Supervised activity and education in out-of-school-settings for children and young people of up to age 18, from 2 December 2020
From 2 December 2020, any supervised activity and education for children and young people of up to age 18 in out-of-school settings can happen in all tiers, both inside and outdoors.
In relation to activities at out-of-schools-settings, the gov.uk guidance updated on 30 November includes:
• exemptions for limits on gatherings for supervised activities provided for children, including wraparound care (before and after-school childcare), groups and activities for under 18s, and children’s playgroups.
This information is also contained within the guidance for out-of-school-settings which was updated on 27 November and confirms that, with protective measures, providers of out of school activities are able to open in a range of settings including:
• their own premises
• education premises, such as schools or colleges (where providers would be using them outside of school hours, or when closed over school holiday periods)
• community-facing premises including village halls, community centres and places of worship.
The Department for Education (DfE) has also clarified that:
• the above cover supervised activities for children or other persons who were under the age of 18 on 31 August 2020 (this means that if a person, for example, turns 18 on 1 September they can still take part in activities with their peers who may not be 18 until end of the academic year.)
• as before, examinations and other assessments for regulated qualifications (including regulated qualifications in dance, drama, music and musical theatre) can go ahead so long as they are conducted in line with the public health guidance for examinations and the guidance specified by the relevant awarding organisation. The current guidance can be found here
Some helpful web links:
• DfE Out of School Settings Provider Guidance is available here
• Out of School Settings Parent Guidance is available here
• Guidance for Schools is available here
• More information on Further Education provision is available here