Deaf Trust front
Continuation of service:
The school, college and children's home are staying open until further notice. The nursery will close on Friday 20th March but will provide a service to children of parents/carers who are designated 'key workers'. The risk and impact assessment plan we have completed identifies 3 priorities:
Priority 1: Health, safety and well-being of children, young people, service users and staff
Priority 2: Continuity of core services of teaching, learning and care
Priority 3: Reduction of impact on business
As we are still officially open, we are focusing on the 3 priorities. The staff have been carrying out risk assessments of the children and young people in terms of the risk of them remaining on site and the risk to them in terms of going home to an environment that may cause them problems. In terms of social distancing there is guidance from the government which is:
We are advising those who are at increased risk of severe illness from coronavirus (COVID-19) to be particularly stringent in following social distancing measures. This group includes those who are:
- aged 70 or older (regardless of medical conditions)
- under 70 with an underlying health condition listed below (ie anyone instructed to get a flu jab as an adult each year on medical grounds):
- chronic (long-term) respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or bronchitis
- chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
- chronic kidney disease
- chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis
- chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), a learning disability or cerebral palsy
- diabetes
- problems with your spleen – for example, sickle cell disease or if you have had your spleen removed
- a weakened immune system as the result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy
- being seriously overweight (a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above)
- those who are pregnant
What is social distancing?
Social distancing measures are steps you can take to reduce the social interaction between people. This will help reduce the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19).
They are:
- Avoid contact with someone who is displaying symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19). These symptoms include high temperature and/or new and continuous cough
- Avoid non-essential use of public transport, varying your travel times to avoid rush hour, when possible
- Work from home, where possible. Your employer should support you to do this. Please refer to employer guidance for more information
- Avoid large gatherings, and gatherings in smaller public spaces such as pubs, cinemas, restaurants, theatres, bars, clubs
- Avoid gatherings with friends and family. Keep in touch using remote technology such as phone, internet, and social media
- Use telephone or online services to contact your GP or other essential services
We are using the guidance above as a reference point to complete our risk assessments in order to ensure the health, safety and well-being of our children, young people and staff. We will keep everyone informed of next steps as the situation develops. We are trying to keep our provision open which we can only do with appropriate levels of staff. As the cases and numbers of infections increase leading to self-isolation we will monitor staffing levels on a daily basis and keep all of our community updated. We will be asking other schools and colleges to help out if we are short staffed in liaison with Doncaster Council. I ask that everyone remains patient and understanding during this time as it's going to be a challenging period as we come to adapt to changing circumstances on a daily basis.
Alexis Johnson
Executive Principal