The Government have published a planning framework to support schools and academy trusts, including mainstream, special, and alternative provision, to prepare and make decisions about children returning to school. It is an operational checklist designed for senior leadership teams and MATs to review and either follow or implement considerations into their own plan.
They do specify that all schools are different, and that it is “not possible for the government to set specific national guidelines that could be universally applicable”, but that they have created the framework to provide a starting point and key considerations.
They have promised to continue to develop this framework and to issue further guidance before 1 June 2020 for schools, colleges and childcare settings. You can access current guidance from the links in our blog summary. With so many updates being issued at present. We have tried to pull together one place where key guidance can easily be found. We are updating this regularly but obviously, once you are on the Government guidance please explore further links.
In reference to Multi-Academy Trusts they remind executive leaders to be clear about the responsibilities of the schools and the responsibilities of the central team, to ensure everything is covered. They also state that they expect schools and trusts to work closely with parents and staff “agreeing the best approaches for their circumstances”. They acknowledge that “schools and trusts will need to make their own judgments on how to plan for the safe opening of their settings based on their knowledge of their school community and premises”. Schools and trust leaders may also need to consult governing boards, trustees or local authorities for advice before making some decisions. As always as HR Consultants, we would also say that if you have any staff queries to speak to your HR Consultant before making any decisions.
You can access the full planning framework for schools and trusts on this link.
If there are any HR queries we can help with, please get in touch. Call the team on 01924 827869, we will be happy to help where we can.
