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English secondary schools in local closed areas may have to use a “rotation system” to limit the number of teenagers attending at any given time, and teachers and pupils must wear face masks in common areas, according to new government guidance. .
The tiered approach will limit the number of people students come in contact with and help break the chains of transmission by allowing enough time at home for symptoms to become apparent, the Department of Education (DfE) said.
If a case of coronavirus is confirmed, all students in the affected person’s class, or “bubble,” may have to self-quarantine for two weeks, he added. In some cases, one bubble could cover an entire year.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said any change in school attendance “will only be an absolute last resort.”
The extensive guidance, issued on Friday before the reopening of schools in England for the autumn term next week, says schools must base their plans on a four-tier system, and additional measures for secondary schools must get into the second level.
It said: “Ideally, schools should operate on a rotational system that means that students spend two weeks on site followed by two weeks at home.
“This allows more than enough time for symptoms to appear and for students to isolate themselves and avoid transmitting the virus to others.”
The guide added: “In addition, in all areas of intervention of the national government, in schools where students from the seventh year onwards are educated, adults and students must cover their faces when they move around the facilities, outside the classrooms, such as in corridors and common areas where social distancing cannot be easily maintained ”.
However, shadow education secretary Kate Green criticized the timing of the announcement. She tweeted: “This is so insulting to the bosses and staff who worked their hardest over the summer break, and are now expected to face more new directions just hours before the holiday weekend and just days before let the quarter begin. “
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, welcomed the new guide, but was also frustrated by his opportunity.
He said: “We have been asking for more contingency plans from the government in the event of local closures, so we are pleased that they have finally released some guidance to this effect.
“But waiting until Friday night before most schools return is not the prime time for government. Obviously, the schools have not had the slightest opportunity to incorporate this into their planning and now they will have to review the plans they have implemented ”.
The rotations guidance for level two does not apply to elementary school children, as scientific evidence indicates that they “play a limited role in transmission,” added the DfE.
All schools remain open at level one, while levels three and four imply stricter restrictions, such as closures for all but students from vulnerable groups or children of key workers.
