COVID-19 information and safety measures

Updated 16/07/21

Our full coronavirus risk assessment (version 14!), which is regularly updated, is available from the nursery manager on request or available via eylog to families. There are some changes from Monday 19th July as we move into Step 4 as announced by the Prime Minister. Due to the fact that isolation rules remain in place until August 16th, there are only minimal changes we have been able to make from July 19th. The main changes are detailed below.

  • We no longer require the wearing of face coverings and social distancing of families at the door
  • Settling sessions are no longer limited to 1 hour duration of the parent/carer being within the building
  • Visitors to the nursery will no longer be asked to wear a face covering, however they will still be asked to sanitise their hands upon entry as good hygiene practice
  • We are no longer asking staff or families to minimise the use of public transport as a means of travelling to nursery
  • We no longer require comforters to be laundered daily at home
  • We no longer require parents to adhere to drop off and collection times.

However

  • until August 16th parents/carers will still be required to drop off/collect from the front door as opposed to entering the building due to the potential impact of isolation rules remaining in place until that date.
  • We will continue with good hygiene and cleaning practices as part of our infection control measures.
  • Our bubble system will remain until August 16th when the guidance regarding isolation is removed by the government.
  • Please ensure that you continue to tell us if your child or anyone in your house/support bubble is showing a sign of Coronavirus, has had a test, is waiting for a test result, or is having to isolate. We rely on this information from you to ensure that we keep all of our children, their families and our staff safe.
  • Parents/carers are reminded however that they can make an appointment for essential face to face meetings if required.

We are checking for updates and keeping the measures under constant review so that we can ensure we are doing the right thing for everyone attending nursery.

We hope that these measures give you reassurance that we have made nursery a safe place for your child to be in, whilst maintaining the happy, fun, caring environment that they are used to. The safety measures will remain under review and may change at short notice based on guidance issued by the government. We welcome your feedback and comments at any time to help us improve.

 

Changes to contact tracing in education and childcare settings (letter to parents)

As you know, the Prime Minister announced on 12 July that Step 4 of the roadmap would go ahead on 19 July.

One of the key changes that will take place from 19 July is that education and childcare settings will no longer be asked to conduct routine contact tracing. As with positive cases in any other setting, NHS Test and Trace will work with either the positive case – or in the case of children – the parents, carers or guardian of the positive case to identify close contacts.

NHS Test and Trace already manages the contact tracing process for the rest of society – including children who have recorded a positive PCR test – and has expertise in supporting people to identify close contacts.

This letter sets out in more detail below how that process will work and what you need to do if your child tests positive for COVID-19.

Self-isolating and taking a test

  1. If your child has symptoms, they and other members of the household should self-isolate – and you should inform their education or childcare setting. You should immediately order a PCR test for them. If the PCR result is negative, they and other members of their household can stop self-isolating (unless instructed to self-isolate for other reasons). If the PCR result is positive, they, other members of their household and any close contacts identified by NHS Track and Trace must self-isolate until 10 days after the onset of symptoms.

 

  1. If your child has a positive result from a lateral flow device (LFD) test, they and other members of the household should self-isolate – and you should inform their education or childcare setting. You should immediately order a confirmatory PCR test. If the confirmatory test is taken within two days and the result is negative, they and other members of their household can stop self-isolating (unless instructed to self-isolate for other reasons). If the confirmatory PCR test is positive (or is taken more than two days after the LFD), other members of their household and any close contacts identified by NHS Track and Trace must self-isolate until 10 days after the LFD test.
  2. PCR tests can be booked online through the NHS Test & Trace website or by calling 119.
  3. PCR test results will be recorded with NHS Test and Trace automatically, but you should also communicate the result to the education or childcare setting during term time or summer provision.

Contact tracing

5. If your child gets a positive PCR test result, NHS Test and Trace will contact you, using the details you registered when ordering the PCR test. You and/or your child will be asked a series of specific questions designed to identify who your child has been in close contact with. Being in an education or childcare setting with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 will not necessarily mean a person is identified as a close contact.

 

6. You will be asked to provide the contact details, if you know them, of any of the individuals – or their parents or guardians – who have been identified as close contacts. NHS Test and Trace will then get in touch with these close contacts and provide appropriate instructions or advice (see below).

 

Self-isolation and/or testing of close contacts

 

7. At present, anyone identified as a close contact is legally required to self-isolate and must not attend their education or childcare setting (the only exception is if they are participating in a daily contact testing trial). Anyone identified as a  non-household close contact by NHS Track and Trace must self-isolate until 10 days after the date of their most recent contact with that person. If they live in the same household, they must self-isolate until 10 days after the date of that person developing symptoms (see point 1 above) or, if that person was asymptomatic, the date of their test (see point 2 above). NHS Test and Trace will notify you of the day on which the self-isolation period ends.

  1. Close contacts are also advised to take a PCR test. If the test result is negative, they must still complete the full self-isolation period, as the test will not detect all positive cases. If the result is positive, they will need to self-isolate for a further 10 days – and NHS Test and Trace will contact them to identify any close contacts.
  2. From 16 August, if the close contact is under 18, they will not have to self-isolate (in line with the policy for fully vaccinated adults) but will be asked to take an PCR test immediately, other than for very young children identified as non-household contacts, and they will not need to self-isolate while awaiting the results of the test. If the PCR test is positive, they will be required to self-isolate for 10 days from the date of the test. NHS Test and Trace will then get in touch to identify close contacts (see points 5 and 6 above). Further guidance on these changes to self-isolation will be provided shortly.

We recognise how difficult the past 18 months have been and the sacrifices that all families, education and childcare settings have had to make. This has been an enormously challenging time for everyone and we would like to take the opportunity to thank you for everything you have done.

 

What to expect when arranging a nursery tour with COVID-19 safety measures in place

  • We are happy to accept tour bookings during this time and would be delighted to show you around however things are a little different at the moment. During this time, we ask that only 1 parent or carer attends the setting to look around at one time. A subsequent tour can be arranged for your partner/your child’s other main carer via an online platform as required, such as via video call.
  • If you are able to leave your child with another carer during your visit this will help us to maintain our safety measures.
  • Currently we are only able show you around the room that your child would be starting in. However you are able to view the other rooms through the glass panels on the doors and also via the CCTV screen.
  • Upon booking your tour we will advise you that we will call you shortly before your scheduled tour to complete pre-screening questions. This is just to check that you or a household member are not currently feeling unwell or displaying symptoms of COVID-19. If you are unwell or suspect that you have been in close contact with somebody that is unwell, please rearrange your visit for a later date.
  • At the front door, the manager will ask you to sanitise your hands and check your temperature by aiming a non-invasive thermometer at your forehead. If you bring your child with you, the manager will also check your child’s temperature with the same device. If you or your child have a temperature above 38 you will not be admitted into nursery.
  • The manager will ask you to sign our visitor book in reception before  commencing the tour.

What to expect when attending nursery settling in sessions with COVID-19 safety measures in place

  • Before attending your child’s settling sessions the Nursery Manager will contact you to complete a pre-screening health questionnaire just like when you viewed the nursery.
  • At the front door, the manager will ask you to sanitise your hands and check your temperature and your child’s temperature by aiming a non-invasive thermometer at your foreheads. If you or your child have a temperature above 38 you will not be admitted into nursery.
  • The manager will ask you to sign our visitor book in reception before commencing the settling session.
  • You will be able to stay with your child in the room during the settling session, and the staff team will enjoy finding out all about your child, their routines, their likes and dislikes and start getting to know them. On the second and third sessions, you may wish to step out of the room and watch your child on the CCTV screen, or leave the premises for a short while to let your child explore the room and get to know the staff in your absence. Don’t worry! The team will fill you in on all the details when you come back into the room!

What to expect when attending regular nursery sessions with COVID-19 safety measures in place

  • The main operational change during the pandemic restrictions is that children are dropped off and collected from the front door (until August 16th). The staff member on duty will then take your child and their belongings to and from their room. There may be a delay while we do this and we understand this is frustrating but we kindly ask for your patience when waiting.
  • We understand that this change has an impact on face to face communication with your child’s key person.  Please call or email as often as you like throughout the day to facilitate good communication about the care of your child while these measures remain in place.
  • You will be asked to schedule a drop off and collection time slot to help us to reduce waiting times and ensure parents can maintain a safe distance from each other outside the front door.
  • Children are encouraged to maintain good hand hygiene throughout the day to help stop the spread of the virus. Our staff teams lead by example in hand hygiene and the children are remarkably thorough when encouraged.
  • We have also increased our cleaning regimes, especially for high traffic surfaces such as door plates, taps and toilet flushes. We have also increased the cleaning hours worked by our dedicated cleaning team every night.
  • Toys that have been handled by children during the day are sanitised before being used again.
  • Children will remain in “bubbles” limited to the children within their room until August 16th.  Children from different bubbles will be kept separate as much as possible, including when using the garden.  Each nursery room capacity limit will determine the size of each bubble.
  • Children will be able to play freely, cuddle, shout, sing, share resources and sit together with the staff and other children.

If you have any questions or queries please do not hesitate to contact the Nursery Manager or your child’s key person.

Please note the following important information about preventing the spread of infection:

  • Children must not attend nursery if they or a member of their household display symptoms of COVID-19, specifically a new continuous cough, a temperature above 38 degrees, or where your child is able to describe this, loss of taste and/ or smell.
  • The symptomatic person must book a coronavirus test and notify the Nursery Manager of the result as soon as it is received.
  • If you have given your child medication to reduce a fever, regardless of what you suspect the cause of the fever to be they must not attend nursery, and you must contact the Nursery Manager to let them know. They will advise you on the next steps you should take.
  • If your child or a member of their household develops symptoms of COVID-19, specifically a new continuous cough, a temperature above 38 degrees, or where your child is able to describe the, loss of taste and/ or smell, you must notify the Nursery Manager without delay, even if it is a day when they are not due to attend nursery.
  • If your child or a member of their household has, or is suspected to have COVID-19, they must not return to nursery until the period of isolation is concluded and they and the person dropping them off and collecting them is free from symptoms. The Nursery Manager will complete ‘Ending Isolation Screening’ with a parent or guardian remotely before permitted the child to return to nursery.
  • If you become aware your child has been in contact with someone who is confirmed to have COVID-19 you must make the Nursery Manager aware without delay so that they can make an assessment of the circumstances surrounding the child’s ability to attend my nursery setting.
  • If your child presents with symptoms of COVID-19 during their attendance at nursery, a staff member will isolate them from other children and, staff and remain with them to provide their care. You will receive a call, and must arrange to collect your child without delay.
  • If you or a member of your childs household develop symptoms of COVID-19 whilst your child is at nursery, you must notify the Nursery Manager without delay. A staff member will isolate with your child whilst we await their collection from nursery. The Nursery Manager will advise you on the collection procedure that will apply in this case.