Head Teacher Briefing / Discussion

4th November 2020

Louise Dibsdall Trevor Cook Public Health Consultant (Acting) Assistant Director of Education Borough of Havering London Borough of Havering

Claire Alp Vivien Cleary Senior Public Health Specialist Lecturer in Infectious Diseases London Borough of Havering • Current Covid-19 data trends

• Overview of Resource Pack

• Scenarios and FAQs

• Discussions and issues Current case rates in Havering to 30th October Highest case rates are in south area – Hornchurch Marshes Covid-19 cases are highest in working age population Advice and Support from LCRC and DfE

• Limited capacity at LCRC (0300 303 0450) • Education setting representatives can phone the DfE helpline (0800 046 8687) to notify confirmed cases of COVID-19 and to request support with identifying contacts. • Education settings have the expertise in how their provision operates, and this will be a joint risk assessment to determine who fits into which category. Overview of Resource Pack for Schools

• Purpose of the pack is to give information and resources you need to: • Carry out on-site risk assessments • Know when to escalate the situation to the Department for Education or LCRC • Send communications to parents • Seek advice from other resources

• The pack applies to: • Early years settings • Primary Schools including Infant or Junior schools • Secondary Schools • Further Education colleges Key Terms: Incubation and Infection Period

• Incubation period: the time when a person is infected but not showing any symptoms • For COVID-19, this is usually 5-6 days, but can be between 1- 14 days • Infectious period: the time when a person who has COVID-19 can infect others • For COVID-19, this is from 2 days before symptom onset, to 10 days after symptom onset • For asymptomatic people who test positive, this is from 2 days before the test until 10 days after Key Terms: Incubation and Infection Period

• A person is no longer infectious if 10 days have passed from symptom onset and their symptoms have resolved (including being fever free for 48 hours). • An ongoing cough or continued loss of taste or smell is not a sign of infection and may continue for several weeks after infection. • COVID-19 tests may remain positive for up to 6 weeks due to dead parts of the virus still circulating in the body, so it is recommended NOT to re-test. • This does not mean that someone is infectious, but if their symptoms re-start they would need to self-isolate and get tested again. Isolation Periods Isolating & Testing Requirements Contact the LCRC: For Early Years Settings & Primary Schools if… • 10% (or more) of a bubble is affected within 14 days – for example, if there are 3 or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 in a bubble of 30 people • 10% (or more) of staff are affected within 14 days – for example, if there are 6 or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 in a staff of 60 • 3 (or more) bubbles within your setting contain at least one confirmed case • There have been any admissions to hospital in your children or staff members due to COVID-19 • If your school is for children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND) Contact the LCRC: For Secondary Schools if…

• 5 or more students are affected in a single school year within 14 days i.e. 5 or more confirmed cases • 10% (or more) of staff are affected within 14 days – for example, if there are 6 or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 in a staff of 60 • 3 (or more) bubbles within your school contain at least one confirmed case • There have been any admissions to hospital in your students or staff members due to COVID-19 • If your school is for children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND) • If your school is a boarding school. Scenarios and FAQs • There is a positive covid case in Year 3. A Child who is part of this class bubble needs to isolate for 14 days. However, this child has a sibling in Year 1. The mother has to take the child in Year 1 to school by car, but cannot leave their Year 3 child at home. What actions should they take? • The guidance states that, • It is very important that people with COVID-19 symptoms or a positive test result stay at home and avoid contact with other household members as much as possible. It may be difficult for some people to separate themselves from others in their household. Not all these measures will be possible if you are living with children or have caring responsibilities, but follow this guidance to the best of your ability in these circumstances. • So, in this circumstance we would recommend that: • The child in year 1 remains going to school • The mother to take the child in the car to school, but with the following caveats: • Sit as far away as possible in the car • Wear a face covering if possible • Staggered start and end times from the rest of the children in year 1 • Limit the number of journeys where possible Scenarios and FAQs • A child is part of a nationwide surveillance study testing for the prevalence of covid-19. On the last fingerprick test the child took, they were found to be covid-19 positive, but without having any symptoms (asymptomatic). The test was taken on a Monday morning. When do the children in this child’s bubble need to isolate from, and for how long? • Isolation for contacts of positive individuals need to isolate for 14 days from the date of last contact with the individual • In this case the child was last in school on Friday, so all children in that bubble would need to isolate for 14 days from the Friday • This is because it can take up to 14 days for the virus to incubate and for symptoms to appear (if any at all) • Some symptoms are very mild. FAQs Q: : My son lives in the next street from mine – can I still go around to his house? A: You can only visit someone who doesn’t live in the same house as you if you have already formed a support bubble with that person or group of people living in a different house to you.

Q: Can I change my support bubble? A: No. Once you make a support bubble, you should not change who is in your bubble. This limits the number of people you have close contact with, which can help reduce your exposure to the virus. FAQs Q: I still need to go to work – will my childminder and my son’s grandparents still be able to look after my child in her home? A: Yes – The following people can provide childcare support in private homes and gardens: registered childcare providers, including nannies people in your support bubble people in your childcare bubble FAQs Q: What is a childcare bubble? Is this different to a support bubble? A: A childcare bubble is where someone in one household provides informal (unpaid and unregistered) childcare to a child aged 13 or under in another household. For any given childcare bubble, this must always be between the same 2 households. Friends or family who do not live with you and are not part of a support or childcare bubble must not visit your home to help with childcare. Childcare bubbles are to be used to provide childcare only, and not for the purposes of different households mixing where they are otherwise not allowed to do so. FAQs Q: My friend and I drive to work together in the same car? Is this still allowed? A: At high level of alert, the Government recommends to limit the number of journeys you have to make where possible. Where you can work from home, with your employers permission, it is advised to try to do this as much as possible. If you do need to travel to work, and are sharing a car then it is recommended that you sit as far away from the driver as possible, both of you wearing a face covering and have the windows open to allow ventilation. General Discussion