Challenges of COVID-19 - Step Up To Secondary School

This section of the site will give you information on COVID-19 and how it will affect your return to school.

On June 12th, the Department of Education advised schools of its ambition that all schools will fully reopen at the start of the next school year, in line with normal time frames.

Different government departments have been working hard on developing guidance and resources for the safe return of schools. There is a central website that contains a lot of this information and it can be found by using this link.

Topics and content on the site include:

Information for students and their families
Roadmap for the full return to school
Wellbeing resources
School Transport

Schools will be introducing an enhanced cleaning regime.

Students practising good general hygiene and washing hands properly and often will help to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Dos

Wash your hands properly and often. Use hand sanitiser or soap and water.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve when you cough and sneeze.
Put used tissues into a bin and wash your hands.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Don’ts

Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean.
Do not share objects that touch your mouth – bottles or cups, for example.

When you should wash your hands:

after coughing or sneezing
before and after eating
before and after preparing food
if you were in contact with someone who has a fever or respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing)
before and after being on public transport
before and after being in a crowd (especially an indoor crowd)
when you enter and leave buildings, including your home or anyone else’s home
if you have handled animals or animal waste
if your hands are dirty
after toilet use

How to wash your hands properly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsgLivAD2FE

Social distancing is important to help slow the spread of coronavirus. It minimises contact between potentially infected individuals and healthy individuals.

You should:

keep space between you and other people
avoid any crowded places
not shake hands or make close contact with other people, if possible

There is very little risk if you are just passing someone, but try to keep a distance of two metres, where possible.

Follow social distancing and hygiene advice everywhere inside the school.

There will be separate advice about:

self-isolating if you have symptoms of coronavirus
taking extra care if you’re at higher risk from coronavirus
what to do if you live with someone who has coronavirus symptoms
what to do if you are a close contact of a confirmed case of coronavirus
travel

This website will be updated as the situation and advice become clearer.