Latest update: Wuhan Coronavirus

Public Health England (PHE) has published guidance for schools and other educational settings about how they should respond to the threat of coronavirus, including a poster that all education settings should display to advise staff, students, parents and carers about how to help prevent the spread of the virus.

Schools are now advised to call 111 if pupils or staff become unwell and believe they have been exposed to the virus (or 999 if they are seriously ill or their life is at risk). Schools should also call 111 if they have pupils or staff who have travelled anywhere in the Hubei Province, including Wuhan, in the past 14 days, even if they are well.

Anyone who is unwell and believed to have been exposed to the virus should be kept at least two metres away from others – if possible, schools are advised to find a room where the person can be isolated, e.g. a staff office.

The agency confirmed that there is no need for schools to close if they suspect exposure to the virus. If a positive case is confirmed, one of PHE’s health protection teams will help schools conduct a risk assessment to determine whether closure is required.

Key advice for returning travellers

Information for returning travellers has been updated to include a number of new countries, with specific advice depending on the area/towns in the countries that you have been to/through:

Detailed information and advice for the public can be found on the NHS.uk website (and will be regularly updated): https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Further information for the public about the situation can be found here (and will be regularly updated): https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public

Current situation

To date there are thirteen patients in England who have tested positive for COVID-19 to date, none of whom are in the West Midlands region. Of the remaining 7119 tests that have been undertaken in the UK, all have been confirmed as negative.

The risk to individuals in the UK remains low.

Travel advice

Current advice is against all travel to Hubei province, and all but essential travel to the rest of mainland China (with the exception of Hong Kong and Macao). British nationals are also now advised to leave China if they are able.

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office also advise against all but essential travel to Daegu and Cheongdo in South Korea and ten small towns in the Lombardy region and one in the Veneto region of Italy, due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Updated travel advice can be found here (this is regularly updated): https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus

Useful blogs

Blog - what you need to know https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/01/23/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-what-you-need-to-know/

Blog about contact tracing: https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/02/13/expert-interview-what-is-contact-tracing/

Blog about self-isolation: https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/02/20/what-is-self-isolation-and-why-is-it-important/

Communications materials, useful guidance & resources

Guidance for professionals advising the public can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-guidance-to-assist-professionals-in-advising-the-general-public/guidance-to-assist-professionals-in-advising-the-general-public

Proactive supervision of staff, supervised volunteers and visitors

Important message to all Headteachers and Designated Safeguarding Leads

NB references to 'supervision' in this communication relate to the everyday meaning of supervision, i.e. oversight of an individual's behaviour and interactions while on the school/setting's premises or while engaged in school/setting business.  This communication is NOT about reflective supervision.

Some time ago, the former Warwickshire Safeguarding Children Board commissioned a local case review following concerns about the supervision of newly appointed staff pending satisfactory completion of all requisite pre-employment checks.

The review identified the importance of the manner and level of supervision of 'unvetted staff' performing the intended safeguarding function. It highlighted that simply arranging for an unvetted individual to work alongside a fully-vetted member of staff without properly briefing the vetted member of staff about their supervisory responsibilities, potentially provides false reassurances that risks are being mitigated and thereby increases the possibility of children being harmed.

It was agreed that the 2018/19 safeguarding audits of both the schools and early years sectors should include questions about these supervision arrangements.

Analysis of responses in the schools' audit highlights that the majority of respondents have not fully grasped the full range and implications of these issues. That is of particular concern in view of the fact that 221 out of 280 respondents stated 'We are very confident that our practice in this area is based on the principles of vigilance and scrutiny in order to keep children safe and we have no concerns'.

This communication is therefore intended to highlight the implications and associated expectations in order to avoid any misunderstanding or doubt.

There are four circumstances in which it may be necessary to ask a fully-vetted member of staff (an individual who is in Regulated Activity themselves) to supervise another individual:

1. A new member of staff whose pre-employment checks have not yet been completed but who, subject to a risk assessment, has been allowed to start work subject to supervision by staff who are in Regulated Activity. 

2. A volunteer who is designated ‘supervised’.  Supervised volunteers are ineligible for a Barred List check and, unless they work regularly* in a school/setting are ineligible for an Enhanced DBS check.

*Regularly means on more than three days in any period of 30 days and that the individual undertakes work that gives them the opportunity to have face to face contact with children.

3. Visitors (including some professional visitors) who are not subject to any checks or for whom the school does not have the right to ask for evidence of checks.  Any such visitor must be supervised (i.e. accompanied) at all times by staff who are in Regulated Activity.  

4. Any member of staff who is the subject of an unresolved allegation, concern or investigation where a decision has been made (in consultation with the school’s HR advisor) to allow them to continue working subject to supervision by staff who are in Regulated Activity. 

In all of the four situations above, supervision must be proactive, consistent and taken seriously in relation to safeguarding children.

Heads and DSLs are asked to reconsider the question asked in the 2018/19 audit in relation to all of these possible circumstances and to take any action necessary to ensure that supervision in this context is effective in safeguarding children.

The question was:

Reflecting on the school/setting’s approach to supervision in this context, how confident are you that any staff who are asked to supervise colleagues/volunteers in any of these circumstances are appropriately briefed (with due regard to issues of confidentiality) to undertake vigilant and scrutinous supervision that is based on the principle of ‘Think the unthinkable’?

Fully-funded training - Leading a Mentally Healthy School

Funded by the Warwickshire Improving SEND and SEMH in Schools Project (WISSSP)

A two-session fully-funded CPD programme for SLT members to lead their school to become mentally healthy.

The programme aims to enable and empower senior leaders to put mental health at the heart of strategic school improvement and to equip senior leaders with practical and sustainable approaches that can be implemented on return to school.

Various dates and venues are available to book onto, with courses starting early February.

Please note that Kineton and South Warwickshire Session A (Tuesday 11^th February and Monday 16^th February) has been cancelled. We hope to run a replacement session in the summer term in the central area.

Please see the attached flyer for more details.

This training is run in partnership between WCC, The Griffin Teaching School Alliance and Hillmorton Teaching School Alliance.

For any queries please email gwen.temple@lawrencesheriffschool.com

With a name like Educaterers, training must be top of the menu!

Trained and motivated colleagues are essential to the success of any business, and particularly important when you’re running a school catering business with hundreds of permanent staff.

Educaterers, WCC’s Local Authority Traded Company (LATC) school caterers, see their people as their most important asset and the key to their continued success.

Over 450 of their staff qualify for Level 2 Training, based upon the hours they work and their roles in school kitchens.

So Educaterers invest a lot of time and resource in the ongoing development of their staff’s skills in areas such as food safety, health & safety in the workplace and allergy awareness.

It has given Educaterers a wealth of experience when it comes to training. In 2019 alone, over 130 staff completed food safety training, more than 150 completed health & safety training and almost 170 completed allergy awareness training.

Such training means that Educaterers have skilled and motivated kitchen-based staff that can help to shape and deliver their services in schools.

In addition to this, Educaterers offer food safety training to all school staff – of particular use and importance to midday supervisors and any teachers or assistants involved in school cookery or after school clubs, for example.

This includes allergy awareness training, which highlights food safety law in the UK, the differences between intolerances and allergies, how to prevent allergen contamination and give emergency first aid.

For more information about Educaterers, visit www.educaterers.co.uk.

Free awareness event - County Lines, Cuckooing and Child Exploitation

Stratford District Council will be running an awareness event on Tuesday 10 March 2020 at the Stratford Play House, 14 Rother Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6LU around County Lines, Cuckooing and Child Exploitation (CE).

There will be two sessions running throughout the day, the first at 10am and the second at 6pm. Each session will last approximately two hours.

Event programme

Find out how to spot the signs of exploitation in this session which features: 

• A talk from Warwickshire Police on local issues relating to county lines and cuckooing

• Theatre production by Loudmouth Education & Training, helping you to spot the signs of grooming and how you can help protect and support vulnerable people. 

• A range of information stalls for attendees to take away useful resources regarding exploitation.

Why should you attend?

County Lines, Cuckooing and CE is happening in the Stratford District and can have a devastating impact on local communities. These sessions will give you the knowledge and support to spot the signs and information on how to report your concerns. 

How do I book?

If you would like to attend one of the sessions please email sam.slemensek@stratford-dc.gov.uk with the time of the session you plan to attend (either 10am or 6pm).