Main updates to the guidance for out-of-school settings during Covid19 pandemic

The Department for Education’s guidance for out-of-school settings who provide activities for children, was updated on 23 February 2021.

It can be read in full on the www.gov.uk website and applies to all forms of:

• community activities
• tuition
• holiday clubs
• breakfast and after-school clubs for children

Until Monday 8^th March ·Out-of-school settings and wraparound childcare providers should continue to offer indoor or outdoor provision ONLY for: vulnerable children and young people and children of critical workers, where the provision is reasonably necessary to enable their parents and carers to work, search for work, undertake education or training, or attend a medical appointment or address a medical need

Position from Monday 8^th March – out-of-school settings and wraparound childcare providers will be able to offer indoor and outdoor provision to all children. However, parents and carers will only be able to access your settings for certain essential purposes. Therefore, from 8^th March, providers should only offer indoor and outdoor face-to-face provision to: vulnerable children and young people, other children, where the provision is:

• reasonably necessary to enable their parents and carers to work, search for work, undertake education or training, or attend a medical appointment or address a medical need, or attend a support group
• being used by electively home educating parents as part of their arrangements for their child to receive a suitable full-time education; or
• being used as part of their efforts to obtain a regulated qualification, meet the entry requirements for an education institution, or to undertake exams and assessments.

When schools close for the Easter/Spring holidays (from 29 March) – out-of-school settings and wraparound providers will be able to offer:

• outdoor provision to all children, without restrictions on the purpose for which they may attend
• indoor provision to: vulnerable children and young people; children on free school meals, where they are attending as part of the DfE’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme; other children, where the provision is reasonably necessary to enable their parents and carers to work, search for work, undertake education or training, or attend a medical appointment or address a medical need, or attend a support group; or is being used by electively home educating parents as part of their arrangements for their child to receive a suitable full-time education; or is being used as part of their efforts to obtain a regulated qualification, meet the entry requirements for an education institution, or to undertake exams and assessments.

Summer term and beyond

The Government’s intention is then for out-of-school settings and wraparound childcare providers to be able offer provision as normal, to all children, from the start of the school summer term. This will be no earlier than 12 April, and will be confirmed as part of Step 2 of the COVID-19 Response – Spring 2021.

NRCSE will be running webinars on the updated protective measures that must be in place to re-open and continuing with our programme of remote training to support community teachers to deliver:

• remotely and online;
• return to face-to-face with an awareness of the interruptions and stresses children have been facing in their mainstream schooling; and
• blended learning to enable you to give support appropriate to each age group.

Bookmark our events page to remind you to check when webinars and courses are happening so you can book your place.

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