AS WE ARE SURE YOU'RE AWARE THE GUIDANCE AND POLICIES FOR WORKING WITH COVID-19 ARE REGULARLY CHANGING. AS WE REOPEN FOR THE AUTUMN TERM WE WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES BELOW BUT WILL REVIEW OUR POLICIES AS THE TERM PROGRESSES.

 

The safety, health, happiness and wellbeing of our students is always our primary concern.

After what has been a very difficult few months for us all, it is exciting to know that, in line with Government Guidelines, we are thrilled to be able to welcome you back this autumn!

However, it cannot be a simple ‘return to normal’ and we have introduced several new protective measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 at our classes and to keep our students, staff and parents safe.

Please rest assured that we will be maintaining the high-quality teaching and passion for performing that Theatretrain is famous for AND providing some much-needed fun and laughter along the way!

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Bubbles

We will be aiming to keep students in consistent ‘bubbles’ of small groups, of no more than 15 students. Our ‘bubbles’ will be kept in one room/space with our specialist teachers moving between classes, thereby removing the need for large numbers of students to move around the building. We will be staggering arrival and departure times to avoid congestion in common areas and potential contamination between ‘bubbles’. Please check emails for any class time changes.

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Infection Control Measures

All our venues have been Risk Assessed and the findings documented. The following list of measures will be in place:

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Arrivals and Departures

• If a student, parent/carer or anyone in their household is unwell or shows symptoms of Covid-19 (high temperature, persistent cough, loss of taste and smell) they are NOT to attend our classes and should self-isolate.

• Parents/carers should drop off/pick up outside the class site and must not enter the building. There will be no indoor waiting room/space

• Measures will be implemented to control flow/movement of people into, out of and around our venues to best maintain social distance

• Arrivals and departures will be staggered to avoid congestion, it is of the utmost importance that you stick to the stated arrival and departure times for your child

• Students should arrive dressed and ready for their classes.

• All students must have their own named drinks bottle, snack, pen/pencil, named folder. The sharing of any items is not allowed. DO NOT bring any unnecessary items into Theatretrain.

• Each reception desk will have cleaning products so that all touch points can be regularly sanitised

• Hand sanitiser will be available at our entrance and in each teaching room. All students will be encouraged to use this between each class.

• All payments and paperwork will be online. BACS payment is preferred but an e-invoice can be generated for parents wishing to pay using credit/debit card

• Parents should observe social distancing guidelines when waiting outside the venue to drop off/collect children.

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Blended Learning

Staffing, class sizes and/or venue availability during these special times, may make it necessary for some classes to run online, alongside studio-based classes. If this is the case, it will be clearly communicated to you on the timetable for the ‘bubble’ your child is part of. If a local lock-down or a health issue for a particular bubble or venue occurs, it may be necessary to move all classes online for a short period of time.

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Journey to Class

• You are encouraged to walk, cycle or use your own private transport to and from our venues

• The use of public transport is discouraged wherever possible
   

During Class

• Students will be placed in ‘bubbles’ of no more than 15 students

• Social Distancing of 2m is to be observed whenever possible

• Mandatory, regular sanitising will take place of all areas/surfaces between sessions

• Windows and doors will be held open in all active spaces, to increase ventilation, wherever safely possible

• The wearing of a face covering by all students age 12+ is mandatory in common areas i.e. anywhere outside of the student’s class ‘bubble’, in corridors etc

• Visual Covid-19 infection control reminders/signage will be displayed throughout the venue

• Hand sanitizer and tissues will be available to all

• The regular washing of hands will be encouraged together with the slogan ‘Catch it, bin it, kill it’

• Lyric sheets and scripts will be emailed to parents for home printing. TT Ted will also be extending his break and will not be in the Tinies or Minis classes.

• Anyone becoming ill whilst at our classes will be held in a designated isolation space and sent home at the earliest opportunity. If Covid-19 is suspected all students and staff attending the affected “bubble” will be contacted. NHS Test and Trace will be engaged if necessary and the affected individuals should follow their guidelines in regard to self-isolation, testing and contact tracing.

• There will be no tuck shop. Breaks will not be held in communal areas but within each age group.

• No student is to work barefoot. Please ensure that suitable footwear is worn at all times. (A polite reminder that sandals, ugg boots and other similar footwear is not suitable for our classes.)

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Singing

Government Guidance has previously expressed concern over the inclusion of singing and vocal projection in dance and drama school settings, due to the possibility of “aerosol production” leading to a greater risk of Covid-19 infection. Scientific study since undertaken, into this risk has formed the basis of new Government Guidance, released on 13 August, which gives the green light for us to safely include the discipline of singing as part of our re-opening offer this autumn. However, we will be adopting a cautious approach. We plan to implement the following additional safety precautions:

• Small group singing lessons will only continue if the space in the room allows for social distancing to be observed whilst singing back-to-back or singing in directions away from other pupils.

• The usual singing classes will include 'Acting Through Song' and 'Musical Staging' using pre-recorded music

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Safeguarding/First Aid/DBS/Evacuation

You can rest assured that during this time of special Covid-19 measures, Theatretrain is continuing to maintain high standards of staffing with DBS checks, First Aid provision and Safeguarding in place. All teachers, assistants and volunteers have succesfully completed the COVID-19 Awareness Course. Evacuation procedures remain unchanged during the pandemic.

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All details correct as of August 2021.

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If you have any specific questions or queries regarding the above information or indeed any topic – please feel free to contact us at any time.

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We look forward to welcoming you back to Theatretrain