In line with the recent Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and in accordance with recommended guidance Rockers and Rollers Nursery have produced the following emergency plan that all parents/carers should read. Rockers and Rollers Nursery have written this policy based on guidelines from the World Health Organisation (WHO), Public Health England and the Department for Education (DFE) and Actions for early years and childcare providers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

This policy should be read and understood by both parents/carers and Rockers and Rollers staff and contains important information on the signs and symptoms of Coronavirus COVID-19 as well as how we will communicate with you in the event of a Coronavirus COVID-19 diagnosis/suspected at Rockers and Rollers Nursery.

The information we are receiving from the above named agencies is constantly being updated. We will notify any changes to parents where deemed necessary.

The symptoms of Coronavirus COVID-19 are as follows:

• a cough

• a high temperature

• shortness of breath

• loss of smell or taste

But these symptoms do not necessarily mean you have the illness. The symptoms are similar to other illnesses that are much more common, such as cold and flu.

Prevention – Control Measures

Rockers and Rollers Nursery have devised a risk assessment for both children and staff. Included in this is all control measures we will take to help prevent the spread of COVID19. This information should be read and understood alongside the reading of this policy.

Anybody including, children, staff and visitors presenting with symptoms of COVID 19, even mild symptoms will be asked to leave immediately and not attend the setting, and should self-isolate for 14 days. Children, their families and staff can be tested if they present symptoms, more information can be found at Government Coronavirus Guidance.

System of controls

This is the set of actions early years settings must take. They are outlined in more detail below.

Prevention:

1) minimise contact with individuals who are unwell by ensuring that those who have coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms, or who have someone in their household who does, do not attend settings

2) clean hands thoroughly more often than usual

3) ensure good respiratory hygiene by promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach

4) introduce enhanced cleaning, including cleaning frequently touched surfaces often using standard products, such as detergents and bleach

5) minimise contact between groups where possible

6) where necessary, wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)

Numbers 1 to 4 must be in place in all settings, all the time.

Number 5 must be properly considered, and settings must put in place measures that suit their particular circumstances.

Number 6 applies in all specific circumstances.

Response to any infection:

7) engage with the NHS Test and Trace process

8) manage confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) amongst the setting community

9) contain any outbreak by following local health protection team advice

10) notify Ofsted

Numbers 7 to 10 must be followed in every case where they are relevant.

‘System of controls’: prevention

1. Minimise contact with individuals who are unwell by ensuring that those who have coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms, or who have someone in their household who does, do not attend settings.

Ensuring that children, staff and other adults do not come into settings if they have coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms or have tested positive in the last 10 days and ensuring anyone developing those symptoms during the day is sent home, are essential actions to reduce the risk in settings and further drive down transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19). All settings must follow this process and ensure all staff are aware of it.

If anyone in the setting becomes unwell with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature, or has a loss of, or change in, their normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia), they must be sent home and advised to follow COVID-19 guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection’, which sets out that they must self-isolate for at least 10 days and should arrange to have a test to see if they have coronavirus (COVID-19). Other members of their household (including any siblings) should self isolate for 14 days from when the symptomatic person first had symptoms.

If a child is awaiting collection, they should be moved, if possible, to a room where they can be isolated behind a closed door with appropriate adult supervision. Ideally, a window should be opened for ventilation. If it is not possible to isolate them, move them to an area which is at least 2 metres away from other people. If they need to go to the bathroom while waiting to be collected, they should be taken to a separate bathroom if possible. The bathroom should be cleaned and disinfected using standard cleaning products before being used by anyone else.

PPE must be worn by staff caring for the child while they await collection if a distance of 2 metres cannot be maintained (such as for a very young child or a child with complex needs). More information on PPE use can be found in the Safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care settings, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance.

As is usual practice, in an emergency, call 999 if someone is seriously ill or injured or their life is at risk.

Anyone with coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms should not visit the GP, pharmacy, urgent care centre or a hospital.

Any members of staff who have helped someone with symptoms and any children who have been in close contact with them do not need to go home to self-isolate. However, they must self-isolate and arrange for a test if they develop symptoms themselves (in which case, they should arrange a test), if the symptomatic person subsequently tests positive (see below) or they have been requested to do so by NHS Test and Trace.

Everyone must wash their hands thoroughly for 20 seconds with soap and running water or use hand sanitiser after any contact with someone who is unwell. The area around the person with symptoms must be cleaned with normal household disinfectant after they have left to reduce the risk of passing the infection on to other people. See the COVID-19: cleaning of non-healthcare settings outside the home guidance.

2. Clean hands thoroughly more often than usual.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is an easy virus to kill when it is on the skin. This can be done with soap and running water or hand sanitiser.

Settings must ensure that children clean their hands regularly, including:

• when they arrive at the setting

• when they return from breaks

• when they change rooms

• before and after eating

Regular and thorough hand cleaning is needed for the foreseeable future.

Points to consider and implement:

• Ensure the setting has enough hand washing or hand sanitiser ‘stations’ available so that all children and staff can clean their hands regularly.

• Supervise use of hand sanitiser use, given risks around ingestion.

• Small children and those with complex needs should continue to be helped to clean their hands properly.

• Skin friendly skin cleaning wipes can be used as an alternative.

• Build these routines into setting culture, and ensure younger children and those with complex needs understand the need to follow them.

3. Ensure good respiratory hygiene by promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach.

The ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach continues to be very important, so settings must ensure they have enough tissues and bins available in the setting to support children and staff to implement this routine. As with hand cleaning, settings must ensure younger children are helped to get this right, and all children understand that this is now part of how the setting operates.

PHE does not (based on current evidence) recommend the use of face coverings in schools. The evidence will be kept under review. PHE advises that for safety reasons, face masks should not be used for children under three. In addition, misuse may inadvertently increase the risk of transmission and there may also be negative effects on communication and thus children’s development.

Face coverings are required at all times on public transport (for children over the age of 11), or when attending a hospital as a visitor or outpatient.

4. Introduce enhanced cleaning, including cleaning frequently touched surfaces often using standard products, such as detergents.

In order to facilitate cleaning, remove unnecessary items from learning environments where there is space to store them elsewhere. Public health advice is to remove all soft toys, and any toys that are hard to clean, such as those with intricate parts. Where practicable, remove soft furnishings, for example pillows, bean bags and rugs.

Points to consider and implement:

in line with the risk assessment and timetabling of the day, putting in place a cleaning schedule that ensures cleaning is generally enhanced and includes:

• more frequent cleaning of rooms that are used by different groups,

• frequently touched surfaces being cleaned more often than normal,

• ensuring that there are clear procedures for maintaining cleaning processes for food preparation areas, dining areas and table coverings,

• Different groups don’t need to be allocated their own toilets, but toilets will need to be cleaned regularly and children must be encouraged to clean their hands thoroughly after using the toilet,

• PHE has published revised guidance for cleaning non-healthcare settings to advise on general cleaning required in addition to the current advice on COVID-19: cleaning of non-healthcare settings guidance.

  5. Minimise contact between individuals where possible

Early years settings are no longer required to arrange children and staff in small, consistent groups so can return to normal group sizes.

Settings should still consider how they can minimise mixing within settings, for example where they use different rooms for different age groups, keeping those groups apart as much as possible. Minimising contact between groups can reduce the number of children and staff required to self-isolate in the event of children or staff testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).

Returning to normal group sizes is based on the fact that the overall risk to children from coronavirus (COVID-19) is low. It also recognises that early years settings are typically smaller than schools. Adopting the ‘system of controls’ set out here in a robust way will ensure there are proportionate safeguards for children as well as staff and reduce the chance of transmission.

Parents and carers should be encouraged to limit the number of settings their child attends, ideally ensuring their child only attends the same setting consistently. This should also be the same for staff.

6. Where necessary, wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)

The majority of staff in early years settings will not require PPE beyond what they would normally need for their work. PPE is only needed in a very small number of cases, including:

• where an individual child becomes ill with coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms while at a setting, and only then if a distance of 2 metres cannot be maintained,

• where a child already has routine intimate care needs that involves the use of PPE, in which case the same PPE should continue to be used,

  Read the guidance on Safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care for more information about preventing and controlling infection, how PPE should be used, what type of PPE to use, and how to source it.

7. Engage with the NHS Test and Trace process

Settings must ensure they understand the NHS Test and Trace process and how to contact their local PHE health protection team. Settings must ensure that staff members and parents/carers understand that they will need to be ready and willing to:

• book a test if they are displaying symptoms. Staff and children must not come into the setting if they have symptoms and must be sent home to self-isolate if they develop them in the setting. All children can be tested, including children under 5, but children under 11 will need to be helped by their parents or carers if using a home testing kit,

• provide details of anyone they have been in close contact with if they were to test positive for coronavirus, (COVID-19) or if asked by NHS Test and Trace,

• self-isolate if they have been in close contact with someone who tests positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms.

Anyone who displays symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) can and should get a test. Tests can be booked online through the NHS website, or ordered by telephone via NHS 119 for those without access to internet.

Essential workers, which includes anyone involved in education or childcare, have priority access to testing.

The government will ensure that it is as easy as possible to get a test through a wide range of routes that are locally accessible, fast and convenient. We will release more details on new testing avenues as and when they become available and we will work with early years settings, so they understand the easiest route to get a test.

Settings should ask parents, carers and staff to inform them immediately of the results of the test: if someone tests negative, and they feel well and no longer have symptoms similar to coronavirus (COVID- 19), they can stop self-isolating. They could still have another virus, such as a cold or flu – in which case it is still best to avoid contact with other people until they are better. Other members of their household can also stop self-isolating if someone tests positive, they should follow COVID-19: guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection and must continue to self-isolate for at least 7 days from the onset of their symptoms and then return to the setting only if they do not have symptoms other than cough or loss of sense of smell or taste.

This is because a cough or anosmia can last for several weeks once the infection has gone. The 10-day period starts from the day when they first became ill. If they still have a high temperature, they should keep self-isolating until their temperature returns to normal. Other members of their household should continue self-isolating for the full 14 days.

8. Managing confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the setting

Settings must take swift action when they become aware that someone who has attended has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19). Settings should contact the local health protection team. This team will also contact settings directly if they become aware that someone who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) attended the setting – as identified by NHS Test and Trace.

The local health protection team will work with settings to carry out a rapid risk assessment to confirm who has been in close contact with the person during the period that they were infectious, and ensure they are asked to self-isolate.

The local health protection team will work with settings in this situation to guide them through the actions they need to take. Based on the advice from the local health protection team, settings should send home those people who have been in close contact with the person who has tested positive, advising them to self-isolate for 14 days since they were last in close contact with that person when they were infectious.

Close contact means: direct close contacts - face to face contact with an infected individual for any length of time, within 1 metre, including being coughed on, a face to face conversation, or unprotected physical contact (skin to

skin) proximity contacts - extended close contact (within 1-2m for more than 15 minutes) with an infected

individual travelling in a small vehicle, like a car, with an infected person The local health protection team will provide definitive advice on who must be sent home. To support them in doing so, we recommend settings keep a record of:

children and staff in specific groups/rooms (where applicable) close contact that takes places between children and staff in different groups/rooms This should be a proportionate recording process. Settings do not need to ask staff to keep definitive records in a way that is overly burdensome.

Household members of those who are sent home do not need to self-isolate themselves unless the child or staff member who is self-isolating subsequently develops symptoms. If someone in a group that has been asked to self-isolate develops symptoms themselves within their 14-day isolation period, they should follow COVID-19: guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection. They should get a test, and: if the test delivers a negative result, they must remain in isolation for the remainder of the 14-day isolation period. This is because they could still develop the coronavirus (COVID-19) within the remaining days if the test result is positive, they should inform their setting immediately, and must isolate for at least 10 days from the onset of their symptoms (which could mean the self-isolation ends before or after the original 14-day isolation period). Their household should self-isolate for at least 14 days from when the symptomatic person first had symptoms, following COVID-19: guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection.

Settings should not request evidence of negative test results or other medical evidence before admitting children or welcoming them back after a period of self-isolation Further guidance is available on Testing and tracing for coronavirus.

9. Contain any outbreak by following local health protection team advice

If settings have two or more confirmed cases within 14 days, or an overall rise in sickness absence where coronavirus (COVID-19) is suspected, settings may have an outbreak, and must contact their local health protection team who will be able to advise if additional action is required.

In some cases, health protection teams may recommend that a larger number of other children self-isolate at home as a precautionary measure – perhaps the whole site or a group. If settings are implementing the controls from this list, addressing the risks they have identified and therefore reducing transmission risks, whole setting closure based on cases within the setting will not generally be necessary, and should not be considered except on the advice of health protection teams.

10. Notify Ofsted

Any confirmed cases of coronavirus (Covid-19) in the setting (either child or staff member), and/or if the setting is advised to close as a result, should be swiftly reported to Ofsted through the usual notification channels.

How to avoid catching or spreading coronavirus

Do

 wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds

 always wash your hands when you get home or into work

 use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available

 cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze

 put used tissues in the bin straight away and wash your hands afterwards

 try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell

Don't

 touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean

We will always consider the children’s stage of development and skills.

Staff need to be extra vigilant with their own personal hygiene and for the hygiene practices of children in their group.

• Continue to positively encourage the children of the importance of washing their hands regularly.

• Continue to positively encourage good hygiene practice, such as sneezing into tissues, disposing of

them, then washing their hands.

• Employees disinfecting key areas and high touched areas on a regular basis.

• Positively encourage all employees to wash their hands on a more regular basis.

Parents or carers should not come to the nursery to drop off, or collect, their child if they are unwell. If someone else is sent to collect a child the parent or carer must let the nursery know and use the child’s password. This is a requirement of our safeguarding policy.

A parent or carer should not send a child to nursery if they are unwell.

If a child is unwell at nursery we would contact the parent or carer to pick them up immediately.

…

Diagnosed/Suspected case of Coronavirus COVID-19 at Rockers and Rollers

If we are notified there is a case reported in the area in which Rockers and Rollers operates, we will endeavour to operate as usual. However this will depend on many variables including advice from local government, staff illness and venue closure.

If a Rockers and Rollers child/member of staff or parent/carer has a suspected case of/diagnosed with Coronavirus COVID-19 the infected child/adult will be instructed to follow NHS advice and self-isolate and contact 111. We will let parents/carers know if a case is confirmed at the setting.

If any staff/carers have a diagnosed/suspected case within the family or amongst friends, it is the responsibility of the staff/carer to inform the setting managers immediately.

If Rockers and Rollers Nursery is forced to close for any of the above reasons, we will endeavour to give staff/parents/carers as much notification as possible. Please ensure that we have your most up-to-date contact details.

Closure of Setting

We will have to close if informed to do so by the local authority or due to staff shortage because of symptoms or informed to do so by the NHS.

If Rockers and Rollers has to close there will be no charge for parents in line with our emergency closure policy.

New schools’ helpline for Coronavirus

The Department of Education (DfE) has launched a new helpline for schools to answer education-related questions about COVID-19 (Coronavirus).

The helpline is open on 0800 046 8687 from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and is available to staff, parents and young people. Alternatively, you can email: DfE.coronavirus@education.gov.uk

Government advice is reviewed daily and updated regularly. For the latest information, advice and guidance, check out NHS Guidance

The best way to protect yourself and others from the virus and stop it spreading is to practice good hygiene habits – if you need to cough or sneeze catch it with a tissue, bin it and kill it by washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser.

Rockers & Rollers Visits for New Parents

From 1st August 2020, Rockers and Rollers Day Nursery will commence visits to view the setting for potential parents. These visits will be restricted to a 15 minute slot and only viewing the room the child will be attending. Visitors will be asked to wear a face mask where appropriate and must confirm they have no COVID19 symptoms prior to entering the building. All visitors will be asked if we can hold their contact details for Track and Trace purposes.

Foreign Travel

In line with recent changes in government guidance. Rockers and Rollers will now ask that all staff and children returning from foreign travel are tested for COVID19 prior to returning to the setting. Information can be found on the following website.

Getting Tested

Conclusion

The impact of Coronavirus COVID-19 is changing daily and we will be renewing our policy accordingly and at regular intervals to reflect advice from Government and other Agencies. Ultimately this is unchartered territory for everybody concerned and until the extent and severity of a full scale outbreak is known it is impossible to come-up with a definite plan. However, by following our initial advice, we will be well placed to work through this period.

Up to date information can be found at Government Guidance

This policy was reviewed in July 2020 and will be reviewed annually or as and when deemed necessary.

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