Our COVID-19 Measures

Reducing close-contact during the day

The Swiss Federal and Cantonal authorities have stated that children (especially those 12 years old and under) are low risk for COVID-19 both in terms of developing symptoms and in terms of transmitting the virus. This is based on direct observation of cases in Switzerland. 

We are continuing to implement all sensible measures to further minimise risk. These measures are differentiated between the younger students in Pre-school/Primary and the older students in Middle/1er Cycle and High School/2nd Cycle.

Classrooms: 

• Teachers spend the majority of their time at the front of the classroom, wearing masks and maintaining a 1.5-metre distance between them and the students when practical.
• When teachers and assistants circulate around the class, they are wearing masks.

Common areas:

• The teachers and staff are subject to 1.5m social distancing between adults, and between adults and students.  
• Signage and floor markings are in place to direct the flow of people moving within and between buildings in order to minimise contact.
• Where appropriate and safe, doors are left open to reduce the touching of surfaces.
• Windows are opened frequently during the day (5 to 10 minutes each time), in addition to the doors being open. This provides maximum airflow through the buildings and classrooms.
• Students are able to use their lockers and the surfaces are cleaned frequently.  
• The Panthers café is open to students and staff only (no visitors/parents) between 7:30am and 5:15pm but is serving only. All Secondary students and staff need to wear masks and to take their purchases outside. We have introduced contactless payment (e.g. credit card, Apple/Google Pay) and encourage that is used whenever possible.
• The vending machines are closed.
• Students are asked not to share their food or drink.

Cafeterias: 

• Students are seated in the cafeteria (or the outdoor covered space provided) with the appropriate social distance between them.
• High School/2nd cycle students need to scan a QR code with their mobile device to register their presence in any of the dining areas. This is a requirement of the canton as part of their track and trace efforts.
• Cutlery, napkin/serviette and tray are pre-prepared by kitchen staff to reduce mixing contact.
• All food is served from behind protective counters (no self-service).
• Students are asked not to share their food or drink.
• We have a team of three people during lunchtime helping ensure that students understand and follow social distancing, hygiene and mask requirements.

Water:

• As a precaution, the water fountains are not available and so in order to reduce re-fills. Parents (house parents for boarders) should provide children with their own full water bottles.

Playtime:

• The authorities have specifically directed that children under 12 should be allowed to play together as normal, for their social development and mental well-being (even if this means 1.5 metres are not always maintained).

Physical Education (PE) and Music classes (where equipment is shared):

• These classes are going ahead.
• Students are required to wash/sanitise their hands before the lesson.
• Any equipment is cleaned between classes.
• Staff strictly observes the cantonal guidelines for all sports.

Extracurricular activities: 

• All activities take place on campus.
• Appropriate measures are in place for each individual activity.

Trips and excursions: 

• There will be no overnight trips until 1st March 2021 at the earliest.
• During any daytime excursions, all necessary health protection measures are taken.

Masks:

• The authorities have confirmed that masks are not required for children in Pre-school or Primary. If parents want their child to wear a mask during school time they are welcome to send them to school with a mask.
• Masks are required for all Middle School / 1er Cycle and High School / 2nd Cycle students both outside and indoors, including in classrooms. Parents need to provide these masks.
• Please note that masks are required for ALL children on our school buses with the exception of pre-school only.
• All staff are required to wear masks at all times, including in the classroom.
• You can find useful information on how to find the right masks and wear them correctly here.
• We encourage social distancing even if wearing masks.

Hand-washing and Hand-Sanitiser:

• Students are required to wash their hands or use sanitiser on arrival on the campus.
• Plenty of soap and opportunity for hand-washing is provided throughout the day.  
• There is hand-sanitiser available throughout the campus (in pre-school this is more directly controlled by the class teachers).
• There is hand-sanitiser at the entrance to both the Léman and Eiger cafeterias and in the entrance of each building in secondary school.
• We are continuing with our education efforts, including posters around school and constant reminders from teachers:
  • Frequent, proper handwashing and hand-sanitising.
  • Special attention on before/after toilet use, and before/after snacks and meals.
  • No hand-shaking.
  • Coughing or sneezing into the crook of your elbow.

Cleaning:

• Common surfaces frequently touched (e.g. door handles) are being cleaned three times a day.
• Toilets are being cleaned up to four times a day.
• Disinfectant spray is available to the class teachers, in all classes, to clean surfaces throughout the day.
• Every evening there is a campus-wide clean by our professional cleaners.

Following guidance from the Geneva Department of Education we have developed flow charts to help parents understand what to do next if their child has any COVID-19 type symptoms. These have been updated on 19th April and are now split by age groups: under 6, 6-12, over 12.

You can download the flowcharts here:

• COVID-19 Guidelines for children under 6 
• COVID-19 Guidelines for children aged 6-12
• COVID-19 Guidelines for children over 12

The boarding students benefit from all of the 'whole school' measures outlined above. This section provides a more detailed breakdown of our boarding specific measures.

Travelling to CDL

• We have provided detailed instructions in our Back to Boarding web page.
• We are requiring all students coming to campus from abroad to have a COVID- free medical certificate, taken within 72 hours of travelling. This must be sent to boarding@cdl.ch before arrival.

• We are testing all students upon arrival on campus with Rapid 15 minute tests.

• Those travelling from countries where quarantine is specifically required are able to do so safely under our care. We will test on arrival and re-test after 9 days (making 10 days of quarantine in isolation in total).

• Those arriving from within Switzerland will not have further tests beyond the 72 hours referenced above. Please note that in order to qualify as coming from within Switzerland, students must have been in the country for 14 days before arriving on campus.

• Collection arrangements have been put in place to ensure safety back to school, using only our transport to school and we have made clear quarantine procedures.

• Going off-campus for boarders is strictly controlled. We have measures to ensure students can leave the site only with the permission of parents and staff.

• We continue to have elevated levels of cleaning of all school indoor environments, including bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms and classrooms.
• Soap and disposable paper towels are available in all washing areas. 
• We remind our students and staff about the importance of regular hand washing. 
• Hand sanitiser stations are provided at key points in the House and around the campus. 
• We have reinforced enhanced daily cleaning procedures in the boarding houses and school. 
• Ventilation of the Houses has been increased to ensure a constant supply of fresh air.

Masks and protective equipment:

• Student visitors in the Houses (including parents) have to wear masks, and only stay in special areas, to protect the community.
• Appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has been provided for any staff performing roles which will require it. 

Social distancing:

• We require appropriate social distancing in all areas of the school.
• We are following the state guidelines to ensure safe occupancy levels of all facilities and areas, including dining rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and classrooms.
• Equipment sharing is not possible between students, other than when appropriate cleaning has taken place. 
• Cooking shared meals in the House is not possible. House Parents will only allow supervised individual food preparation.
• We have ensured laundry procedures are clear and safe for students. 

Health checks and measures:

• Temperature checks are performed 3 times a day for all students.
• We provide Vitamin C tablets to boost the immune system every day at breakfast.

• There will be no overnight trips until 1st March 2021 at the earliest.
• Risk Assessments include a COVID consideration to ensure that fresh air and contact is limited.
• Contact sports are limited to House activities.
• Going off-campus for boarders is strictly controlled. We have measures to ensure students can leave the site only with the permission of parents and staff.
• Boarding Assemblies now take place virtually to ensure no confined groupings of our community.

Medical Centre:

• Our Medical Centre is staffed by 3 qualified nurses and our experienced doctor, with a combined experience of over 60 years of medical service.
• We have trained staff in the safe management of boarding houses under new guidance and school procedures and in COVID-19 nursing for appropriate staff.
• We have adapted our medical procedures to ensure compliance with the recommendations of public health bodies.
• We are conducting regular temperature checks of all students and staff and any visitors, including parents. 
• Students are encouraged to wear masks or face coverings (other than for activities where this is not advised). Staff and students over 12 are required to wear masks when social distancing is not possible.
• We have set aside suitable isolation areas to care for students who show symptoms and/or test positive. 
• We have access to the latest generation 15-minute tests.
• We ensure that staff do not work (or have contact with students) if they are unwell.

Wellbeing:

• Our Wellbeing programme is targeting the specific stresses of the current Covid situation, focussing on how to cope with the restrictions.
• The Prefect student committee regularly discusses the situation and rules in place, to ensure that the Student Voice is heard.
• All students will be expected to install the Swiss Covid-19 tracking App on their telephones.
• Our dedicated counsellor is available for all stress-related issues.
• Clear notices explaining new procedures are displayed in Houses.

Communication:

• Our office is always open to allow students and staff the opportunity to raise any concerns. 
• We have made it clear that any bullying related to the pandemic will not be tolerated.
• Parents have the number of Justin Usher, our Director of Boarding, for any out-of-hours service while any students are travelling. 
• We have assured continued provision of boarding during all the holidays.

Buses:

• Buses are following their normal schedule.
• Hand sanitiser is being used when getting on and off the bus.
• Masks are required for the driver and ALL children with the exception of pre-school only (to be provided by parents).

Drop-off and Pick-up:

• We ask parents to use the parking and drop-off areas for the specific school sections (links go to Google Maps):
  • Pre-school: accessible just off Chemin de Montfleury by the playing fields.
  • Primary: accessible just off Avenue Louis-Yung, or via Chemin du Lac
  • Middle and High School: The main school entrance.
• As far as is possible we ask parents to drop off siblings at the appropriate drop-off point for their section so as to reduce movement across campus.
• Parents can come onto the campus only when absolutely necessary (e.g. a pre-arranged meeting with CDL staff) and we ask you not to go into the classrooms and to avoid gathering in groups.
• In Pre-school where one parent can bring their child to the classroom - parents are asked to wash/sanitise their hands before coming in and must wear masks.

Visiting the campus for any reason:

• Visits on campus are currently restricted.
• All visitors must wear masks whilst on campus.
• Anyone with any COVID-19 symptoms cannot come onto the campus.
• We ask that all hygiene measures, including frequent hand washing/sanitising are followed.

We have taken detailed advice from the authorities and experts on the actions required in the event of a positive case in our student or staff community:

• Around mid-February, the Médecin Cantonal communicated a change in strategy: in the event of a student testing positive, they are sending CDL a letter for the school to circulate to all parents of that student's class. The letter advises 'heightened vigilance' of those students. This applies to all age groups.

  • As soon as CDL knows of a case, a new fast-track system is in place for CDL to request a guidance letter to be issued, and CDL then distribute it to the parents of any class involved. Parents (and Boarding House Parents) need to watch-out for symptoms and are requested not to send their child to school if any arise. Extra guidance is in our flow-chart here.

  • Of course, should the circumstances require more than heightened vigilance, that direction continue to be provided by the Médecin Cantonal on a case by case basis.

  • In addition, as part of the change in strategy, if a teacher or assistant tests positive, CDL has now been given permission to communicate to the parents with children in their classes, provided the person that tested positive has given their consent. 

• We commit to communicating with parents the information that the authorities confirm we can share at the earliest possible moment.

It is our collective responsibility as a community of parents, students and staff to follow the COVID-19 health protection measures on this page in order to minimise the chance of COVID-19 transmission and ensure that classroom learning can continue as normal.

Day parents

• Any families where a member of their household has travelled to a quarantine country within the last 14 days must complete this declaration and send it to info@cdl.ch.
• We strongly recommend regularly checking the latest government advice on travelling.

Boarding parents

• We have shared extensive travel guidance by email and it is available on our Back to Boarding web-page.
• We strongly recommend regularly checking the latest government advice on travelling.
• Please remember that parents of all arriving students must complete this declaration form. 

We are currently continuing with full face-to-face classroom learning as per guidance from the Swiss authorities.

In exceptional cases, we are currently making our Virtual School Experience available:

• For students that are delayed in their arrival due to COVID if they are newly starting.
• For current students that have to be out of school for more than 2 days due to illness or isolation, or require exceptional travel to a quarantine country (to be pre-agreed).  Parents should consult our flow-chart for confirmation.

Learn more about Mixed VSE and Full VSE.

Whilst we believe that the measures outlined above will minimise the probability of any classroom closure, should this happen we are well-prepared with the Virtual School Experience. This builds in the learning from parents, students and staff from the last two terms as well as best practice from across our 68 Nord Anglia sister schools.

We take pride in delivering an outstanding education to every student, tailored to their individual learning needs and inspired by the global best practice even in challenging circumstances.

We are ready and equipped to continue inspiring the students with innovative lessons, unique learning opportunities and high-quality teaching as part of our blended learning approach.

Our Virtual School Experience has two key aspects:

• Connected time where students can learn from their teachers ‘live’ using our safe and secure online platform. 
• Guided time where pupils learn independently through tailored tasks set by their teacher.

Striking the right balance between on and offline learning time allows students to make the most of personalised learning from home, no matter what year group they are in.

You can read more about the Virtual School Experience here.