DfE Coronavirus Updates: January 2022
The Department for Education (DfE) has issued a number of COVID-19 updates at the start of January 2022 that are relevant to the Early Years Sector. We have summarised the latest information and guidance below.
From the DfE’s Education Hub blog:
3 January 2022: What to expect when schools, colleges, universities and early years settings return after the Christmas break
Has anything changed for early years settings?
DfE guidance published on 14th December continues to focus on safeguarding face-to-face education and childcare. Early years settings should organise their provision around this principle.
Whilst doing so, there are a number of actions that can be taken to keep both children and staff as safe as possible. These are set out in the guidance Actions for early years and childcare providers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), which has been updated with a few key changes.
What about self-isolation and testing for under 5’s?
The UKHSA has advised there are limited public health benefits to regular testing of early years children with LFD tests.
The exception is if they have tested positive for COVID-19 themselves. If a child tests positive they may be able to end their self-isolation period before the end of the 10 full days by following the guidance on LFD testing.
Testing is at the discretion of a parent or carer, but those who do not receive negative LFD test results will need to complete a 10-day self-isolation period.
Children under 5 are exempt from self-isolation and do not need to take part in daily testing if they are a close contact of somebody with COVID-19. Find out more about daily testing of contacts here: What you need to know about daily testing for COVID-19 contacts - The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk).
What are settings expected to do if they have a high number of staff absent?
The DfE consider COVID-19 to be an exceptional circumstance in which the staff-to-child ratios set out in the early years foundations stage (EYFS) can temporarily be changed if necessary, for example, to respond to COVID-related workforce absences.
In some cases, providers may choose to respond to staff and child absences by temporarily mixing age groups of children who would otherwise be educated or cared for separately. Ratios should be guided by all relevant requirements and by the needs of individual children within the group.
In all circumstances, early years settings and schools remain responsible for maintaining the quality of care, safety and security of children.
2 January 2022: Message to all education and childcare leaders from the Secretary of State for Education
The Secretary of State for Education, Nadhim Zahawi, has written to all education and childcare leaders to provide an update on the return to education and childcare following the holiday period.
He also thanked all education staff for their ongoing dedication in keeping education and childcare settings open.
Other DfE Updates, 2-6 January 2022
Daily testing for close contacts of COVID-19
People who are fully vaccinated, or children and young people aged between 5 and 18 years and 6 months, identified as a close contact of someone with COVID-19, should take a lateral flow device (LFD) test every day for seven days and continue to attend their setting as normal, unless they have a positive test result or develop symptoms at any time.
Children under 5 are not being advised to take part in daily testing of close contacts. If a child under 5 is a contact of a confirmed case, they are not required to self-isolate and should not start daily testing. If they live in the same household as someone with COVID-19 they should limit their contact with anyone who is at higher risk of severe illness if infected with COVID-19, and arrange to take a PCR test as soon as possible. They can continue to attend an education or childcare setting while waiting for the PCR result. If the test is positive, they should follow the stay at home: guidance for households with possible or confirmed COVID-19 infection.
Confirmatory PCR tests to be temporarily suspended for positive LFD test results
Confirmatory PCR tests following a positive LFD test result are to be temporarily suspended from Tuesday 11 January. This will mean that anyone who receives a positive LFD test result will be required to self-isolate immediately and will not be required to take a confirmatory PCR test.
JCVI advice on COVID-19 vaccination for at-risk 5 to 11-year-olds
On Wednesday 22 December, the government accepted advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) that a primary course of vaccination should be offered to children aged 5 to 11-years-old who are in a clinical risk group, or who are a household contact of someone (of any age) who is immunosuppressed. The NHS is working through updated guidance and will set out how this is going to be operationalised shortly.
Vaccines are our best weapon against this virus. Vaccination reduces the likelihood of infection, helps break chains of transmission and is safe and effective – so we encourage all those eligible to consider taking up the offer.
Funded air cleaning units for education and childcare settings
The DfE will make up to 7,000 more air cleaning units available for poorly ventilated teaching spaces in state-funded education settings, where quick fixes to improve ventilation are not possible. This is in addition to the 1,000 DfE funded air cleaning units previously announced for SEND and alternative provision settings, and the 350,000 CO2 monitors already delivered to settings.
All state-funded primary and secondary schools, further education colleges and early years settings can apply for a funded air cleaning unit if they meet strict eligibility criteria. Special and alternative provision settings, including SEND units attached to mainstream units, that were not successful or did not apply during the first round are also eligible to apply during this round.
Further details, including the eligibility criteria, can be found in the guidance on applying for an air cleaning unit.
Applications for all settings will close at 9am on Monday 17 January.
If your setting is not eligible for a funded unit, the air cleaning marketplace remains open, enabling you to purchase units at a suitable specification and competitive price.
Ofsted inspections due to take place in January
Ofsted inspection continues to play an important role in providing independent assurance as settings respond to the pandemic. It is right though that these arrangements are kept under review, and adjustments made where appropriate.
Ofsted has already confirmed that it will not be inspecting secondary schools during the first week of term in January, unless there are urgent concerns, as schools undertake on-site pupil testing. In addition, for a temporary period from the start of January, Ofsted will not ask school, college and early years leaders, who are also Ofsted inspectors, to undertake inspections.
Ofsted is also encouraging early years settings, schools and colleges that are significantly impacted by COVID-related staff absence to ask for their inspection to be deferred.
Ofsted inspections of children’s social care, local authority SEND services and joint targeted area inspections will continue, with deferrals taking place where appropriate. Ofsted’s regulatory work will also continue.
All of these measures will be kept under review.
Update to the definition of vulnerable children
For many children, continuing to have the protective factor of face-to-face education is vital. Throughout the pandemic, settings have continued to provide on-site places for this group of children. As has been the case since March 2020, there are three categories of children and young people who should benefit from on-site provision:
those with a social worker
those with an Education, Health and Care Plan
a group of children considered locally, including by settings and local authorities, to be ‘otherwise vulnerable’
We are updating our guidance on children of critical workers and vulnerable children who can access school or education settings to include a broader definition of children classified as vulnerable. In addition to the above, this list now includes:
children known to children’s social care services in the past
children whose home circumstances might be particularly challenging because of domestic abuse, parental offending, adult mental health issues, and drug and alcohol addiction
The intention of providing a broader definition is to support local decision making about children who might face increased risk inside or outside the home if they are unable to attend their setting, or who could not reasonably continue to learn remotely. The list is not intended to be exhaustive and local assessment will be based on knowledge of family and community risk.
We have also written to all multi-agency safeguarding partnerships in England to ask them to work with wider partners including early years providers, schools and colleges to review their plans to support vulnerable children in their areas. We have asked for plans to ensure those who need the protective factor of face-to-face education provision are benefitting from it or that there are checks on children and young people’s wellbeing if they cannot be safely brought into their setting. We have also asked partnerships to check that vulnerable children and young people have re-engaged in their education following the holiday period.
UKHSA advice service opening hours
The UKHSA advice service (for information and advice on dealing with outbreaks in settings) opening hours have changed. The advice service is available between 8am and 4pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday.
If you think you have an outbreak of COVID-19 at your setting and need help taking action, please call the helpline on 0800 046 8687 (during these hours) and press option 1, then option 1 again.
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: