Schools’ decision-makers have a weight on their shoulders now that students have been welcomed back.
Every school is different, so it can be difficult to issue across-the-board advice. The safety measures in place should consider the local situation, as well as the school’s ability to maintain certain hygiene practices and physical distancing.
That being said, there are general guidelines that apply to most educational establishments. We’ve detailed the relevant guidance here.
Schools Hygiene
Educate & Involve All
The following measures should be implemented to help everyone in school adhere to the right procedures:
- Educate students, staff and visitors about COVID-19 prevention, including details on cleaning, distancing and limiting exposure
- Create a hygiene schedule (for everyone to follow) for things like hand washing, desk cleaning and equipment sanitising to ensure cleanliness is regularly maintained
- Ensure there is also a schedule for in-house cleaners, so the same safety measures are applied to toilets, kitchen areas and communal spaces
Up the Effort
In many schools, regular cleaning measures will have already been in place, but now it’s time to level up. Sanitising must be sufficient enough to ensure the safety of staff and students every day.
The school environment should by cleaned daily, especially frequently touched surfaces like door handles, desks, supplies and switches.
Introducing more cleaning staff may be mandatory for this extra workload, but, as mentioned earlier, it’s also a good idea to get all students and staff involved by asking them to do their bit and clean things they’ve used in class.
Provide Sanitising Supplies
To get everyone involved and “up the effort”, sufficient handwashing and surface cleaning supplies are necessary.
Schools should provide enough sanitiser and/or soap and clean water at entrances and throughout the school so that hand hygiene can be maintained by all throughout the day.
Janitorial staff may need more supplies for the extra workload, and, for schools aiming to get students and staff to help out, it’s best to invest in lots of antibacterial sprays and cloths to use throughout the day.
Schools Hygiene from Direct365
At Direct365, we provide a range of hygiene solutions to help education establishments stay safe.
Our most relevant supplies categories include:
We also offer a dispenser service which includes installation, refills and maintenance of sanitiser or soap dispensers for any area in your school.
Schools Distancing
Set Clear Boundaries
As we all know, COVID-19 has opened a whirlwind of confusion. In any education establishment, the best thing to do is set a clear rule and stick to it.
The widely recommended rule is to maintain a distance of at least one metre between everyone present at school, although this is dependent local government guidelines (so it’s best to check what’s correct in your area or region).
Make Distancing Easy
Schools should put measures in place to make it as easy as possible to adhere to distancing rules. This could include:
- Increased desk spacing (at least one metre between desks)
- Staggered or relocated breaks and lunchbreaks
- Limited mixing of classes (e.g. teachers move between classrooms rather than all students)
- A one-way entrance and exit system for classrooms
- Increased number of teachers, if possible, to allow for fewer students per classroom
Admittedly these measures are all dependent on the school’s resources, so it’s best to think creatively about how to work with the space available and problem-solve for the specific environment.
Schools Distancing from Direct365
Our COVID-19 category features a range of supplies that make safe distancing a little bit easier, including signs, stickers, posters, tape, mats, protective screens, face shields, non-contact thermometers and more.
We also provide floorcare services, including personalised mats and mat laundering and maintenance, allowing schools to have bespoke social distancing mats to suit any space.