Updated guidance for schools during Covid 'plan B' measures

Following the Prime Ministers announcement on 8 December 2021, the Department for Education has updated guidance for schools. There are updates on tracing close contacts and isolation, ventilation, asymptomatic testing, mandatory certification, home working and clinically extremely vulnerable children and adults.

The guidance says that attendance remains mandatory, but that schools are able to grant leaves of absence for pupils in exceptional circumstances. 

There is no change on face mask rules, saying pupils and staff wear face coverings in classrooms is not recommended, unless it is advised by local public health directors as part of the contingency framework. However, temporary measures for face coverings in communal areas for all staff and secondary pupils will remain in place.

There is no move to remote teaching, with the DfE expecting schools to continue to provide face-to-face teaching. However, heads can consider if some staff work from home, such as office workers. The guidance says: "School leaders are best placed to determine the workforce required to meet the needs of their pupils. School leaders will need to consider whether it is possible for specific staff undertaking certain roles to work from home without disrupting to face-to-face education."

In some circumstances, a child that is clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) may have received advice from their specialist or clinician on additional precautions to take, and should continue to follow that advice. 

Regarding testing, it says that for staff and secondary school pupils, testing remains voluntary but is "strongly encouraged." It says they should continue to test twice weekly at home, with lateral flow device (LFD) test kits, 3-4 days apart. Secondary schools should also retain a small asymptomatic testing site (ATS) on-site until further notice so they can offer testing to pupils who are unable to test themselves at home.

It says there is no need for primary age pupils to test, and schools are strongly encouraged to ask parents and other visitors to take a lateral flow device (LFD) test before entering the school.

Regarding the Omicron variant, all individuals who have been identified as a close contact of a suspected or confirmed case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, irrespective of vaccination status and age, will be contacted directly and required to self-isolate immediately and asked to book a PCR test. 

The Government plans to introduce daily contact testing as soon as possible as an alternative to self-isolation for contacts who are fully vaccinated or under the age of 18 years and 6 months.