BCMG awarded grant from Paul Hamlyn Foundation
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group has been awarded a significant grant to lead a ground-breaking project that supports and develops composing in primary schools. Listen Imagine Compose Primary is a three-year project that will see BCMG work with children, teachers and composers in 6 Birmingham and 3 Bristol primary schools to better understand how children compose and progress as composers. The project also aims to improve the quality and frequency of how and when composing is taught in primary schools. The project is a partnership between BCMG, Sound and Music, Birmingham City University, Birmingham Music Education Partnership, Bristol Plays Music and the individual schools. The main activity in schools will take place between September 2020 and July 2022 and see teachers working alongside professional composers to plan, develop and teach composing to children in Year 4 and then Year 5. The project has a strong research element which will be led by Professor Martin Fautley from Birmingham City University. This will enable the findings of the project to be shared widely and generate a national conversation about composing in primary schools. Nancy Evans, BCMG Director of Learning, explains: “Composing has been part of the national curriculum in the UK since 1987 and is a fundamental part of the development of children’s musicality. However, evidence has shown that, in reality, the amount of composing in primary schools is limited and of variable quality. Similar approaches are taken with all age groups which can mean children make little progress. Teachers can feel restricted by time, space and resources as well as lack confidence and skills. This project will allow us to address some of these issues and influence how composing is taught and learned in primary schools nationally.†In Sound and Music’s recent national survey #CanCompose, 95% of teacher respondents said that they thought young people need more opportunities to create and compose music. 54% said that CPD for themselves and colleagues would be the key thing that would benefit their pupils learning to compose and 39% reported never having had any CPD for teaching composing or creative music making. 53% of school-based teachers cited ‘opportunities to work with professional composers’ as a key thing that would benefit their pupils in learning to compose. Judith Robinson, Head of Education, Sound and Music says: “I am thrilled and excited that our partners, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, have secured such a significant award from Paul Hamlyn Foundation for Listen Imagine Compose Primary. Listen Imagine Compose Primary enables us to work towards achieving a number of the recommendations we made as a result of our #CanCompose report.†Professor Martin Fautley, Birmingham City University, Faculty of Health, Education, and Life Sciences says: “Listen Imagine Compose Primary is a significant piece of both activity and research. It will investigate an area which we currently do not know a great deal about, but which, we hear anecdotally, is one where some primary school teachers can struggle. At a time when all music education in schools is facing problems of one sort or another, this is an important step forwards, which we hope will not only benefit the teachers and the schools, but, importantly, the young people in them.†Catherine Sutton, Head of Programme – Education, Paul Hamlyn Foundation says: “A wealth of research shows that children in schools which are rich in the arts are more resilient, healthier, do better in school, are more likely to vote, to go to university, to get a job and to keep it. PHF is delighted to support Birmingham Contemporary Music Group’s Listen Imagine Compose Primary project. Composition in the primary music curriculum is an area which is often overlooked. This project will offer children opportunities to express themselves creatively and will enhance their learning in this important area. We are keen to support the project’s focus on researching the pedagogies that foster progress in composing and on sustainably developing teachers’ practice.†The Listen Imagine Compose Primary project builds on BCMG’s 20 years of experience working with young people in and out of school through their Learning Programme. www.bcmg.org.uk
Lockdown learning: New data reveals online learning trends for UK students
New data from online learning platform, Firefly, reveals learning trends in the UK with parents eight times more engaged with their children’s studies than they were prior to COVID-19. The data analyses activity from over 400,000 students across 500 schools which shows the shape of school day has significantly shifted since going online – with a clear morning rush with 81% more learning now occurring before 1pm. As well as its existing school clients, Firefly has offered all schools around the world access to its platform free of charge. While findings are consistent across all age groups, the data shows a spike in online learning from primary schools who were not previously engaging with online learning in the same way. Primary school students are 17 time more likely to engage with online learning now than prior to the pandemic – potentially highlighting a new future for early learning practices. The morning rush is in part due to a shift in teachers streaming lesson and engaging students with video form time which tends to take place at the start of the day. In addition, Firefly has seen schools across the country adapt to ensure online learning is a success with many now streaming assemblies for students at the start of the day. Firefly has also found that students learning appetite varies based on the day of the week – with activity on the platform 20 per cent lower on a Friday compared to Monday. It’s not only students who are adapting to a new learning week – Firefly has found new trends from teachers navigating online learning practices. Most notably, teachers are spending 9 times as much time online on a Sunday preparing for online learning and setting tasks for the week ahead compared to before the pandemic. While there is an increase in parental involvement in student learning, this is taking place after bedtime as families continue to juggle life during lockdown. Parents are much more likely to access the platform out of hours, with nearly a fifth of time outside the hours of 6am-6pm. Currently 1.2 billion children in 186 countries are affected by school closures due to the pandemic. As schools begin their next phase, online learning will still be integral to education as children go back to in person learning at different times, understanding how children respond best to this form of learning is essential. Joe Mathewson, Founder of Firefly comments: “We have seen an unprecedented shift in how schools operate and how learning is managed, yet we have seen the majority of schools adapt to this quickly and continue to deliver a great education. “The data highlights how we can continue to use online learning to its full advantage to ensure going forward we are creating and inclusive and successful education system that will get the best out of every student, as well as the importance of parental involvement.†James Hoyle of Skipton Girls’ High School and designated EdTech Demonstrator School commented: “Since the significant transformation of the education sector to online we have seen a fantastic transition and new independence for all our student. “Firefly has been essential for this, with 96% of students reporting they can continue making progress with their learning online. The ease at which digital learning has happened has meant we will continue using Firefly as a platform and ensure online learning is built into education going forward.â€
Free bereavement training and new bereavement policy for schools
As some schools reopened on 1st June following weeks of coronavirus closures, it is highly likely that many teachers and pupils will be returning having experienced a bereavement. This may be someone in a pupil’s family or friendship group who has died, or someone within the school itself, such as a teacher, a caretaker or dinner lady, or even another pupil. With more than 37,000 Covid-19 mortalities to date, these deaths may be as a direct result of the virus, or it may be because of another illness, an accident, or through suicide or homicide. Prior to the pandemic, many schools already felt ill equipped to deal with bereavement within the school community – and now face having to manage the issue of death and loss on a large scale, as well as providing support to grieving children on an individual level. For this reason, Winston’s Wish – a UK charity that provides bereavement support to children, young people and the adults who support them – is offering free online bereavement training for teachers and has worked in partnership with NAHT (The National Association of Head Teachers) to produce a new schools bereavement policy template. Suzie Phillips, Head of Clinical Governance and Professional Development at Winston’s Wish explains: “The demand from teachers and school leaders, looking for support in managing bereavement when schools re-open, has never been so high. Concerns we are hearing range from ‘how do we tell the children that their teacher has died from Covid-19’, to ‘how can we safely support a grieving child in line with social distancing regulations’. These trainings and resources will provide essential support to school staff handling bereavement, as they plan to return from lockdown.†Free online bereavement training for teachers The free online bereavement training, written by Winston’s Wish, draws on the charity’s many years of experience in supporting bereaved children. It will help teachers and school staff to understand how grief affects a child or young person and how they can help them to cope with their grief. Two online courses are available, aimed at both primary and secondary schools, and can be accessed here https://www.winstonswish.org/bereavement-training-courses-schools/. The first course is an introduction to childhood bereavement and the second course explains some of the ways supporting adults can help. “While the courses are designed for schools, they would be useful for anyone who works with bereaved childrenâ€, adds Phillips. New schools bereavement policy template In partnership with NAHT (The National Association of Head Teachers), Winston’s Wish has produced a new schools bereavement policy template that schools can download and adapt for their individual circumstances. The policy provides effective support to pupils and staff for before and after bereavement, and covers both expected and unexpected deaths. It covers policy (such as PSHE) and procedure, safeguarding, roles and responsibilities, with step-by-step guidance on what to do, and information for further support. The purpose of the example policy is to support settings to develop their own policy that will support children, families and staff in school when a death in the school community has occurred and in doing so to be aware of, and sensitive to, individual, family, cultural and religious factors that influence people’s responses to both death and suicide. It is recommended that all education settings have a bereavement policy that will enable appropriate and effective responses to be made in the event of a death within the school community. To access the simple to adapt example bereavement policy template visit https://www.winstonswish.org/schools/ “Sadly every school is likely to be touched by bereavement at some point. We’ve always known that being prepared in advance for such an event helps schools to respond in the best way possible. Over the last few months, over 37,000 people have tragically lost their lives to Coronavirus. This means that pupils and school staff will have lost grandparents, parents and even members of their own school community. We know that schools will have a vital role to play in supporting these pupils and their families. We are pleased to have been able to work closely with Winston’s Wish to produce guidance that we believe our members will find invaluable.†James Bowen, The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) Bereavement within the school system Coronavirus-aside, on average every 1 in every 29 children will experience the death of a parent by the age of 16 – which is one in every UK classroom. “It’s vital – and even more so nowâ€, says Fergus Crow, CEO of Winston’s Wish, “that schools have a bereavement policy in place, and that teachers and staff understand how to support the grieving children and young people in their school.†Teaching professionals looking for further advice and guidance about bereavement issues within the school community are advised to call the Winston’s Wish Freephone National Helpline on 08088 020 021, or visit the dedicated schools hub on the website at winstonswish.org/schools Winstonswish.org/schools Freephone National Helpline: 08088 020 021
Social distancing technology introduced to protect children on the school run
School transport specialist Kura has updated its award-winning vehicle tracking and safeguarding technology, creating a tailored solution to help schoolchildren maintain safe social distancing while using school bus services. Kura’s smart registration software allows schools to keep track of exactly who has travelled on the bus each day, to facilitate contact tracing. Updates to the service and processes mean parents can be safe in the knowledge that their children will be the Government-mandated two metres apart from the next passenger. Through these measures, combined with adapted routes, schools will be able to safely transport pupils to and from school, while maintaining social distancing measures and minimising the risk of infection. Kura is further ensuring pupil safety with a range of additional precautionary measures. These include fully-contactless registration, with children tapping on and off the bus using their pre-assigned fobs, a cap on the number of students allowed to ride on each vehicle, and each vehicle being thoroughly sanitised between journeys. Kura harnesses powerful tracking and app technologies to provide schools with a safer, greener and more cost-efficient school run service, increasing pupil uptake of school transport, reducing the need for cars and in turn reducing traffic congestion, both on the roads and at the school gates. The business manages a virtual fleet of 30,000 vehicles and, pre-lockdown, Kura’s technology was in use over 300 travel routes, providing safe home to school services for 7,000 pupils daily. Kura also continues to provide home-to-school transport services to the children of key workers attending school throughout lockdown. Using advanced geofencing technology, Kura allows schools and parents to keep track of when pupils get on and off the bus, while also providing transparent, real-time journey updates. Schoolchildren can “tap†on and off the school bus using an NFC (Near Field Communication) fob. The system then notifies trusted family members, guardians or friends in real-time when the children are boarding or alighting, in turn significantly easing parental concerns about their children’s safety when travelling to and from school without parental supervision. Mathew Hassell, founder and CEO at Kura, said: “While children getting back into the classroom is crucial for their wellbeing and future prospects, this will not have come at a welcome time for many parents required to begin going back to work, they may not always have the time for the daily school run in current circumstances, and recent days have proven that public transport options cannot be relied upon. “The UK coach and minibus industry has thousands of vehicles ready to go now, that can accommodate groups of passengers comfortably while maintaining safe social distancing measures. However, to make shared vehicles a viable option more needed to be done to enhance the safety of passengers on-board, which is why we’ve adapted our existing groundbreaking technology to specifically meet the needs of those who will need to travel to and from school over the coming months. “With walking, cycling and public transport not logistically-viable for all in the current climate, shared, school-managed transport remains a safe, greener way for pupils to reliably get to and from school, if the right precautions are put in place. With the tens of thousands of suitable school vehicles currently sitting idle, there are more than enough vehicles to transport children safely.†For more information about Kura’s COVID-19 social distancing measures, please visit https://www.ridekura.com/2020/05/safer-transport-covid-19/
Wellbeing amongst teaching staff drops since lockdown in new survey
60% of teaching professionals rated their wellbeing positive before lockdown restrictions, dropping to 32% since lockdown has been in place More than four fifths (81%) believe their employer has a responsibility to look after their wellbeing 47% say having adequate mental health support from their employer has also become more important since lockdown Wellbeing amongst teaching professionals has taken a dive since lockdown restrictions were enforced in March, according to a new survey by recruiting experts, Hays. As the UK recognises Mental Health Awareness Week, Hays urges employers to consider the effect working remotely in lockdown is having on their staff. From a survey of over 16,200 professionals, close to two thirds (60%) of those who work in teaching rated their wellbeing positive before restrictions were put in place, but only 32% said it was still positive since lockdown. Those who rated their wellbeing as negative rose from 9% to 28%. Roughly a fifth (21%) said a lack of social interaction has been the greatest challenge to their wellbeing, followed by isolation and loneliness (18%). Workers look to employers for more support More than four fifths (81%) of teaching staff say their employer has a responsibility to look after their wellbeing, but over half (55%) state that their employer hasn’t provided any wellbeing support during the lockdown. Of those who said their employer was providing support, 25% also said their employer is offering social activities, followed by training and counselling (both 15%). Work-life balance is a bigger priority since lockdown For 41% of those who work in teaching, work-life balance has become more important to them since lockdown, despite 46% rating their work-life balance between average and very poor. Having adequate mental health support from their employer has also become more important since being in lockdown, according to nearly half (47%). To support teachers with their work-life balance, Hays Education has recently launched Wellbeing First, the UK’s first free wellbeing training available for school staff across the UK. This training consists of free courses to help teachers and staff manage their stress levels, reduce their anxiety, foster positive mental health and prioritise their work-life balance, while also meeting CPD requirements. Paul Matthias, National Specialism Director of Hays Education, commented: “Staff wellbeing needs to be a top priority for those in teaching as the impacts on the profession are continuously being felt. Although every teacher is in a different position, remaining transparent and communicating to employees frequently will be extremely important as our way of working continues to change. Some of the steps employers can take include using internal communication channels to provide wellbeing advice, cultivating an open and trustworthy culture, offering training to support mental health and wellbeing, and being flexible with schedules and expectations. These support systems will help teachers through the changes and challenges ahead and allow them to continue carrying out the essential work they do.†For more information on the free Wellbeing First or other training courses, visit: https://educationtraining.hays.co.uk/
One third of the population affected by schools shutdown
Over 21 million people — 11 million parents and 10 million children, or a third of the population — are being affected by schools shutdown across the UK, according to a new analysis of official government data. Up to two thirds of parents have received no contact from schools with advice about supervised learning, leaving them to fend for themselves. While schools remain open, only 180,000 vulnerable children or those of key workers attended school on average each day following the Easter holidays (21 April – 1 May). The remaining 98 per cent of school children have been forced by the coronavirus outbreak to continue their education at home under the supervision of parents and carers. The new data analysis by education campaign group Just Add Parents reveals that: 14.2 million parents with dependent children have been affected by the closure of schools and childcare services 11 million of those parents have school-age children between 5 and 18 years old 10.2 million children typically attend school, but an average of only 180,000 are currently attending — two per cent of the total During the lockdown, 98 per cent of school age children will be dependent on the support and motivation of parents to complete their schoolwork Peter Sigrist, founder of campaign group Just Add Parents, comments: “Parents have always played a vital role in their child’s education but coronavirus has harshly revealed the gap between a school’s ability to communicate and parent’s ability to teach. Schools need help to move beyond information. They need to equip parents with knowledge, confidence and clarity to make sure their children don’t lose out on a whole year of education.†A recent report from education charity the Sutton Trust (note 1) revealed half of schools (50 per cent secondary, 47 per cent primary) offer no general advice to parents about supporting learning and only one in three (36 per cent secondary, 34 per cent primary) had contacted parents to offer specific advice about supervised learning. This means parents have mostly been left to work it out for themselves. The Department for Education has published only five paragraphs of advice on “the expectations on schools regarding staying in touch with parents whose child is at homeâ€. It contains no suggestions on how schools can help parents play the role of educators during the shutdown (note 2). The coronavirus is affecting parents and children unevenly. The Sutton Trust research reveals most parents with a degree feel confident directing their child’s learning, compared to less than half of those parents who did not attend university. Only one third of children in state schools have joined online classes during the shutdown, while over half of children in private schools have taken part daily in live or recorded online lessons. Sigrist continues: “While schools are doing their best to send information to parents and provide access to technology, from the examples we’ve seen, few appear to recognise the role that good communication plays in giving parents the support they need to build home-schooling into their already busy, stressed out schedule. All the evidence shows that clear, consistent and regular communication, whether by email, app or video, helps parents avoid becoming overwhelmed and losing confidence.†Education researchers in Latvia concluded a major study of education during their coronavirus shutdown and found a strong connection between communication and confidence (note 3). The research team at Edurio found three quarters (76 per cent) of parents who received clear communication from their school also had confidence that their children would meet their learning goals. Where school communication was completely unclear, only nine per cent of parents were confident in their children’s learning success. The same research found that while communication was the most important factor in delivering successful home-based education during the crisis, schools also need to focus on clarity over volume, with communications a few times a week almost as effective (91 per cent clear) as communication a few times a day (95 per cent clear).
Staff retention during a pandemic: what the UK education sector needs to know
Although some announcements have been made in regards to when children might return to classroom learning, most year groups in schools, as well as colleges and universities throughout the UK remain closed for the foreseeable future. The education sector has had to make big changes to the way they communicate with, as well as the way they educate pupils, students, parents – and staff. But what exactly does COVID-19 mean for staff retention in educational institutions during this period? Is it possible that maintaining a full staff might not happen during the pandemic and lockdown period? What is the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme? If you’re not already, you should be familiar with the term ‘furlough’ or ‘being furloughed’ – a term coined by the government, in regards to their Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Briefly, the scheme allows institutions and businesses to keep staff protected during the lockdown period and continue paying wages, which is 80% of their salary or up to £2,500 per month. Throughout many schools, colleges, universities etc. in the UK, and worldwide, however, certain staff members are paid through recruitment agencies or umbrella companies, such as supply teachers. Currently, there isn’t any solid advice on whether or not these organisations can claim back through the government’s scheme. However, if individuals are being paid through a PAYE, there may be opportunity for them to be furloughed continue receiving some element of their wages. Am I eligible? If you’re a supply teacher or staff member, and you usually work through recruitment agencies, consult with your agency about your previous role and try to make steps to be furloughed. Remember, if you are successful in being furloughed, you won’t be able to work for that particular job, even if requested to. If you have a fixed term contract with a school, you will be a crucial part of the team when it comes to supporting other teachers. If you’re a contracted teacher, there should be no change to your employment during lockdown. Your role may continue by remote teaching, as well as looking after key workers’ children, during allocated times. If you’re a vulnerable person however, you won’t be expected to do this, as this could put you at risk, especially if you have an illness. Your main focus throughout the lockdown period may be to plan the delivery of next year’s curriculum, as well as planning for if you’re expected to go in and teach certain year’s before the end of the school year. Department improvement and development are also important tasks, particularly with the education sector, as we’re expecting to see huge changes in learning and teaching because of the pandemic. Online teaching software, such as Kinteract, enables teachers to effectively communicate with students and parents during the lockdown period – and beyond. What about Further Education? If you work for a college, which is not primarily funded by the government, you will be eligible for furlough, especially if you work in departments such as finance, student administration, human resources, and marketing. Admin and support staff are an essential part of college life. Although not all of these staff will be furloughed, it’s important that those that can be are. This is so that when colleges begin again, students will be aware of familiar faces. What about Higher Education? Fixed-term contracts are much more likely to happen in universities, such as visiting lecturers, support workers, and researchers. Throughout UK universities, there are queries over the impact that the pandemic could have on staff retention. This could be based on speculation that international students will no longer apply and perhaps September 2020 applicants will defer to next year. Can an independent school apply for the job retention scheme? Yes – but this depends on certain elements. An independent school should not rely on the government to offer additional funding, unless they receive this already. If you are an independent school and can prove that cash flow has been affected by the pandemic, for example, parents may have ceased paying fees – then independent schools may be allowed to furlough staff and gain payment from the government scheme. Online and remote learning Staff and students, wherever they’re based, can benefit from online and remote learning. For many education staff members, this might be a completely new way of teaching, but can only complement classroom-based learning. Using an online platform enhances the teaching experience for the student, rather than replacing the teacher entirely.
Remote learning ‘Zooms’ to success
As the lockdown continues, education providers are adapting their teaching styles to ensure the continuity of learning. Keele and North Staffordshire Teacher Education (KNSTE) are utilising video remote learning to enable lessons to continue and further develop trainee’s knowledge. Director of KNSTE, Di Swift, explained: “In these unprecedented times we are taking new approaches to our teaching and utilising technology to enable remote classrooms to continue. “It is vital that our trainees are as well prepared as they can be, so that they can play their part in utilising the power of education to positively transform lives.†“We cannot pretend to replicate school-based elements of the programme online, but we can still offer high quality professional learning and development.†KNSTE have teamed up with Dialogue Works, utilising video conferencing to introduce their cohort of trainees to a metacognitive framework, based on an A-Z of ‘Thinking Moves’. This approach has helped trainees to develop their subject knowledge and lesson planning in a highly focused way. ‘Thinking Moves’ is based on Philosophy for Children, with the aim of enhancing communication and thinking skills, as well as accelerating personal, social and intellectual development. The Ultimate Guide to Personalized Tutoring: Helping Learners Reach Their Full Potential Mrs Swift continued: “We are delighted to be working with Dialogue Works to continue broadening our trainee’s knowledge through a range of interactive resources. “Metacognition capabilities plays an important role in maximizing learning – for both our trainees and their future students – and, given the current social restrictions, we are delighted to be able to continue to develop our trainee’s pedagogical understanding.†The collaboration launched to great success, with course leaders and trainees alike praising the online sessions. Following the positive feedback received, KNSTE are now exploring other online learning pathways to ensure their trainees learning experience is not disrupted. For more information about KNSTE and the courses on offer, visit: www.knste-shaw.org.uk
Re-opening schools and colleges – employers questions answered
The government has asked schools and FE colleges to start to re-open from 1 June for some students has caused a large amount of controversy. Many schools and colleges have remained open to the children of key workers and those who are vulnerable, but opening up to a wider group of children will need careful preparation. This article by Joanne Moseley at national law firm Irwin Mitchell, explains the issues you will need to consider. 1. Conduct a risk assessment All employers must take all reasonable steps to ensure that their staff work in a safe environment. If risks are identified, you must reduce these to the lowest practicable level. Before re-opening schools and colleges, or extending teaching to a wider group of pupils, you must carry out a Covid-19 risk assessment. General guidance produced by the HSE states that you must: identify what work activity or situations might cause transmission of the virus think about who could be at risk decide how likely it is that someone could be exposed act to remove the activity or situation, or if this isn’t possible, control the risk. Each of these steps must be carefully considered and documented. In the context of schools and colleges, Public Health England have said that the risk of transmission will be lowered if they apply ‘comprehensive infection control measures’. You should also read and follow new guidance: Covid-19: implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings which recommends: minimising contact with individuals who are unwell by ensuring that those who have coronavirus symptoms, or who have someone in their household who does, do –not attend childcare settings, schools or colleges cleaning hands more often than usual ensuring good respiratory hygiene by promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach cleaning frequently touched surfaces using standard products, such as detergents and bleach minimising contact and mixing by altering, as much as possible, the environment (such as classroom layout) and timetables (such as staggered break times) The government has said that the majority of staff won’t need PPE beyond what they normally need for their work – even if they are not always able to maintain a distance of two meters from others. 2. Consult health and safety representatives Where unions are formally recognised, you must consult with the unions on health and safety matters and discuss your proposals for making your workplace safe for staff with union H&S representatives. If you fail to do this, it will give rise to issues under your collective bargaining arrangements and a breach of specific statutory duties. If you don’t have a union representative or a collective agreement, then you need to consult with your employees directly – as individuals or through workforce elected H&S representatives. If unions do not engage, you may need to go direct to staff on the proposals for workplace arrangements – but you should get further legal advice before doing so. Consultation involves giving information and taking into account what health and safety representatives say before making any health and safety decisions. Be open to comments and suggestions. The law doesn’t state when you must consult, or for how long, but it does say it should be ‘in good time’. In practice, this means you have to allow time for your employees to consider the issues and provide them with informed responses. 3. Consider individual circumstances You will need to know which members of staff fall into the clinically extremely vulnerable category (and must remain at home) and those who are clinically vulnerable. We recommend that you undertake individual risk assessments for those who are clinically vulnerable to ascertain whether it is safe for them to return to work. In most cases, they should be allowed to work from home. You’ll also need to consider what, if any, evidence you need from individuals who are in the vulnerable groups. In some cases, you can ask and reasonably expect evidence of a health condition to be provided (to be held and processed as sensitive personal data). In others, and in particular where they live with a vulnerable person, you cannot insist on this evidence being provided as the person affected is not your employee. You should also consider which members of staff use public transport to travel to work as current guidance is to avoid public transport where possible. You’ll need to consider how busy their route is likely to be and, perhaps look at other ways in which staff can travel safely. The Government has published safer travel guidance for passengers which asks users to ‘consider all other forms of transport before using public transport’. Where there is no alternative people are advised to; maintain social distancing (and wait for another service is their bus/train is already full), travel off peak and wear a face covering. Clearly this requires flexibility of the employer in terms of usual start and finish times. 4. Encourage staff to co-operate with requests for information We are aware that some unions are advising staff to not engage if they are asked by their employer if they are available for work. Make it clear to staff that you are asking for information in order to undertake risk assessments and to consider all options in light of the government announcement on re-opening and that you expect them to respond. We recommend that you: Explain that you will only open if your risk assessment indicates it is safe to do so and encourage them to cooperate in discussions Explain that you are engaging (or seeking to engage with the unions) and are considering their recommendations to re-opening Emphasise collating this information is important so that you can understand which staff are particularly at risk and that that you will be seeking to consult with health and safety representatives and unions in relation to all proposed measures for managing re-opening Set a date when that information needs to be