Coronavirus
31 December 2020
Updated advice to all Early Years providers, Schools and Further Education providers.
Guidance for January Return to Schools - Updated 31 December 2020
Guidance for January Return to Schools
Guidance for Full Opening in September - Updated 7 September 2020
Guidance for Full Opening in September
Updated: 20 October 2020 - 9:30am
Notification of a COVID-19 Case
Updated: 18 September 2020 - 2pm
Letter from Matt Dunkley to all Kent Schools - 17 September (PDF, 154.1 KB)
Updated: 16 September - 10am
Letter from David Adams to all Kent Schools - 15 September (PDF, 145.3 KB)
Updated: 7 September - 4pm
Education settings COVID-19 resource pack (PDF, 712.1 KB)
Updated: 26 August 2020 - 10:30am
Following the announcement on 25 August regarding the wearing of face coverings in secondary schools, as Kent is not an area of high infection rates, it is for each secondary headteacher to decide when and where they should be worn (if at all). The face coverings in education guidance gives key considerations for headteachers to assist in decision making. It also includes advice which schools can communicate to their students on how to wear face coverings and to dispose of them correctly. There is also a template for a ‘face covering exempt’ sign which can be worn as a badge or downloaded onto a mobile phone.
Updated: 20 August 2020 - 5pm
Following an announcement by Pearson yesterday afternoon, level 1 and 2 BTec grades will not be issued to students by schools today. Further information to schools will be issued by Pearson and Ofqual in due course.
Pearson - update on BTec grading
Guide to GCSE results for England 2020
GCSE and A level Grades - Updated: 19 August - 11am
The GCSE grades which schools will receive today will be the formal results ready to distribute to candidates tomorrow, Thursday 20 August
Revised A level grades and level 3 Applied General grades will also be issued to schools today.
Further information on appeals will follow from Ofqual.
Pearson - understanding your results in 2020
Updated: 18 August - 3:30pm
In the light of recent announcements, all previous guidance has been withdrawn. As soon as further information becomes available it will be published here.
GCSE and A Level students to receive centre assessment grades
Statement from Roger Taylor - Chair Ofqual
Grading of vocational and technical qualifications
Virtual Headteacher Briefing - 8 July 2020
- Virtual Headteacher Briefing - Questions Answered (PDF, 118.9 KB)
- Virtual Headteacher Briefing recording
- Virtual Headteacher Briefing Live presentation slides (PDF, 1.0 MB)
Letters from Matt Dunkley
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 25 June 2020 (PDF, 188.0 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 19 June 2020 (PDF, 90.2 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 16 June 2020 (PDF, 78.5 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 15 June 2020 (PDF, 74.3 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 12 June 2020 (PDF, 82.2 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 10 June 2020 (PDF, 77.9 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 5 June 2020 (PDF, 29.2 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 29 May 2020 (PDF, 254.8 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 26 May 2020 (PDF, 77.6 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 22 May 2020 (PDF, 163.5 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 20 May 2020 (PDF, 147.1 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 18 May 2020 (PDF, 74.8 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 13 May 2020 (PDF, 129.9 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 4 May 2020 (PDF, 94.3 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 29 April 2020 (PDF, 93.7 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 28 April 2020 (PDF, 75.9 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 22 April 2020 (PDF, 80.2 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 20 April 2020 (PDF, 83.1 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 14 April 2020 (PDF, 70.8 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 9 April 2020 (PDF, 74.7 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 8 April 2020 (PDF, 96.9 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 7 April 2020 (PDF, 87.2 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 3 April 2020 (PDF, 77.7 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 2 April 2020 (PDF, 77.4 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 1 April 2020 (PDF, 74.8 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 31 March 2020 (PDF, 94.7 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 30 March 2020 (PDF, 73.8 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 27 March 2020 (PDF, 74.5 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 26 March 2020 (PDF, 74.9 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 24 March 2020 (PDF, 70.3 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 23 March 2020 (PDF, 76.3 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 20 March 2020 (PDF, 74.5 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 19 March 2020 (PDF, 365.4 KB)
- A Letter from Matt Dunkley to all Early Years and Childcare Settings in Kent (PDF, 164.1 KB)
- A letter from Matt Dunkley to all schools in Kent - 17 March 2020 (PDF, 105.4 KB)
Local Guidance
These links are being updated as and when new information becomes available, so keep checking for the up to date information.
FAQs:
- KCC - Questions answered for parents and the public
- Safeguarding FAQs (PDF, 199.1 KB)
- Governor Services FAQs (PDF, 211.3 KB)
- Admissions FAQs (PDF, 79.8 KB)
- Early Years and Childcare Providers FAQs (PDF, 253.8 KB)
- Easter Provision FAQs (PDF, 223.7 KB)
- Governor FAQs (PDF, 211.3 KB)
- HR FAQs (PDF, 321.9 KB)
- Insurance FAQs (PDF, 87.8 KB)
- Safeguarding Toolkit for Education Settings (PDF, 167.3 KB)
- School Funding FAQs (PDF, 93.4 KB)
- SEN Inclusion Fund (SENIF) FAQs (PDF, 129.3 KB)
- Other School Finance Related FAQs (PDF, 41.2 KB)
Guidance:
- Return to School Child Protection Policy Addendum (DOCX, 193.9 KB)
- Public Health England letter to Kent schools - 29 May 2020 (PDF, 153.0 KB)
- LA Hubs guidance (PDF, 173.6 KB)
- EHCP Risk Assessment (DOCX, 126.2 KB)
- Finance Form and 3 Year Plan letter (PDF, 69.6 KB)
- Finance Data Collection form (XLSX, 39.9 KB)
- NHS Here For You social media schools' campaign briefing (PDF, 116.8 KB)
- Letter to Schools - COVID-19 September Guarantee Process (PDF, 489.5 KB)
- How to manage your suppliers during the COVID-19 Outbreak (PDF, 210.8 KB)
- Schools Facilities Management guidance (PDF, 194.5 KB)
- Free School Meals (FSM) guidance (PDF, 162.7 KB)
- Kent Children's University Home Learning Resources Pack
- Kent Cares Town Home Learning Resources
- Letter from Virtual School Kent (VSK) to Carers - 3 April 2020 (PDF, 135.4 KB)
- School Child Protection Policy Addendum (DOCX, 168.7 KB)
- The Education People - Supporting Children's Transitions (PDF, 2.7 MB)
- Early Years and Childcare Funding Guidance (PDF, 22.6 KB)
- Supporting children and young people’s mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic - NHS Kent and Medway CCG - Issue 3 - May 2020
- Supporting children and young people’s mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic - NHS Kent and Medway CCG - Issue 2 - April 2020
- Information for Children and Young People’s Mental Health Needs - NHS Kent and Medway CCG - Issue 1 - April 2020 (PDF, 872.7 KB)
- Coronavirus scams awareness letter (PDF, 151.1 KB)
- Mandate Fraud alert (PDF, 112.8 KB)
- Sextortion Scam alert (PDF, 118.3 KB)
- Covid-19 - Fraud Alert - Spear Phishing (PDF, 127.5 KB)
- CoVID-19 Safeguarding Toolkit for Education Settings (DOCX, 81.3 KB)
- Hub Safeguarding Toolkit and Appendices (ZIP, 1.7 MB)
- Prevent Education Officer Newsletter - May 2020 (PDF, 277.3 KB)
Early Years and Childcare Blogs
- Early Years and Childcare blog - The Education People - 26 June 2020 (PDF, 128.4 KB)
- Early Years and Childcare blog - The Education People - 19 June 2020 (PDF, 151.5 KB)
- Early Years and Childcare blog - The Education People - 12 June 2020 (PDF, 111.1 KB)
- Early Years and Childcare blog - The Education People - 9 June 2020 (PDF, 109.6 KB)
- Early Years and Childcare blog - The Education People - 29 May 2020 (PDF, 159.5 KB)
- Early Years and Childcare blog - The Education People - 19 November 2020 (PDF, 159.8 KB)
National Guidance
All of the Department for Education’s coronavirus guidance for educational settings can now be found in one place:
Guidance for schools and other educational settings collection
The DfE's main guidance for schools, the ‘school closures guidance’, will be regularly kept up-to-date. Any new advice for schools on specific issues, such as food, exams or safeguarding, will be linked from it:
These links are being updated as and when new information becomes available, so keep checking for the up to date information.
- Guidance for schools, colleges and local authorities on maintaining educational provision
- Guidance for educational settings
- Government website
- COVID-19 - getting tested
- Public Health England blog
- Key Workers - Partial closure of educational settings - information for parents and carers
- Providing apprenticeships during the coronavirus outbreak
- Voucher scheme launches for schools providing free school meals
- COVID-19: free school meals guidance
- Financial Support for Schools
- Extra support for schools and parents to help cope with coronavirus
- Online education resources
- Turner Contemporary learning resources
- NHS CoVID-19 Parent Guide (PDF, 537.5 KB)
- School and college accountability
- Isolation in residential educational settings guidance
- Advice for staff from overseas
- Travel advice for educational settings
- Information for the public
- PHE e-Bug project - learning resources on hand washing and respiratory hygiene
- Minister Ford's open letter to the SEND sector - 24 March 2020 (PDF, 326.2 KB)
- Minister Ford's open letter to the Early Years sector - 24 March 2020 (PDF, 145.4 KB)
- Full guidance on staying at home and away from others
- Implementing social distancing in education and childcare settings
- Attendance recording for educational settings
- Further details on exams and grades announced
Schools should check the PHE website every day to ascertain the latest advice. The website is being updated whenever the advice changes.
Experts at Public Health England (PHE) continue to work hard tracing patient contacts from the UK cases. Should a school pupil or staff member be identified as a contact of a confirmed case they will be asked to self isolate by PHE. We are advised that in these cases there would not be a need for a school to close or take further action and everyone else can continue to go about their daily routine, e.g. going to work or school as they would normally.
The student or staff member will be given specific advice from PHE. To discuss specific concerns with PHE, below are the contact details for the Kent health protection team:
In hours: 0344 225 3861 (option 0 then option 1)
Out of hours: 0844 967 0085
Email: KPU-Kent@phe.gov.uk
Area Education Officers should also continue to be kept fully informed of school specific circumstances, as they would be for any school incident or emergency. You may find that the KCC 'Emergency Planning in Kent Schools 2020-21' guidance will provide more information about how to maintain business continuity.
The ‘Emergency Planning for Kent Schools 2020-21’ guide has not yet been updated with Covid 19 advice. However, the Covid 19 virus behaves similarly to the Influenza virus and the advice on how to manage a flu outbreak in schools appears to be the same as that for Covid 19. It would therefore be prudent for all schools to consult the Influenza section of the guide and assess what precautionary measures they could introduce, should the virus take hold in UK.
For any general health queries people should call NHS 111.
For any education safeguarding concerns, please contact the Education Safeguarding Service.
We ask that you share the generic hand hygiene messaging among your school community. This is the ‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’ messaging which is vital to help prevent the spread of any virus. Please also display the posters where appropriate.
Mental health charities such as the Mental Health Foundation are working with the Public Health England and the Department of Health and Social Care to provide support to address the mental health and psychosocial aspects of the Coronavirus outbreak.
They are advising people on the language to use including guidance on how to talk to children about this. They say:
“Involving our family and children in our plans for good health is essential. We need be alert to and ask children what they have heard about the outbreak and support them, without causing them alarm.
We need to minimise the negative impact it has on our children and explain the facts to them. Discuss the news with them but try and avoid over-exposure to coverage of the virus. Be as truthful as possible.”
More information at the Mental Health website