Updated 11 November 2020

Click here to download a copy of Artis School Guidelines Covid-19 – Nov 2020

Artis Foundation will be operating according to government guidance to deliver creative provision to schools from September 2020 and operate within schools’ protective measures. Alongside the School Government guidelines, Artis Foundation are following the Government’s advice on working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19): performing arts.

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

Overview

Artis are currently delivering 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@oldsite.artisfoundation.org.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, dance and drama in school

All pupils should have access to a quality arts education. Music, dance and drama build confidence and help children live happier, more enriched lives, and discover the joy of expressing themselves. There may, however, be an additional risk of infection in environments where singing, chanting, playing wind or brass instruments, dance and drama takes place.

Additional mitigations, such as extended social distancing, were previously required for singing, and playing of wind and brass instruments given concerns that these were potentially higher risk activities. Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has commissioned further scientific studies to be carried out to develop the scientific evidence on these activities, which has allowed the government to reconsider appropriate mitigations and further research is continuing.

Singing, wind and brass instrument playing can be undertaken in line with this and other guidance, in particular guidance provided by the DCMS for professionals and non-professionals, available at working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19): performing arts. However, these studies have also indicated that it is the cumulative aerosol transmission from both those performing in, and attending, events which is likely to create risk. DCMS is continuing to develop a more detailed understanding of how to mitigate this potential aggregate risk, but in that context, organisations should follow the guidance set out below.

Schools that offer specialist, elite provision in music, dance and drama should also consider this guidance alongside the DCMS guidance on the performing arts.

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.

COVID-19 Safe protocols – For Artis Specialists:

You must check for Coronavirus symptoms every day. These are

• a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (if you measure your temperature, this should be no higher than 37.8 ◦C)
• a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
• Most people with coronavirus have at least 1 of these symptoms.
• If you do not have any symptoms, then you do not need to be tested. Between early September and now, it has been difficult to get tested on demand but testing capacity is growing every week. Our advice remains to avoid getting a test unless

• you have symptoms or
• you have been in close contact or proximity contact (see below) with someone who has tested positive or
• NHS Test & Trace have advised you to.

If you are at home and you develop any of those main symptoms:

• stay at home and self isolate until you receive your test result
• do not go to work/school, or go out for any reason other than to get a test
• get a test as soon as possible and in any event, within 5 days of symptoms appearing and follow guidelines regarding test and trace https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/nhs-test-and-trace-if-youve-been-in-contact-with-a-person-who-has-coronavirus/
• If you delay getting a test beyond 5 days, you will not be able to get one and you will have to self isolate for the full period
• telephone the Artis office and let them know the situation

If you are at work and you develop any of those main symptoms:

• Inform the main contact at the school and go home
• Telephone the Artis office and let them know the situation
• Do not remain at work
• Get a test as soon possible and in any event, within 5 days of symptoms appearing and follow guidelines regarding test and trace https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/nhs-test-and-trace-if-youve-been-in-contact-with-a-person-who-has-coronavirus/
• Self isolate as per government guidelines until you receive your test result
• If you delay getting a test beyond 5 days, you will not be able to get one and you will have to self isolate for the full period

Informing Schools

• We are in partnership with our schools during the pandemic and want to help them manage the situation as much as we can
• If you believe you have symptoms, you must telephone the Artis office who will inform the schools where you have had close contact (see definition below) in the previous 5 days. You should let us know:
• that you think you have coronavirus symptoms,
• that you are self isolating,
• that you are arranging for a test and
• that you will inform the Artis office of the result
• Make sure that the Artis office are informed of the test result – negative or positive.

If you are contacted by NHS Test & Trace

• Start a period of self isolation if directed to by Test & Trace staff. If you have been directed to do this by Test & Trace, you must comply even if you do not feel unwell.
• Inform the Artis office as above
• If you develop symptoms during this period, get a test as outlined above
• Review this link https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-test-and-trace-how-it-works#people-whodevelop-symptoms-of-coronavirus for a detailed list of what contact tracers will never ask you.These include dialling premium rate numbers; paying any monies; disclosing bank account details; disclosing PIN’s or passwords, disclosing personal information; downloading software and all the things which fraudsters would need. Please be aware and vigilant.

Self isolation

• The self isolation period for you is 10 days from the point at which you start to show symptoms
• If you are contacted by NHS Test & Trace, the self-isolation period will be 14 days (unless, of course, you have already developed symptoms)
• Your household members must self isolate for 14 days after you started having symptoms
• Follow the guidance https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection
• You will not be required to provide evidence of a negative result once your period of self isolation ends

Testing and test result

• You can organise a test here https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test
• Getting a test may be difficult due to pressures on the testing system (Sept 2020). If you cannot get a test within 5 days of symptoms appearing, you will in any event need to self isolate for the remainder of your 10-day self-isolation.
• If your test is positive, you must complete the remainder of your 10-day self-isolation. Anyone in your household must also complete self-isolation for 14 days from when you started having symptoms.
• If your test is negative, other household members no longer need to self-isolate. If you feel well and no longer have symptoms similar to coronavirus, you can stop self-isolating (unless you have been contacted separately by NHS Test and Trace as a contact of someone who has tested positive).

Artis will note the fact that you have started a period of self-isolation

• Artis expects you to arrange for a test as soon as you notice symptoms and to use your best efforts to get a test within the 5 day window.
• Artis expects you to make yourself available for work as soon as you receive a negative result and will ask you for sight of your COVID-19 test whether negative or positive
• Artis expects you to make yourself available for work as soon as your self isolation period ends and on the assumption that no other COVID-19 symptoms have become apparent – in other words that you are fit to return to work

Non COVID-19 coughs and colds

• Usually around this time of the year (autumn/winter), people experience a higher level of seasonal illnesses
• Artis encourages you to seek the flu vaccination where appropriate and will reimburse this cost

Contact is defined as:

1. Close contact – direct face to face; within 1m; being coughed on; unprotected physical contact.
2. Proximity contact – contact within 1 – 2 metres for more than 15 minutes.

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 vulnerable.

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.

Click here to download a copy of Artis School Guidelines Covid-19 – Nov 2020