Coronavirus: DfE updates guidance on holiday clubs but some providers warn it is still 'not clear enough'

The change in guidance comes after the DfE confirmed on 3 July that children attending holiday clubs this summer will be able to mix with others, if it is not possible for them to stay in one consistent group or 'bubble'.

Providers are told to use their 'best judgement' in creating and reviewing groups of children to minimise the amount of mixing.

Key changes to the document include that providers should seek to ensure that children are assigned to a particular class or group of no more than 15 at the first session and should stay in this consistent group for future sessions.

It explains, ‘So, for example on consecutive days or if attending one day per week, from the start of the summer until the end of the summer.’

It emphasises that groups should not be mixing within the setting itself ‘as far as it is possible’; however, it also acknowledges the potential challenges to achieving consistent groups. These include:

• children attending based on varying booking patterns
• the ongoing receipt of additional bookings throughout the summer period due to work and shift patterns
• the emergence of safeguarding or welfare concerns
• variance in the ages of children attending
• the ‘drop in’ nature of some services and activities, for example support groups for vulnerable young people

The guidance adds, ‘To overcome such challenges, providers must use their best judgement in creating and frequently reviewing groups in order to minimise the amount of "mixing" (for example, the number of different people each child comes into contact with); and should also ensure they are keeping up-to-date records of the children attending their settings, including the specific groups and members of staff they have been assigned to. Dependent on the factors listed above, you may need to have groups of less than 15 children. As always, any decisions should be taken with full consideration of any ongoing welfare needs or safeguarding concerns.’

However, some holiday club owners say that a lack of clarification remains about how they should run clubs, putting them in a difficult position.

Richard Bernstein, who runs Mini Minors day camp in North West London, said the guidance does not go far enough to reassure providers that they have the best protective measures in place to safeguard children.

‘It’s not satisfactory,' he said. 'For providers who want to do the right thing and follow the guidance, it’s not a clear enough. There are too many elements of grey, which puts providers in a very difficult position.

'What we can and cannot do has not been clarified. We desperately want to get it right so that we give children a summer to look forward to.'

Although he has taken the decision to run his holiday club at 50 percent capacity, it has been based on his ‘assumptions’ of what the guidance means.

‘We believe that by opening for four weeks of the summer and offering children the chance to re-join an existing bubble, they will be less exposed to as many children than they would be if they attended another setting. We are not scientists. We are camp directors.

'It is a disgrace and the Government should be ashamed. They either want us to run or they don’t. On the surface, they are saying holidays clubs can run but if you are reading the guidance to the letter, there are so many caveats that some providers will be nervous and will not run at all.’

The DfE previously confirmed to Nursery World that the guidance would be updated to include the following:

‘If you are unable to keep children in your setting in small consistent groups for future sessions, you should only operate your provision outside.’

However, this has been changed in the document to, ‘If you are unable to follow the protective measures in this guidance, you should only operate your provision outside and follow the government guidelines on the phased return of sport and recreation in England, which allow up to six people from different households to meet outdoors.’

Lee Partner, director at KOOSA Kids, which runs breakfast, holiday and out-of school clubs across the South East, sits on a group liaising with the DfE on the current guidance.

He said, 'In my view the guidance update, in particular with regard to grouping children, much better reflects how holiday clubs, aimed at supporting working parents, tend to operate. 

'For example, there is recognition that booking patterns can be irregular given many parents work ad hoc hours or shifts and that the children attending on a day to day basis will vary in age from as young as 4 to 13+. In particular we welcome the recognition from the DfE, that providers should have the freedom to use their own expertise in organising their groupings, to suit the nuances of their particular club, children and parents, whilst doing all they can to minimize mixing and reducing the risk of transmission.'

Clare Freeman, director of the Out of School Alliance, said, ‘We welcome this update to the guidance for holiday clubs, which acknowledges the difficulties most providers would have had in meeting the requirements regarding keeping children in the same fixed groups for every session throughout the summer. The revised guidance allows providers some flexibility in organising their groups, whilst still aiming to keep the mixing of children to the minimum.’

•  Download the guidance: Protective measures for out-of-school settings during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak