Guidance to visitors to the site in relation to Covid-19

 

We look forward to your forthcoming visit to our site.

In the current climate, Our Lady’s is taking steps to protect its pupils, staff and visitors from the risks of Covid-19. This means that a number of arrangements have changed and visitors should familiarise themselves with these changes. A full copy of the school risk assessment is available on the school website https://www.ourladys.bham.sch.uk/new-reception-september-2020/  however, the sheet below is intended for visitors to the site  to be able to prepare for any visit to the site in advance. We thank all our visitors for supporting us in our efforts to manage the risks of Covid- 19.

 

Some people are unable to visit our premises, please check you do not fall into any of these categories and do not visit us if any of the below apply.

1. You must not enter our premises if you or anyone in your household or support bubble has symptoms of Covid-19, however, mild.  Symptoms include:

• A persistent cough;
• Fever;
• New loss of, or change in, your sense of taste and smell.

 

2. You must not enter our premises if you have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 10 days, whether or not you have symptoms.

 

3. You must not enter our premises if someone in your household or support bubble has tested positive for coronavirus in the last 14 days, whether or not they have symptoms.

 

4. You must not enter our site if you have been advised to self-isolate by track and trace or the local outbreak protection team and are still within the isolation period.

 

5. You must also not visit our site if you have returned within the last 14 days from any country not on the travel corridor list.

 

Appointment only system

All visitors to our site must have an appointment; we will be unable to accommodate visitors who turn up without having contacted us first to notify us of their intention to visit.

Precautions we ask all visitors to take

All visitors to our site must:

• Wash their hands thoroughly with warm soapy water before beginning their journey to us and on their return;
• Sanitise their hands on arrival and departure, and depending on the length of their visit and whether they have made contact with any surfaces, during the visit;
• Wear a face mask throughout their visit, unless they have been included as part of teaching bubbles and are maintaining 2M social distancing or are exempt from being required to wear one;
• Provide their contact details for track and trace;
• If you wish to use the toilet facilities while on-site, again a member of staff will direct to where you need to go;
• Please do not bring any unnecessary items into the school.

 

How we greet you has changed

Office staff will greet visitors from behind the glass screen. Visitors will be required to sign in and out in the usual way.

We will issue visitor stickers only and not lanyards.

For the avoidance of potential embarrassment, we would also like to advise you that the school is currently operating a ‘no handshake’ policy for all members of its community.

We will also be unable to provide refreshments, and suggest you bring a bottle of water with you if your visit is likely to last more than 15 minutes.

We apologise for not being able to give you our usual warm welcome, but we must take the current situation very seriously and look after the welfare of our pupils and staff.

If your visit involves a meeting with members of staff

We are encouraging meetings to take place virtually where possible. If this cannot be achieved, then we are seeking to minimise the amount of time visitors spend on our site and the number of places on our site that they visit. We will aim to keep meetings to the shortest length absolutely necessary.

We will seek to hold all meetings in a well-ventilated room and will ask that you maintain 2M social distance where possible, and 1M+ at all times. Some areas of the school can be cold, so we recommend bring a jacket or warm clothing.

We will ask you to keep on your face covering during any meeting and we will also be wearing a face covering.

If your visit involves visiting areas of the site which will be used by pupils

You must:

• Wear a face covering at all times, unless you are exempt from wearing one (please notify of this in advance of your visit);
• Maintain at least 2 meters social distance from other adults and pupils at all times;
• Minimise your contact with touch point surfaces;
• Make use of hand sanitiser wherever it is provided;

We will try to restrict visits to classrooms only to those visits which are absolutely essential.

 

 

Limiting the spread of infection is everyone’s responsibility. You can help us to keep our community safe by respecting and supporting all of the safety measures that we have put in place. Thank you.

This guidance is regularly updated.