Covid Risk Assessment – 1st February 2022 Update

Hazards Who might be impacted? Measures to Mitigate Risk
Spread of coronavirus infection within school community Staff, students, families Infection control measures See Infection Control Measures (ICM) for parents and staff
Covid infection due to children or adults attending school whilst they have a transmissable covid infection All Staff asked to take and report LFD tests twice weekly

Families encouraged to undertake regular LFD tests

Adults and children to be sent home if displaying covid symptoms and required to undertake a PCR test

Families sent Warn & Inform letters when new covid cases identified in their child’s class

Families advised to undertake targetted testing when an “outbreak” occurs in their child’s class (more than 5 cases in a 10 day period)

Adults and children required to follow NHS guidance on When to self-isolate and what to do

Inability to quickly and accurately identify all people within school who have been in contact with a confirmed Covid-19 infection. Staff, students, families, visitors NHS Test & Trace now responsible for identification of close contacts.
Anxiety in the school community related to coronavirus and related school provision Staff, students, families Detailed infection control plan, structured communication strategy to advise families of school experience and plans, consistent, visible execution and monitoring of infection control measures Communicate Infection Control Guidance to parents and staff. Invite parent and staff feedback. SLT to read RA and ICM regularly and rigorously enforce and monitor all measures and send regular reminders. Report ICM monitoring to governors on weekly basis. Governor Covid Response Team set up to support monitoring. Standing item at Governor meetings.
Vulnerable children not accessing education due to difficulties accessing Covid testing Students Provide details of how to access appropriate testing (i.e. LFD and PCR testing) if required
Children receiving sub-optimal education provision (within coronavirus situation constraints) Students All students are required to attend school. Remote Learning Policy drives consistent and coordinated delivery of education through a combination of in-school and distance learning arrangements. Ensure students have appropriate facilities to access distance learning where required (e.g. Chromebook)
Insufficient staff available, due to self-isolation (combined with normal absence reasons), to deliver effective education for whole school Students Reduce spread of infection in school (see above)
SEND children missing out on provision due to Covid restrictions SEND students Identify most vulnerable SEND and encourage students to attend school. Ensure regular contact maintained with families where students can’t or won’t attend school. Ensure appropriate provision and special accommodations are supplied remotely if students not attending school. SW to closely monitor SEND provision in class/on Learning Platforms and at home
School staff welfare compromised due to stress and changing workload required to manage changes due to coronavirus Staff Develop detailed plans for changing school procedures and timetables and fully engage staff team in necessary change plans. Solicit staff feedback and incorporate feedback into plans where possible. Ensure regular communication sessions with staff to ensure issues ae identified and addressed in a timely manner. Fortnightly staff Zoom sessions include opportunities to give feedback on arrangements. Use email to communicate all documents to staff. SLT to reinforce content of documents each day
School finance adversely affected due coronavirus effects and accommodations School Record all additional spending and income lost as a consequence of coronavirus restrictions and accommodations.
Lateral Flow Testing
Test Kits are not managed or distributed correctly Staff Appoint Covid Coordinator and Registration Assistant. Keep tests locked in library. Record LOT nos/staff names on Test Kit Log. Follow school ICM for handing out kits.
Staff unsure of the testing process leading to inaccurate results Staff, students Clear communication of process including video link. Q&A Zoom meeting. Links for recording to Govt and school sent via WhatsApp. Send reminder message Thu/Sun evening. Staff to communicate results by 8pm. CC available for questions Thu/Sun evening. Covid Coordinator to review FAQs and attend LA Information Meetings or contact DfE Covid Helpline 08000468687.
Positive test leads to bubble closure, Families expecting to send children to school have no time to organise childcare Students, families Tests taken Sun/Thu evening to ensure time to communicate bubble closure to parents if necessary. Parent communication letter.
Following hazards were included in RA V2.0 and are lockdown specific – as at September 2021 there is no lockdown and so risks are not relevant – unless a further lockdown is imposed.
Excessive interruption to children’s education due to self-isolation/Lockdown requirements Students Remote Learning Policy drives consistent and coordinated delivery of education. Contact families to ensure students have appropriate facilities to access Remote Learning where required (e.g. Chromebooks)
Inclusion Team to monitor daily engagement and record comments in tracking sheet.
Weekly engagement report to governors
Vulnerable (SEND/EAL/otherwise) children not accessing education Students Inclusion Team to contact families where children may be at risk of not accessing Remote Learning. Offer paper support package/Chromebook/part-time school place where numbers permit. Keep staffing ratios high at school to ensure high quality support. Contact after two days if no engagement recorded by class teacher.
Extensive list of children entitled to school place means tranmission is not reduced Staff, students, families Continued message of ‘stay at home unless absolutely necessary’. Cap numbers at 15 per class. Track places allocated on spreadsheet. Telephone parents to review home situation. Inform teachers when a new child is admitted with brief reasons. Regular review of families with key worker parents to determine if situation has changed/working hours have increased.
Families experiencing excessive stress during Lockdown Families Teachers in contact via email. HT/DHT to call families known to have stuggled excessively at last Lockdown exhibiting signs of stress to provide reassurance and support.
Children experiencing mental health issues/disengagement from school due to coronavirus / lockdown Students Identify children suffering or at risk from suffering mental health issues. Maintain close contact with at risk children, particularly those that can’t or won’t attend school. Keep consistent staff with class bubbles where possible.  School to prioritise well-being during Lockdown. Inclusion Team to monitor daily engagement/attendance and record comments in tracking sheet.
Following hazards were included in RA V1.0 when most children unable to attend due to lockdown – anticipate some degree of continued COVID-related non-attendance – much lower level but will need to continue to be monitored closely – particularly important to understand reasons (legitimate or otherwise) for any non-attendance.
Children not attending due to parent/carer consideration of COVID risks Students HLSW to monitor non-attendance and determine parent/carer reasons. Solicit medical evidence to support non-attendance. If no medical support provided advise that non-attendance is unauthorised. If unauthorised non-attendance persists then follow school Attendance Policy
Children experiencing domestic abuse or neglect Vulnerable Students HSLW to maintain regular with families/social care where students can’t or won’t attend school. See Temporary Addition to Child Protection Policy
Children disengaging from school due to prolonged absence Students Encourage all students to attend school. Ensure children not attending school maximally engaged with distance learning. Regular phone calls from class teacher for children not attending school due to COVID considerations.
Children having insufficient nutrition due to missing school dinners FSM / UIFSM students Encourage students to attend school and access FSMs where possible. SGL to check during scheduled telephone conversations. Remind parents of requirement to attend school and how to access FSM if eligible