BCC & DfE Coronavirus Update: Start of term, September 2021
Below, we’ve collated the latest updates, advice, and guidance for education and childcare settings from Birmingham City Council (BCC) and the Department for Education (DfE) ahead of the 2021/22 academic year.
BCC Update
Latest updates from Lindsey Trivett, Head of Early Years, Childcare and Children’s Centres at Birmingham City Council, including links to the Birmingham Public Health webinar recording for schools and settings, and information about CO2 monitors for Birmingham settings.
BCC Public Health webinar for schools and settings (2/9/21)
On Thursday 2 September, Fiona Chamberlain (School and Governor Support, BCC) & Dr Justin Varney (Director of Public Health Birmingham) presented a webinar for schools and settings across Birmingham: COVID, Schools and Settings: Navigating a Changing Landscape.
The webinar included:
An overview of the current situation in Birmingham with regards to COVID-19 i.e. cases, hospital admissions, testing, and vaccinations etc.
Key points/changes to processes for schools and settings i.e. bubbles, outbreak management, NHS Test & Trace and local reporting
Information about CO2 monitors and ventilation
Information about vaccination programmes: 16 & 17 year olds, 12-15 year olds
Watch the full recording below:
Updated COVID documents
BCC will not be releasing an updated COVID-specific risk assessment for the start of term as current DfE guidance is that schools and settings should consider COVID-19 as one risk amongst others in relation to health and safety risk assessments and managing risk. A number of documents will be made available to Early Years Settings and Schools ASAP next week. These will include:
An outbreak management plan, outlining what to do if children or staff test positive for COVID-19 or if advised to take extra measures to help break chains of transmission
The updated Public Health flowchart
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
We will share the link to these documents as soon as they have been published.
CO2 monitors
The DfE announced in August that CO2 monitors will be provided to all state-funded education settings from September, so staff can quickly identify where ventilation needs to be improved. Letting fresh air into indoor spaces can help remove air that contains virus particles and is important in preventing the spread of Covid-19.
Backed by a £25 million government investment, the new monitors will enable staff to act quickly where ventilation is poor and provide reassurance that existing ventilation measures are working.
BCC has received confirmation that all PVI group-care providers delivering EEE funded places will be included within this. Childminders have not been included by the DfE.
BCC has asked the DfE directly for the rationale as to why childminders have not been included and have received the following response:
Early Years nurseries and pre-schools are included in the rollout of CO2 monitors where they are in receipt of government funding for the delivery of childcare entitlement places. Childminders are not included in the rollout of CO2 monitors. This is because most settings are not an appropriate space for CO2 monitoring due to low occupancy density.
We will keep you informed of any further updates.
Public Health England leaflet for parents
Public Health England (PHE) has published a series of resources to help keep parents informed as their children return to education settings.
The leaflet, entitled “Taking your child to an early years setting: information for parents”, outlines the importance of children attending Early Years settings and includes a wide-ranging FAQ.
Please feel free to use it as appropriate and share with your local providers.
DfE data collection update
BCC is reintroducing the COVID data collection form, from the start of term. Once again a big thank you for all your input to these surveys during the pandemic; the data you have provided has been central to informing the government COVID response on Early Years (EY) and has also allowed Parliament to hold the government to account in terms of EY attendance through this unprecedented period.
Whilst there remains a number of variables, such as progress with the vaccination programme, the spread of the virus and its impact on workforce availability, the potential for new variants and the end of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the DfE have recognised that we are still facing a complex and uncertain picture as the new term starts. The DfE data collections will therefore recommence from this month, with the frequency reduced to monthly.
For PVI providers: The survey form here (PVIs) will be open for responses from Monday 6th September. Please complete the form by close of play on Wednesday 8th September.
For Schools with Nursery Classes/Nursery School: The survey form here (schools) will be open for responses from Monday 6th September. Please complete the form by close of play on Wednesday 8th September.
We will be following up with settings that have not responded. Thank you for your ongoing support with this – we really appreciate your help.
You can access up-to-date information and guidance on Coronavirus (COVID-19) via the Birmingham City Council website: birmingham.gov.uk/coronavirus_advice
DfE Update
Latest coronavirus updates from the Department for Education (DfE) for all early years, children’s social care, schools and further education providers, including information about CO2 monitor delivery schedules, COVID-19 test kit delivery schedules, and the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) for state-maintained schools.
CO2 monitor delivery schedules for state-funded special schools
On Saturday 21 August we announced that CO2 monitors will be provided this term to state-funded education settings, including early years, schools and further education providers, backed by £25 million in government funding.
The new monitors will enable staff to identify areas where ventilation needs to be improved and provide reassurance that existing ventilation measures are working, helping balance the need for good ventilation with keeping classrooms warm.
The first deliveries will start from 6 September to state-funded special schools. Special schools, alternative provision and residential schools have been prioritised to receive their monitors first, given their higher-than-average numbers of vulnerable pupils.
The delivery schedule for these schools, across weeks commencing Monday 6, 13 and 20 September, is now available on the ventilation document sharing platform. The delivery schedule also includes the number of monitors settings should receive.
If you have any queries about your expected delivery date or the number of monitors received, please check the delivery schedule in the first instance. As deliveries will take place throughout the week, please wait until the following week to query a missed delivery, which you can do by contacting the supplier:
Rexel: 0330 0450 606
CEF (Flamefast): 01925 350 018
For any further queries about your DfE issued CO2 monitor(s), you can call the DfE COVID-19 helpline on 0800 046 8687.
Operational guidance will be available on the document sharing platforms next week.
COVID-19 test kit delivery schedules
The delivery schedules for COVID-19 test kits for the week commencing Monday 30 August are now available on the document sharing platforms. Please check the published delivery schedule and wait for 48 hours after a scheduled delivery date before contacting NHS Test and Trace on 119.
The delivery schedules can be viewed on the primary schools and nurseries document sharing platform.
Queries about COVID-19 test kits for settings that are part of the education rapid testing programme
Please contact NHS Test and Trace by calling 119 for any issues or queries about the supply, ordering or delivery of COVID-19 test kits. The helpline is open 7am to 11pm, Monday to Sunday.
For all other enquiries about the rapid testing programme in education, please continue to contact the DfE COVID-19 helpline on 0800 046 8687. The helpline is open 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday and 10am to 6pm on weekends.
Please note that the DfE COVID-19 helpline will no longer be able to respond to queries about test kit supply and logistics.
Information for state-maintained schools on the National Tutoring Programme (NTP)
We are pleased to announce the launch of the second year of the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) for the academic year 2021/22.
Last year saw over 300,000 pupils, whose learning was significantly impacted by the pandemic, benefit from catch-up tutoring and mentoring via the NTP. This year, we are aiming to reach thousands more pupils, all of whom will benefit from the support available.
Building on the success of the first phase of the NTP, we have listened to your feedback and expanded the programme. We recognise that each school has pupils with different needs. We have developed a tutoring offer that provides a high degree of flexibility and choice to support the pupils most in need.
Schools will now be able to consider three options available through NTP:
Tuition Partners – schools access tutoring from an approved list of tutoring providers known as Tuition Partners (TPs). TPs offer a range of subjects and provide targeted support for pupils in small group or one-to-one sessions.
Academic Mentors – mentors work alongside teachers in eligible schools to support students. They are salaried members of staff and will work alongside teachers to provide a range of interventions, focusing on small group and one-to-one sessions. They will provide support tailored to schools, including subject-specific work, revision lessons and additional support.
School-Led Tutoring (new to the NTP this year) – eligible schools are given a ring-fenced grant to fund locally sourced tutoring provision for disadvantaged pupils. This could include using existing staff such as teachers and teaching assistants or external tutoring resources such as private tutors or returning teachers. The grant gives schools the flexibility to use tutors with whom they are familiar
All schools are encouraged to apply for the NTP. To register or find out more about the options available, please see the information about the National Tutoring Programme.
Information for schools and parents about international travel
As part of a safe and cautious reopening to international travel, the UK government’s travel lists have been updated. You may wish to remind parents of the following:
International travel to and from the UK has changed – everyone will need to meet a number of new requirements so we can all travel safely and securely
Before considering any international journey, parents should think carefully about the risks to them, their family, and their community, as well as the impact on their child’s education
To prevent new COVID-19 variants from entering the UK, parents and families should not travel to red list countries
Everyone who enters England having visited or transited through a red list country in the ten days before arriving in England must quarantine in a managed quarantine hotel. If parents are concerned about their ability to pay for managed quarantine, they may be offered a deferred payment plan and should call the Corporate Travel Management (CTM) helpline on +44 (0)20 7429 9983.
DfE COVID-19 helpline: The Department for Education COVID-19 helpline and the PHE Advice Service (option 1) is available to answer any questions you have about COVID-19 relating to education settings and children’s social care.
DfE guidance: DfE guidance to support education providers, local authorities and parents during the COVID-19 pandemic can be accessed using the links below: