afPE Health & Safety Update – Changing Rooms

01/09/21

Firstly, we hope that you have all had some rest and time to recuperate during the summer. As schools transition into a new academic year we know members are focussed on ensuring all physical education, school sport and physical activity is taught safely. The team has scrutinised all the recent guidance and in response to questions about the use of changing rooms for PESSPA, we recommend the following:

• That the risk assessment process is a priority and is key as it will detail the steps that schools should be undertaking to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of the workforce and pupils.
• Ventilation and cleaning – Given the removal of most other mitigations, it is vitally important that schools stringently apply the recommendations around enhanced ventilation and cleaning.
• Advice around cleaning and ventilation remains in place and schools should continue to ensure that enhanced cleaning takes place, with touch surfaces being cleaned and disinfected at least twice a day, people regularly washing or sanitising their hands, and good ventilation of all rooms being achieved.
• The Government advice stresses the need to ensure that rooms are well ventilated and for schools to identify poorly ventilated areas and take steps to improve ventilation.
• Where possible and if practicable, pupils should arrive changed, members tell us that this practice had worked well during the summer term, across both primary and secondary schools.

Further H&S information and updates will be available on the members’ area. If you have any enquiries please contact the team directly.

Please celebrate the new academic year and the phenomenal role that you have played and continue to play in ensuring that all children and young peoples’ physical, emotional, social and cognitive development are at the forefront of the school curriculum.

afPE Health & Safety Team