Note: This article was amended on 30 September 2020 to reflect the Department for Education's position on priority testing for early years workers, which has been reinstated in the guidance (see more in note below).
In response to a parliamentary question from shadow children and early years minister Tulip Siddiq about how many Covid-19 home testing kits have been supplied to early years settings, children and families minister Vicky Ford responded that ‘all schools, including primary schools with nurseries and local authority-maintained nurseries have received an initial batch of home testing kits’.
She added, ‘This included 9,730 schools with nurseries and 388 local authority nursery schools.’
The minister also confirmed that these settings are able to order additional test kits via the online portal that opened on 16 September.
Commenting on the news, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said that it was ‘an absolute scandal’ that such kits have in fact been made available to maintained nurseries, with only private and voluntary early years providers left to go it alone.
He added, ‘Staff working in PVI nurseries, pre-schools and childminding settings are putting themselves at risk day in and day out providing care and early education for young children in the middle of a global pandemic. How on earth can the Government justify providing such critical support to one part of the sector but not another? There is simply no excuse.
‘Government must now, without delay, address this appalling inconsistency and ensure that all early years providers - PVI or maintained - have the resources they need to ensure they are able to continue operating, and operating safely, throughout this pandemic.'
Guidance change on testing causes concern
The news comes after the sector raised concerns yesterday about the priority testing status of childcare professionals in the updated DfE guidance.
The omission of the sentence, ‘Essential workers, which includes anyone involved in education or childcare, have priority access to testing’, raised concerns that early years staff looking for guidance in this key Government document would not be aware that they still hold priority access to testing.
We have asked the Department for Education why this change has been made but Nursery World has not yet received a response.
However, a DfE spokesperson confirmed that childcare workers remain essential workers with the same access to testing as any other occupation in that definition.
Note: Subsequently, the same sentence quoted above has been reinstated into the guidance document, as of 29 September.
The DfE early years guidance on essential workers can be seen in Section 3: Infection, Prevention Control (under part 8: Engage with the NHS Test and Trace process) here
Commenting, a DfE spokesperson said, 'Essential workers, including all education and childcare workers, provide a range of services that keep the country running and as such they continue to be able to access testing as a priority through the online portal, as they have been able to since April 2020. There has been no change to the definitions for “essential workers” at this time.
'Ensuring access to tests for all education and childcare staff is a key priority for our Department and we are currently considering how we can improve all early years settings’ access to testing.'
Education and childcare workers, including those working in early years settings, are able to access testing via the online booking portal at www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test
Nursery World reported last week, that early years workers are struggling to get tests, leaving nurseries with staff shortages that could mean they have to close their settings.
Actions for early years and childcare workers during the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, was updated on 22 September to state that the DfE will ‘work with early years settings, so they understand the easiest route to get a test’.
Under section 8 of the engaging with the NHS Test and Trace process, the guidance states, ‘The government will ensure that it is as easy as possible to get a test through a wide range of routes that are locally accessible, fast and convenient. We will release more details on new testing avenues as and when they become available and we will work with early years settings, so they understand the easiest route to get a test.’
Commenting on the changes, Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) said, ‘The national guidance on testing is still saying that childcare staff are a priority for accessing tests and we hope that the DfE will continue to honour this. We have continually urged the Government to ensure all early years practitioners and staff to have priority access and it is concerning to see that the schools and early years guidance has changed.
She added, ‘Childcare providers are the fourth emergency service, with many of them remaining open to support key worker and vulnerable children throughout the spring lockdown despite the uncertainty this involved. They must not be repaid by being taken off the priority list and consequently struggling to get tested.
‘We also know that children and staff are being sent home until they are certain of a negative test. For the peace of mind of staff and to ensure settings can stay open to as many families as possible the Government has to fix the testing system and keep early years as a priority.’
Mr Leitch added, ‘If the Government is seriously committed to supporting early years providers through this crisis, it is imperative that childcare staff are given priority access to tests, alongside teachers and other key workers, to help them get back to work and prevent further outbreaks.’
He added, ‘In an already underfunded sector, this crisis could see even more providers forced to close over the coming months. We need the government to act now with an urgent financial package of support for the early years.’
Liz Bayram, PACEY chief executive, said, 'Childcare providers – who have struggled to maintain their service during lockdown – are now trying to build their businesses back up but being thwarted by the current lack of available Covid-19 testing as well as long delays for test results to be returned.
'This means additional burden and stress at an already challenging time. Some providers are having to close for a whole week as they struggle to get a test appointment and then await results. This means they are letting parents including teachers and NHS staff down and, for some, suffer further financially, as providers may have to refund parents for the service they now can’t use.'
UPDATED AREAS
The guidance has been updated in the following 18 areas:
- the use and disposal of face coverings
- supervised toothbrushing programmes (section 3)
- process for local lockdowns (section 3)
- music, dance and drama (section 3)
- maximising use of sites and ventilation within settings (section 3)
- reopening of buildings (section 3)
- journeys, such as pickups and drop offs (section 3)
- attending more than one setting (section 3)
- a child with symptoms attending a setting (section 3)
- pregnant women (section 3)
- visitors to settings, including new admissions and settling in (section 3)
- use of outdoor private and public spaces (section 5)
- informal childcare (section 5)
- supporting children’s and staff wellbeing (section 6)
- new SEND legislation (section 6)
- EYFS disapplications ending on 25 September 2020 (section 7)
- emergency first aid (section 7)
- the Job Retention Bonus scheme (section 10)
Below are some of the highlights of the key changes:
Access to face coverings
Early years settings should take steps to have a small contingency supply available.
Settings should have a process for removing face coverings when staff or visitors who use face coverings arrive at the setting, and when face coverings are worn at the setting in certain circumstances. This process should be communicated clearly to staff and visitors.
Toothbrushing
Supervised toothbrushing programmes may be re-established within settings using the dry brushing method.The wet brushing model is not recommended because it is considered more likely to risk droplet and contact transmission and offers no additional benefit to oral health over dry toothbrushing.
Music, dance and drama
Settings can continue to engage peripatetic teachers (non-staff who visit settings). This includes staff from Music Education Hubs, when they provide services for early years. A record should be kept of all visits. Peripatetic teachers can move between early years settings, however, settings should consider how to minimise the number of visitors that attend where possible. Visitors will be expected to comply with arrangements for managing and minimising risk, including taking particular care to maintain distance from other staff and children.
Singing and wind playing can still take place. But there is now some evidence that additional risk can build from aerosol transmission with volume and with the combined numbers of individuals within a confined space. Measures to take include:
- playing instruments and singing in groups should take place outdoors wherever possible
- if indoors, use a room with as much space as possible, for example larger rooms. Rooms with high ceilings are expected to enable dilution of aerosol transmission
- if playing indoors, social distance each child 2 metres apart
- limit the numbers to account for ventilation of the space. It is important to ensure good ventilation. Advice on this can be found in air conditioning and ventilation during the coronavirus outbreak
- singing and wind playing should not take place in larger groups such as choirs and ensembles
- position wind players so that the air from their instrument does not blow into another player
- use microphones where possible or encourage singing quietly
