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Coronavirus Information 8th June 2020

This is your daily email to keep you updated on the government’s response to coronavirus (COVID-19).

Extra mental health support for pupils and teachers

Yesterday the government announced that new online resources designed by health and education experts will be provided to schools and colleges to boost mental health support for staff and pupils, encouraging them to talk more confidently about the anxieties and concerns they feel as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The full press release can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/extra-mental-health-support-for-pupils-and-teachers

Guidance on funding initial teacher training (ITT) course extensions

On 7 April 2020, the Government announced arrangements for the recommendation of qualified teacher status (QTS) for trainee teachers whose courses have been affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. These arrangements set out that trainees making adequate progress towards the teachers’ standards and who continue to participate in their initial teacher training (ITT) course should be recommended for QTS at its conclusion. This will enable them to enter the workforce as newly qualified teachers in autumn 2020.

A small minority of trainee teachers will not have been making adequate progress. Schools and initial teacher training (ITT) providers should take steps to enable these trainees to continue their training in autumn term 2020, with courses to conclude, in most cases, by December 2020. Course extension funding is available to support these trainees, their ITT provider and employing schools (for employment-based routes).

The guidance on eligibility for course extension funding and how to apply can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-itt-coronavirus-covid-19-course-extensions-2019-to-2020

We have also updated guidance on ITT to confirm arrangements for trainees not recommended for qualified teacher status (QTS) in the 2019-20 academic year.

The guidance can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-initial-teacher-training-itt

Updated guidance on actions for early years and childcare providers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

We have added a clarification on the requirement for providers to carry the appropriate insurance (for example, public liability insurance) to cover all premises from which they provide childcare or childminding.

The guidance can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures

The information below has not changed since yesterday.

Preparing for the wider opening of schools and early years settings

Guidance on the actions for education and childcare settings to prepare for wider opening from 1 June, at the earliest, can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-educational-and-childcare-settings-to-prepare-for-wider-opening-from-1-june-2020

Guidance on implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings

Guidance for early years providers to help them prepare to open their settings for children of all ages from 1 June can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-the-wider-opening-of-early-years-and-childcare-settings-from-1-june

Guidance for primary schools to help them prepare to open to Reception, year 1 and year 6 from 1 June can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-the-wider-opening-of-schools-from-1-june/planning-guide-for-primary-schools

Guidance for secondary schools to help them prepare to offer face-to-face support to year 10 and year 12 pupils from 15 June can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-the-wider-opening-of-schools-from-1-june/planning-guide-for-secondary-schools

Guidance for parents and carers as schools and other education settings in England open to more children and young people can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers

Department for Education coronavirus helpline

The 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:

Phone: 0800 046 8687

Opening hours:

8am to 6pm – Monday to Friday
10am to 4pm – Saturday and Sunday

If you work in a school, please have your unique reference number (URN or UK PRN) available when calling the helpline.

Updated handwashing advice

It 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 latest guidance and video on hand washing can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public

The e-Bug project is led by Public Health England and has a dedicated webpage for learning resources on hand washing and respiratory hygiene. E-Bug has published posters on hand hygiene, and covering coughs and sneezes, to display in bathrooms, classrooms and shared spaces.

The hand and respiratory hygiene posters and other educational resources can be found here:

https://e-bug.eu

Collection of guidance for educational settings on GOV.​UK

All of the Department for Education’s coronavirus guidance for educational settings can be found in one place on GOV.​UK at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-schools-and-other-educational-settings