Reopening of nurseries and schools

1. Open when it is safe
Give staff as much warning as possible and an exact date
Ensure there is full guidance/roadmap/procedures in place how school will operate

2. Opening before summer for P3 and above
Open on a rotational basis (eg in most schools children are in houses, one house returns one day per week, allowing for 10 to 15 per class)
School every day for key worker children
Practise social distancing in classroom and playground (not possible for nursery children)
Washing hands regularly
Number of adults kept to a minimum

3. Opening after summer (for nursery, P1-2):
Allows easier transition to the new norm. Social distancing will need to be observed but it is hoped we will be well over the peak period which will allow for nursery children to return with great ease.

1. Young children do not understand social distancing and nursery is one place where it will be impossible to implement social distancing. In nursery we learn and play together on the carpet, at a table or outside in close proximity. We are nurturing and get up close so children feel special and contact with us. As much as they try, 3 and 4 year olds don't have the concept of not sneezing and coughing in your face or cleaning their nose when it runs.

2. Children returning to school with a staged approach (one day per week) allows them to reconnect with school and enhances their well being and social connection. Children from P3 onwards have more of an understanding of social distancing and the rules that go with it and will be able to follow the rules better. Learning is not as play based as the earlier years so these children can sit at tables keeping space between them and their classmates.

3. We should be over the peak by the end of the summer and therefore younger children will not be in so much danger of not (being able to) following social distancing. It is a much safer environment in August and allows staff to stay safer than they would be if returning in June.