​Welcome back to education in Bury!

Schools across Bury have been busy putting safety measures in place so that pupils can confidently return to education next week.

The local authority has been working closely with school leaders and health colleagues, following national guidance from Government and Public Health England, in order to ensure that schools are ready to welcome their pupils.

Covid-19 secure measures will remain in place to reduce the risk of transmission, and there will be some use of zoning, bubbles, scenario planning, and curriculum adjustments to suit specific situations and environments. This is alongside protective measures such as regular cleaning and handwashing.

Start and finish times may also be phased – parents should contact their child’s school for further information.

Councillor Tamoor Tariq, cabinet member for children’s services, young people and skills, said: “This has been a year of tremendous disruption to our children’s education, and everyone is keen that they can return to school in safety.

“It is our duty to make sure our young people receive a good education, with their classmates and with ‘real life’ teachers.

“But this must be done safely. We have spent a great deal of time - both over the last term, and during the summer break - planning for the new academic year and the reopening of our schools to all age groups.

“I’d like to thank head teachers and their staff, and the many council officers involved, for their hard work in getting our schools ready in time for the autumn term.”

Cllr Tariq added: “There is a robust, well-planned, and safe framework of support to sustain children’s learning, with appropriate support to staff and families.

“Where there have been Covid-19 spikes in education centres or schools, we have, with the support of Public Health England, been able to successfully manage them and to learn from the experience.

“We should anticipate and expect to have to deal successfully with further cases of the virus: and we have demonstrated that we have this capacity.

“With the active engagement of our colleagues in health, care, cleaning, catering and transport, and with the engagement of the unions and associations, we have made substantial adjustments to the ways in which we work to ensure a consistently high level of safety, hygiene, social distancing and prevention.”

Government Guidance

What parents and carers need to know about early years providers, schools and colleges during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

Information for parents and carers about going back to schools, nurseries and colleges in the autumn term can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak

Face coverings in education

The Department for Education has also issued guidance on the use of face coverings for schools and other education institutions that teach people in Years 7 and above in England: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-in-education/face-coverings-in-education

Travel to School

Please see Transport for Greater Manchester https://tfgm.com/public-transport/schools

Further guidance

Guidance for parents and carers of children attending community activities, holiday or after-school clubs, tuition and other out-of-school settings can be found here.

This guidance covers changes to after-school clubs, holiday clubs, tuition, community activities and other out-of-school settings for children and young people over the age of 5 during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Department for Education Coronavirus helpline

There is a helpline to answer questions about Coronavirus (COVID-19) related to education. Staff, parents and young people can contact the helpline as follows.

Phone: 0800 046 8687,
Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk.

Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday).

ENDS

Press release issued: 28 August 2020.