The British School of Lome Protocols and Procedures for the 2020-21 Academic Year To comply with government guidelines regarding COVID-19 and minimize risk of transmission of viral infection, BSL will utilize the protocols and procedures included in this document.
These guidelines have been informed by the Ministry of Hygiene and Education’s “Framework for the Reopening of Schools for the Academic Year 2020-2021” and are intended to minimize risk of transmission by establishing a campus environment that adheres to physical distancing, minimizes student movement, and follows strict hygiene and sanitization protocols.
For Early Years learners, we understand that physical distancing cannot look the same as it does in other classrooms, as children of this age operate best in a play-based environment and are not generally sat at desks. Guidance from other international schools recommends a “bubble” approach. This means we take all safety measures described in this document to create a safe “bubble” in which early years students can operate in limited numbers. We then accept that there will be some level of interaction and touching of common surfaces and play equipment among the students within that bubble, but we have taken all action to ensure risk of transmission within that group is extremely low, and we have isolated them from all other groups and areas of campus to ensure any risk of transmission is limited to their immediate group.
Students or staff who stay home or are sent home due to fever or other symptoms will need to be symptom free for at least 24 hours before returning to school. COVID testing could also be required depending on symptoms and status of transmission in the community to ensure negative results before re-entry.
Even if there is not a confirmed case of COVID-19 at BSL, the school reserves the right to temporarily close campus and move to remote learning to slow the spread of community transmission if it feels it will be in the best interest of the health of the members of our school community.
Control protocol measures:
Hand washing/sanitizer and temperature checks on arrival at school
- Sanitising on entry to class
- Social distancing in class
- Limited room changes
- Increased cleaning of rooms between lessons
- Staggered break times
- Staggered Lunch times
- No Tuck Shop
- Obligatory wearing of masks around school
- Obligatory masks in class (we would recommend face shields for younger learners)
- School nurses will take all temperatures throughout the day.