23/07/2020

The Government in England has announced that a number of restrictions will be lifted on the 25th of July and the information below provides guidance around activities and clubs for children.

Please see below the following guidance and consider if you have in the place the following;  

Clubs

You will be required to identify a competent person responsible for ensuring that measures are in place to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 within the club

The designated person could be your head coach, safeguarding officer or club volunteer

The designated person is responsible for:

• ensuring the risk assessment is carried out
• the control measures are in place and being adhered to

The club has a responsibility to maintain daily registers of staff and members who are in the facility and a note of the date and time they attended. If somebody who has been in your facility tests positive for COVID-19, the NHS test and trace may ask the infected person or their carer to provide details of anyone they have been in contact with. These registers will assist in this process.

It is important to make parents/guardians and carers aware, that the club may have to provide personal details (names and 2 types of contact numbers) of attendees to the NHS test and trace if they request it. GDPR information and FAQS can be found here.

Cheerleading sessions 

Social distancing must be adhered to at all times and no contact is permitted between coaches and cheerleaders, or cheerleaders and cheerleaders until the government removes or reviews social distancing. (Please refer to the Government Guidance regularly as this detail may be subject to change.) 

Activity planned and delivered should be appropriate for socially distanced coaching and no spotting is permitted under the current guidelines.

Clubs and coaches are advised to use this period to focus on improving skills which would include arm motions, jumps, tumbles and build upon strength training, flexibility, and conditioning.

Dance sessions 

As with cheerleading social distancing must be adhered to at all times and no contact is permitted between coaches and dancers, or dancers and dancers until the government removes or reviews social distancing. Ensure dance content is based on solo movement without physical or spatial interaction. 

Inclusivity

If carers are required to support within the session, you must ensure they are considered when planning your activity, the space being used, and the impact on your ratios.  

Capacity numbers

Due to clubs operating in different venues and environments, there is no definitive maximum capacity for clubs. Each club is responsible for ensuring they can operate safety based on their own venue/s and will need to define the maximum capacity that can follow social distancing. Clubs who operate within a space that is managed by an external provider e.g. leisure centre/school hall will need to speak to the venue regarding total capacity available and the capacity available within hired space as long as it does not go below current government guidelines for social distancing e.g. you may decide to operate on 2m by 2m area for each participant or a 3m by 3m area. 

Coaches should adhere to social distancing guidelines, therefore, would not need PPE. PPE would be recommended for cleaning and first aid purposes.

If located in Wales, Northern Ireland, or Scotland, please follow home country guidelines.

Please ensure that your PPL/PRS cover adheres to current music licensing requirements for online platforms.

Staffordshire & Stoke

In response to the outbreak of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom, the Community Foundation for Staffordshire has launched an appeal via JustGiving to raise funds that will enable us to support communities that have been severely affected by the pandemic.

As a group exercise instructor, you’ll likely have a lot of questions about your classes and how to continue running your business during this period.

The following aims to cover many of the main questions group exercise instructors will have and provide advice on how best to approach classes.

Can I teach online?

Yes, you can.

Your duty of care will still apply and as you cannot get every participant to fill out a PAR-Q form prior to doing your class, please add a disclaimer that highlights this fact, they the participant still needs to take care.

What do I need to do?

Add the disclaimer to your delivery platform and ensure the participants agree to your statement of care. Let your class participants know that your classes are available now online should they wish to access them.

Is my insurance still valid if I continue to do classes?

On 23/03/2020, the UK Government announced that people will now only leave their houses for essential trips. They will be permitted to leave their house once a day to do exercise, such as walking, running or riding a bike. This does not include indoor or outdoor group exercise classes. No instructor should be leading classes and they can now be fined for doing so.

This can be done via two-way video, one-way video, or pre-recorded material.

Am I covered if a participant has an accident during my online class?

Ask your insurance provider. You should do a thorough health and safety talk at the beginning of the class to ensure everyone is exercising in a safe environment. If your class delivery is not live, then you should have every participant agree to your disclaimer.

I rent a small studio space and my landlord is still pressing me for my rent. What can I do?

The government has announced that commercial tenants who cannot pay their rent because of coronavirus will be protected from eviction. No business will be forced out of their premises if they miss a payment in the next 3 months. However, commercial tenants will still be liable for the rent after this period. More details here.

Is financial support available for my small business?

The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) is a scheme which provides financial support to smaller businesses (SMEs) who are losing money through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The scheme has now been widened so more businesses can access it and will open on Monday 6th April.

The CBILS is operated by British Business Bank through a variety of accredited lenders, including high-street banks. Lenders will be able to approve up to £5 million per business as loans, overdrafts, and/or invoice finance.

Please note: the borrower will remain fully liable for the debt.

To be eligible for the scheme, your business must:

• Be based in the UK
• Have an annual turnover which does not exceed £45 million
• Have a viable borrowing proposal that would be considered by the lender outside of the current COVID-19 pandemic
• Self-certify that COVID-19 has adversely affected your business

You can find an eligibility checklist here.

For full information and to check eligibility, visit the CBILS page on the British Business Bank website here.

CBILS is not available for self-employed/freelance workers. For those workers, financial support information, via the self-employed income support scheme, can be found on the Gov.uk website here.

If my classes are cancelled, I have no income so how do I pay my bills?

On 26th March, the Chancellor announced the setup of the self-employed income support scheme. The outlines that workers net monthly earnings do not fall below “80 per cent of their monthly net earnings, averaged over the last three years, or £2500 per month, whichever is lower.” You can find full information on what you’re entitled to on Gov.uk here.

Source of guidance:

All our statements follow the latest advice from the Government, the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Science Officer. Their current advice is to stop all “non-essential” contact to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

There is a duty of care to both your class participants and you to try and not catch or spread the current virus. Your health is just as important as everyone else.

Whilst other statements may be issued from a variety of sources, we strongly advise to follow the official Government suggestions. For up to the minute information please check the Gov.uk coronavirus webpage here.

To be clear, no instructor should currently be teaching any classes other than online.

ONGOING GENERAL ADVICE:

Symptoms and self-isolation
What are the symptoms of coronavirus?

Advice from the NHS states:

Anyone with symptoms should stay at home for at least 7 days.

If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days, to avoid spreading the infection outside the home.

After 14 days, anyone you live with who does not have symptoms can return to their normal routine.

But, if anyone in your home gets symptoms, they should stay at home for 7 days from the day their symptoms start.

Even if it means they’re at home for longer than 14 days.

Symptoms are:

• a high temperature – you feel hot to touch on your chest or back
• a new, continuous cough – this means you’ve started coughing repeatedly

If you live with someone who is 70 or over, has a long-term condition, is pregnant or has a weakened immune system, try to find somewhere else for them to stay for 14 days.

If you have to stay at home together, try to keep away from each other as much as possible.

Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. You do not need to contact 111 to tell them you’re staying at home. Testing for coronavirus is not needed if you’re staying at home.

What is self-isolation?

• Self-isolation is a period where you remain at your house to stop the spread of coronavirus. Advice from the NHS states:
• try to keep at least 2 metres (3 steps) from other people in your home, particularly older people or those with long-term health conditions
• ask friends and family and delivery services to deliver things like food shopping and medicines – but avoid contact with them
• sleep alone if possible
• regularly wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds
• try to stay away from older people and those with long-term health conditions
• drink plenty of water and take everyday painkillers, such as paracetamol, to help with your symptoms

Do not:

• have visitors
• do not leave the house, for example to go for a walk, to school or public places.

Where can I get current information?

It is your responsibility to keep yourself up to date with advice on best practice. You can get current guidance from:

• NHS.uk
• Gov.uk

How should people pay for the class?

You will need to research which option is best for you. Some options include:

• Getting money transferred straight into your bank account
• PayPal
• Online events platforms, such as Eventbrite

Business expenses

Can I claim Zoom and booking platforms on expenses?

Yes. Any legitimate business expense can be claimed back. This includes your booking platform, Zoom account and other expenses incurred due to coronavirus.

Sport England have announced support packages during the Covid-19 situation and one of these, the Community Emergency Fund, has been established to look at providing support to clubs during this challenging time. 

If your Cheerleading club is struggling due to the Covid-19 situation, please take a look at the link below as they are not requiring clubs to be affiliated to NGBs so, Cheerleading clubs are eligible to apply for this funding: 

Due to Covid-19, Sport England have changed priorities to react to this situation. They now have 2 priorities for this period and this is forming the focus for their current work:

• Supporting the sector: Action to ensure it comes through this period in as strong a position as possible
• Keeping the nation moving: Doing everything they can to encourage people to stay active wherever possible, which is now more important than ever

Further information can be found about this on their website:

This package consists of:

•  A new £20 million Community Emergency Fund, which is open now for local club and community organisations to bid for grants between £300 and £10,000.

• A new £5 million fund for existing Sport England partners facing specific and immediate financial difficulty. 

• £55 million put aside to support the sector during an ongoing period of restrictions; to fund new and innovative ways to keep people active and then, when it is over, to help organisations get back to business and adjust to a different environment.  

• A £115 million rollover of current funding into 2021/22 to give certainty to over 100 well-established partners who play a vital role in the delivery of sport and physical activity in England, and whose current funding agreements with Sport England run out in March 2021.  

You can read more about this, including eligibility criteria and how to apply, here.