*Teacher Guidelines for COVID-19 Outbreak*

23rd February 2021: This information has now been updated. Please see a full summary of our guidance via the button below.

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Updated 9pm 2nd November 2020.

Given the latest announcement by the UK Government to enter a National Lockdown from Thursday, we thought it would be worth providing you with an update on our updated guidance.

Do all classes need to be cancelled?

Not necessarily, as there is a grey area for our teachers based on the 'education' exemption.

The legal advice we have received, which is based on the legislation for the Tier 3 exemption of 'education, where not online', would point towards the following definition being applicable during lockdown "the process of teaching or learning, especially in a school or college, or the knowledge that you get from this".

You can read the relevant legislation for Lockdown 2.0 by clicking here.

You can read the latest government updates by clicking here.

So what should I do now?

The first thing to understand is that Obby will not be automatically cancelling classes. This responsibility falls on you, our teachers, as you must decide if you can continue under the 'education' exemption.

Our guidance* for how you should proceed is as follows:

1. If you can adapt your upcoming classes to be easily taught live online, you should. We have made this easy for existing classes by adding in a new button for each class that quickly sends students your conference link and asks for address information (if you need to send materials). Find out more about how to do this by clicking here.
2. If you cannot adapt your classes to be taught live online, then you need to decide if you are confident that your classes would fall under the 'education' exemption.
3. If you are confident that your classes fall under the 'education' exemption and cannot be adapted to be taught online then we suggest you get in touch with all your upcoming students to let them know that classes will be continuing as planned. We have built a feature to make this process easier for you, find out more by clicking here.
4. If you are not confident that your classes fall under the 'education' exemption and cannot be adapted to be taught online then we suggest you get in touch with all your upcoming students to let them know that you are cancelling your classes and would like them to reschedule onto your future dates or rebook onto other Live Online classes that you are teaching. We have built a feature to make this process easier for you, find out more by clicking here.

**IMPORTANT:** If you plan on cancelling any classes, please make sure to add plenty of dates (minimum 3 months) before processing the cancellations so that customers can reschedule rather than opt for a refund.

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Updated 12pm 15th October 2020.

Following the Government guidance published on the 12th October 2020 for Local COVID alert levels, we have outlined what this means for Obby classes below.

Tier 1 (Medium)*

Classes will continue to run as planned. No group larger than 6 (from separate households) can attend as part of one booking. Social distancing measures will be in place during the class and face coverings are mandatory for all in attendance.

Tier 2 (High)*

Classes will continue to run as planned. Bookings for more than 1 person must be with other members of your household or support bubble. Social distancing measures will be in place during the class and face coverings are mandatory for all in attendance.

Tier 3 (Very High)*

Unfortunately, many Obby teachers who operate within a designated Tier 3 area would not be able to run classes during this time, however some will be able to remain open base on exemptions that may apply to your business.

*There are a number of exceptions for each Tier relating to classes for children, registered/formal education & training and other circumstances. You can read more about this here.

Update 5pm Wednesday 9th September 2020

As per the UK Government's announcement at 4pm GMT there has been an update to the guidance and legislation for gatherings of 6 or more people.

Most importantly, you do not need to cancel your classes or limit them to 5 guests provided that you are taking the necessary Social Distancing / Health & Safety measures. The exact legal wording is made clear on the government website which you can read here under section 5.3., and we have included some of the wording below to give you further comfort.

Exceptions are given where:
- the gathering has been organised by a business, a charitable, benevolent or philanthropic institution, a public body, or a political body,
- the person responsible for organising the gathering (“the gathering organiser”) has carried out a risk assessment which would satisfy the requirements of regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999(1), whether or not the gathering organiser is subject to those Regulations, and
- the gathering organiser has taken all reasonable measures to limit the risk of transmission of the coronavirus, taking into account the risk assessment carried out under paragraph, and
- where the gathering is reasonably necessary for the purposes of education or training.

About the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19)

On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) for the current outbreak of coronavirus disease, known as COVID-19.

Given the health and safety risks posed by this virus, we are asking our teachers and students to please review your local authorities' travel guidance and health advisories related to this outbreak, in addition to global guidance from the WHO. We strongly urge our community to take necessary precautions to protect yourself during this outbreak.

For further information, here is a list of resources for your convenience. As the situation evolves, please regularly check these for updates.

UK Government Information and Guidance

What steps should I be taking when running workshops?

As above, please make sure you stay up to date with the latest information and guidance communicated by the UK Government.

During the affected period, we are recommending the following for our teachers:

• Adopt basic hand washing, highlighted as the most effective way of preventing the spread of infection. Provide antibacterial handwash / handgel at the start of every workshop and encourage all students to use them before the start of the session;

• Refrain from shaking hands with students and other teachers;

• Routine cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched objects and surfaces such as tools, glasses, door handles, desks and tables;

• Crockery and cutlery in kitchen areas should be cleaned with warm water and detergent and dried thoroughly;

• Restricting food such as crisps for communal sharing unless individually wrapped.

What if a student wants to cancel their bookings?

We have provided guidance for students who need to change or cancel their bookings, which you can read here! Customers who are having to self-isolate due to government advice will be considered to be in an exceptional circumstance, meaning they will be eligible to reschedule or cancel their bookings.

What if I need to cancel a class?

Obby has waived all class cancellation fees for the rest of 2020, meaning you can cancel your workshops within 7 days without concern. We know that for many of you, this will materially affect your income, so we would like to strongly urge that you encourage all students to reschedule onto a new class date rather than cancel their booking. 

If you need to cancel any classes, please read our guide below:

1. It is extremely important that you add lots of dates in the future, so your students can reschedule rather than cancel. We recommend adding new dates for 3-6 months as a minimum.

2. When cancelling your class (read how to do that here), leave a clear message to your student(s). We have written a suggestion below:

"I am really sorry to be cancelling this class, however I am suffering from symptoms of the COVID-19 virus and so will be self-isolating for at least 7 days. As a small business, this will have a big impact on my income and ability to run my classes in the future. Therefore, I would greatly appreciate it if you would reschedule your booking to a later date rather than opt for a refund. You will be able to reschedule your booking as many times as you like to future dates (in the case the outbreak last longer) and so your booking will never be at risk. Thank you for your understanding and I really hope to see you on my class soon!"

I am worried about how this might affect me as a small business, what can I do?

We understand this could be a difficult time for many of our small business partners and we want to do everything we can to support you through this period.

Some forms of insurance might help, we have a separate article on that here!

If you think that you will be negatively affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and are worried about its impact on your ongoing income please email us below and we will do our best to help mitigate any business risks that you might face.

Please note that any guidance we provide, relating to COVID-19 or other regulations, is general advice based on our interpretation of the regulations and official guidance. However, we cannot provide legal advice - teachers seeking legal advice should consult their own lawyers to obtain advice specific to their particular circumstances.