Artis | School guidelines for September 2020

Updated 14^th July 2020

Click here to download a copy of Artis | School Guidelines for Sept 2020 Covid-19

Artis Foundation will be operating according to government guidance to deliver creative provision to schools from September 2020 and operate within schools’ protective measures.

This document intends to offer Artis partner schools assurance of our protective measures as an organisation.

Overview

Artis are preparing for delivery to all pupils as normal, but we have made arrangements in the event of local lockdowns and remote provision for any partial school closure.

Artis sessions will support children’s reintegration back into the school setting through creative sessions which build confidence, communication and participation, and support vital skills such as spatial and body awareness through movement, drama and music activities.

Additionally, this year’s Artis Specialist Summer training programme will support remote delivery training and provide ideas for activities so that children can be as physically distant as possible in Artis sessions.

Artis will be a vital part of a recovery curriculum for our partner schools, by supporting children’ cognitive and academic development. You can read more about why Creativity is Essential to a Recovery Curriculum on our website.

Systems of Control

Artis Specialists will follow the Department for Education’s System of Controls as outlined in the Government guidance, which includes:

a requirement that Artis Specialists who are ill to stay at home
robust hand and respiratory hygiene – ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’
support enhanced cleaning arrangements in the school
active engagement with NHS Test and Trace
maximising physical distancing with children and other staff.

If your school requires a Risk Assessment from Artis, please contact Susannah (Tap) who will be able to provide this (tap@artis.hdkassoc.co.uk).

Government Guidance

“Schools are able to work with external coaches, clubs and organisations for curricular and extra-curricular activities where they are satisfied that this is safe to do so. Schools should consider carefully how such arrangements can operate within their wider protective measures.

Activities such as active miles, making break times and lessons active and encouraging active travel help enable pupils to be physically active while encouraging physical distancing.”

“Supply staff and other temporary workers can move between schools, but school leaders will want to consider how to minimise the number of visitors to the school where possible. Where it is necessary to use supply staff and to welcome visitors to the school such as peripatetic teachers, those individuals will be expected to comply with the school’s arrangements for managing and minimising risk, including taking particular care to maintain distance from other staff and pupils. To minimise the numbers of temporary staff entering the school premises, and secure best value, schools may wish to use longer assignments with supply teachers and agree a minimum number of hours across the academic year. This advice for supply teachers also applies to other temporary staff working in schools such as support staff working on a supply basis, peripatetic teachers such sports coaches, and those engaged to deliver before and after school clubs.”

Music

Schools should note that there may be an additional risk of infection in environments where you or others are singing, chanting, playing wind or brass instruments or shouting. This applies even if individuals are at a distance. Schools should consider how to reduce the risk, particularly when pupils are playing instruments or singing in small groups such as in music lessons by, for example, physical distancing and playing outside wherever possible, limiting group sizes to no more than 15, positioning pupils back-to-back or side-to-side, avoiding sharing of instruments, and ensuring good ventilation. Singing, wind and brass playing should not take place in larger groups such as school choirs and ensembles, or school assemblies. Further more detailed DfE guidance will be published shortly.”

Department for Education: Guidance for full opening – schools, Published 2 July 2020

Catch-up and Pupil Wellbeing Support

Artis is able to provide creative provision over the Summer break, and in the new academic year, to support academic and cognitive development. We can offer a range of bespoke creative workshops to support literacy, numeracy and topic work. Additionally we can support mental wellbeing through our award-winning Artis Bounce programme.

Contact Carys (Cuckoo) to find out more (cuckoo@artis.hdkassoc.co.uk).

Artis Specialist Support

Artis Specialists who are pregnant, clinically vulnerable or extremely clinically vulnerable

Government advice at present advises that those who are pregnant, clinically vulnerable or extremely clinically vulnerable will be able to return to the workplace from 1 August, including those who live with individuals who are shielding.

We recognise guidance may change over the coming weeks and months and vary in different areas of the country, so we will be in touch with schools regarding their Artis Specialist if there are any specific circumstances which means they need to shield.

Artis Specialist Wellbeing

The mental health, wellbeing and work-life balance of our Artis Specialists is a key concern for Artis, and so we have protocols in place to support this, including specific training and mentoring.

Artis Anywhere

With thanks to financial support from the Arts Council Emergency Respond Fund and the London Community Response Fund, Artis will offer all our partner schools access to Artis Anywhere, our new remote provision portal. Artis Anywhere will be live in September 2020 and provide pre-recorded creative learning sessions for year groups Reception to Year 6.

Contingency Plans

If a local area sees a spike in infection rates that is resulting in localised community spread, appropriate authorities will decide which measures to implement to help contain the spread, which may include closure of schools.
In the case of school closure, we will provide bespoke remote sessions led by your Artis Specialist, alongside school access to Artis Anywhere.
If the school is partially open, we aim to provide “live” sessions if it is safe for the Artis Specialist and encourage children at home to utilise Artis Anywhere.
If the Artis Specialist becomes ill with coronavirus, we will endeavour to provide a cover Specialist until the ill Specialist is well and safe to return to work. Please note that we cannot guarantee last minute cover, particularly during the current climate, as we are likely to have fewer Specialists available in specific areas.

Advice for Specialists delivering in schools

Artis Specialists will receive the Department of Education’s Guidance for Full Opening. Artis Specialists will take part in our Summer Training programme which will go over the guidance and provide support with any queries.

Additionally, the following advice will be circulated:

Travelling to a school should be via car, bicycle or walking, wherever possible.
Arrange workshops to ensure you can maintain suitable spacing between children. Consider the activities that are suitable in your session planning to encourage spatial awareness.
Discuss with the school to see if sessions could take place outside (if possible) or in a larger well ventilated space
Ask to see the schools guidance or risk assessment to ensure you are adhering to their guidance as well as Artis guidance
Avoid use of props/items with children that are not easily cleanable between sessions. Avoid encouraging children to pass around items between them.

Effective infection protection and control

Minimising contact with individuals who are unwell by ensuring that those who have coronavirus symptoms, or who have someone in their household who does, do not attend childcare settings, schools or colleges
Cleaning hands more often than usual – wash hands thoroughly for 20 seconds with running water and soap and dry them thoroughly or use alcohol hand rub or sanitiser ensuring that all parts of the hands are covered
Ensuring good respiratory hygiene by promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach
Cleaning frequently touched surfaces often using standard products, such as detergents and bleach
Minimising contact and mixing by altering, as much as possible, the environment (such as classroom layout) and timetables (such as staggered break times).

Music and Singing

10 minutes of singing max
2 metres minimum distance for any singing between children
Artis Specialist should be 3-5m away from children when singing, especially if children are facing the Specialist
Ensure any singing takes place in a well ventilated space
Discourage loud singing and explosive consonant
Focus on sound quality
Current government advice is that singing should not take place with groups of greater than 15. Artis will be referring to the DfE’s guidance for updates and notify schools and Specialists of any changes to this guidance.
Instruments should be avoided during for the forseeable future.
Please refer to Music Mark’s school and music provider guidance https://www.musicmark.org.uk/resources/music-unlocked-guidance-for-schools-and-music-providers/

Facemasks

The majority of staff in education settings will not require PPE beyond what they would normally need for their work, even if they are not always able to maintain a distance of 2 metres from others.

Class or group sizes

We know that, unlike older children and adults, early years and primary age children cannot be expected to remain 2 metres apart from each other and staff. In deciding to bring more children back to early years and schools, we are taking this into account. Schools should therefore work through the hierarchy of measures set out above:

avoiding contact with anyone with symptoms
frequent hand cleaning and good respiratory hygiene practices
regular cleaning of settings
minimising contact and mixing

It is still important to reduce contact between people as much as possible, and we can achieve that and reduce transmission risk by ensuring children, young people and staff where possible, only mix in a small, consistent group and that small group stays away from other people and groups.

If a child or yourself becomes unwell during your session

If anyone becomes unwell with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature they must be sent home.

Inform a member of the school and ensure that the child, or yourself, remains isolated where possible from the rest of the class or at least 2 metres away.

Please inform a member of the Artis Team if you are unwell.

No cover will be provided for the school in the event of a specialist being ill to reduce the amount of contact that children have with other members of staff.