The Department for Education released the ‘Planning guide for early years and childcare settings’ during the bank holiday weekend to support providers in England to put in place protective measures to limit the transmission of coronavirus as they integrate all children back from 1 June at the earliest.
While the ‘roadmap’, which has been developed in consultation with early years sector bodies and a range of providers, is intended to provide information and support early years providers it is not statutory.
The guidance states, ‘Every setting is different and it is not a requirement to use all or parts of this toolkit. Settings may use their professional judgement, and choose to follow alternative approaches depending on their particular circumstances, but at all times will need to take account of relevant public health guidance to maximise safety for those in the environment.’
Small groups
It is advised to keep groups of children as small as possible while adhering to EYFS ratios. While groups of a maximum of eight children are preferable, providers are expected to ensure that there are no more than 16 children in a group in early years settings.
Settings have been told that the use of communal spaces should be managed to limit the amount of mixing between groups as much as possible and that sharing of toys and resources should be ‘reduced’ and cleaned before use. Although the EYFS aged-based indoor space requirements remain the same, providers are advised to consider how they can best keep small, consistent groups of children together throughout the day and to keep these groups apart from each other.
It states, ‘Depending on the size and the layout of individual settings, consider how floor space, rooms and outdoor space can be organised to ensure physical distancing between staff and between groups of children.’
It is repeated that the majority of staff in childcare settings will not require PPE, beyond what they would normally need for their work, even if they are not always able to maintain distance of two metres from others. Guidance states, ‘PPE is only needed for children whose care routinely already involves the use of PPE, or if a distance of two metres cannot be maintained from any child displaying coronavirus symptoms.’
Other main points from the guidance, which is separated into 10 sections include:
Prepare the premises
- Public health advice is to remove all soft toys, and any toys that are hard to clean, such as those with intricate parts. Where practicable, remove soft furnishings, for example pillows, bean bags and rugs.
- All planned activities should be risk assessed in light of coronavirus, in conjunction with relevant staff where applicable, and due consideration given to how usual practice may need to be adapted.
- Be clear how hand washing will be managed and make this information available to staff and parents.
- All frequently touched surfaces, equipment, door handles, and toilets, used during the day, will need to be cleaned thoroughly several times a day.
Prepare to implement practical measures to reduce risk
- It is reiterated that early years children cannot be expected to remain two metres apart from each other and staff, instead ensure children and staff with any symptom remain at home, maintain frequent hand cleaning and good respiratory hygiene practice along with regular cleaning and minimising mixing between groups.
- Surfaces that children and staff are touching, such as toys, books, doors, sinks, toilets, light switches, are cleaned more regularly than usual by putting in place an enhanced cleaning schedule using disinfection as appropriate.
- Reduce face-to-face contact with parents and carers, such as using physical distancing markers outside the setting and parents not entering the building.
Reviewing your staff for availability to work in the setting
- Conduct an audit, in conjunction with official government guidance on shielding, to determine the availability of staff to work in the setting from 1 June.
- Consider staff wellbeing, including any support that may be needed for those who have suffered bereavement, and discuss their needs with them.
- Consider the impact of staff availability and their qualification levels on staff to child ratios and on other relevant provisions in the EYFS.
Agree a protocol for responding to a suspected case of coronavirus and ensure setting is prepared.
- Ensure you are prepared with the resources and staffing levels if a staff member or child displays coronavirus symptoms while in the setting.
- Staff should leave the setting immediately and children should be isolated with a staff member, wearing a facemask if a distance of two metres is not possible, while waiting for collection.
- When nurseries reopen all staff and children who are attending a childcare setting will have access to a test if they display symptoms of coronavirus, and are encouraged to get tested. Those testing negative can return to their setting and the fellow household members can end their self-isolation. If positive, the rest of their immediate group within their setting should be sent home and advised to self-isolate for 14 days
Communicate with staff.
- Ensure that all staff understand that those who have coronavirus symptoms, or who have someone in their household who does, should not attend the setting in any circumstances.
- Encourage staff who develop coronavirus symptoms to organise a test.
- Discuss any additional support that may be needed to ensure staff wellbeing and consider how this can be put in place in your setting.
Communicate with parents and carers
- Ensure that all parents and carers understand that if a child has coronavirus symptoms, or there is someone in their household who does, they should not attend the setting under any circumstances.
- Ensure parents and carers are aware that all children attending the setting, and members of their household, will have access to a test if they display symptoms of coronavirus and they are encouraged to get tested in this scenario.
Identify the likely numbers of children returning to the setting
- To minimise contact between groups of children and staff, children should attend just one setting wherever possible.
- If demand for places is higher than the setting’s capacity when measures to allow physical distancing between groups are in place, it may be necessary to have a temporary cap on numbers of children attending the setting. If necessary, settings should prioritise vulnerable children and children of critical workers, then 3 and 4 year olds, in particular those who will be transitioning to reception in September, followed by younger age groups.
Plan your setting’s groups to reduce contact between children and staff
- Consider any risk assessments that you will need to undertake to ensure the safe care of groups of children can be maintained at all times, taking the need for staff breaks into account.
- Sessional nurseries that have different cohorts of children at different times of the day may wish to consider having smaller group sizes to limit the number of children staff are in contact with. Each setting’s circumstances will be different
- As far as possible, the same members of staff should be assigned to each group and these should stay the same during the day and on subsequent days.
Identify safeguarding, special educational needs and disability (SEND), child wellbeing and welfare requirements
- Plan how all children will be supported to address the specific issues that may have arisen due to coronavirus, taking into account children’s individual needs and circumstances.
- Consider the mental health, pastoral or wider health and wellbeing support children may need, including with bereavement, and how to support them to transition into the setting after a long period of absence.
- Consider how you will involve parents and carers to identify specific support for children and how children’s needs may have changed and to prepare for their return to your setting.
- Consider whether a review of child protection arrangements is needed in light of coronavirus.
- Consider how to encourage attendance of vulnerable children and the best way to support them to transition into the setting according to their needs and their individual family circumstances.
Planning what children should learn and how to adapt the EYFS
- The priorities at this time are helping young children to adapt to their new routines and supporting children to settle back into the setting, especially where there have been staffing changes.
- Continuing to support their early language and communication skills is essential.
- Children who have had limited opportunities for exercise should be encouraged to exert themselves physically.
- Settings should use reasonable endeavours to deliver the EYFS learning and development requirements as far as possible in the current circumstances, as set out in the guidance on temporary changes to the EYFS requirements in light of coronavirus.
Further information
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-the-wider-opening-of-early-years-and-childcare-settings-from-1-june/planning-guide-for-early-years-and-childcare-settings
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2