• SDM Update
• Summary of changes to COVID-19 Guidance
• Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy and Safeguarding Audit- Education
• Updated Fair Access Panel referral form

SDM Update

Dear Colleagues

I hope you have enjoyed a restful break over the Summer Holidays and that you have managed to recover from the strains of the last academic year. As we approach the start of the new academic year, let’s hope that we are able to return to something approaching normal.

We have decided to publish an Education Noticeboard this week, even though term hasn’t started yet, to ensure that you have access to the latest COVID-19 and Safeguarding guidance all in one place. With Simon on leave, this privilege has fallen to me.

This noticeboard should cover the main points needed for the start of the new academic year. Further guidance will be included in future Education Noticeboards.

I wish you all a happy, safe and successful term.

Andy Cooke
Service Delivery Manager
Pupil Support Services

Summary of changes to COVID-19 guidance

Updated guidance from the Department for Education

The Department for Education (DfE) published the latest coronavirus guidance for schools on 17 August. The full guidance can be found on the GOV.UK website, which is linked below (please note, there is also separate guidance for Early Years, Post 16 and Special Schools. These pages are also available on the GOV.UK website. 

To summarise some of the main changes from last term, from this and earlier DfE notices:

Mixing and Bubbles
There is no longer a recommendation that children should be kept in separate groups (bubbles). However, schools should make contingency plans (Outbreak Management Plans) which might involve the reintroduction of bubbles for a temporary period where there is a recognised outbreak.

Tracing Close Contacts and Isolation
Schools will no longer need to trace contacts, this will be through the NHS Test and Trace. Contacts from a school setting will only be traced where the positive case, or parents, specify an individual who is a close contact. Close contacts, including family members, who are under 18 years or are fully vaccinated or are not able to get vaccinated for medical reasons will not be required to self-isolate, however, they will be advised to take a PCR test. Staff who are identified as a close contact should not attend school while they are waiting for their PCR test result.

Face Coverings
Face coverings are no longer advised for pupils, staff and visitors either in classrooms or in communal areas. However, face coverings are still recommended when travelling on public or dedicated transport. If there is a substantial increase in the number of positive cases in a school, the Director of Public Health might advise that face coverings are reintroduced on a temporary basis, this should be included in your Outbreak Management Plan.

Outbreak Management Plans
As mentioned, schools should make contingency plans for an outbreak, to support this, the DfE have published a ‘Contingency Framework’, which can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Control Measures – good practice in control of the environment should be maintained, this includes:

1. Ensuring good hygiene for everyone, including that pupils clean their hands regularly (soap and water or hand sanitiser).
2. Maintain appropriate cleaning regimes, using standard products such as detergents and an appropriate cleaning schedule, cleaning of areas and equipment (for example, twice per day).
3. Keep occupied spaces well ventilated and ensuring a well ventilated, comfortable teaching environment is maintained. Identification of poorly ventilated spaces as part of the risk assessment process.
4. Follow public health advice on testing, self-isolation and managing confirmed cases, including pupils not attending school with symptoms or if they have had a positive test result.

Asymptomatic Testing
As previously communicated, before the end of the Summer Term, there is an expectation that all secondary school pupils should receive 2 on-site lateral flow tests, 3 to 5 days apart, on their return in the Autumn Term. Schools may commence testing from 3 working days before the start of term and can stagger return of pupils across the first week to manage this. Pupils and staff should then continue to test twice weekly at home until the end of September. Staff and Pupils with a positive lateral flow result should self-isolate and get a PCR test to confirm the result.

Ordering Test Kits
Please contact NHS Test and Trace on 119 for any issues or queries about the supply, ordering or delivery of test kits. For all other enquiries about the rapid testing programme in education, please continue to contact the DfE COVID-19 helpline on 0800 046 8687.

Attendance
School attendance is mandatory for all pupils of compulsory school age, including those previously identified as Clinically Extremely Vulnerable, unless they have been advised by their clinician not to attend. Where a child is required to self-isolate or quarantine they should be recorded using the ‘X’ code; where they can’t attend because they are ill with COVID-19 (or any other illness), they should be recorded with the ‘I’ code.

Remote Education
Where a child is required to self-isolate or quarantine, they should be supported with remote education if they are well enough. The remote education should be equivalent in length to the core teaching pupils would receive in school.

Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy and Safeguarding Audit- Education

The 2021-22 Telford and Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership (TWSP) template Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy and updated annual Safeguarding Audit- Education are now available. Please note that the Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) is expected to be published with minor revisions on or around 1 September 2021. This may result in further changes to the policy and audit. However, the decision has been taken to publish these now, to provide as much time as possible to implement the policy in a timely manner.

To provide further information on the changes to KCSIE 2021 a one-hour webinar will be provided on Thursday 9 September 3.30-4.30pm and again on Thursday 16 September 1-2pm. The cost is £85 per delegate, with a 10% discount for multiple bookings from the same school. To book please email cpdschool.improvement@telford.gov.uk. This webinar is open to all DSL’s, governors and senior leaders.  

Key points of change to the template Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy:

• The policy has been updated to reflect changes to KCSIE 2021.
• The policy has been reorganised in some parts to synchronise with KCSIE.
• The policy has been written as a template for all education settings and it is therefore your responsibility to edit it appropriately to reflect your own setting. To assist you in this a key to the changes you need to make has been provided.
• All key points for change in KCSIE, previously shared at the DSL and Safeguarding Governor update in the Summer Term, have now been included in the template policy.
• Please follow the cover notes at the beginning of the policy to assist you further.
• The cover notes include the list of policies and procedures that need to be read alongside the Child Protection and Safeguarding policy. It is recommended that all settings have a mental health and well-being policy. Please refer to the Mentally Healthy Schools website for a recommended template. It is also recommended that you put in place, if you don’t already have one, a separate peer on peer abuse policy. This is in addition to the new sections on peer on peer abuse included in the template Child Protection and Safeguarding policy. The Farrer & Co peer on peer abuse toolkit is due to be revised. It is recommended that this as a template is used to write or update your own peer on peer policy. All supplementary safeguarding policies should be published on your website alongside your Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy.
• Included is a significant change to the Telford & Wrekin Prevent pathway. The most notable change is that Prevent referrals are no longer sent to Family Connect, and only go to the police. The new Prevent pathway is provided below for your reference, and is also included in the template policy.
• Your new policy must be signed off by your governing body/management committee/proprietor. However, while you are waiting for this to happen we recommend publishing it on your setting website with a note to this effect to ensure compliance from the 1 September 2021.

Download: TWSP Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy

Download: TWSP Safeguarding Audit

Download: Prevent Flowchart

Updated Fair Access Panel forms

The Fair Access Panel (FAP) referral forms have been updated for 2021-22. The content is largely the same, it’s mainly the layout that has changed. Please download and use the forms relevant to your setting.

Download: Primary FAP Referral Form- September 2021

Download Secondary FAP Referral Form- September 2021