On Jul 2, 2020
By Rachel Lawler, Early Years Alliance
Early years providers will no longer need to keep children in small, consistent groups within settings from 20 July onwards, according to the latest update from the Department for Education (DfE).
The new guidance says that from 20 July onwards providers will not have to keep children in consistent ‘bubbles’ within settings.
Protective measures
However, providers will be encouraged to minimise mixing where possible. For example, where providers use different rooms for different age groups, these should be kept apart as much as possible.
All other protective measures should remain in place.
The DfE says that this update is due to continued progress made towards stopping the spread of coronavirus in England, which saw the UK alert level reduced from Level 4 down to Level 3.
The DfE also states that early years settings tend to be much smaller than schools, allowing for a less restrictive approach than seen in schools.
