www.boarding.org.uk No images? Click here Dear membersThis week’s Covid-19 communication covers:
As ever the update is issued by BSA in conjunction with our partners BAISIS and ISC. BSA reminds all schools that it is not a medical, statutory or legal authority and any advice is given on that basis. A.1: What has changed It is not anticipated that many new countries will reopen their schools before August, other than in parts of the world where holidays differ from the traditional pattern of the northern hemisphere. In Thailand schools still plan to reopen on July 1st. A further step is taken in England today with some Year 10 and 12 pupils being allowed back to school, and potentially some further pupils in prep and primary, see section A3 for details. Wales sees a limited reopening on June 29, with schools in Scotland able to open in a phased manner from August 11, and schools in Northern Ireland later that month. In England, any further school opening is scheduled “in September”, with plans to have all primary pupils returning before the summer having last week been shelved. A.2: COVID-Safe Charter
Schools wishing to adopt it may use the logo to accompany the Charter, and BSA advocates using the logo as a button which is linked to the full document. We would be grateful if schools would inform BSA that they have adopted the Charter by emailing bsa@boarding.org.uk. As mentioned in previous weeks, the Charter is, of course, voluntary but BSA hopes that these minor changes will allow an even larger number of schools to adopt it. The principal purpose is to reassure parents and pupils that schools are doing everything they can to make the school safe for boarders. With some schools already having boarders back, the current version is designed to be fully operational now, with the expectation that some elements will require further alteration as the pandemic situation continues to evolve. BSA has also produced a template letter to which schools may add their own logo and details as appropriate, which international pupils can use as a way of demonstrating that they are travelling back to a BSA member school. Translations into Chinese, Russian and German have already been commissioned and are available on the BSA website, although these do not yet fully reflect the minor changes outlined above. A.3: Return to school: UK Schools in England were expecting some Year 10 and 12 pupils back today (June 15) click here to read the related guidance. A very late clarification from DfE on Thursday indicated that they had not anticipated boarders returning to those year groups at this stage, but this news came too late for some schools to change their plans, and it is to be stressed that the latest comment from DfE was “guidance” and not statutory. More helpfully it was clarified that there was, after all, a concession for small cohorts of up to 15 pupils, who could all return, rather than just 25%. BSA apologises to members for being unable to predict these developments, but despite regular lobbying and frequent contact with DfE, there was no indication of these changes before they were announced. Given this, BSA is particularly mindful of the fact that schools in England have only been told to expect pupils back “in September”, with currently no clarity about which year groups, which proportions, which specific date and whether this will include boarders. BSA reminds all UK member schools not to make any firm arrangements until the guidance for the specific region of the UK has been clarified. In the midst of all this uncertainty, BSA was delighted to hear at our regional forums of the successes of those schools who have boarded key worker and vulnerable children throughout, and for the positive return to school of some Year 6 boarders in prep schools. ISBA has shared with BSA some guidance on space planning for schools once boarding resumes, which comes from the firm of architects Squires and Brown. The guidance is available on the Covid 19 page of the BSA website. ISBA has also shared details of a paper on Employer-Provided Accommodation tax changes, which is available on their website, as is a video on the subject. (A member log-in is required). As mentioned previously, the return in SCOTLAND will be a “safe, phased opening” from 11 August. The guidance on a return to school was developed in conjunction with the schools and SCIS and references the BSA checklist. In WALES the return to school date is set for June 29, although BSA is aware that most boarding schools are not expecting their boarders back before September. The operational guidance was published last Thursday. In NORTHERN IRELAND, Education Minister Peter Weir last week announced that pupils in primary seven, and in the key GCSE and A Level years would return to school on Monday, August 17, with other groups to follow in September. Visa centres around the world are beginning to reopen. The Home Office has also issued the following documents:
A.4: UK Quarantine A reminder that the current guidance indicates that there will be no opportunity for those being quarantined to mix in any normal way even with members of their own “household” and schools must bear this in mind when making any plans. A.5: Flights A.6: Return to boarding internationally The next BSA International Forum has been arranged for 15:00 UK time (BST) tomorrow Tuesday, June 16. Please accept apologies for the error last week, as this is of course 1400 GMT/UTC and not as stated! The Forum will be chaired again by Nick Wergan, and over 70 people have so far signed up, despite the late hour for many in Asia and Australasia! All COVID-19 information, including from Australia and New Zealand is now in a bespoke section on the BSA website. Next week’s bulletin will include a further, more in-depth international update. A.7: Black Lives Matter A.8: #BSAheroes B. Links to previous BSA advice
If you would like further advice from the BSA, please email bsa@boarding.org.uk. Best wishes
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