
Coronavirus: what you need to know - mental health and wellbeing
Ten points to support child mental health and wellbeing in primary and secondary schools as well as protecting mental health of staff in schools.
The coronavirus pandemic has contributed to specific issues in special schools and for SEND in mainstream schools.
The Department for Education (DfE) advice for schools is that face coverings or masks should be worn in secondary schools where social distancing cannot be maintained, including in classrooms. This also applies to special school pupils of secondary school age.
The likelihood that distancing will be more difficult to maintain in special schools than in mainstream schools means this advice on face coverings must be considered even more seriously.
Although some pupils in special schools will qualify for an exemption to wearing a mask in school, the NEU advises that where possible, and in discussion with parent/carers, SEND pupils should be encouraged to wear masks or face coverings when in school as much as possible. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to SEND pupils’ ability and willingness to wear a mask, so schools should not rule this out with a blanket policy.
Those who rely on visual signals for communication, or work with those who communicate in this way, are exempt from wearing face coverings/masks under DfE guidance. The NEU advice is that clear masks should be worn by staff working with hearing impaired pupils and/or colleagues. Visors are not suitable as they do not protect against aerosol transmission.
The DfE advice to schools is that CEV staff are advised not to attend the workplace until at least 31 March, when there will be a further review. It advises that school leaders should discuss ways in which they will support CEV staff to work from home unless they prefer to come into school, in which case they should carry out a risk assessment and discuss how the staff member will be kept safe. Again, challenges in maintaining distancing and other issues should be specifically considered in special schools.
See: Coronavirus: medically vulnerable and higher risk groups
The DfE guidance on rapid asymptomatic testing in specialist settings has been updated to include information about home testing for staff, twice-weekly testing of secondary aged pupils, and changes for on-site testing through asymptomatic test sites.
It says testing for staff and pupils is voluntary and that “if assisted swabbing is required, the willingness and feasibility to swab should be reviewed and risk assessed every time before swabbing.”
Staff in special schools will be provided with testing kits so that they can test themselves twice a week at home.
Given the likelihood that fewer secondary age pupils in special schools will consent to, or medically be able to, take the test (for example, due to gag reflex) it is essential that all other safety measures, including mask wearing, bubbles, cleaning, etc. remain in place in these settings and that risk assessments include this.
DfE says that in line with the risk assessment and timetabling of the day, schools should put in place and maintain an enhanced cleaning schedule which should include:
NEU advice is that cleaning should be considered as part of the school risk assessment and that NEU reps should discuss this with school leaders.
The NEU has published detailed advice on ventilation and temperature.
For students in special schools for whom too cold a room would be detrimental to their health, individual risk assessments must be undertaken in discussion with parents/carers. This should not, however, result in unacceptable conditions for staff or other students.
The latest DfE guidance suggests a variety of measures for ventilation, including:
To balance the need for increased ventilation while maintaining a comfortable temperature, consider:
Heating should be used as necessary to ensure comfort levels are maintained, particularly in occupied spaces.
The NEU view is that in order to help with the balance between ventilation and warmth, uniform and dress codes should be relaxed to allow staff and students to dress appropriately. In addition, schools and colleges should, where necessary, have the heating turned up higher and for longer, starting earlier in the morning, to keep the temperature comfortable throughout the working day.
General workplace guidance on ventilation is available from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The NEU advice draws upon the HSE advice as well as guidance from the Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Associations (REHVA) and the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Covid-19 ventilation guidance, Emerging from Lockdown.
The DfE advice says that specialist teachers and peripatetic staff should continue to provide ‘reasonable interventions’ where necessary, including moving between settings.
The NEU has written to all schools asking them to ensure procedures reflect the needs of peripatetic staff. The NEU is, however, concerned about staff safety when moving between settings or bubbles within the same setting. Each school/setting should have a risk assessment in place for visiting specialists and peripatetic staff. You should make sure the following are in place:
The NEU thinks that the number of students coming into school needs to be assessed in terms of safety and the need to reduce transmission of coronavirus, not on funding considerations. The latest DfE guidance says: “Funding should be maintained and services should not be reduced because some or all children and young people are not in attendance (because of sickness or self-isolation).”
The NEU is aware that there are some specific funding concerns emerging for PRUs and APs because schools and local authorities (LAs) are not referring students at the normal rate. The union is raising these issues with the DfE.
You can find out more about being a workplace rep during coronavirus here.
Here are some tips on how to approach your head teacher with members' ideas, suggestions and concerns.