Coronavirus: DfE update its education guidance

The Department for Education has today updated its guidance on Coronavirus.

Despite many European countries shutting down education establishments, UK advice remains that schools and colleges should only be shut down if they are advised to do so by Public Health England.

Instead, schools and colleges are advised to:

• Ask staff, young people and children to stay at home if they are unwell with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature to avoid spreading infection to others - and to send them home if they become ill during the day with these symptoms 
• clean and disinfect regularly touched objects and surfaces more often than usual using your standard cleaning products
• supervise young children to ensure they wash their hands for 20 seconds more often than usual with soap and water or hand sanitiser and catch coughs and sneezes in tissues

Need more advice?

Your staff need to know what to do if they suspect they have the virus or are caring for someone who does. 

We’re developing a short, easy to understand policy which covers all the key issues such as notification, pay, emergency leave and home working.  

In this time of crisis, we’d  like to offer a free copy of the policy to anyone who needs one. To get your copy, contact Rachel.hetherington@irwinmitchell.com, or call 0121 203 5355.