Ahead of the start of the Spring term in England this week, the government has announced new guidance and a raft of measures to tackle the Omicron variant of Covid.

Here’s everything you need to know: 

1. Masks to be worn “in classrooms where pupils in year 7 and above are educated”

The updated advice on face coverings, applicable to all classrooms and teaching spaces for Year 7 students and above, will be in place until 26 January, when Plan B regulations are currently scheduled to expire, at which point the guidance will be reviewed.

The secondary school advice also applies to special schools providing education for secondary aged pupils. There was no additional guidance on the use of face coverings in primary schools.

2. Schools will be able to apply for air purifiers 

The government has said that 7,000 air cleaning units will be provided to early years settings, schools and colleges, in an attempt to improve ventilation in teaching spaces. Schools will have to prove they are eligible for the units. All state schools can apply for these units if they meet the criteria.

Read our guide to the eligibility criteria and how to apply here. 

3. Ofsted inspections will be scaled back

Ofsted inspections are now also set to be scaled back this month, with the Department for Education (DfE) announcing that the watchdog will be encouraging schools that are “significantly impacted” by Covid to ask for deferrals.

In addition, the government has said that Ofsted will not ask inspectors who are serving school or college leaders to carry out inspections - meaning the majority of the watchdog’s workforce will be unavailable.

4. The seven-day isolation period has been confirmed 

As first reported by Tes, the changes to the isolation period required for Covid cases does apply to school pupils.

The 10-day self-isolation period for those who record a positive PCR test result for Covid-19 has been reduced to seven days in most circumstances, unless you cannot test for any reason, and the DfE has confirmed that this applies to those who attend schools. 

Individuals may now take rapid lateral flow tests on day six and day seven of their self-isolation period. If those test results are negative they no longer have to complete 10 full days of self-isolation.

5. The definition of a ‘vulnerable’ child has been expanded

The definition of a vulnerable child to date has been:

• those with a social worker
• those with an Education, Health and Care Plan
• a group of children considered locally, including by settings and local authorities, to be ‘otherwise vulnerable’

In an email to heads, the DfE said this has now been expanded to:

• children known to children’s social care services in the past
• children whose home circumstances might be particularly challenging because of domestic abuse, parental offending, adult mental health issues, and drug and alcohol addiction

6. Measures to keep as many pupils in school as possible recommended

The education secretary has conceded that where staff absences are substantial, avoiding remote learning would be ‘impossible’. 

However, he stated that as many pupils should receive face-to-face teaching as possible. 

Headteachers have been told to consider combining class groups to ensure pupils remain in school during periods of high teacher absence due to Covid.

The Department for Education has also told schools that, where there is a need for remote education, live streaming lessons is the “preferred method”. 

For further details, see here.

7. Any planned examinations will go ahead in January

The government says all planned January examinations should go ahead, and that schools should contact the awarding organisation for any adaptations to the processes deemed necessary. 

8. Isolation rules for close contacts re-iterated

As before, those who are fully vaccinated, or pupils and young people aged between 5 and 18 and a half, who have been identified as a close contact of someone with Covid, should take a lateral flow test every day for seven days and, unless they have a positive test result or develop symptoms at any time, they should continue to attend their setting as normal. 

Children under the age of 5 should not do a daily test or self-isolate and should attend their provision unless they receive a positive PCR test result.