Outbreaks

What happens if there is an outbreak?

It is expected that schools will continue to:

• Promote full vaccination of all staff, alongside promoting vaccination among appropriate pupils and parents.
• Ensure good hygiene for everyone.
• Maintain appropriate cleaning regimes.
• Keep occupied spaces well ventilated.
• Follow public health advice on testing, self-isolation and managing confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The national position changes if there is an outbreak in your setting or local area. Local authorities, directors of public health (DsPH) and health protection teams (HPTs) (from Public Health England, which will become the UK Health Security Agency in October 2021) are responsible for managing localised outbreaks. They play an important role in providing support and advice to education, early years, and childcare settings.

Local authorities, Directors of public health (DsPH) and PHE health protection teams (HPTs) can recommend additional measures in individual early years and childcare settings – or a small cluster of settings – as part of their outbreak management responsibilities. A ‘cluster’, as it applies to settings rather than cases of COVID-19, is defined in most cases as being no more than 3 or 4 settings linked in the same outbreak.

The Local Authority understands there is no "one size fits all" approach and that decisions regarding how to minimise/prevent transmission are made based on circumstances particular to your local setting and local intelligence, alongside other Health & Safety considerations. We are supportive of settings who choose to follow good practice such as using consistent groupings, staggered, start and finish times, minimising bringing parents onto site and further use of face coverings where appropriate.

Triggers for Local Outbreak Management Plan Response

These local triggers will remain under review, and are defined below:

• Setting raises concern about 2 or more linked cases
• 3 or more cases within a group in the setting within 10 days
• 5 or more cases across a setting within 10 days
• 3 or more staffing cases, or fewer if impacting on the capacity of the setting to operate.