COVID-19 Safety Plan and Procedures for Dani Grant School of Dance
This policy applies to all students attending Dani Grant School of Dance, parents, teaching staff and dance venues.
Disclaimer:
We have taken advice, guidance and researched various policies, including from UK Government Website, NHS as well as the Royal Academy of Dance when developing this document to assist to prepare for re-opening after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The information in this document is intended as guidance only and should not supersede any medical or scientific advice released by Governments and/or Local Authorities and/or Medical Experts.
This document should not be shared without prior written permission from Dani Grant School of Dance.
Introduction:
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing and hygiene and infection control policies are going to have to be considered and put in place to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.
Dani Grant School of Dance would like to ensure that our students, teachers and parents are able to return safely and we can go back to delivering in-person classes as soon as possible.
It is our responsibility to make our settings as safe as possible for staff, children and parents as well as conduct the classes in safest way possible to ensure there is not further spread of the virus as well as keeping our ethos for providing fun and educational classes. Furthermore, we would like to make sure that our dance school’s community is well informed so that resumption of dance activities does not compromise the health and wellbeing of any individuals nor the community.
It is everyone’s responsibility to help keep this pandemic in hand and help to stop the transmission from one person to another. The adoption of individual and household measures such as covering coughs and sneezes, hand washing, and the voluntary isolation of persons with respiratory illness may prevent additional infections.
COVID-19 risk remains high therefore please read carefully the following guidelines as it is essential that safe practices (hand washing, more stringent cleaning of facilities etc.) and social distancing measures are put into practice in order to return safely to physical classes without presenting a risk or threat for transmission to the community.
We ask that you respect our revised rules and regulations as well as our safety and health plan, so that we can continue operating our school
Content:
-
Information about Face coverings/face masks, Coughs and Sneezes, Regular Hand Wash
-
Parents’ responsibilities
-
Students’ responsibilities
-
Teachers’ responsibilities
-
School’s responsibilities
Face Covering:
Face coverings (or any form of medical mask where instructed to be used for specific clinical reasons) should not be worn in any circumstance by those who may not be able to handle them as directed (for example, young children up to 11 year old, or those with special educational needs or disabilities) as it may inadvertently increase the risk of transmission. It is important to recognise that wearing a mask poses the danger that if you keep tampering and adjusting it, you are touching your face and increasing the risk of infection.
A face covering may be removed when dancing as it may negatively impact the ability to do so.
Face masks must:
-
cover both nose and mouth
-
not be allowed to dangle around the neck
-
not be touched once put on, except when carefully removed before disposal
-
be changed when they become moist or damaged
-
be worn once and then discarded - hands must be cleaned after disposal
Coughs and sneezes
-
Catch it in a tissue, then bin the tissue and then wash hands thoroughly.
-
If there are no tissues available, then cough or sneeze into the crook of the arm preventing ejection or distribution of the cough or sneeze.
-
Hands should be washed immediately and the arm if it is a bare arm.
Regular hand washing is still highly recommended every hour
-
wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
-
use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
-
wash your hands as soon as you get home
Parents:
Whenever possible, parents and other visitors should not enter the building.
-
Parents/guardians are required to drop students at the entrance of the building, safely and before leaving, but not to enter premises.
-
There will be no parent observation of classes.
-
Following the class, the teacher will safely return students to the entrance of the building (or pick up location if different) for collection. Parents please make sure to be there on time for collection to avoid congestion and ensure distancing at the entrance as well as avoid delaying the drop-off for the following group of students.
-
Parents and childminders need to communicate and agree on how they bring the children to class (journey), pick-ups and drops-offs.
-
It is recommended to avoid travelling with a group of children and if possible, walk, cycle or use a private vehicle when possible rather than taking public transport.
Personal Belongings and Lost Property.
-
Make sure your child’s items (or your own) are clearly marked. Any lost property will be disposed immediately.
Uniform
-
It is advised to wash your child’s ballet uniform at the end of every class.
Hand Soap and Sanitiser
-
Inform the school of any allergies you or your child might have with sanitiser products.
Feeling Unwell
If a student becomes unwell prior to attending the school and display the symptoms of the coronavirus, typically flu like symptoms, then parents need to notify the school, inform the School Principal that their child has symptoms and when they first noticed the symptoms. The student should not attend the school.
Parents need to notify the school if they have noticed anything of the following on their children:
-
Did they have a fever in the last two weeks?
-
Did they have a cough or breathing problems?
-
Have they lost or noticed a change in your sense of taste or smell within the last 14 days?
-
Do they have increased fatigue?
-
Has anyone in the family that they live with, shown any of the above symptoms within 14 days?
-
Do they have a known exposure to someone diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last 14 days?
Useful link:
UK Government Website – Guidance for parents and carers of children attending out of school settings during COVID-19 outbreak:
Students:
Arrival
-
Students should not arrive early and wait outside until instruction have been given that it is safe to enter.
Uniform
-
All students should arrive and leave dressed and ready for class in their dance clothes. Any tasks that can be done at home should be done at home (hair, make up, dressing, etc.)
-
Do not wear your ballet shoes outside the studio. Outdoor shoes should be taken off and left outside of the classroom. Ballet shoes should be put on immediately before entering the studio and removed immediately after class.
-
If you use street shoes as part of your class please have a second pair that you did not arrive in, reserve to change into for dancing.
Personal Belongings
-
Place your personal belongings in the spaces marked for you and wait for your teacher to tell you which spot is yours.
-
Clearly mark your personal belongings. (towels, shoes etc.)
-
Only bring the essential items with you.
-
Please only bring a water bottle if you have a class longer than an hour and if required due to hot weather conditions.
-
Bring your own props and do not share them with the other dancers.
-
-
Make sure to collect or your personal belongings, any lost property items will be disposed immediately.
Toilet
-
Students must go to the toilet before entering the studio. There will be no room for them to walk through the studio once they are in there.
-
Toilet facilities will be limited to small groups of pupils to ensure that toilets do not become crowded.
After class
-
Students should not wait in the classroom/studio if it is not their class.
No eating or food or drinks other than water on site
Feeling Unwell
Students need to notify their parents if they are not feeling well before coming to class and their teacher if they don’t feel well during class.
Regular Hand Washing is still highly recommended every hour and/or between classes.
Coughs and sneezes
-
Catch it in a tissue, then bin the tissue and then wash hands thoroughly.
-
If there are no tissues available, then cough or sneeze into the crook of the arm preventing ejection or distribution of the cough or sneeze.
-
Hands should be washed immediately and the arm if it is a bare arm.
Teacher:
Teacher’s responsibility is to be clear about how you wish to work with your students, in regards to how you will communicate, entering the room, groupings, interactions with each other, what they need to do if they need to be excused during the class, etc.
Whenever possible, parents and other visitors should not enter the building.
-
Parents/guardians or family members are not allowed in the building unless the school can ensure with the venue there is an appropriate social distancing space.
-
Following the class, the teacher will safely return students to the entrance of the building (or pick up location if different) for collection.
-
An assistant as well as the teacher will accompany younger students (if needed) to ensure they follow spacing and other protective measures.
Keep a record
of all teachers, students and staff in the building for the purposes of identifying close contact with infected persons in the event of an outbreak of COVID-19.
All students should arrive and leave dressed and ready for class in their dance clothes.
-
Make sure the dancers are not wearing ballet shoes outside of the studio.
Personal Belongings
-
Personal Belongings should be clearly marked.
-
Water bottles should be discouraged except in very hot temperatures or for classes of long duration
-
Lost property will be disposed immediately. Remind students to collect all of their personal belongings.
-
Wash their work clothes at the end of every teaching day.
No eating or food or drinks other than water on site.
It is also Teacher’s responsibility to chose the content of the class and conduct the class in a safe way that would not risk infection or contamination and maintaining spacing.
After Class
-
Allow additional time at the end of class to wrap things up and make sure that dancers have everything, they brought with them.
Staff should remain up to date with the latest developments of the Coronavirus
-
Ensure cleaning, class participation and management and record keeping protocols are in place at all times.
Health management, Hygiene and Cleaning
(See “School Health Plan” for more details and procedures)
Staff should ensure that students are following good hand hygiene practices and challenge any person not following good hand hygiene practices.
-
Regular Hand washing is highly recommended every hour and/or between classes
-
Identify hand washing facilities and alert everyone to their location and encourage their regular use.
-
Hand sanitiser should be used pre and post class for all participants including teachers
-
Have hand sanitisers available on entering the rooms, in other communal areas, and for use after using high touch surfaces.
Ensure coughs and sneezes are covered by a tissue or a flexed elbow;
Make clear expectations about sneezing, coughing, tissues and disposal (‘catch it, bin it, kill it’) and avoiding touching your mouth, nose and eyes with hands; tissues should be disposed of in a closed bin. Hands sanitised following sneezing/coughing.
Students must be reminded of this at the start of each class.
Encourage people to speak up if a student or faculty member is feeling unwell.
-
Staff should raise any concerns immediately
-
Staff should inform the School Principal if they have been or are at risk/contact with Coronavirus
-
Staff should inform the School Principal if they have to self-isolate
School:
As a school we are responsible and we commit to making our settings as safe as possible for staff, children and parents.
We will ensure that all health and safety compliance checks have been undertaken before opening by checking with the owner of the premises as well as agree on and distribute responsibility for protective measures to help prevent the transmission of coronavirus. Risk assessments will be carried out as part of our preparation for reopening as well as throughout the term.
Taking into consideration the measures for infection control put in place we would like to avoid mixing children by ensuring they only attend a particular class with a particular group. Please see more details about the timetable and class duration below.
Administrative procedures, where possible, will be online (billing, payments, communications etc.).
-
Where class payments are required, only contactless or direct debit payments should be accepted.
-
Update your terms and conditions to reflect the current rules
Timetables will need adjustments to allow for new social distancing measures
-
Time will be allocated for students to enter and exit the building before and after class as well as for drop off and pick up.
-
Time will be allocated for any pre entry screening that might need take place.
-
In the event when multiple studios are running in the same building, class time will be staggered to avoid congestion and ensure distancing.
-
Ensure there is enough time to clean the studio between classes which might affect the timetable as well as the duration for each class.
Ensure availability of hand soap at sinks and hand sanitiser in studios and other areas.
-
Ensure the sanitiser you choose is effective against the virus, and is suitable for use by children. Be aware of any allergen advice/contraindications.
Social Distancing in the Studio
-
In planning the room and zones, we will ensure that fire escape routes are not compromised.
-
To avoid the risk of infection:
-
-
Mark your floors and barres so that those entering your studio understand how to space themselves.
-
-
Barres should be clearly marked with tape to allow dancers at least the required separation, allowing for extra room near walls. Ensure that each person has a particular spot on the barre for the entire class.
-
For centre practice and mark the floor to allow at least a 2-meter square per person (including teacher, accompanists and others who may be required to be in a room). You may like to use tape to assist with this, or consider rubber floor circles.
-
When alternating groups there must be safe areas marked for dancers to wait at the side of the room.
-
-
Personal Belongings.
-
-
Clearly identify (mark the floor if you can) where students place their belongings so that they do not touch each other’s belongings.
IF POSSIBLE: It could be a separate area from the studio.
-
-
Where possible all spaces should also be well ventilated using natural ventilation (opening windows) or ventilation units.
-
-
-
Toilet breaks
-
-
Students must go to the toilet first as there will be no room for them to walk through the studio once they are in there.
-
Ensure that toilets do not become crowded by limiting the number of children or young people who use the toilet facilities at one time.
-
Wherever possible, specific toilet areas will be allocated to each group of pupils.
-
These will be cleaned using normal cleaning products after use by each group.
-
Pupils will be supervised to ensure that hand washing is completed appropriately.
-
Staff will help and encourage those pupils who cannot wash their hands properly independently.
-
Remove unnecessary items from rooms/studios where there is space to store it elsewhere, remove soft furnishings
Health management, Hygiene and Cleaning
It is crucial to establish daily cleaning of all other areas of your facilities and equipment shared by more than one person including high-touch surfaces such as floors, barres, handrails, switches and plugs, bathrooms, grab bars, and office equipment. Ensure that there are cleaning supplies for people to use before and after they have used an area in your facilities or your equipment
Regular Hand Washing is still highly recommended every hour and/or between classes.
-
Identify hand washing facilities and alert everyone to their location and encourage their regular use.
-
Hand sanitiser should be used pre and post class for all participants including teachers
-
Have hand sanitisers available on entering the rooms, in other communal areas, and for use after using high touch surfaces.
-
The toilet will be checked every 30 minutes to ensure that there is a sufficient amount of hand soap and to ensure it is clean. Where there is a need for replenishment this will be done.
-
Tissues will be available from the reception area of the school and in every room/studio
-
Posters informing of the Coronavirus risk, and good hygiene practices will be displayed
-
Door handles will be wiped down after each class
Responsibility towards the teachers and school staff:
-
consult your staff members to ensure that they are available to work
-
ensure that new staff members and volunteers understand and implement the protective measures
-
carrying out regular risk assessment to help prevent the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19)
-
Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals, should follow the latest government advice on shielding in order to keep themselves safe. From Saturday 1 August the guidance will be relaxed so clinically extremely vulnerable people will no longer be advised to shield.
For further advice please visit:
COVID-19: Guidance for the safe use of multi-purpose community facilities
Useful Links:
UK Government - Effective Infection Protection and Control
UK Government Website - Actions for early years and childcare providers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
UK Government Website - Protective measures for out-of-school settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
UK Government Website – Guidance for parents and carers of children attending out of school settings during coronarvirus (COVID-19) outbreak
UK Government Website - coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings
UK Government Website – COVID-19: cleaning in non-healthcare settings
UK Government Website - Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance
UK Government Website – Useful Links
https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response
NHS Advice