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Infectious and notifiable diseases, including COVID-19

Support for schools, colleges and academies for infectious and notifiable diseases, including the COVID-19 coronavirus.

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Do you have any guidance for East Riding schools and other educational establishments?

Childcare settings and educational establishments are common sites for transmission of infections. Infections in children are common and they are particularly susceptible as they have immature immune systems, they are in close contact with other children, sometimes no or incomplete vaccinations and can have a poor understanding of hygiene practices making it easier for infections to be passed on.

Micro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi are everywhere and commonly do not cause infection (and can even be beneficial). However, some do cause infection resulting in symptoms such as fever and sickness.

Many diseases can spread before the individual shows any symptoms at all (during the infectious period). For example, a pupil with chickenpox is infectious to others 1 to 2 days before the rash appears.

Infection prevention and control measures aim to interrupt the cycle of infection by promoting the routine use of good standards of hygiene so that transmission of infection is reduced overall. This is usually through:

immunisation of pupils and staff
good hand washing
making sure the environment is kept clean.

Where a case of infection is known, schools will use contingency measures to reduce or eliminate the risk of spread through information and prompt isolation of a case.

Whenever a person develops symptoms of any infectious disease it is important that immediate action is taken to protect the health of the individual and to minimise transmission to others who may be in close contact. This may result in the temporary isolation of the infected individual. Following the cessation of national measures and transition from pandemic to endemic status, COVID-19 continues to be a virus that we learn to live with and the imperative to reduce the disruption to children and young people’s education remains.

Schools and other educational establishments in the East Riding of Yorkshire Council area are following the most up-to-date United Kingdom Health and Security Agencies (UKHSA) guidance in relation to managing cases of all infectious and notifiable diseases, including COVID-19. Schools and other educational establishments are supported by the council’s Public Health Team in managing cases and dealing with any outbreaks. If there is an issue at your child or young person’s school or educational establishment you will be informed and advised in relation to any actions that are required.

Please follow the link to the most up-to-date UKHSA guidance, ‘Living safety with respiratory infections, including COVID-19’.

You may also find the following link useful ‘Guidance for people with symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19’.

For information in relation to managing other health-related issues, including, infectious and notifiable diseases please visit the ‘NHS Health A to Z’ website.

COVID-19 Service Information

East Riding schools

East Riding schools are following the latest Department for Education guidance which covers a range of measures to keep students, staff and families safe at school.

Each school will follow Government guidance in the way which is most suitable for their individual setting, depending on factors such as the size of the school and the age of the pupils.

If a school is notified of a positive case of Covid-19, school leaders will ensure that appropriate action is taken, following guidance from local authority education and public health teams.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s three steps to safety plan is at the heart of the measures being promoted locally.

To limit the spread of COVID-19, children will be supported to adhere to social distancing guidance and maintain appropriate personal hygiene through, for example, regular and thorough hand washing and the application of 'bubbles' within their school environment.

East Riding School Closures

Hull City Council schools

School closure information for those who work in the East Riding but live in Hull City Council areas:

Hull City Council School Closures

Do you have a guide for the parents of self-isolating students?

Yes, please download the PDF below:

Schools' and parents' guide for self-isolating students (pdf 550kb)

What are the changes to home to school transport?

A small proportion of East Riding children and young people rely on home to school and college transport, provided by the council, to get to their school or college. Some pupils may also need or choose to use public transport to get to their place of education.

East Riding schools, academies and Post-16 providers are working hard to ensure that all pupils and staff are safe once on-site.

As we move into Step 4 of the UK government’s roadmap from Monday, 19 July 2021, the council remain committed to ensuring that children and young people stay as safe as possible on the journey to and from their place of learning to minimise the risk of coronavirus (COVID-19) transferring across schools, settings and households.

Providers of home to school and college transport, as well as public transport are working to a system of controls that focuses on a series of hygiene measures aimed at minimising risk and creating a safer environment for all pupils. These measures are mirrored across all schools and colleges in the East Riding.

The following advice and guidance is strongly recommended by East Riding Public Health and is modelled around the below systems of controls:

1) Minimise contact with individuals who are unwell by ensuring that those who have coronavirus symptoms do not access transport

2) Clean hands thoroughly, more often than usual

3) Ensure good respiratory hygiene by promoting the ‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’ approach

4) Continue enhanced cleaning, including cleaning frequently touched surfaces often, using standard products such as detergents and bleach

5) Maintain social distancing wherever possible

6) Children of 11 years of age and over are expected to wear appropriate face coverings on both public transport and dedicated home to school transport, to protect themselves and others.

From Step 4, social distancing on transport is no longer legally required, however we expect that to help keep pupils, other passengers and transport staff safe the following precautions should be taken:

avoid the busiest routes, as well as busy times like the rush hour
wash or sanitise hands regularly
children 11 years of age and over should use a face covering on public transport, on dedicated home to school transport and in enclosed areas of transport hubs
avoid touching your face
cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or the inside of your elbow when coughing or sneezing
travel side-by-side or behind other people, rather than facing them, where seating arrangements allow
touch as few surfaces as possible
where possible minimise the time spent close to other people
avoid loud talking, shouting or singing
dispose of waste safely, including items such as used disposable face coverings.

Parents and carers should be aware of the following principles:

Pupils should not travel if they are presenting with symptoms, a test should be arranged and the pupil must isolate for ten days from the onset of symptoms
Parents and carers should, where possible, bring their children to school themselves. They could consider walking, cycling (where safe to do so) or driving
Where a child or young person becomes symptomatic during the school day, the child’s parent or carers should make arrangements for the child to be collected from school as soon as possible
Children and young people, 11 years of age and over, travelling to school on public transport or dedicated home to school transport, who can manage the safe use of a face covering should wear one
There is an expectation that the parents or carers of any child or young person accessing dedicated home to school transport will comply with the NHS Test and Trace procedures
Council staff and drivers on transport and school staff will not be responsible for the safe use of face coverings
Parents and carers should make sure their child knows how to put on and take off their face covering safely
Parents and carers should ensure their children or young people know to listen to the driver, school staff and any passenger assistants in relation to boarding, seating and alighting vehicles
Children should not ordinarily eat or drink on transport, this is particularly important at this time (to reduce hand-to-face contact)
Parents and carers should ensure children wash their hands and face before leaving the house to use the transport
Children and young people should adhere to any instructions provided by their school or displayed on vehicles
Good hand hygiene should now be regular practice, schools will continue to encourage children and young people to wash their hands, remove their face covering and place it into a closed bin (disposable coverings) or in their bag (reusable face coverings) on arrival at school, they will also remind children to wash their hands and put their masks on before accessing transport at the end of the school day
Parents and carers should ensure their children are adequately dressed for the journey as vehicles will be more ventilated than usual (windows and roof ventilation open to ensure air circulation)
Parents and carers should ensure their children or young people understand that they should avoid loud talking, shouting or singing on transport (being quiet reduces the risk of droplets being carried to anyone else on the vehicle)
Parents, carers, children and young people are encouraged to use the Buswise system to report any issues on transport.
There will be consequences for children and young people whose behaviour causes concern on transport and or deliberately break the rules associated with safe travel.

Parents and carers also need to acknowledge that in line with the ‘East Riding of Yorkshire Council Outbreak Management Plan’ (March 2021) and the ‘COVID – 19 Prevention and Outbreak Management Framework in the Humber’ (March 2021), Incident Management Teams can make recommendations to reintroduce and enforce additional safety controls to contain and reduce the transmission of the virus.

This may include reinstating the use of ‘bubbles’ and face coverings for children and young people of 11 years and over.

covid19.eastriding.gov.uk/outbreak-management/

If you have any questions in relation to home to school or college transport you should contact Transportation Services:

Email: transport.requests@eastriding.gov.uk

Tel: (01482) 395444.

If you would like updates about East Yorkshire buses and coronavirus please visit the website below:

East Yorkshire Buses - Coronavirus updates (external website)

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