COVID – 19 POLICY 2022-2023

UPDATED 5th September 2022

During 2022 we began a different approach to living with COVID here in the UK as all national restrictions were removed.

We do have a few clinically extremely vulnerable students so we still need to ensure that we are all doing our very best to keep everyone as safe as possible. As we head into autumn/winter months, we still want to limit the transition of any seasonal bugs alongside reduce the risks of covid transmission as it is on the rise again.

Erica will continue to keep a register of everyone who attends classes each week so there is no need to sign in at the reception of Shaftesbury Arts Centre. If you or a student are unable to attend a class please contact Erica to let her know in advance where possible, to save us waiting for you or the student to arrive unnecessarily.

LIVING WITH COVID-19

Please follow the current government guidance in regards to living with COVID-19:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-safely-with-respiratory-infections-including-covid-19

The main symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are:

  • a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
  • a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
  • a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

If you or a member of your family have any of the above symptoms please DO NOT come to class or bring your child/teen to in-person classes.

Although testing is no longer legally required, if you have access to a lateral flow test and you or a member of your household test positive for COVID or have been identified as a close contact please inform Erica as soon as possible and ensure you follow the latest government’s advice.

If you do not have COVID symptoms but you or a member of your family are unwell we recommend that you take a lateral flow test if possible, if the test is negative you may come to class. If the results are positive, please then follow the government’s latest advice. If you do not have access to testing, we would prefer you to stay at home until you are feeling well again before returning to class.

In the event that Erica or her family at the Elevated Tap Company, become unwell or test positive for COVID then classes may need to be cancelled and rescheduled for a future date or alternatively if this is not possible classes will be reimbursed for those students who pay monthly.

SHAFTESBURY ARTS CENTRE

For the foreseeable future, we are continuing to ask that all students come dressed and ready for class. All students in our Junior Tap and Youth Tap classes should come dressed in ETC uniforms. For new students, trial students and our adult students please come dressed in something clean and comfortable that you are able to dance in. We would really appreciate it if this is not a school uniform and children change into clean clothes after school before attending classes.

Shaftesbury Arts Centre still have sanitiser upon entry by the box office if you would like to use this prior to your class or alternatively there are toilets at the arts centre if you would like to wash your hands before class.

The dance studio is situated on the 2nd floor at the back of the arts centre. Please walk through the foyer, past the theatre to the right and then you can either use the lift, or follow the corridor down to the costume department and follow the stairs to the right to the first floor.

There are toilets on the first floor outside the costume department and at the bottom of the back stairs along with an accessible toilet upstairs outside the studio which may be used before class if required.

We still recomend limiting the number of personal belongings that you bring with you, however, please ensure your child/ or yourself has a water bottle so that you can keep hydrated during class. You will be able to bring your belongings into the studio or they can also be left just outside in the foyer.

Please bring your tap shoes or CLEAN trainers with you to dance in and these can be changed into before entering the studio. Please do not wear your tap shoes outside as this can damage the taps and cause damage to the studio floor.

Please arrive 5 minutes prior to your class commencing to avoid the cross-over of students leaving the building.

For children aged 6 and under parents/guardians may assist with shoe changes outside of the dance studio before their class. Parents/guardians of children aged 11 and under may wait inside the building in the downstairs foyer whilst the class is in progress, we would really appreciate it if where possible this is kept to one person per student.

PLEASE NOTE: There may be an odd occasion where this is not possible if another group are occupying the space. We ask for your utmost respect whilst using this space, to keep your distance from others and avoid touching anything unnecessarily. Alternatively, you may prefer to wait in your car or walk into Shaftesbury during this time.

If you are collecting a child please ensure you are on time. All students should leave the studio promptly after their class and sanitise their hands on the way out of the building.

Anyone who develops COVID-19 symptoms or becomes unwell whilst at Shaftesbury Arts Centre will be sent home and should follow the government’s guidelines as above.