If you are bringing your class to us

4/11/21

Following the development of government guidelines to allow educational and childcare settings to open, we are  working on a limited number of sites for school visits.

We hope you and your class will be able to join us for some sunshine and fresh air in the woods, far away from any COVID-related stress and worry.

You can book by emailing us at schools@wild-learning.net or by calling 01483 424400.

Bookings are subject to additional conditions and procedures as a result of the pandemic, which are detailed below.

We think at this time of stress and uncertainty that it is more important than ever that children get some time to play outdoors. We are fortunate that our working environment outdoors is intrinsically safer than any other social setting, but we have developed a number of additional procedures to help keep you, your children and our staff safe. These procedures are informed by the current understanding of the virus and government guidelines for educational settings.

Primary schools  and other educational and childcare settings are now operating subject to government-specified infection controls. The infection control procedures required by government guidelines are:

• Ensure good hygiene for everyone.
• Maintain appropriate cleaning regimes.
• Keep occupied spaces well ventilated.
• Follow public health advice on testing, self-isolation and managing confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The following procedures have been designed to follow government guidelines insofar as they are applicable in an outdoor environment so as to keep everyone as safe as possible while still running an enjoyable day outdoors. The procedures cannot cover every eventuality, but we will use our judgement to apply the government’s principles above, which will help to keep you and your class safe. You can see the UK Government’s full guide to implementing protective measures in education settings here.

By booking with us you explicitly agree to the following terms, conditions and procedures, together with our general terms and conditions, and we will expect you to abide strictly by them, so please take a moment to read and understand them.

The following may be subject to change if the official advice on the novel coronavirus changes, so it is worth revisiting this page just before your class is due to attend.

Attendance

Attendance on the day is subject to your class being virus-free, as far as it is practicable to be sure. To this end you must NOT bring any child if they:

• • show any symptoms of COVID-19 on the day
  • show any symptoms within 7 days prior to attending
  • are living with an individual who has shown symptoms within 10 days before the date of their attendance (unless they have a negative PCR test)

If a child or children, or accompanying adult within a class turn up with a persistent cough, or are otherwise obviously unwell with COVID-19 symptoms, the group will not be accepted by the registering leader. The leader’s decision on this matter is final, and neither they nor we at head office will engage in any discussion on the matter. You will not be eligible for a credit note or a refund under these circumstances

If your class has to isolate because a member tests positive for COVID-19, and you have informed us before 5pm on the day prior to your visit, we will offer you a credit note or a transfer to another day.

Additional kit on the day

Hand sanitiser

Please provide your class with sufficient hand sanitiser to use before snack breaks during the day. We provide hand washing facilities once we are at camp, but morning snack happens during the journey and children will need to sanitise hands before this. Staff will be checking for hand sanitiser as part of the kit check at the beginning of the day.

We do not provide hand sanitiser for children, as some children are allergic to certain brands, and the passing of a bottle from hand to hand is in itself a potential transmission hazard.

Disposable tissues

We comply with the government’s “catch it, bin it, kill it” advice. All children attending must have a packet of disposable tissues so they can catch and bin their coughs and sneezes. Staff will be checking for tissues as part of the kit check at the beginning of the day.

Masks

The UK government guidance on masks says: “Face coverings are no longer advised for pupils, staff and visitors either in classrooms or in communal areas.

The government has removed the requirement to wear face coverings in law. Face coverings should be worn in crowded and enclosed spaces where you may come into contact with people you don’t normally meet. This includes public transport and dedicated transport to school or college.”

Please do not send children in masks, or ask us to make sure they wear one:

• • while there is some evidence that masks protect the wearer from infection; their main use is to protect others from infection by the wearer. If a child in your class needs a mask for this reason they should stay at home.
  • wearing a mask can give a child a false sense of security, and encourage risky behaviour, such as skipping hand washing or touching their face or other children
  • unless it is very strictly and regularly cleaned (or brand new and unused) a mask can act as a reservoir of virus/bacteria, which transfer to a child’s hands when they touch the outside of the mask
  • the potential psychological impact of wearing a mask (or seeing one worn) in terms of building anxiety and feeling you are in a dangerous place is the opposite of what we want to achieve

If a child in your class arrives wearing a mask, or if you insist that the child wears a mask during the session we will assume that they are infectious and refuse to accept them. 

On the day

Transport

Avoid public transport if possible. If you must use public transport, follow the government guidelines on safe travelling. If you are travelling by school minibus or private coach, then please follow the parking instructions given as part pf your booking procedure.

Toilets

We avoid using public toilets on site with large groups, so even where these are open they will not be available for use except for individual children in emergencies. Please ensure all your children have been to the toilet before they get on the bus to come to us. There will be toilet facilities at our camp for visits longer than half a day.

Shielded and clinically vulnerable children and adults

Shielding has now ended: children and adults in these categories are now advised to follow the same COVID-19 guidance as the rest of the population. Clinically vulnerable children may therefore attend Wild Learning.

Group size

Working outdoors, with no cramped corridors or ventilation issues we are happy to maintain our standard maximum group size of 15. Classes of 30 will be accepted, but NB that we will subdivide these into two groups for the day.

Hygiene procedures

The current science on the transmission on the novel coronavirus indicates that:

• • transmission is greatly reduced outside
  • children are at less risk than adults of developing serious symptoms, although they can still transmit the disease.

We have introduced some additional hygiene procedures into our day plans, to provide extra security against transmission:

• • children will not be permitted to hold hands – hand-hand and then hand-face contact seems to be a significant vector, so we will be encouraging children to avoid contact with each other wherever possible
  • any Wild Learning games which involve hand holding or prolonged physical contact will be adapted to avoid these
  • everyone will be required to use hand sanitiser before snack breaks – staff will be conducting a check to make sure that all hands have been sterilised before snack time begins
  • we will be moving to a tippy tap and solid soap system for hand washing after toileting and before lunch. The tippy tap system allows us to use running water rather than a bucket. You can find out more about how our hand washing procedure works here. There will obviously be a 3-line whip (and strict supervision) of hand washing before lunch and after any toilet visit.
  • we will avoid using the public toilets on site with large groups, so even where these are open they will not be available for use except in emergencies. Please ensure all your children have been to the toilet before they get on the bus to come to us.

Distance

It is clearly impossible to maintain a 1m distance in the woods with primary age children. However, any games or activities that involve touching or holding hands will be adapted to avoid physical contact, and children will be spaced out while engaged in social actions (such as eating or crafting) to maximise the distance between them.

The morning circle greeting time will be expanded so that there is adequate (at least 1m) space between each child and between children and adults. Children are not allowed to hold hands during the morning circle, while walking, or at any other time during the day. We will remind children of this at the beginning of every session and at periods during the day.

Routes to and from camp will be planned to avoid as far as possible any narrow paths or pinch points which may force other members of the public to pass within 1m of our group.

Static social activities, where children are sitting together (which in a WL situation is largely eating and craft activities), will be arranged to maintain a 1m distance between seated or standing children and adults as far as is practicable.

Kit and objects which are shared (primarily tools) will be disinfected before being passed to another child. The toilet surfaces which are likely to be touched will be disinfected at regular intervals during the day.

WL staff will not handle children’s bags or clothes, or permit children to carry WL kit or (for example) pull the trolley during the day.

We will not be carrying children’s bags or other possessions during the day, and we will keep contact with children’s food to an absolute minimum – so PLEASE send them with food/packets that they can open!

After the day

If your child or any member of their class group, including staff, develops symptoms of COVID-19 within 10 days of their visit to us please email us at info@wild-learning.net