Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment COVID 19 - June 2020

These guidelines are based on Public Health England and Department for Education guidance for educational settings and their key workers.

The fundamental principle of this guidance is to ensure physical distancing between identified groups and to implement good hygiene practices. The design of settings as relatively small communities with subdivided rooms, this greatly assists our ability to create physical distance between groups and cluster children into specific cohorts or ‘bubbles’.

Focus	Areas for Consideration	Actions
Children	Attendance	•        Only children who are symptom free or have completed the required isolation period will attend the setting. •        Questionnaire for parents of children returning after sickness •        Weekly Health Questionnaire for children •        Parents of children who attend 2 settings (including a child minder) will be asked to choose 1 setting only during this period of time. •        Temperatures of children will be taken if they become ill at nursery •        Children or family members who have been identified and ‘Clinically Vulnerable’ should not return to nursery at this moment in time. •        A phased approach to opening the setting will be adopted, priority will be given to o   Vulnerable children o   Children who access the private childcare provision o   Children going to school in September 2020 ·         The intake of more children and new children to the setting will be reviewed in July 20
	Physical Distancing/grouping	•        Children are organised into separate rooms relating to sessions attended rather than age groups. Wherever possible these small groups or ‘bubbles’ will not mix during the day •        Children will stay in groups of no more than 16 at any one time. •         Care routines including provision of meals, nappy changing and toileting is be within the space allocated to each ‘bubble’ •         The use of communal internal spaces is restricted,( dining room, hallway, quiet room) •         Outdoor spaces are used by different ‘bubbles’ at different times of the day. •         Distancing of beds/cots should be facilitated wherever possible
	Well being and education	•        Children will be supported in age appropriate ways to understand the steps they can take to keep themselves safe including regular hand washing and sneezing into a tissue etc •        Children will be supported to understand the changes and challenges they may be encountering as a result of Covid-19 and staff will ensure they are aware of children’s attachments and their need for emotional support at this time.
Staff	Attendance	•        Staff should only attend the nursery if they are symptom free, have completed the requires isolation period or achieved a negative test result. •        The temperature of staff will be taken if they become ill •        A questionnaire for staff returning to work after sickness risk assessing with regular health questionnaires for returning •        Weekly Health Questionnaire •        Consideration will be given to limiting the number of staff in the nursery at any one time to only those required to care for the expected occupancy levels on any given day (reduced sessions days will apply)
	Physical Distancing/grouping	•        Wherever possible staff will remain with the small group of children, the ‘bubble’ of children who they are allocated to and not come into contact with other groups. •        The nursery will operate a 4 day week, until the risk of spreading COVID19 is dramatically reduced, This will o   Reduce the number of staff required to care for the children o   Give consistency for the children by having the same staff member caring for each ‘bubble’ •        Emergency revisions to the EYFS have been implemented which provides some flexibility on ratios and qualifications to make this feasible. •        Social distancing must be maintained during breaks. This may be achieved through a range of strategies including the staggering of breaks and subdivision of spaces allocated to team breaks where possible •        Staff members should avoid physical contact with each other including handshakes, hugs etc. •        Where possible, meetings and training sessions will be conducted through virtual conferencing
	Training	•        All staff members will receive appropriate instructions and training o   in infection control o   the standard operating procedure  o   risk assessments within which they will be operating
Parents	Physical Distancing	•        Only parents who are symptom free and or have completed the required isolation periods will be able to drop off or collect their child •        Parents should aim to limit drop off and pick up to 1 parent per family. •        Only one parent allowed into the building at a time. (distancing whilst waiting outside will be required) •        Parents are asked to arrange drop off and pick up at the nursery corridor to avoid parents entering the nursery unnecessarily •        When parents are waiting to drop off or collect their child, physical distancing should be maintained outside of the entrance to the building.
	Communication	•        All parents will receive communication regarding the role they play in the safe operating procedures and measures being taken to ensure the safety of their children, themselves and others. •        Parental Agreement to follow the COVID 19 measurements placed within the setting and at home
Visitors	Visits	•        Attendance to the setting will be restricted to children and staff as far as practically possible and visitors will not be permitted to the nursery unless essential (e.g. essential building maintenance). •        Where essential visits are required these will be made outside of the usual nursery operational hours where possible.
Travel	Travel Associated with setting operations	•        Wherever possible staff and parents should travel to the nursery alone, using their own transport •        If public transport is necessary, current guidance on the use of public transport must be followed •        Parents should be encouraged to ensure they do not leave travel accessories including buggies, car seats, scooters at the setting premises •        Outings from the setting into the local community will not be carried out.
Hygiene and Health and safety	Hand washing	•        All children and staff must wash their hands upon arrival at the nursery •        Children and staff members will be encouraged to wash their hands frequently at east every 2 hours, after playing outdoors, after toileting, before eating, after wiping noses •        Paracetamol (Calpol) will not be administered to children who are attending nursery due to its ability to reduce temperatures which is a symptom of Coronavirus.
	Cleaning	•        An enhanced cleaning schedule will be implemented that includes furniture, surfaces and children’s toys and equipment •        Communal area, touch points and hand washing facilities will be cleaned and sanitised regularly throughout the day, at the end of each day and the start of each day. •        The nursery will operate a 4 day week, until the risk of spreading COVID19 is dramatically reduced, This will ensure the COVID19 virus will die over the 72+ hour period of closure from Thursday to Monday
	Waste disposal	•        All waste will be disposed of  in a hygienic and safe manner •        Tissues bins are located within each room •        Children are encouraged to ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’
	Laundry	•        All items within the setting requiring laundering will be washed in line with NHS laundry guidelines •        Items such as towels, flannels and bedding will not be shared by children
	Risk assessment	•        All activity will be risk assessed and due consideration given to any adaptations to usual practice. It is expected that would include, but not be limited, to the suspension of learning experiences involving materials which are not easily washable such as malleable materials and the suspension of the sharing of food and utensils.
	Fire Evacuation procedure	•        There will be a change to the assembly points for the evacuation of the building. ‘Bubble’ of children and staff will remain together and not mix with other groups from the nursery.
	PPE	•        Government guidance is that PPE is not required for general use in early years settings to protect against COVID- 19 transmission. •        PPE will be used by the member of staff dealing with a child who becomes ill during the nursery day •        PPE will continue to be worn as normal for nappy changing and the administration of first aid
Premises	Building	•        During the closure of the nursery, Health and safety checks have been carried out in relation to regulations eg  legionnaires checks •        A thorough clean of the nursery prior to re-opening has been carried out •        Windows will be kept open during operational hours to ensure ventilation •        The lift will not be used by staff or children and discouraged by nursery parents unless absolutely essential (WF) •        The nursery will operate a 4 day week, until the risk of spreading COVID19 is dramatically reduced, This will ensure the COVID19 virus will die over the 72+ hour period of closure from Thursday to Monday
	Resources	•        Children will not be permitted to bring items from home into the setting. •        All resources required for play and learning experiences of children will be regularly washed and/or sterilised •        Equipment used by staff such as stationary, tablets etc. will be allocated to individual staff members where possible and cleaned regularly. •        Soft furnishings within the play environment will be reduced to a minimum.
Supplies	Procurement and monitoring	•        The nursery will ensure an adequate supply of essential supplies and contingency plans are in place to minimise the impact of any shortages of supplies. •        The nursery will not be able to operate without essential supplies required for ensuring infection control •        A monitoring system for the usage of PPE is essential and will ensure that a supply of stock is available to all who require it as and when required to meet the operational needs of the setting. When stocks are low, other options may be considered, such as the use of washable tabards. These items will be washed at a high temperature and separate to any other nursery washing. •        In the case the supply of food is interrupted, changes to the regular menus will be required, procedures will be implemented to ensure the appropriate food alternatives are sourced and normal food safety and hygiene processes are followed.( As well as Allergies) •        Deliveries for the nursery will be accepted at the back door to the building.
Responding to a suspected case of COVID19		•        In the event of a child developing suspected coronavirus symptoms whilst attending the setting, they should be collected as soon as possible and isolate at home, parents will be asked to contact 111 and request a test •        Whilst waiting for the child to be collected they will be isolated from others in a previously identified room or area. If possible, a window should be opened for ventilation •        The member of staff looking after the sick child will be required to wear PPE until the child has been collected •        The area will be thoroughly cleaned, immediately if the area cannot be left unvisited •        The person responsible for cleaning the area will be required to wear appropriate PPE •         In the event of a staff member developing suspected coronavirus symptoms whilst working at the nursery, they should return home immediately and isolate at home, contact 111 and request a test •        Any staff member or child who have attended the setting can access the government testing programme through the 111 NHS helpline to confirm COVID or not. •        If it is negative result from the COVID test, the individual may return to nursery once they are feeling well again. •        If it is a positive result from the COVID test, the rest of the immediate group within the setting will be sent home and advised to self-isolate for 14 days, it is not necessary for all other household members they live with to self isolate unless the child/staff starts to display signs of COVID. •        A positive result will be reported to Public Health England and RIDDOR (Health and Safety Executive) immediately. •        The Local Authority and OFSTED will be informed by the nominated individual of a positive result. •        As part of the national test and trace programme, if other cases are detected within the setting. Public Health England’s local Health protection teams will conduct a rapid investigation and will advise settings on the most appropriate action to take.

Update 27/05/20

Dear Parents,
The planning guide for early years and childcare sttings was released on Sunday 24th May, this document gives detailed information for the measures to takes to reduce the risk of spreading Covid 19. To ensure we have everything in place for the childrens return, we will phase them into the setting from Monday 8th June 20. Further information will be posted on the blog later this week.  Stay safe
X

Update

Dear Parents,

We have received this information from the Local Authority and are in the process of reviewing our plans to re-open the nursery. These plans will be shared with you as soon as they have been reviewed and agreed by the Governors of St Mary's College.

You may be aware that schools collectively in Blackburn with Darwen have been made a decision to reopen on the 8^th June rather than the 1^st June proposed.   Within the Government guidance, it stated ‘As a result we are asking schools, colleges and childcare providers to plan on this basis, ahead of confirmation that these tests are met’. There is some suggestion that Government will see if these tests are met in or around the 28^th May 2020 ( but this is more rumour than fact at this point in time).  

In the council Children’s Service senior managers working with the Director of Public Health has reviewed these five tests with a Blackburn with Darwen view. Their findings are below , these have formed the basis for the decision to delay schools reopening until the 8^th June.

‘Our assessment of progress towards meeting the Governments five tests:

Test 1: The NHS has the capacity to provide critical care right across the UK

We are satisfied that this test has currently been achieved both locally and nationally. 

Test 2: A sustained and consistent fall in daily deaths from coronavirus

We are satisfied that there is an overall downward trend in daily deaths from coronavirus.

Test 3: The rate of infection has decreased to manageable levels across the board

In an epidemic, one of the most important numbers is R - the reproduction number. The higher the number the faster the virus spreads through the population.  If this is below one, the number of new infections will fall over time. 

Currently, the data shows that the R value for England stands at 0.75, ranging from the lowest value in London to the highest in the North East and Yorkshire.  The R value for the North West is currently 0.73.

The R number is only one component that determines the rate of growth of the epidemic.  Other factors include the rate of new infections, the prevalence of infection across communities and the current burden faced by the healthcare system.  R should not therefore, be used as the sole indicator of the current threat. 

The most recent DfE review of the scientific advice and information states that exact rates of infectivity and transmission of children is not yet fully known, however, there is a high degree of confidence that the severity of disease and a moderate to high degree of confidence that susceptibility to the disease in younger children (up to the age of 11 to 13) is lower than in adults.  For older children, there is not enough evidence yet to determine whether susceptibility to disease is different to adults.  Further evidence about the risks to children and their carers is expected from the Governments scientific advisory group SAGE.

We are satisfied that nationally and regionally rates of infection are decreasing to manageable levels however, our decision making will be further informed by the emerging evidence and full range of factors set out in this paper.

Test 4: Operational challenges including testing and PPE are in hand, with supply able to meet future demand

Forward planning is essential and we want to ensure that our schools are able to do this effectively.  We have developed a comprehensive risk assessment tool for schools to use as part of their preparations for extended opening.  All (LA) schools have been asked complete a risk assessment for their setting.  The assessments will be reviewed and agreed by Education, Health and Safety and Public Health colleagues with further mitigation measures put in place to support safe working practices, where necessary.

Key to meeting these operational challenges is the national test and trace programme, which is still being rolled out. We are not yet satisfied that there will be comprehensive access to regular testing and tracing for children and staff, to support extended opening of schools by 1^st June.  We will continue to collaborate with the Lancashire Resilience Forum and Public Health colleagues to inform our understanding of when this will be in place.

Test 5: Confidence that any adjustments to the current measures will not risk a second peak of infections (that overwhelms the NHS)

Our precautionary stance has been further informed by other local considerations, that make us more vulnerable to a second peak, as outlined below;

Ethnicity:

Emerging evidence that is currently being reviewed by PHE shows that BAME communities are disproportionately affected by COVID-19.  The impact may also be higher among men and those in the higher age brackets.  The reasons for this are not yet fully understood, but the health inequalities present for BAME communities have long been recognised.  One hypothesis is that people from BAME communities have higher rates of underlying health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension, and this may increase their vulnerability and risk

Approximately one third of the Boroughs population is from a BAME group, the highest proportion in Lancashire. It is therefore, critical that in Blackburn with Darwen, we are especially sensitive to the needs and worries of BAME members of staff, parents and pupils.

Deprivation:

Levels of deprivation in Blackburn with Darwen are above the national average with the Borough being within the 10% most deprived in the England.

People facing the greatest deprivation are experiencing a higher rate of exposure to COVID-19 and existing poor health puts them at risk of more sever outcomes if they contract the virus.  Measures to curb spread of the virus are leaving many of these same people exposed to greater risks to their physical and mental health from increased economic and social hardship during the lockdown. 

Schools have an important role to play in supporting the most disadvantaged children and families, which needs to be carefully balanced with the increased risk to our communities as we prepare to extend opening of schools.

We must allow sufficient time for our schools to make effective plans to support and protect the most vulnerable learners and their households.