Ministry of Education guidelines for a return to school in level three

Ministry of Education guidelines for a return to school in alert level three - Summary

Full document: Schooling and Early Learning Education detail for Alert Levels 2, 3 and 4

General principles (for primary schools)

Early learning centres and schools are open for children up to year 10, with appropriate public health measures in place.

• If there is a parent or caregiver available to look after children at home, stay at home. 
• Children at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 must stay home wherever possible.
• Primary and intermediate schools are open. If there is a parent or caregiver available to look after children at home and school children have access to distance learning, continue education at home. Distance learning is available for those not attending school (e.g. self- isolating or parent at home). 
• Initially the number of children or young people must be limited to 10 in a group, but this can be increased to 20 once all processes are running smoothly. 
• Any educational facilities connected to a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19 must close on an individual or group basis for 72 hours to allow contact tracing and cleaning, and then potentially for a further 14 days.

Guidelines (for primary schools)

Schools are physically open to cater on site for years 1- 10 students and distance learning is available for all.
If there is a parent or caregiver available to look after children at home and school children have access to distance learning, children are encouraged to stay at home.

Schools may need to build their onsite rolls up over time as they become confident in managing the public health requirements and depending on the availability of the teaching workforce. Schools will open at least a week after the alert level changes. In practice some may take longer to be open for students. 

Staff who are have a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 are able to come to school but may also choose not to do so and to continue to work from home. 

Specific public health measures to be taken in schools: 

· Parents are asked to keep any sick children at home. If a sick child comes to school, send them home. 

· Hand sanitiser at entry to classrooms and in bathrooms. 

· Staggered entry times into classes with one time for school transport to minimise gatherings of children or parents. 

· Breaks should be staggered as should starts and finishes to the day, and bubbles cannot mix during breaks. 

· Initially the number of children must be limited to 10 in a school bubble, but this can be increased to 20 once all processes are running smoothly. There can be multiple school bubbles in a physical space but there must be distance between bubbles and strictly no mixing between school bubbles (working this through).To support contact tracing students should sit in the same place each day, with 1m physical distance between all children, young people and staff. Must maintain 2 metre physical distance outside and 1m inside during breaks and 1m on school transport. 

· Physical education classes and break time activities cannot include sports with <2m physical distance or where the same equipment is touched by different students (balls, ropes, sticks, etc). 

· Disinfect and clean all surfaces daily. 

· Contact tracing registers must be set up and identify which children are in each teaching space, record when and who they have contact with during the day if that changes. This includes recording who the adults are in contact with as well as recording any visitors to the site, including parents. 

Ministry staff supplemented by resource teachers continue to support children with learning support needs by phone and Skype. Teacher aides return to school to provide onsite support to teachers and children 

Limited school transport able to return. 

Food in Schools Programmes will start provided public health considerations can be managed. OSCAR  i.e. After School Care programmes are still closed (to reduce the risk of mixing between different groups of children). Some school redevelopment and construction projects may be able to resume if the requirements of Alert Level 3 can be met. 

PPE not required or recommended as necessary in any educational facility by the Public Health Service