COVID COMPLIANT
BACK TO SCHOOL
G
HEADIN
O T K BAC O L O H C S School gates will open once again in September after the summer holidays, as they always do, but this time a lot will have changed due to COVID. Schools will be looking for products and solutions to help their transition to a post-COVID world, with a welcome injection of government money to help them buy. So, how can dealers offer them a helping hand? MONEY MONEY MONEY
September. As school leaders have discretion
will start on the school bus. It continues
Children in England are set to benefit from
on where the money goes, this is a perfect
upon arrival, during registration, entering
a £1bn COVID ‘catch-up’ package to directly
opportunity for dealers to help schools out
every classroom, the dining hall and after
tackle the impact of lost teaching time, the
and sell products which will aid education and
using sport, art and science equipment.
prime minister and education secretary
help the transformation that they will have to
Frequent hand washing and surface cleaning
announced in June. As plans continue for a
undertake to minimise the spread of COVID.
will mean increased stocks of bleach and
full return to education from September, the
detergents.”
government announced that £650m will be
HYGIENE HEROES
shared across state primary and secondary
Even the smallest of hands can spread lots
cleaning takes place outside of teaching
schools over the 2020/21 academic year.
of germs, so it is imperative that schools
hours; now, the need for continuous cleaning
This one-off grant aims to support pupils
Usually, school maintenance and
are on top of their hygiene practices. “The
means that it will have to take place when
in state education after the government
autumn term will see schools introducing
the pupils are still in school. This means
recognised that all young people have
new measures to help all pupils and teaching
that places to store hazardous chemicals
lost time in education as a result of the
staff return safely, and with confidence,
and cleaning products which are safer to
pandemic, regardless of their income or
following the COVID disruption. Cleaning
use around lots of people will be in high
background. Nick Gibb, the education
down surfaces after use, and thorough hand
demand. “Maintaining hygiene throughout
minister, said funding would start to be
washing practices for all pupils and staff,
the school will inevitably become a daytime
released in September. Schools will be
will be mandatory, whilst also observing
function rather than just in the evening
advised on utilising the money by the DfE
sensible distancing practices where possible,”
when the children have gone home. If not
and the Education Endowment Foundation,
explains Sue Kelly from Data Direct.
managed and locked away, dangerous bleach
but headteachers will ultimately decide how the money is spent.
Sue points out that it won’t just be the
and detergents could get into the wrong
usual surfaces that will need a wipe down,
hands. Even the use of alcohol-based hand
This means that schools will have
but every step of the school day will now
sanitisers can create a number of risks. A
additional funds to spend on products and
need to feature a cleaning routine. “The
suitable solution for all round safe cleaning
solutions which will help their return in
new cleaning and hand washing routine
is Salvesan, an ultimate hand and surface
[32] SUMMER 2020
www.dealersupport.co.uk
