, noses and mouth
Using an alcohol based hand sanitiser that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
Staff will support the education of these hygiene standards and ensure that they are maintained by staff and the children during their Pre-School day.
Cleaning
Frequent cleaning and disinfecting of objects and surfaces that are touched regularly takes place, particularly in areas of high use such as door handles, light switches, furniture, resources and toys. The areas will be cleaned regularly using appropriate cleaning products and methods.
Social Distancing
The recommended distance for safe distancing is 2m. However, this is extremely difficult to maintain in a setting such as a nursery. The following changes have been made to the running of each session.
Parents are not permitted into the Pre-School building and will be asked to practise safe distancing of 2m whilst waiting to drop off and collect their children.
Outdoor play will be encouraged as much as possible.
Policy Updated January 2022
