This is your daily email to keep you updated on the government’s response to coronavirus (COVID-19). Updated guidance on early years and childcare closuresWe have updated our guidance on early years and childcare closures for local authorities, early years settings and childminders. This update provides additional information on funding, staying open for children of critical workers and vulnerable children, the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework and opening over academic holidays.
Ofqual seeks views on GCSE and A level grading proposals for 2020Ofqual has published a consultation on the exceptional arrangements for awarding GCSE and A/AS levels in summer 2020. The deadline for responses is 29 April.
We can confirm that A Level students will get their results on 13 August, and GCSE students will get theirs on 20 August as previously published. The information below has not changed since yesterday. Department for Education coronavirus helplineThe Department for Education coronavirus helpline is available to answer questions about COVID-19 relating to education and children’s social care. Staff, parents and young people can contact this helpline as follows:
If you work in a school, please have your unique reference number (URN or UK PRN) available when calling the hotline. Handwashing adviceIt is essential that everyone washes their hands more often, using soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Hand washing with soap employs mechanical action that loosens bacteria and viruses from the skin, rinsing them into the drain. Drying hands afterwards makes the skin less hospitable to the virus. Hand sanitiser can be effective if soap is not available or the situation makes using soap less feasible (i.e. when outside) but using hand sanitiser provides none of the virus-destroying friction that rubbing your hands together and rinsing with water provides.
The e-Bug project is led by Public Health England and has a dedicated webpage for learning resources on hand washing and respiratory hygiene.
Collection of guidance for educational settings on GOV.UKAll of the Department for Education’s coronavirus guidance for educational settings can now be found in one place on GOV.UK at: Our main guidance for schools, the ‘school closures guidance’, will be regularly kept up-to-date. Any new advice for schools on specific issues, such as food, exams or safeguarding, will be linked from it: |
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