NEW RISK ASSESSMENT (RA) JANUARY 2022
With the emergence of the Omicron variant we now need to make certain changes to our working practices within Thornton Heath Nursery School in order to ensure all our children and staff are safe. Our most recent risk assessment (version 8) can be found here. We have been blessed so far that we have not had to close any of the sessions at the nursery but we are well aware that should there be multiple children testing positive or too many staff who have caught the virus this may be inevitable. The good news is that the changes are less wide ranging this time around and there is to be no return to ‘Bubbles’ or any of those measures that made nursery life so hard in previous terms.
MAIN CHANGES:
- [5.1] Shared offices continue to be used and CO2 monitors will be installed. As per union advice staff working in these rooms should seek to increase in ventilation if CO2 levels exceed 800ppm. At 1500ppm an alarm will sound and staff should “flush” the room with fresh air.
- [6.4a] Learning spaces remain well ventilated. This is now key to keeping infections within THNS at a low level and has been a successful strategy for us. The nature of our early years provision means that doors are constantly open as children are free to choose indoor or outdoor learning
- [6.4c] All schools have CO2 monitors and staff should pay due attention to these
- [6.4d] When the CO2 monitors reach 1500ppm an alarm will sound and staff should organise a ‘flush’ of the air in the room at this point by opening windows or doors. High level windows are the best to open to improve CO2 levels
- [6.4e] If there are any rooms identified as having levels of CO2 consistently above 800ppm then THNS will consider providing supplement ventilation such as a HEPA filtration unit
- [10.2] Staff will wear PPE in shared spaces as per above and may wear PPE in their classrooms if they wish to. THNS will endeavour to procure and maintain PPE stocks in our schools but it may not be possible to do so reliably (depending on availability) nor are we required to do so in government guidance
- [12.1] Staff who are vaccinated do not need to self isolate if someone in their household tests positive for COVID-19. However, they should take an LFT each day before attending work and should IMMEDIATELY speak to their Head of School if they begin to feel any symptoms
All in all we think this is a proportionate set of measures at this time and if the situation worsens we will update staff and parents accordingly. Please continue to wear face masks when talking to staff.
Jenette Indarsingh
