Out of School Clubs from 2nd December 2021

At the height of the pandemic, the out of school sector was faced with many changes in a short amount of time. Finding it difficult to keep on top of all the different sources of information, we summarised the most up to date guidance that applies to out of school clubson this page. This page is correct as of 2nd December 2021.

Current situation for out of school clubs

We have summarised the latest update for out of school clubs below. This latest update was published on 2nd December 2021:

Before, after school and holiday childcare from December 2021

On 27 November 2021, the Prime Minister announced new temporary national measures following the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the UK. From 2nd December 2021, the latest guidance to reflect new measures on contact tracing and isolation, travel and quarantine, face coverings and vaccination of under 18 year olds came into force.

For out of school settings, there are two main points of note:

Contact Tracing and Isolation for suspected or confirmed Omicron variant

All individuals who have been identified as a close contact of a suspected or confirmed case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, irrespective of vaccination status and age, will be contacted directly and required to self-isolate immediately and asked to book a PCR test. They will be informed by the local health protection team or NHS Test and Trace if they fall into this category and provided details about self-isolation. For everyone else, isolation rules are unchanged.

Further actions for educational and childcare settings may be advised by a local Incident Management Team (IMT) investigating a confirmed or suspected case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Face coverings

Face coverings help protect the wearer and others against the spread of infection because they cover the nose and mouth, which are the main confirmed sources of transmission of COVID-19. The guidance published in December 2021 strongly advises that face coverings are worn by adults in communal areas and corridors.

The guidance states "Where children of primary-school age are educated or cared for (which would be children who were under age 11 on 31 August 2021), we recommend that face coverings should be worn by staff and adults (including visitors) when moving around in corridors and communal areas.

Where children in year 7 (which would be children who were aged 11 on 31 August 2021) and above are educated or cared for, we recommend that face coverings should be worn by children, staff and adult visitors when moving around the premises, outside of classrooms or activity rooms, such as in corridors and communal areas. This is a temporary measure."

Download the latest version of the DfE guidance for out of school clubs:
Protective measures for holiday and after-school clubs and other out of school settings ( December 2021)

Official guidance and statements

The guidance on protective measures for holiday clubs and other out of school settings was first published on 1 July 2020 and updated on 10 July, 20 August, 28 September, 15 October, 5 November, 27 November, 22 December, 31 December, 8 January 2021, 2 February, 23 February, 11 March, 26 March, 7 April, 10 May, 7th July 2021 and 2nd December
Protective measures for out of school settings during the coronavirus outbreak

Summary for parents of the current situation regarding out of school clubs
Guidance for parents and carers of children attending out of school settings during the Covid-19 outbreak

Guidance for early years childcare settings
Actions for early years and childcare providers during the coronavirus outbreak

DfE guidance on social distancing and other protective measures for schools:
Actions for schools during the coronavirus outbreak

Out of school clubs from July 2021 onwards

Out of school clubs from January 2021 onwards

Out of school clubs from September 2020 onwards

Managing Covid-19 in your setting

Download Covid-19 template documents

Impact of Covid-19 on out of school clubs (November survey)

Impact of Covid-19 on out of school clubs (August survey)

Coronavirus: Impact on out of school clubs (May survey)