UAE - COVID-19: What your child’s school day will look like this Autumn 2020

KHDA guidelines state that your school should implement a staggered entry and exit procedure to eliminate overcrowding and to help maintain 2m physical distancing in high traffic areas. There should be one designated area for drop-off and pick-up and designated timings, with no interaction inside the school. There should be no crowding, maintenance of a 2m distancing, and wearing of masks at all times. People with compromised medical conditions, including the elderly, should not come for drop off and pick up.

Anyone with a fever of 37.50 C and above will not be allowed to enter school. Your child’s class teacher will have to refer students showing any COVID-19 symptoms such as cough, body aches, fatigue, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose, diarrhea and nausea, and headache, to the school nurse for further screening.

“The wearing of face masks on a daily basis has become part of normal life for most,” says Paul Slater, Vice President, Operations and Health, Safety and Environment, GEMS Education. "Therefore, we don’t envisage significant challenges from this.”

“We will ensure that a supply of additional face masks is available at each of our schools,” adds Paul Slater, Vice President, Operations and Health, Safety and Environment, GEMS Education. “There will also be continuous gentle reminders throughout the day from teachers to students regarding the correct wearing of masks.”

“We recognise that communication may be easier for some groups of students, particularly the youngest, if teachers have transparent face coverings,” says Jodh Singh Dhesi, Deputy Chief Education Officer, GEMS Education. “Therefore, we are encouraging our schools to procure the type of mask that they know will work best for their children, provided that they meet accepted safety standards.” “A key part of early childhood rest in the interactions between the teacher and the student,” adds Bright Learner’s Private School Principal Adrianna Chestnut. “We believe that allowing the student to see their teacher during this interaction has far-reaching benefits, so will be providing teachers with a transparent protective face shield.”

The guidelines also state that certain types of play areas should be closed, such as dress-up sections, indoor soft play areas and reading corners with soft furniture. Open areas should include furniture and equipment that is easy to clean.

“Our goal is to have as many students in school as possible, while adhering to requirements around social distancing,” says Jodh Singh Dhesi, Deputy Chief Education Officer, GEMS Education. “For some of our most populous schools, this will necessitate having elements of blended learning, i.e. a proportion of students learning remotely on a rotation or shift basis.”

Children should remain in the same small learning groups at all times each day, and different groups should not be mixed during the day, or on subsequent days. The same teacher(s) and other staff will be assigned to each learning group and, as far as possible, these will stay the same during the day and on subsequent days.

Additionally, at least one staff member holding a current certification in pediatric first aid and CPR needs to be available at all times.

All equipment in classrooms such as toys, books, scissors, pens, pencils, crayons, arts and crafts materials and messy play resources as well as role-play and other materials should be sanitised after each and every single use where possible. All classroom items should be immediately removed if sneezed on, coughed on or put in mouth. There will be a designated, clearly labeled, basket/ container for separating items that have been in children’s mouths, sneezed or coughed on, so that they can be cleaned and sanitized prior to returning to children’s area.

“We understand that sharing is a part of the learning experience and has many social and emotional benefits,” says Adrianna Chestnut, Principal of Bright Learner’s Private School. “We will be innovative and creative to ensure that students have a collaborative and meaningful learning experience while staying safe.”

If your child needs a supply of stationery, it should be done by the teacher via proper disinfection. Schools will avoid using equipment that will require blowing (musical instruments, whistles, blow-pipes, etc) or encourage the parents to supply their child with their own equipment if possible.

Digital hand-writing and typing should be accepted for relevant school work. Extra-curricular activities are encouraged to be offered digitally.

Teach your child safe use of the school bathroom by advising them not to take off their masks, to use tissue paper when touching door handles, and of course wash their hands thoroughly.

Outdoor equipment should not be used unless the school is able to ensure that it is appropriately cleaned and sanitized between groups of children using it, and that multiple groups do not use it simultaneously.

Schools can provide catering services provided it is based on pre-packaged food, but buffets or other forms of meal gatherings are not allowed. The school should implement staggered meal breaks that will ensure the safe minimum 1.5m distancing between students of the same class and 2m distancing between students of different classes. Water dispensers are not allowed, although the school may offer sanitized water bottles.

If the school hosts a café, Dubai Municipality’s guidelines for cafes and restaurants should be followed especially regarding capacity restrictions, physical distancing, the use of disposable items, and hygiene across the venue and staff.

However, PE lessons will focus on sports that do not require physical interaction; and school swimming pools will remain closed until further notice. There will be visible markers on the floor to indicate appropriate spacing. No tournaments or events will take place at this time.

Schools are required to ensure academic provision for all the students who are unable to attend their classes physically (due to health condition, isolated, quarantines, etc. “We strongly encourage our families to send their children to school, but of course it is their choice,” says Jodh Singh Dhesi, Deputy Chief Education Officer, GEMS Education. “We will provide a range of asynchronous (recorded) materials for these families to access.”