As lockdown restrictions are being gradually eased across the country, industries of all types must now consider additional health and safety measures, to ensure a safe re-opening.

Schools and universities in particular, which have been badly affected during the Coronavirus pandemic, are faced with the problem of re-opening as before, without risking a second wave of infections amongst students and staff.

This is where fever screening can play an important role. By instantly identifying those with abnormal temperatures, schools, colleges and universities can prevent those who may be infectious with COVID-19 from entering their premises and in turn, potentially spreading the virus to others.

Here, Lasse Tonnesen, Managing Director at Test Meter Group, explains exactly how thermal imaging temperature screening works to identify those with abnormal temperatures, and how the education sector can implement this technology to ensure their safe re-opening.

How does thermal imaging temperature screening work?

Infrared thermal fever screening solutions, such as FOTRIC 226B, use AI face detection to automatically check an individual’s temperature

These imagers also incorporate a body temperature calibration algorithm, which works to prevent false negatives. This algorithm works by automatically collecting face temperatures in different scenarios for self-learning. It then adjusts the body temperature alarm threshold in real time by adapting to ambient temperature changes. This prevents false alarms from people who report abnormal body temperature due to morning or night-time temperature differences, for example.

What happens if someone has an abnormal temperature?

If an imager detects an abnormal temperature, it emits an automatic alert, which allows for a rapid on-site identification and prevention of the person from entering the premises. The imager will also automatically capture the photo of the detected person, which can be used for further statistics and analysis.

How can this help care homes to re-open safely?

It goes without saying that schools and universities must implement a range of additional measures to ensure safety when easing lockdown restrictions.

By implementing thermal imaging temperature screening solutions as part of these additional measures, they will be able to identify any potential students approaching the premise who may unknowingly have symptoms of COVID-19.

It’s important that the schools and universities then have a strict procedure in place to allow these students to be removed from site in a safe manner and without coming into contact with any other person.

Education facilities can then use the images captured by the imager to keep a record of those students who have reported abnormal temperatures to ensure they do not return to the premises within seven days, as well as to identify any trends or patterns emerging in the data.

More information on FOTRIC 226B can be found here.

Cambridge Primary Education Trust (CPET), which comprises Hatton Park Primary School, Histon & Impington Infant School, Histon & Impington Junior School, Somersham Primary School and Trumpington Park Primary School, has issued an update on the phased return of children of over 300 children to its schools since 8^th June.

Lesley Birch, CEO/Executive Principal at the Trust, spoke about the ‘re-opening’ of CPET schools and paid tribute to their “amazing staff” and “absolutely fantastic children”. “In the last week we have welcomed back more children to CPET schools via a phased return approach, as well as continuing home learning for children who have not returned and remain at home. At the highest point we had 329 children across our schools, each allocated a ‘social bubble’ with a teacher and teaching assistant overseeing that bubble.

“Firstly, I would like to say a big thank you to all our amazing staff who have supported our children and families, not just over the past week, but throughout the period of lockdown. It has been an extremely difficult and challenging time for everyone but their hard work, commitment, dedication, resilience and ongoing good humour has been quite remarkable. What has also been remarkable is the messages of support we have had from parents and carers. Our children have been absolutely fantastic and we are so very proud of them all.”

Ms Birch said that CPET had left, and would continue to leave, no stone unturned in our attempts to create a safe environment for all in their schools. “The Trust, and all our schools, have developed a robust risk assessment that has been personalised for each school,” she explained. “All of our schools have prepared their environments and updated their health and safety arrangements to ensure that two metre social distancing can be adhered to. All schools have also revised their cleaning arrangements and purchased PPE and additional cleaning products. The Trust has co-ordinated the central purchasing of PPE and cleaning products. All schools have ensured that their staff are familiar with all new procedures and protocols.”

Those children in school are receiving a focused curriculum which includes the core subjects as well as Personal Social Health Education (PSHE) and PE. For those children who have yet to return to school, teachers have been providing work and having regular conversations with children and families. “We very much hope that we will soon be able to see larger numbers of children returning to our schools, but this will only be the case when we have further updates to the government guidelines and, as a Trust, we deem it safe to do so following ongoing risk assessments,” Mrs Birch said. “In the meantime, and in line with current guidance, we will continue to follow our existing course until the end of the summer term. This will include immediately isolating anyone (pupil or staff member) experiencing symptoms of Covid-19 and taking action with other members of our ‘bubbles’ in line with government guidance.”

Mrs Birch said that Trust schools were available to listen to concerns that parents and carers have regarding the further opening of schools. “We are mindful that the picture is ever-changing, and last week the Prime Minister announced that the government would be doing a ‘huge amount of catch-up for pupils over the summer’. As a Trust, we will reflect on any firm plans which are announced and update our communities thereafter. We also recognise the new guidance published on Monday that primary schools with extra capacity can welcome back pupils from any year groups. We will look to bring more children back where possible, but are also rolling out Teams to ensure more virtual communication.”

She added: “We know that our communities are eager to know whether or not our schools will be back to ‘normal’ in September. Naturally, we all desperately miss the ‘buzz’ of day-to-day school life as we know it, but we appreciate continued patience and understanding on this matter. It is not easy for any for us. However, the protection of our pupils, colleagues and their families is the single most important priority for the Trust.”

Thirty-six schools and education charities have received donations of £1,000 each as part of the Movement for Good awards.

The awards, set up by specialist insurer Ecclesiastical, will see a total of £1million given to charities across the UK this summer. Members of the public were invited to nominate causes close to their hearts, with 500 awards of £1,000 available for donation.

More than a quarter of a million kind-hearted members of the public (253,879) supported the Movement for Good awards, voting for a total of 13,695 charitable causes across the UK. The 500 winning charities were picked at random from those nominated.

Among the schools and education charities to secure an award are Brockwell Nursery and Infant School Parents’ Association, Kingsbury School Charitable Fund, Read Easy UK and The Latymer Foundation at Edmonton.

Thanking those who nominated a charity, Mark Hews, Group Chief Executive at Ecclesiastical, said: “We have seen an overwhelming public response to our Movement for Good awards and would like to thank every single person who took the time to nominate a good cause. Ecclesiastical is a unique financial services group. We are owned by a charity which means all available profits can be given to the good causes that are so important to our customers. As a company whose purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society, charitable giving is at the heart of our business. We know that £1,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better.”

For more information about the Movement for Good awards and for a full list of the winning charities, visit: www.ecclesiastical.com/movementforgood

Later this summer, a further ten charities will also be chosen by a panel of judges to receive £50,000 from Ecclesiastical to be put towards the advancement of education, skills, arts, culture and heritage, as well as citizenship or community development.

From 15 June, charities are invited to apply for the substantial grant with applications being assessed against four key areas; impact and effectiveness, sustainability, innovation, and care and compassion.

The successful charities will be announced from Monday 21 September 2020.

Premier League Primary Stars, a primary schools programme created by the Premier League and supported by 110 professional football clubs, has seen downloads of its free curriculum-linked education resources soar during lockdown.

These fun and engaging football-linked activities, available through the programme’s new Home Learning Hub, have been downloaded more than 20,000 times by families and teachers since March. The resources have all been designed to educate, entertain and encourage families to keep learning and stay active and connected with one another, whether at home or at school.

Among the most popular has been a maths and spelling game called Solve, Shoot, Score which features animations of Premier League footballers and has had more than 31,000 plays since schools closed.

Families from across England and Wales have taken part in weekly Family Challenges, which encourage home learning and have been supported by celebrities, including best-selling author-illustrator and Children’s Laureate Cressida Cowell, mathematician Rachel Riley and TV presenter Dan Walker. The challenges, which can be done at home or at school, will continue for the rest of the academic year. Following each Challenge, a ‘Star of the Week’ who has shared their work is celebrated and featured in the Premier League Primary Stars community gallery.

Other popular activities on PLPrimaryStars.com include maths puzzles, which use data from Premier League football stickers, as well as opportunities for children to practise their football skills by watching examples from football players and club coaches.  

Through the programme’s #GetInTouch campaign, children have sent older relatives, friends and neighbours, who may be isolated during the Coronavirus pandemic, heart-warming stories, letters and drawings.

Children taking part in Premier League Primary Stars activity have also been given the chance to join a live Q&A event hosted by CBBC presenter Ben Shires and featuring Dan Freedman, best known for his hugely popular series of Jamie Johnson football novels. Freedman has tasked children with creating their own fictional character that could be part of a football-themed story.

To take part in this Challenge, families can download a free activity pack filled with top tips and ideas to get started. Children who submit their original characters for the Challenge will be in with a chance of receiving a special Premier League Trophy visit for their primary school, when it is safe to do so.

As part of the Friday Family Challenges, children have:

• Expressed their feelings about lockdown through poetry and spread messages of kindness
• Been creative by penning short stories and drawing pictures of people who inspire them through the ‘My inspiration drawing challenge’ 
• Written letters to older family members, friends and neighbours through the Connecting generations pack 
• Kept moving with the help of Super Movers active learning routines

Nick Perchard, Head of Community at the Premier League said: 

“We want our new home-learning resources to inspire children and families across the country to keep learning, remain active and stay connected with friends, family and neighbours. 

“We have been working with teachers and parents to create these resources for a home or school environment. Every resource supports the curriculum and is designed to educate and entertain children by connecting learning to the real world of sport.

“Our clubs and celebrity supporters have been excited to get involved and to see the children’s impressive work.

“We hope that these resources have helped teachers and parents who have been doing an incredible job to support their children’s learning during the Coronavirus pandemic.”

As pupils begin a phased return to schools following months of COVID-19 lockdown, beginning with selected primary schools and year groups, and expanding from there over the coming months, Richard Woods, chief operating officer at school transport specialist Kura has revealed three of the most important considerations for schools looking to safely run school transport services for returning pupils each day. 

While children getting back into the classroom is crucial for their wellbeing and future prospects, this will not have come at a welcome time for many parents also required to begin going back to work. These parents may not always have the time for the daily school run in current circumstances and may harbour concerns about placing their child on reduced public transport services, where social distancing isn’t possible, bringing them into close proximity with pupils from multiple other households.

With walking, cycling and public transport not logistically-viable for all in the current climate, shared, school-managed transport remains a safe, greener way for pupils to reliably get to and from school, if the right measures are put in place. 

Let’s take a look at the key precautions below: 

1. Ensure vehicles are safe for transporting pupils 

Making sure pupils are protected when they are aboard school transport is a crucial issue, which will of course be front of mind for concerned parents – particularly those living in rural areas who may have no viable alternative. To this end, seating plans should be put in place ahead of time, with pre-assigned seats – ideally no more than one per row – specifically put aside for pupil use. This can be signalled by fastening the seatbelts on seats that are not for pupil use, and placing signage around the vehicle indicating that students are not to use seats with fastened seatbelts. 

Social distancing procedures should also be put in place when pupils are boarding and alighting school vehicles. Specifically, drivers should be instructed to exit the vehicle and stand at least 2m (one car length) away from the doors while students embark and disembark. When boarding the vehicle, students should fill the designated seats towards the rear of the vehicle first, and when leaving the vehicle students should exit from the front of the vehicle initially. 

Between journeys, all vehicles must be sanitised by drivers and/or school staff, with special attention paid to touchpoints such as armrests and windows, in order to minimise the risk of disease transmission. 

Where possible, schools should also look to invest in contact-tracing technology, that will allow them to monitor and control who exactly boards each vehicle, in order to ensure that any pupil or member of staff that exhibits symptoms is properly isolated. While manual systems, such as paper-based registers, can accomplish this, these solutions are susceptible to human error and are not nearly as quick, reliable or efficient as digital solutions. 

Kura’s smart registration software, which is in use in schools across the UK, allows schools to keep track of exactly who has travelled on the bus each day, to facilitate contact tracing. Updates to the service and processes mean parents can be safe in the knowledge that their children will only be riding with pre-approved passengers, while remaining the Government-mandated two metres apart from the next passenger. 

1. Increase capacity on travel routes 

Given that each vehicle will carry fewer pupils-per-journey than pre-COVID, schools must also consider how to ensure all pupils who need school-managed transport can get to school on time. If the capacity is available, assigning multiple vehicles to each transport route is an effective temporary measure for this. 

Alternately, schools could consider running “staggered” shuttle services, wherein one vehicle runs the same route multiple times – with all the necessary precautions taken between each trip – picking up the pupils that live furthest away from the school first, and then making another trip for pupils that live closer to the school. 

1. Look to procure larger vehicles

There are a range of vehicles typically used for school-managed transport, from smaller, 16-seater minibuses right the way through to 53-seater school coaches. While all can technically accommodate some pupils while adhering to government-issued social distancing measures, this will be far more difficult to achieve in smaller vehicles such as minibuses.

Subsequently, schools should liaise with their chosen transport provider to see if they are able to provide larger vehicles over the coming weeks and, if this is not possible, look to procure larger vehicles from alternative suppliers in the area. One 53-seater coach can safely transport as many as 13 pupils to and from school with full social distancing, and will therefore be more suited to the needs of many schools that need to transport a large number of pupils inside time-limited windows, such as the beginning and end of the school day.

Where possible, schools should also ensure pupils from different households are kept separated, both at the bus stop and on the vehicle, in order to maintain safe social distancing and minimise the spread of infection. 

For more information about Kura’s COVID-19 social distancing measures, please visithttps://www.ridekura.com/2020/05/safer-transport-covid-19/