Control measures to reduce/remove risk

Identify staff who can’t return to teaching face to face and consider remote teaching services.

Identify staff (& record that this has been carried out for each staff member) who are clinically vulnerable, clinically extremely vulnerable/shielded or who live with a household member who is shielded.

. Clinically vulnerable staff should follow the advice of their doctor

. Those with a clinically vulnerable household member can attend

. Those who are clinically extremely vulnerable/shielded should only attend if stringent social distancing can be adhered to

Identify staff who are, or who live with someone who is symptomatic or a confirmed case of Covid-19. They cannot return until self-isolation is over or a negative test is received.

Set up clear, repeated messaging to parents/carers/students that students must not attend class if they or a member of their household is symptomatic or a confirmed case of Covid-19, until self-isolation is over or a negative test is confirmed. For after school “bubble” ballet classes, students will be attending school in accordance with the school Covid-19 policy. “Bubble” ballet classes to be taught in year group bubbles such as Nursery & Reception etc together and teaching staff to maintain social distancing whilst teaching. Cleaning of high touch surfaces between classes. Wearing of masks whilst escorting children around the site & in closer proximity areas such as corridors.

Staff to avoid using public transport if possible

Staff to wear face covering and use hand sanitiser if necessary. As of November 2020, face masks can be removed once students and teachers are ready for dance class. They do not need to be worn to exercise. Face masks must be worn in public areas whilst moving around the school premises.

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Enable action plan to employ cover staff to cover illness/self-isolation/return to lockdown where this is at all possible and if not possible, to provide classes remotely via zoom or if necessary, cancel affected classes and add these sessions to the end of term or at a suitable other time.

Ensure if cover staff are employed, that they are trained with regard to Susyballet Covid-19 policy and Bishopsgate Covid-19 policy (for classes held during school hours) including use of PPE, cleaning & hygiene procedures, social distancing, bubbles, screening, safeguarding and what to do if someone has symptoms of Covid-19

Ensure that there are appropriate ratios of adult to child supervision for all classes and that staff are appropriately trained, insured and competent (qualifications, first aid etc). For safeguarding, ensure parent and student contact details are up to date.

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For classes at Bishopsgate outside of school hours:

Staff/students to have temperature taken upon arrival. Anyone with a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or above to be turned away. All staff/students will need to complete a Covid-19 screening questionnaire on arrival. Anyone not meeting screening requirements will be turned away. At the entrance to the sports hall at Bishopsgate, it may be more difficult to maintain social distancing due to people entering & departing through one entrance, so staff will wear PPE/masks as appropriate to conduct the screening procedure and then students will be either directed up to the studio to prepare for class or asked to wait in the foyer until the teacher has completed arrival procedures.

Parents and students (where appropriate) to be reminded about screening procedures and reasons for this. Parents to be reminded about safe social distancing procedures whilst queuing to drop children off for class or when collecting children from class. Keep parents informed via email and by signage if appropriate (this is for Susyballet after school hours & weekend classes).

Staff/students to use hand sanitiser on entry to hall and on exit. 

Students will be kept in their small class “bubbles” and once term has started will not be able to swap to other days or classes. Numbers of students per class will be limited to ensure social distancing guidelines are met. For the time being, there will be no other people allowed in the hall during class other than teaching staff and students. Parents watching is currently suspended in order to protect staff and students from unnecessary risk of transmission.  For classes within school hours & after school ballet clubs (for Bishopsgate Students), students will be taught within their class “bubbles”.

Only essential visitors will be allowed to enter hall at present time. People will only be allowed into the hall with the permission of the teacher. Ensure visitors understand expectations and adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Wherever possible, timings will be adjusted to allow for safe drop off and collection of students and to allow time for cleaning to take place between sessions. Class length may be adjusted accordingly to allow for these new measures. 

Social distancing and hygiene measures will be adhered to at all times by staff. Students will be reminded frequently with regard to this also. Remind students to catch coughs and sneezes in tissues/elbow and to dispose of used tissues in bins provided and then sanitise/wash hands.

Each student will be asked to place their possessions and outdoor shoes along the corridor outside of the dance studio, separated from each other as much as possible. For classes within school hours & “bubble” classes consisting of just Bishopsgate students, footwear will be left outside the studio.

Students should come ready dressed in ballet outfit for class and only bring essential items with them which MUST all be named. In the case of small children, please only allow them to bring items which they can manage themselves. E.g., if they cannot put on/take off ballet shoes by themselves then please bring them to class wearing ballet shoes already (put them on in foyer).

Teaching staff (Susyballet) are trained first aiders and in the case of first aid being required, then PPE will be worn to provide assistance if it is needed, however, wherever possible, assistance will be given from a safe distance.

Please make sure that your children have been to the toilet before arriving at class. There are toilets at the hall, however, children will only be able to use these one at a time to observe social distancing and staff will not be able to assist them so please make sure that your children will be able to use the toilet independently if necessary. For this reason, I would not recommend any other garments are worn other than the ballet leotard, socks and ballet shoes for our youngest students (this is for Susyballet after school hours & weekend classes)

For the time being, no props will be used during class which are shared. Where props are used, these will be cleaned before each class use or quarantined for 72 hours between use. The teacher may ask students to bring in their own props instead on occasion.

Dance classes for the time being will be adapted to take into account social distancing measures and to prevent any unnecessary risk of transmission. Students will not be touching each other or holding hands and will have their own space marked (if necessary) where they are to dance. Students will stand side to side as much as possible. Aerobic activity will be reduced and a wider space used for this. The teacher will maintain a 2-metre distance from students and on occasion during class will teach the students with her back to them. Music may be played quieter to prevent having to shout. There will be no singing. For “bubble” classes held at Bishopsgate with just Bishopsgate students, it is not necessary for children to socially distance, as per the schools guidance. Children will not touch each other or hold hands however & staff will maintain social distance. 

Between classes at least and as much as possible as is safe to do so during class, windows will be opened to allow fresh air to circulate and to increase ventilation. The air filtration and heating system will be used to assist in this respect. This applies to all dance classes held in the studio.

To prevent people from getting too close to one another, pinch points will be identified and appropriate measures taken to prevent unsafe situations. E.g. there is only one entrance at the sports hall and so one group of students will need to leave the building first before a new group arrive to prevent overcrowding. This applies to all dance classes held in the dance studio.

Rubber/plastic mats/spots will be used to help young children space themselves at a safe distance from each other. These will be cleaned between uses or quarantined for 72 hours before subsequent use.

Hand sanitiser available upon entry/exit, plus hand sanitiser available at other locations. Have wipes/cleaning fluid available to wipe down any equipment when needed. Have plenty of tissues, hand sanitiser, hand towels, wipes bins etc readily available. Hand washing facilities are available and there will be adequate supplies of handwash, hand towels or hand driers and bins.

Enhanced cleaning will be introduced as per Bishopsgate Covid-19 policy. High touch points to be targeted such as door handles, taps, flush handles, push handles, switches, chairs. Manufacturer guidelines to be followed with regard to cleaning materials used and PPE to be worn where necessary.

Reduce surface contamination and transmission risk by providing methods of contactless payment and send information out via email, social media channels etc… Online registration forms only. All class information and terms and conditions available online.

Restrict amount of people using toilets at any one time to prevent pinch point overcrowding.

Monitor entrance/exit arrangements to ensure people are observing social distancing requirements. Amend or alter plans if necessary.

There will be no water cups available at venue so if children want to bring water bottles (not recommended for young children for short classes) then these must be named.

We regret that at this time for hygiene reasons there will be no lost property stored. Any items left at the end of each class will be disposed of immediately, therefore, please try to limit items brought to class, especially for young children. This applies to Susyballet classes outside of school hours.

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Staff consulted on Covid-19 risk assessment/management plan. Staff briefed on risks and need to follow Government guidelines and maintain social distancing and other measures.

Update Susyballet policies to reflect new Covid-19 related guidance. Inform parents and students about updated and new guidance and keep them informed of any developments. Remind parents, students and visitors frequently about new measures and where possible use posters to reinforce key points. 

Remind students at the start of each session and if necessary, throughout about keeping their distance from one another, minimising shouting, catch it/bin/kill it, hand hygiene, do not touch face.

Use markers on floor where appropriate to help students know where to stand. 

Remind parents/carers about need to socially distance whilst waiting for children to be dropped off/collected and for need to wait outside.

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It will be very difficult to maintain a 1 metre social distancing requirement when administering first aid, but wherever possible physical contact should be kept to a minimum. E.g. students can apply their own ice pack, tissue, plaster where able to. 

Where it is not possible to keep a 1 metre distance when administering first aid, PPE must be worn and thorough hand washing applied before and after. 

A designated area will be allocated for any person who may develop Covid-19 symptoms during class and needs to wait safely isolated until they can be collected.

Always dial 999 in an emergency.

There will always be a member of staff in attendance who is first aid trained.

These guidelines are applicable to all Susyballet dance classes held at Bishopsgate.

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If a staff member needs to provide care to a student who is unwell and may be displaying symptoms of Covid-19, full PPE consisting of fluid resistant mask, rubber gloves, disposable apron, eye protection (if risk of splashing is evident such as coughing, vomiting etc) should be worn.

Person who is unwell to:

Tell staff member immediately

Staff member to cease teaching and send all students to their spots/mats if appropriate.

Ill student to be isolated from rest of class as far as is possible and parent called to collect immediately. Provide tissues and separate bin. For Bishopsgate students attending classes within school hours & after school “bubble” classes, procedures for dealing with suspected cases of Covid-19 during the school day will be followed.

Any tissues etc used by ill student to be kept in a separate bin bag and treated as per the Government guidelines for disposing of infected Covid-19 waste. Thorough cleaning to take place afterwards wearing appropriate PPE.

When parent arrives to collect student, inform them that they will need to self-isolate the student for 10 days (unless a test proves negative), arrange a test within 5 days and follow the Government guidelines for self-isolating for the rest of the household should it be necessary.

Inform ill student, their parent and other students/parents that they may be contacted by the NHS Test & Trace programme.

Other students will then need to be collected and their parents informed that they may have been exposed to Covid-19. 

The government guidelines currently advise that if there is a confirmed case of Covid-19 that anyone who has been in close contact must self-isolate for 14 days from the date of your last contact with them. 

The RAD guidance follows official government advice in relation to Covid-19.

The above guidelines will be followed for Susyballet classes taking place on school premises outside of school hours & at weekends. If a child falls ill during a dance class within school hours, then the school Covid-19 procedures for dealing with a suspected case of Covid-19 will be followed.

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Update all Susyballet documents online to reflect new procedures and guidelines in use during the Covid-19 outbreak. GDPR guidelines allow us to request essential information from staff, customers and visitors for the purpose of the NHS Test and Trace programme. Consent is not required for this but our policies will explain what we will do with your information acquired for this purpose and how it will be stored. 

Inform parents/students that our policies have been updated and ask them to read and resubmit a new registration form in light of new procedures and guidelines. 

Parents must remain close by to Bishopsgate Sports Hall, during their child’s class in case they are needed (waiting in the car is fine), however, Bishopsgate do not give permission for parents to move around the school site whilst waiting. There are no waiting areas within the school site. This is a safeguarding/safety requirement but also to limit the spread of Covid-19 around the site.

Class registers to be kept up to date and Covid-19 screening questionnaires to be stored safely for 21 days as per Government guidelines.

This is in relation to Susyballet out of school hours classes held in the evening and at weekends.

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If the dance studio/sports hall needs to be vacated for any emergency reason, then social distancing procedures will be followed as far as is practicable. Try to keep 2 metre distance between people at assembly point.