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St. Felix Catholic School

St. Felix
Catholic School

Outbreak Management Plan

The Contingency Framework for Education and Child Care Settings August 2021 requires schools to have an outbreak management plan.

Introduction

Baseline measures

  • Regular handwashing
  • Enhanced ventilation
  • Regular cleaning
  • Staff testing twice weekly until end of Sept (unless advised to continue)
  • Advice on signs, symptoms, testing and isolation

This plan is based on the DfE’s Contingency Framework which lays out how to manage local outbreaks of COVID-19. The guidance states schools should have “outbreak management plans”, outlining “how they would operate” if any of the measures described in the guidance were recommended for their setting or area.

The contingency framework (latest edition) states that councils, directors of public health and Public Health England health protection teams can recommend certain measures for individual schools or clusters of settings.

Public Health advice is sought by the school if:

For most education and childcare settings, whichever of these thresholds is reached first:

• 5 children, pupils, students or staff, who are likely to have mixed closely, test positive for COVID-19 within a 10-day period; or

• 10% of children, pupils, students or staff who are likely to have mixed closely test positive for COVID-19 within a 10-day period.

This may happen to help manage outbreaks in schools, or if there is an “extremely high prevalence” of Covid-19 in the community and other measures have failed to reduce transmission, or as part of a package of measures “responding to a variant of concern”.

If there is a need to address more widespread issues across an area, “ministers will take decisions on an area-by-area basis”.

Schools will need to consider the implementation of some, or all, of the measures in this plan in response to recommendations provided by their local Public Health team, Public Health England (PHE) health protection team, the DfE or the government.

It may be necessary to implement these measures in the following circumstances: 

  • To help manage a COVID-19 outbreak within the school
  • If COVID-19 infection rates in the community are extremely high, and other measures have failed to reduce transmission
  • As part of a package of measures responding to a ‘Variant of Concern’ (VoC)

Testing

If recommended, St Felix will increase the use of home testing by staff.

Face Coverings

If recommended, staff and visitors who are not exempt from wearing a face covering:

  • Will be asked to keep on or put on a face covering when arriving at school and moving around indoors in places where social distancing is difficult to maintain, such as in communal areas

and/or

  • Will be asked to wear a face covering in classrooms or during activities, unless social distancing can be maintained or a face covering would impact on the ability to take part in exercise or strenuous activity

Shielding

St Felix will adhere to national guidance on the reintroduction of shielding, which would apply to those on the shielded patient list (SPL).

St Felix will carry out a risk assessment and speak to individuals required to shield about additional protective measures in school or arrangements for home working or learning.

Other measures

If recommended, St Felix will limit:

  • Residential educational visits
  • Open days
  • Transition or taster days
  • Parents coming into school
  • Live performances

Attendance restrictions

Attendance restrictions will only be recommended as a last resort.

As with other periods of restricted attendance, St Felix will provide “high quality remote education” for all pupils or those not attending.  If attendance restrictions are required across an area, the government will publish “detailed operational guidance” for schools.

Restrictions on attendance may be advised by local teams for individual settings or clusters (no more than 3 or 4) of “closely linked settings”.

If recommended, we will implement the measures in this section.

Eligibility to remain in school

In the first instance, schools will stay open for:

  • Vulnerable pupils
  • Children of critical workers
  • Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 6 Pupils

If further restrictions are recommended, schools will stay open for:

  • Vulnerable pupils
  • Children of critical workers

Education and support for pupils at home

All other pupils will be required to stay at home and will receive high quality remote education.

St Felix will aim to deliver remote education that meets the same quality and quantity of education that pupils would receive in school, as outlined our remote learning policy

The school will continue to prioritise meals or lunch vouchers for pupils eligible for benefits-related free school meals while they are not attending school because of COVID-19 isolation guidelines.

The office will liaise will eligible families regarding their preference.

Wraparound care

St Felix will limit access to before and after-school activities and wraparound care during term time to those that need it most.

Schools will communicate who will be eligible to attend once the restrictions are confirmed.

Safeguarding

St Felix will review its child protection policy to make sure it reflects the local restrictions and remains effective.

St Felix will aim to have a trained DSL or deputy DSL on site wherever possible.

If the DSL (or deputy) can’t be on site, they can be contacted remotely by email - admin@st-felixrc.suffolk.sch.uk

On occasions where there is no DSL or deputy on site, a senior leader will take responsibility for coordinating safeguarding on site.

What we will do when a large number of students need to go home and isolate:

  • Parents will be contacted by phone to collect affected pupils
  • St Felix will aim to loan an electronic device to any pupil requiring one - please contact the school office 01440 703775
  • Home learning will be provided on the Teams platform from the first day after the pupils are sent home.

What to do if a pupil displays symptoms on a residential trip:

  • Pupil will be isolated from other pupils
  • Trip leader will contact school
  • School will contact parents and arrange for pupil(s) to be brought home
  • Parents will seek a PCR on return and inform school of the results as soon as possible
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