ENGLISH AT HOME

---

It may sometimes be possible for ELH teachers to teach in a student's home. Before we can arrange this we will need to conduct a risk assessment, agree with the student/s how we will both work and make sure that this is a safe, suitable, and most appropriate way to conduct lessons. Students who would like us to teach them English at Home can contact us here. 

---

English at Home - Working Practices for teaching in student’s homes in 2021:

Arrival - Moving around - Departure when working in a home

• Wear a mask, face shield and, if necessary, gloves.
• Take your own hand sanitiser and sanitiser spray or wipes to use on surfaces you come into contact with.
• Maintain social distancing at all times: 
  • Follow the social distancing guidelines and maintain 2m distance at all times while working in the home
• Pay extra attention to surfaces and equipment you use:
  • Clean and disinfect surfaces and equipment used to reduce risk. 
  • Working materials, such as books, handouts, laptop or use of domestic appliances, should be assigned to an individual and not shared. (Eg If you want coffee, take this with you).
  • Do not share anything. 
  • Do not touch door handles whenever possible.
  • Sit 2m away from the student during the lesson.

Steps that we will follow:

1. The ELH Office will discuss rules with students ahead of booking the English at home lessons. 
2. We will require that social distancing guidelines (2m) are maintained between teachers and householders at all times. If this is not possible we cannot conduct lessons at home.
3. We will require that households leave all internal doors open to minimise contact with door handles.
4. We will require students to identify busy areas across the household where people travel to, from or through, for example, stairs and corridors, and minimise movement within these areas.
5. We will require teachers to bring their own food and drink to households, if necessary, and to have breaks outside, in the garden where possible.
6. We will limit the number of teachers and students within a confined space to maintain social distancing.
7. We will allocate the same teachers per student for English-at-home lessons. This means that cover may not be available while Covid is still a threat. 

3.3 English at Home - home appointments for lessons:
Objective: To reduce transmission due to face-to-face meetings and maintain social distancing in meetings.

Steps that will usually be needed:

1. Using remote working tools to avoid in-person appointments.
2. Only absolutely necessary participants should physically attend appointments and should maintain social distancing (2m).

1. Avoiding transmission during appointments, for example, from sharing pens, documents and other objects.
2. Holding meetings outdoors or in well-ventilated rooms whenever possible.

3.4 Accidents, security and other incidents
Objective: To prioritise safety during incidents.

• In an emergency, for example, an accident, provision of first aid, fire or break-in, people do not have to comply with social distancing guidelines if it would be unsafe.
• People involved in the provision of lessons to others should pay particular attention to sanitation measures immediately afterwards, including washing hands.

Steps that will usually be needed:

• Reviewing your incident and emergency procedures to ensure they reflect the social distancing principles as far as possible.
• Considering the security implications of any changes you intend to make to your operations and practices in response to COVID 19, as any revisions may present new or altered security risks which may need mitigations.

4 Interacting with householders

4.1 Providing and explaining available guidance
Objective: To make sure people understand what they need to do to maintain safety.

Steps that will usually be needed:
 

1. ELH will provide teachers with information about how to operate safely in people’s homes.
2. The ELH Office and its teachers will communicate with households prior to arrival, and on arrival, to ensure the household understands the social distancing and hygiene measures that should be followed once work has commenced.

5. Cleaning the work area

5.1 Keeping the work area clean
Objective: To keep work areas in a home clean and prevent transmission by touching contaminated surfaces.

Steps that will usually be needed:

1. Frequent cleaning of objects and surfaces that are touched regularly, using your usual cleaning products.
2. Arranging methods of safely disposing waste with the householder.
3. Removing all waste and belongings from the work area at the end of a shift and at the end of a job.
4. Maintaining good ventilation in the work environment. Read advice on air conditioning and ventilation from HSE.
5. Using non recycling bins to dispose of single use face coverings and PPE. You should refer to guidance for information on how to dispose of personal or business waste, including face coverings and PPE.

5.2 Hygiene
Objective: To help everyone keep good hygiene through the working day.

Steps that will usually be needed:

1. Washing your hands more often than usual for 20 seconds using soap and hot water, particularly after coughing, sneezing and blowing your nose.
2. Reducing the spread of germs when you cough or sneeze by covering your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve, not your hands. Throw the tissue in a bin immediately, then wash your hands.
3. Cleaning regularly touched objects and surfaces using your regular cleaning products to reduce the risk of passing the infection on to other people.
4. If handwashing facilities are not accessible, you should carry hand sanitiser.

6. Personal protective equipment (PPE) and face coverings

6.1 Personal protective equipment (PPE)
Where you are already using PPE in your work activity to protect against non-COVID-19 risks, you should continue to do so.
COVID-19 is a different type of risk to the risks you normally face in a workplace, and needs to be managed through social distancing, hygiene and fixed teams or partnering, not through the use of PPE.
Workplaces should not encourage the precautionary use of extra PPE to protect against COVID-19 outside clinical settings or when responding to a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19.
Unless you are in a situation where the risk of COVID-19 transmission is very high, your risk assessment should reflect the fact that the role of PPE in providing additional protection is extremely limited. However, if your risk assessment does show that PPE is required, then you must provide this PPE free of charge to workers who need it. Any PPE provided must fit properly.

6.2 Face coverings
Face coverings are not a replacement for the other ways of managing risk, including minimising time spent in contact, using fixed teams and partnering for close-up work, and increasing hand and surface washing. These other measures remain the best ways of managing risk in the workplace and government would therefore not expect to see employers relying on face coverings as risk management for the purpose of their health and safety assessments.
Face coverings are mandatory on public transport and in a number of indoor premises, including visitors to storage and distribution facilities.
People are also encouraged to wear face coverings in enclosed public spaces where there are people they do not normally meet. If you choose to wear one, it is important to use face coverings properly and wash your hands before putting them on and before and after taking them off.

Find further detail on when and where to wear face coverings..
Some people don’t have to wear a face covering including for health, age or equality reasons.
Employers should support their workers in using face coverings safely if they choose to wear one. This means telling workers:

• wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser before putting a face covering on, and before and after removing it
• when wearing a face covering, avoid touching your face or face covering, as you could contaminate them with germs from your hands
• change your face covering if it becomes damp or if you’ve touched it
• continue to wash your hands regularly
• change and wash your face covering daily
• if the material is washable, wash in line with manufacturer’s instructions. If it’s not washable, dispose of it carefully in your usual waste
• practise social distancing wherever possible

Please be mindful that the wearing of a face covering may inhibit communication with people who rely on lip reading, facial expressions and clear sound.

7. Workforce management: guidance for employers and agencies

7.1.1 Team working and working groups

Objective: To change the way work is organised to create distinct groups and reduce the number of contacts each worker has.

Steps that will usually be needed:

1. Where multiple workers are in a home, creating fixed teams of workers who carry out their duties in those teams, and minimising contact between each team.
2. Identifying areas where people need to hand things to each other (such as shared tools and domestic appliances) and finding ways to remove direct contact, for example, by using drop-off points or transfer zones.
3. Allocating the same worker to the same household each time there is a visit, for example, the same cleaner each time.
4. You should assist the Test and Trace service by keeping a temporary record of your staff shift patterns for 21 days and assist NHS Test and Trace with requests for that data if needed. This could help contain clusters or outbreaks. Check what data you need to collect and how it should be managed.

7.1.2 Outbreaks in the workplace
Objective: To provide guidance in an event of a COVID-19 outbreak in the workplace.

Steps that will usually be needed:

1. As part of your risk assessment, you should ensure you have an up to date plan in case there is a COVID-19 outbreak. This plan should nominate a single point of contact (SPOC) where possible who should lead on contacting local Public Health teams.
2. If there are more than 5 cases of COVID-19 associated with your workplace in 14 days, you should contact your local PHE health protection team to report the suspected outbreak. Find your local PHE health protection team.
3. If the local PHE health protection team declares an outbreak, you will be asked to record details of symptomatic staff and assist with identifying contacts. You should therefore ensure all employment records are up to date. You will be provided with information about the outbreak management process, which will help you to implement control measures, assist with communications to staff, and reinforce prevention messages.

​

7.2 Work-related travel

7.2.1 Cars, accommodation and visits

Objective: To avoid unnecessary work-related travel and keep workers safe when they do need to travel between homes.

Steps that will usually be needed:

1. Follow the social distancing guidelines outlined in Section 3.1 –‘Coming to and leaving a home for work’.
2. Where workers need to move between different homes and locations to complete their work, social distancing and hygiene advice should be considered, especially before entering other homes.
3. Walking or cycling where possible. Where not possible, you can use public transport or drive. You must wear a face covering when using public transport.
4. Where workers are required to stay away from their home, centrally logging the stay and making sure any overnight accommodation meets social distancing guidelines.

7.3 Communications and training

7.3.1 Returning to work
Objective: To make sure all workers understand COVID-19 related safety procedures.

Steps that will usually be needed:

1. Providing clear, consistent and regular communication to improve understanding and consistency of ways of working amongst your workers.
2. Engaging with workers through existing communication routes and worker representatives to explain and agree any changes in working arrangements.

7.3.2 Ongoing communications
Objective: To make sure all workers are kept up to date with how safety measures are being implemented or updated.

Steps that will usually be needed:

1. Ongoing engagement with workers, (including through trades unions or employee representative groups) to monitor and understand any unforeseen impacts of changes to working environments.
2. Awareness and focus on the importance of mental health at times of uncertainty. The government has published guidance on the mental health and wellbeing aspects of coronavirus (COVID-19).
3. Using simple, clear messaging to explain guidelines using images and clear language, with consideration of groups for which English may not be their first language and those with protected characteristics such as visual impairments.
4. Communicating approaches and operational procedures to households to help their adoption before work commences.

Where to obtain further guidance

• Coronavirus (COVID-19): what you need to do
• Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for employers and businesses
• Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for employees

Find advice and support from your business representative organisation or trade association.
Download the ‘Staying COVID-19 Secure’ notice

• Staying COVID-19 Secure in 2020
  Poster to display in your workplace to show you have followed the guidance.

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. Request an accessible format.​