Coronavirus - Colleges, schools and early years settings

Your school will be in direct contact with information on remote learning and will contact you directly.

You should contact your school directly and they will provide details.

Your school will be in touch with details to ensure your child continues to receive Free School Meals

Contact your school to discuss with them the provision available.

There are a number of online resources that provide ideas on how to talk through concerns with your child. Please have a look at the links below for ideas.

• Triple P UK has a parenting area with information, tips, tools and strategies for parents and carers of children and young people as well as a Facebook page.
• Care for the family has specific information for parents and carers of children with additional needs as well as generic parenting information as well as a Facebook page.

For support on other issues you can access On Your Mind website which provides free, safe and anonymous online support for young people. There is also a new advice page for Wiltshire parents and carers which includes practical strategies to support children with their mental health and wellbeing  and also Oxford Health for further support on child mental health.

Schools remain open for vulnerable children and this includes children and young people who:

• have a child in need plan, a child protection plan or who are a looked-after child
• have an education, health and care (EHC) plan

Or have been identified as otherwise vulnerable by educational providers or local authorities (including children's social care services), and who could therefore benefit from continued full-time attendance, this might include:

• children and young people on the edge of receiving support from children's social care services or in the process of being referred to children's services
• adopted children or children on a special guardianship order
• those at risk of becoming NEET ('not in employment, education or training')
• those living in temporary accommodation
• those who are young carers
• those who may have difficulty engaging with remote education at home (for example due to a lack of devices or quiet space to study)
• care leavers
• others at the provider and local authority's discretion including pupils and students who need to attend to receive support or manage risks to their mental health

We know that receiving face-to-face education is best for children's mental health and for their educational achievement. The decision for schools and colleges to close for most children does not suggest that these are no longer safe places for young people. For vulnerable children and the children of critical workers, who can still attend school or college, as they did in March to May, and their teachers, the system of protective measures means that any risks are well managed and controlled.

Where a child is living in the household of a parent, carer or adult who is clinically extremely vulnerable, the child should continue to attend school. Please speak to your school if you have concerns regarding travel arrangements for your child to attend school.

The child and other family members should continue to follow stringent social distancing measures while at school/work. 

This may not be possible for very young children and older children without the capacity to adhere to the instructions on social distancing.

Currently secondary schools and special schools can use the COVID-19 tests (lateral flow tests) for staff and pupils attending during the lockdown.

Vulnerable children are expected to attend school full time because we know that receiving face-to-face education is best for children's mental health and for their educational achievement. Schools and colleges should encourage vulnerable children to attend but if the parent of a vulnerable child wishes their child to be absent from school, the parent should let the school know that their child will not be attending. If your child has a social worker, they can talk with you about attending school and help answer your questions.

In the first instance, you should contact your school who will be happy to answer your questions and support you with school attendance. The Education Welfare Service is also available to help and can be contacted by emailing EWS@wiltshire.gov.uk

If your child has a social worker, please talk with them about school attendance too.

Children will still be taught in bubbles and will receive face-to-face teaching. Staff in schools continue to work really hard to make sure that children have an enjoyable day in school, whilst also benefiting from face-to-face teaching and support.

Schools are remaining open for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers, so your child will have the opportunity to be with children they already know and perhaps to make new friends.

All children will have access to online learning opportunities, but those attending school have the benefit of accessing face-to-face teaching and support. 

Vulnerable children are expected to attend school full-time, because we know that face-to-face teaching is best for children's mental health and for their educational achievement.

You can explain that children are still attending school for lots of different reasons. Whether your child is vulnerable, or a child of a critical worker, or both, then your school is ready to welcome you for face-to-face learning every day. You might want to talk to your child about the things they enjoy at school, or ask for a conversation with your child's teacher or keyworker to reassure them about what to expect from the school day.

Vulnerable children are expected to attend school full time because we know that receiving face-to-face education is best for children's mental health and for their educational achievement. However we are supporting schools as they work to ensure laptops are provided for those who need them.

Schools will be in direct contact regarding free school meals.

• It is a legal requirement that anyone asked to self-isolate should follow the government information on this and stay at home.  This means they must not leave the house, except to go in the garden and they are not allowed to meet anyone from another household
• No other members of the household are required to isolate unless your child develops symptoms

If your child doesn't have symptoms, other siblings can still go to school. 

• The usual safety measures of social distancing and hand washing should be maintained.
• It's important the child completes the 14 day self-isolating period even if they are tested and get a negative result.
• If the child or anyone else in the household develops symptoms they will need to get tested and the whole household will then need to self-isolate.
• Information on self-isolation can be found here at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/nhs-test-and-trace-if-youve-been-in-contact-with-a-person-who-has-coronavirus/

 Yes. Current guidance states that anyone using public transport should wear a face covering. 

 Government guidance is pupils on dedicated school transport should wear a face covering if they are aged 11 and over. Children aged under 11 do not need to wear a face covering.

We are supporting schools as they encourage pupils to walk or cycle to school where possible. We will be working with primary schools to introduce the Bikeability Scheme which encourages confidence and knowledge of how to cycle safely. Your school will advise you of any measures directly.

 If you choose not to send your child to school on the transport arranged by Wiltshire Council, you will have to make your own arrangements. However, it is important that you follow government guidelines and do not gather at the school gates.

Yes. There may be some extenuating circumstances to this, but you will be notified as soon as possible should that be the case.

 We will endeavour to provide the usual Passenger Assistant, where we can, but we cannot guarantee you will get your normal driver/PA (taxi) as they may be self-isolating themselves or looking after someone who is.

Government advice to avoid public transport wherever possible is to help maintain social distancing for those people who have to travel. We are working closely with the bus companies to try to provide sufficient capacity at school times and are asking people to stagger their journeys to work and avoid school times if they can.

Children should wash their hands for 20 seconds before leaving home (as they would for any activity away from home) and, if possible, sanitise their hands before boarding school transport. Similarly, if possible, children should sanitise their hands once they have left the bus, and in any case should wash their hands thoroughly when they re-enter their homes. It is good practice for children not to touch their faces, to cough and sneeze into a tissue or their elbow and should be encouraged at all times, including on school transport to do so. Routine testing of an individual's temperature is not a reliable method for identifying Coronavirus.

If you are unhappy about a decision which has been made regarding transport for your child, you can pursue your request further. You should submit, in writing, the circumstances to be considered to the education transport entitlement manager. Email educationtransport@wiltshire.gov.uk, if your child is attending a mainstream school and PTUTransport-requests@wiltshire.gov.uk if your child is attending a special school. If your concern is not managed to your satisfaction by operational staff, it will be escalated to the Head of Service.

Exams will not go ahead for those due to take exams this year. The Government is due to provide additional information  on how pupils due to take exams will now be assessed.

The Government is due to provide further clarification on this.

There are a number of online resources that provide ideas on how to talk through concerns with your child. Please have a look at the links below for ideas.

• Triple P UK has a parenting area with information, tips, tools and strategies for parents and carers of children and young people as well as a Facebook page.
• Care for the family has specific information for parents and carers of children with additional needs as well as generic parenting information as well as a Facebook page.

For support on other issues you can access On Your Mind website which provides free, safe and anonymous online support for young people. There is also a new advice page for Wiltshire parents and carers which includes practical strategies to support children with their mental health and wellbeing  and also Oxford Health for further support on child mental health.

The Wiltshire Parent Carer Council website (WPCC) has dedicated Coronavirus pages on its website with lots of SEND specific information, advice, guidance, resources and home learning ideas that is being updated daily. You can call them on 01225 764647 or email admin@wiltspcc.co.uk. 

Early years settings can remain open and provide childcare during this lockdown. Please contact your setting directly for any additional information.

• It is a legal requirement that anyone asked to self-isolate should follow the government information on this and stay at home.  This means they must not leave the house, except to go in the garden and they are not allowed to meet anyone from another household
• No other members of the household are required to isolate unless your child develops symptoms. If your child doesn't have symptoms, other siblings can still go to school or a setting. 
• The usual safety measures of social distancing and hand washing should be maintained.
• It's important the child completes the 14 day self-isolating period even if they are tested and get a negative result.
• If the child or anyone else in the household develops symptoms they will need to get tested and the whole household will then need to self-isolate.

More information on self isolation

If your child does not have symptoms of COVID-19 but has other cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose - they do not need to be tested and they or members of their household do not need to self-isolate.

Your child can attend their setting if fit to do so.

Please download the PDF poster at the bottom of this page for more details.

All settings have the latest guidance and will follow that closely should there be a suspected case at the setting

It is greatly beneficial for children to attend a setting as they have the opportunity to learn in a social environment with and from their peers, develop socially and emotionally and make friends.

Settings are adhering strictly to COVID-19 guidance to keep settings clean and to reduce the risk of transmission between children and staff.

If you are worried you could call and speak to the setting about their arrangements and discuss your specific concerns.

If the childcare setting is open and offering a service that you have registered to attend they are within their rights to charge you for child's place.

If a childcare setting has been advised to close, or left with no option but to close, due to public health reasons, the Early Years Entitlement will be paid as usual.
 
Valid public health reasons:

• Closed due to an outbreak or suspected outbreak of COVID-19
• Closed due to outbreaks of flu like illness or other illnesses
• It is also advisable to close if you don't have any running water/heating
• Not able to be COVID-19 compliant due to size of hallways, exits and entrances, availability of running water

Early years staff are classed as critical key workers and so their children are eligible for a school and early years place.