In February 2022 the government lifted domestic restrictions in respect to COVID-19.

The virus remains in circulation and continues to mutate.   Therefore, to protect our organisation’s ability to carry out its core duties, our academies will continue to implement steps to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 and other viruses.

The most significant risk to our daily operation is staff absence due to ill health.  Pupil absence will impact on the individual’s outcomes. 

We recognise that throughout the day staff and pupils come into close contact with each other both within their own classrooms and across the school.  This is an intrinsic part of how our community relates to each other and we wish to preserve this as much as possible, however there may be times when transmission rates peak that it is necessary to implement contingency measures to protect our workforce and pupils. 

Therefore, the academy will:

1. Maintain a regime of cleaning that focusses on high traffic areas and touch points. 
2. Provide hand sanitizer throughout the building, encouraging its use and regular hand washing.
3. Keep rooms well ventilated.
4. Provide lidded bins for tissues; ‘Catch it. Bin it. Kill it.’
5. Ask visitors if they have any symptoms of COVID-19 or other illness and if so, restrict their access to the building.
6. Make sure staff and pupils are aware of the current UK symptoms of the virus and encourage early testing (appendix 1).
7. Where members of the academy community test positive they should stay away from the academy for at least 3 days – this will reduce transmission and minimise staff and pupil absence. After 3 days, if they are free from a temperature and fell well in themselves, they may return.
8. Include COVID-19 on pregnancy risk assessments 

We will also consider, if it becomes temporarily appropriate:

1. The use of masks in crowded areas, particularly if this involves people not usually part of the school community
2. Risk assessments to support those who are more vulnerable to the illness 
3. Implementing contingency measures to manage/reduce a rise in transmission (appendix 2)