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Summary Guidance for Schools in Scotland
This brief guidance - in Q+A form - is intended primarily to assist local authorities, proprietors of independent and grant-aided schools, and all head teachers in planning for a human flu pandemic. It should be read in conjunction with the more detailed guidance for local authorities, schools and other providers of children's services at www.scotland.gsi.gov.uk/pandemicfluadviceforparents and any relevant material prepared by the local authority.
Is there a serious risk of a flu pandemic, and what impact could it have?
Experts advise that a further flu pandemic is inevitable, but we do not know when it will happen. When it happens, we would expect it to affect all areas of the UK and have a very significant impact. Depending on the severity of the pandemic, 25-50% of the population may become ill at some stage, and 50,000 - 700,000 more people than usual may die over the course of a pandemic.
Why is the Scottish Executive issuing guidance for schools now?
Following the publication of an overall UK Government contingency plan in 2005, the Executive is working with local government and other key stakeholders to develop and refine contingency plans.
All organisations are being encouraged to plan for a flu pandemic. The general advice is to continue operating as normally as possible during a pandemic. Schools (and childcare settings) are potentially different.
What are the roles of the Scottish Executive, local authorities and schools?
The Scottish Executive has overall responsibility for contingency planning in Scotland, and is responsible for national policy decisions and communicating those and the overall co-ordination of activities in Scotland during a pandemic to relevant partners.
Local authorities and other front-line emergency responders (eg police, NHS) must work in partnership to build their local preparedness; in a pandemic they would work together in Strategic Co-ordinating Groups to co-ordinate activities in an areas. Local authorities would also communicate information from the Scottish Executive to all schools within their authority and with staff and parents as appropriate.
Schools should plan for a flu pandemic as part of their local authority's general emergency and contingency planning. Managers (normally at local authority level) would make the final decision on when to close (and re-open) a school during a pandemic, taking account of national advice.
Do you expect schools to have to close during a pandemic?
The general advice to all employers involved in the provision of education is that they should seek to continue operating as normally as possible during a pandemic - but should plan for much higher than usual levels of staff absence and other possible disruption arising from the pandemic.
Schools (and childcare settings) are potentially different. Children are highly efficient 'spreaders' of respiratory infections, both among themselves and to adults in their families. There is some evidence that such infections spread less among children in holiday periods than in term-time. So, closing schools and childcare settings for a period might significantly reduce the number of children infected.
We will not know until nearer the time, when we know more about the nature of a pandemic strain of virus, and children's vulnerability to it, whether the Scottish Executive may therefore advise schools and group childcare settings to close to pupils for a period during a pandemic, but it is a possibility. Any such closure would likely be advised by local authority area, based on central guidance about whether and when to close and re-open. It is very likely that all areas would be affected at some stage. Schools should therefore plan both for remaining open during a pandemic and for possible closure (as part of their local authority's more general emergency planning activity).
What do staff do if schools close to pupils?
In line with workers in other sectors, staff would be expected to come into school, unless ill, caring for dependents or authorised to work elsewhere.
What does my school have to do now, during a pandemic and in between?
Your local authority's current emergency /contingency planning may already cover some or all of these points, but you should now ensure that :
- written plans make clear who would take the decision whether to close a school - either because of Scottish Executive advice that schools in an area should close, or because of reasons specific to the school ( i.e. too many staff off ill or caring for ill dependents);in most cases this will be the local authority;
- you have up-to-date contact details for staff and parents;
- you have arrangements to keep a sick child separate from other pupils (and minimise their contact with staff) until you can get him or her home or collected by parents/carers;
- you are able to remain open, if appropriate - your plans should include systems to minimise the spread of infection if the school remains open during a pandemic, eg good hygiene practice such as hand-washing, disposal of tissues etc.
- any communications with staff and parents should be within the context of your local authority communications strategy and wider contingency plans.
Between now and a pandemic you should review your plan regularly, and in the light of any further advice from the Scottish Executive or your local authority.
Your local authority will tell you when the World Health Organization considers a pandemic is imminent. At that stage you should work with the local authority to review plans again, check that you have necessary supplies, and remind staff of key information - such as that they should not come into work if they have any virus-like symptoms.
In a pandemic, while your school remains open, you should:
- Take hygiene measures to reduce the risk of infection spreading;
- Ensure that staff showing any signs of infection go home immediately;
- Ensure that children showing signs of infection are segregated from other pupils, before being taken home or collected by parents/carers
- Provide any information requested by your local authority (eg absence rates).
Who will take decisions on what and how will we be told?
The Scottish Executive will on the basis of medical advice make the decision in principle whether to advise schools in affected areas to close. If this decision is taken, local authorities may communicate it to schools, but schools would not necessarily close at that point. Local authorities - acting on national and local health information - would inform schools when their area is affected and the advice to close applies.
Legal powers to close schools rests with local authorities (and other education providers). Managers (normally at local authority level) would also decide whether a school should close for other reasons ( i.e. lack of staff).
If there is advice to close all schools in an area, the local authority would tell schools when this advice will be reviewed; after such a review, the authority would advise schools whether to remain closed or to re-open and, if they are to re-open, whether any specific conditions should apply.
If schools close, is there a need to provide alternative education?
Local authorities have a power to provide education for children of compulsory school age who are out of school. Schools would remain open to staff, who could set and mark work, but getting it to and from pupils is an issue that will have to be addressed. We are looking into whether and how The Scottish Executive can advise or assist local authorities, and will provide more guidance later this year.
Do any special considerations apply to boarding schools or special schools?
Boarding schools should check guardianship arrangements for children whose parents are abroad. Their plans should also cover how to provide accommodation in small 'family-type' units for pupils who could not return home.
As some children in special schools, particularly residential special schools, will have complex needs that can be met better in those schools than elsewhere, schools should - when planning - take advice from social care and health professionals and decide, on the basis of the child's overall well-being, whether the disruption of keeping the child out of school outweighs the increased risk of infection within school.
Can we expect more guidance from the Scottish Executive?
The Executive will review this summary guidance, and the fuller guidance at www.scotland.gsi.gov.uk/pandemicfluadviceforparents regularly, and advise local authorities of any changes. The Executive also expects to issue guidance on infection control later in 2006, as well as more information on the possible provision of remote learning.
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