Call Telephone: +44 (0)20 7065 7500 Coronavirus latest updates Coronavirus Post date: 13th Mar 2020 All coronavirus updates will be published on this webpage. You are advised to visit this page daily to ensure you are up-to-date with all the latest coronavirus information. Please also see our About the virus, Stay alert guidance and Further information and FAQs webpages for more information. Wednesday 1st September 2021 We continue to work hard to ensure we’re doing all we can to support schools, teachers and support staff during the pandemic. In response to the continued Covid-19 pandemic, the UK government lifted or lowered most restrictions for England on 19 July 2021. Our staff have now returned safely to our offices and your local branch team is fully available to assist schools, teachers and support staff. To protect all staff health and wellbeing, we aim to keep face-to-face contact to a minimum, where it is appropriate to do so. For example, in order to safely conduct candidate registrations, we will retain some of our adjusted processes, such as online registrations and video interviews. For more information, please see our updated guidance for schools and candidates. For schools: 'Our approach to recruiting and supplying staff safely throughout the Covid-19 pandemic' For candidates: 'Working in schools and other education settings safely throughout the Covid-19 pandemic' Monday 8th March 2021 Covid testing for supply staff with no symptoms All students have begun to return to face-to-face education on 8 March, with testing measures in place for both pupils and staff who have no covid symptoms. Staff in long-term positions Supply staff in long-term positions should be included in the testing programmes which are being organised by schools and colleges. The Government has stated: All primary school children will return on Monday 8 March. Primary school staff will continue to take 2 rapid COVID-19 tests each week at home. All secondary school and college students will take three COVID-19 tests as they return to the classroom from the 8 March at existing school testing facilities. Schools and colleges will have discretion on how to test students over that week to enable their return to the classroom. After the initial programme of three tests in school or college, students will be provided with 2 rapid tests to use each week at home. Secondary school and college staff will also be provided with 2 tests to use each week at home. Staff on day-to-day supply Staff who are working on day-to day supply are encouraged to have regular lateral flow tests. You can do this by: visiting your local lateral flow test site to get tested, or collecting free lateral flow home test kits from your local lateral flow test site, or ordering free lateral flow home test kits to be delivered to your home. If visiting a local test site to get tested isn’t possible, collecting kits from your local test centre is quicker, you can get more tests and you free up home delivery for those that need it most. You can get up to 28 tests (home delivery is 7 tests) per household. You can get the tests today (home delivery is 2 days). No paperwork or ID is needed. Sites are COVID-secure and operated by trained staff. Tuesday 23rd February 2021 On 22nd February 2021, the Government announced that all children and students will return to face-to-face education in schools and colleges from Monday 8th March 2021. As client demand for agency work services is increasing and assignments are becoming available, the period of furlough leave for all our supply staff will end on Friday 5th March 2021. Our final furlough claim for the week ending Friday 5th March 2021 will be submitted on Thursday 4th March 2021, and once we have received the funds from the HMRC, we expect final furlough payments to be in your account on Monday 15th or Tuesday 16th March 2021. Smart Teachers will resume the role of finding you suitable work in accordance with your Terms of Engagement with us from Monday 8th March 2021. The CJRS will no longer be available for any supply staff after Friday 5th March 2021. Tuesday 26th January 2021 We have submitted our latest claim to the CJRS. This claim was for the week ending 22nd January. Our Payroll team has sent an email to all eligible supply staff who were included in this claim. Their payslips will be uploaded to our payroll portal at www.eezytime.co.uk overnight. HMRC take up to six working days to process the claim, so we expect payments to be in accounts on Monday 1st or Tuesday 2nd February. The subsequent claim for the week ending 29th January will be submitted on Thursday 28th January and we expect payment to be in your account on Monday 8th or Tuesday 9th February. For more information about our furlough scheme, please see our CJRS FAQs page. Tuesday 20th January 2021 We have emailed all supply staff who will receive their furlough payment this Friday (22nd January) for the week ending 15th January. Please check your email (including your junk mailbox) for an email from payrollsupport@smartteachers.co.uk. You will also receive an email notification overnight to say that your payslip has been uploaded to our payroll portal at www.eezytime.co.uk. If you received and completed our furlough survey to say you wanted to be furloughed but you have not received the above communications, this is probably because you completed your furlough survey response after the initial deadline (4pm on Tuesday 12th January) for being included in our first HMRC claim submission. Anyone who completed the survey after this time/date will be included in the following week’s claim and their pay will be backdated as applicable. We will be submitting weekly CJRS claims to HMRC. Our next CJRS claim will be submitted on Thursday 21st January - subject to the scheme remaining in place and no work being available. This claim will be for the week ending 22nd January. HMRC take up to six working days to process the claim, so we expect your next payment to be in your account on Monday 1st or Tuesday 2nd February. The subsequent claim for the week ending 29th January will be submitted on Thursday 28th January and we expect payment to be in your account on Monday 8th or Tuesday 9th February. For more information about our furlough scheme, please see our CJRS FAQs page. Monday 11th January 2020 Smart Teachers has confirmed that we will be furloughing eligible supply staff under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Our Payroll team has sent an email to supply staff who are eligible for the scheme asking them to confirm if the agree to being furloughed. Our CJRS FAQs page provides more information about how the furlough scheme will work. Monday 9th November 2020 Please ensure you read and adhere to the latest updates from the Government on the .Gov website regarding wearing face masks in when working in schools. All our supply staff must take a face covering with them to every booking and, on arrival at the school, speak to the school to clarify when and where you are required to wear a mask. Wednesday 26th August 2020 The Government has revised their guidance on face coverings for staff and children in Year 7 or above in England. Schools will now have the discretion to require face coverings in communal areas if they believe that is right in their particular circumstances. In areas where the transmission of the virus is high (as defined on .gov.uk), the Government’s guidance will state face coverings should be worn by adults and pupils in secondary schools when moving around the school, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing is difficult to maintain. It will not be necessary to wear face coverings in the classroom, where protective measures already mean the risks are lower, and where they can inhibit learning. Schools will be required to advise all staff on the circumstances when they would be required to wear face masks (and any additional PPE). We would also recommend that our supply staff take a face covering with them to all bookings. Saturday 1 August 2020 The Government has updated the shielding guidance for people who are classed as extremely clinically vulnerable - see .Gov website. From 1 August, people in this high-risk category can return to work. We have updated our Coronavirus Health Survey, which all supply staff will be asked before they can be placed in a booking, to reflect this change. We will need to confirm if the school is Covid-secure and therefore able to accept people in the high-risk category before confirming the booking. Please note, this does not apply to anyone who is classed as extremely clinically vulnerable who lives/works in an area where there is local lockdown restrictions in place - see the .Gov website for specified areas. Wednesday 24 June 2020 We have successfully submitted our fourth furlough pay claim to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) today. How many weeks was the fourth CJRS claim for? Our fourth furlough pay claim was for the weeks ending 5th, 12th and 19th June. When will I be paid? Her Majesty’s Revenues and Customs (HMRC) claims take up to six working days to process. However, I am pleased to confirm that we will again be paying you ahead of us receiving the grant from HMRC and your furlough pay will be in your bank account this Friday (26h June). When will I receive my payslips? You will not receive an email notification to say that your payslips have been uploaded to our payroll portal. Your payslips will be uploaded to the payroll portal at www.eezytime.co.uk overnight. When will the next CJRS claim be submitted? Our fifth CJRS claim has to be submitted to HMRC on Wednesday 15th July - subject to the scheme remaining in place and no work being available. This claim will be for the weeks ending 26th June, 3rd & 10th July. Monday 23 June 2020 Key Government guidance which we recommend you read, so you know what to expect when returning to work in schools: Actions for education and childcare settings to prepare for wider opening from 1 June 2020 Supporting children and young people with SEND as schools and colleges prepare for wider opening Safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care settings, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) Coronavirus (COVID-10): implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings Tuesday 16 June 2020 As you are aware, the Government recently announced plans to slowly reduce the level of grant for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). No grant will be available for employer's national insurance (NI) or pension contributions from the 1st August, which means that employees can only be furloughed under the CJRS if their employer agrees to pay these contributions. Subject to the Government making no amends/withdrawing the scheme and no work being available, I am very pleased to confirm that Smart Teachers is happy to take on the additional employer costs from the 1st August, which will enable the CJRS to remain in place for eligible supply staff until the 28th August 2020. Smart Teachers understands that these are difficult times for the supply staff who have had no work during the pandemic, and we hope that this excellent news will help alleviate some of the pressures. When will the remaining CJRS claims be submitted to the HMRC? Our remaining claims will be submitted on the following dates for the weeks specified. Furlough wages will be paid ahead of Smart Teachers receiving the grant from the HMRC. Fourth claim - Wednesday 24th June (For the weeks ending 5th, 12th & 19th June) Pay date: Friday 26th June Fifth claim date - Wednesday 15th July (For the weeks ending 26th June, 3rd & 10th July) Pay date: Friday 17th July Sixth claim date - Wednesday 5th August (For the weeks ending 17th, 24th & 31st July) Pay date: Friday 7th August Final claim date - Wednesday 2nd September (For four weeks - for the weeks ending 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th August) Pay date: Friday 4th September How much will I be paid? The same formula will be used to calculate your furlough pay each week. You will receive 80% of your basic pay, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month. Your pay is calculated as the higher of: (i) your same week's earnings from the previous tax year, or (ii) your average weekly earnings from the 2019-20 tax year. When will I receive my payslips? You will not receive an email notification to say that your payslips have been uploaded to our payroll portal. Your payslips will be uploaded to the payroll portal at www.eezytime.co.uk overnight on the claim dates specified in the 'When will the CJRS claims be submitted to the HMRC?' section above. Will the CJRS be available after the 28th August? Unfortunately, we are not able to extend the CJRS beyond the 28th August. The pandemic has had a big impact on our business since the beginning of March, which means that we are unable to fund the significant increases in employer's contributions that the Government require from the 1st September for the 3,700 supply staff that Smart Teachers and our sister companies (Vision for Education and ABC Teachers) currently have furloughed under the scheme. Based on our recent conversations with schools, we are hopeful that we will see an increase in the amount of work available in primary, secondary and SEND schools from the beginning of September. I have never been furloughed under the CJRS - can I now be furloughed? Unfortunately, the Government's CJRS criteria states that the last date to furlough an employee who has not been furloughed before was the 10th June. Newly furloughed employees had to be furloughed on or before the 10th June, ensuring they meet the criteria of a minimum 3-week period by the 30th June. What if the Government change the funding requirements for the CJRS? Our decision to fund the scheme for eligible supply staff until the 28th of August was based on the Government's current criteria for the CJRS. If the Government amends or withdraws the scheme, we will need to review how the changes affect our supply staff and any decisions we have made relating to the scheme. Will work be available for me before or during the summer holidays? We are talking to our primary, secondary and SEND schools on a regular basis to find out their current and future staffing needs, and we're waiting for the Government to make further announcements on the options to help pupils catch up on their education. We are seeing a steady increase in the number of bookings we are receiving each day and will be in touch with you when suitable work is available. Can I work part-time and remain on furlough? We are currently waiting for the Government to release further details about the flexible furlough scheme, which will be introduced from the 1st July. If I accept a booking, can I be re-furloughed once the assignment has finished? Yes, if you have already been furloughed for a minimum of 3 consecutive weeks. You can accept a booking for any duration and then be re-furloughed once the assignment has been completed - but you must then be furloughed for a minimum of 3 consecutive weeks before the scheme expires on the 28th August. We will email you if there are any further updates about the CJRS, and we will also ensure this webpage is updated with all the latest information. Wednesday 3 June 2020 We are pleased to confirm that we have successfully submitted our third furlough pay claim to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) today. How many weeks was the third CJRS claim for? Our third furlough pay claim was for the weeks ending 15th, 22nd and 29th May. When will I be paid? Her Majesty’s Revenues and Customs (HMRC) claims take up to six working days to process. However, I am pleased to confirm that we will again be paying you ahead of us receiving the grant from HMRC and your furlough pay will be in your bank account this Friday (5th June). When will I receive my payslips? Your payslips will be uploaded to our online payroll system at www.eezytime.co.uk overnight. On this occasion, you will not receive an email notification. When will the next CJRS claim be submitted? Our fourth CJRS claim has to be submitted to HMRC on Wednesday 24th June - subject to the scheme remaining in place and no work being available. This claim will be for the weeks ending 5th, 12th and 19th June. The Government has extended the CJRS - how will this affect me? On 29th May, the Government released further information about how the CJRS will work going forward. The current scheme (80% of salary) remains the same up until 31st July. We are waiting for the Government to issue further details about the scheme on the 12th June, so we can then clarify what this means for our supply staff. We will be in touch as soon as we know more. In the meantime, I would appreciate it if you could refrain from contacting our Payroll team for updates on the CJRS extension. We will also ensure this webpage is updated with all the latest information. Some schools have already reopened and others are reopening in the coming weeks - will work be available for me? We are talking to our primary, secondary and SEND schools as they begin to reopen to more pupils. At this stage, the number of bookings are limited. Friday 29th May 2020 We are aware that the Government has released further information about the CJRS today. We will email you as soon as we receive further information from the Government which tells us how the amended scheme will affect our supply staff, so we would appreciate it if you could refrain from contacting our Payroll team for updates on the CJRS extension in the meantime. We will also ensure this webpage is updated with all the latest information. Wednesday 13 May 2020 We are pleased to confirm that we have successfully submitted our second furlough pay claim to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) today. How many weeks was the second CJRS claim for? We are furloughing on a weekly basis, however the Government has said that CJRS claims can only be made every three weeks. Our second furlough pay claim was for the weeks ending 24th April, 1st May and 8th May. When will you be paid? Her Majesty’s Revenues and Customs (HMRC) claims take up to six working days to process. However, we are pleased to confirm that we will again be paying you ahead of us receiving the grant from HMRC and your furlough pay will be in your bank account this Friday (15th May). When will you receive your payslips? You will receive an email from our online payroll system with a link to your payslips today. The payslips are not available to view until midnight on the day you receive the email. When will the next CJRS claim be submitted? Our third CJRS claim has to be submitted to HMRC on Wednesday 3rd June - subject to the scheme remaining in place and no work being available. This claim will be for the weeks ending 15th, 22nd and 29th May. The Government has extended the CJRS - how will this affect you? We are aware that the Government has announced that the CJRS will now continue until the end of October. The current scheme (80% of salary) runs up until 31st July, and the Government is expected to provide more information at the end of this month about how the CJRS will work from the start of August until the end of October. We will email you as soon as we know how the amended scheme will affect our supply staff, so I would appreciate it if you could refrain from contacting our Payroll team for updates on the CJRS extension in the meantime. We will also ensure this webpage is updated with all the latest information. The Government has announced a phased return for schools - will work be available for you? You will be pleased to hear that we are now taking an increasing number of bookings following the Government’s announcement to have a phased return for schools, so we will soon be able to unfurlough some supply staff as more work will be available. Tuesday 12 May 2020 We are aware that the Government has announced that the CJRS will now continue until the end of October. The current scheme (80% of salary) runs up until 31st July, and the Government is expected to provide more information at the end of this month about how the CJRS will work from the start of August until the end of October. We will email you as soon as we know how the amended scheme will affect our supply staff, so I would appreciate it if you could refrain from contacting our Payroll team for updates on the CJRS extension in the meantime. We will also ensure this webpage is also updated with all the latest information. Monday 11 May 2020 The Government has announced plans for schools, colleges and early years settings across England to potentially open to more children and young people. By the 1st June at the earliest, primary schools in England may be able to welcome back children in key transition years – nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. Secondary schools, sixth forms and colleges will also work towards the possibility of providing some face-to-face contact with young people in Year 10 and Year 12 to help them prepare for exams next year. Progress will be monitored by the Government every day. If the virus stays on the downward slope, and the R remains below 1, then – it will become safe to go further, move to the second step and reopen schools. Early years settings may also be able to open for all children. The aim is for other primary years to return later in June, but this will be kept under review, and there are currently no plans to reopen secondary schools for other year groups before the summer holidays. Priority groups, including vulnerable children and children of critical workers who have been eligible to attend throughout school closures, will continue to be able to attend schools, colleges and early years settings as they are currently. The Government has issued guidance for schools to prepare for the reopening on the .Gov website. Friday 1 May 2020 A polite reminder to our supply staff that our next Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) furlough claim has to be submitted to HMRC on Wednesday 13th May 2020, and the next expected payment date for our supply staff is Friday 22nd May 2020. Friday 25 April 2020 We're pleased to confirm that our furloughed supply staff have received their furlough pay today up to the week ending Friday 13th April 2020. This is ahead of us receiving the furlough grant from HMRC ourselves. Our next Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) furlough claim has to be submitted to HMRC on Wednesday 13th May 2020, and the next expected payment date for our supply staff is Friday 22nd May 2020. Wednesday 22 April 2020 We have sent an email to furloughed supply staff to clarify the calculation used for their furlough pay and confirm the very good news that we are able to pay the first amount of furlough grant into their bank account this Friday. This is before we will receive the grant from HMRC ourselves. Furloughed supply staff will receive an email from our online payroll system with a link to their payslips tonight. The payslips are not available to view until midnight on the day you received the email. Thursday 16 April 2020 Our Payroll team has sent an update email to all supply staff who requested to be furloughed (excludes anyone who submitted a response after 12noon on Thursday 16 April 2020 - these will now be processed tomorrow). The email includes: an initial furlough pay calculation information about how furlough pay is calculated an update on when furloughed wages will be paid details about how supply staff will know when they are going to be paid, and information about how long supply staff will be furloughed. The email was sent at 10.14pm. Please check your inbox and junk mail of the email account you have registered with Smart Teachers' payroll portal for an email from Payroll Support (accounts@smartteachers.co.uk). Wednesday 15 April 2020 This afternoon, the Government has updated the eligibility criteria for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). Previously, the Government stated that agency workers needed to be on our payroll on 28th February 2020 to be eligible for the scheme. This date has now been extended to the 19th March, which is good news for more of our staff. We have sent an email to the agency workers who are now eligible following the date extension. We would appreciate it if these staff could respond to the furlough survey by 5pm on Thursday 16th April as our Payroll team need to ensure we have everything in place ready to submit our claim. Thursday 9 April 2020 On 8 April 2020, Jim Harra, First Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive of HMRC, and Cerys McDonald, Director of COVID-19 policy at HMRC, gave an update to the Government's Treasury Committee on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). They confirmed that the CJRS is due to open for employers to submit their claims on 20 April 2020, and the HMRC is expected to make the first payments to employers by 30 April 2020. Please note that these dates are subject to change. We will update you as soon as we receive further updates from the Government. Saturday 4 April 2020 We have sent the email out to supply staff who are eligible to furlough at 3pm today to the email address which staff have registered with our Payroll Portal. Emails may take a while to reach inboxes due to the volume sent. The email will show as being from Payroll Support via Survey Monkey. Please remember to check your junk email if you do not see it in your inbox. We need staff to respond as soon as possible to let us know if they do or do not want to be furloughed under the Government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). Thursday 2 April 2020 We wanted to provide you with a brief update on what we’ve been doing behind the scenes to make sure we have everything in place ready for when the system for the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) goes live, and to confirm the next steps going forward. What's happened since our last update? The Government is still saying that they expect the CJRS will be up and running by the end of April. Our Payroll team has been working alongside our payroll software provider on an update to our system, which will enable us to identify supply staff who are eligible for being furloughed and calculating furloughed salaries. The CJRS only allows us to furlough supply workers that we cannot offer work because of the coronavirus pandemic. These workers must have been on Smart Teachers' payroll on 28 February 2020 to be eligible for the scheme. Payments for furloughed supply staff will be processed as soon as we receive the Government grants. The next steps... In the next couple of days, we will email all supply staff who are eligible for furloughing, asking them to confirm if they do or do not want to be furloughed. If you receive an email, it’s important that you read the information carefully before responding and action our request as soon as possible. We will update this webpage to confirm when the emails have been sent to supply staff who are eligible for furloughing. Thank you for your continued patience. Sunday 29 March 2020 We are pleased to confirm that the Government has now issued further guidance on their Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which confirms that agency workers who were on Smart Teachers' payroll on 28 February 2020 may be eligible for the scheme. What happens now? We are waiting for the Government to issue further guidance on calculating and processing payments using a new system, which they are currently developing. The Government expect the scheme will be up and running by the end of April. We will email agency workers that we cannot offer work, to confirm that they will be furloughed and provide further instructions on what they need to do. We can back date pay to the date when no work was available for them. We expect this date will be the Monday after all the schools closed (Friday 20 March 2020). What do you need to do? Until we receive further instructions from the Government, there isn’t anything that we need you to action. Please be reassured that we will complete everything required of us with the highest priority, to ensure agency workers who are eligible for the scheme receive their payments as soon as possible when the Government’s new system goes live. What the Government has said about the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme so far: It’s a temporary scheme which has initially been set up for at least three months, starting from 1 March 2020, and employers can use this scheme anytime during this period. Employers can claim for 80% of furloughed employees’ (employees who are not working) wages, up to £2,500 a month, plus the employer’s pension and national insurance contributions. The scheme is for employees who are not working, and staff are unable to work whilst they are furloughed. Wages will be subject to usual PAYE deductions. Further guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is available on the .Gov website. We hope this news brings some welcome relief for our agency workers during what we know has been a very unsettling time. Thank you for your continued patience. Wednesday 25 March 2020 Following on from the Government's announcement about an employment and wage subsidy package on Friday 20 March, we’ve had a number of concerned supply workers getting in touch for updates about the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Please see the latest update on the scheme below. What we are awaiting further clarification on We are waiting for the Government to confirm if our supply workers are included in the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme as the guidance issued is unclear. What the Government has said about the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme so far: Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, all UK employers will be able to access grant support to continue paying part of their employees’ salary for those employees that would otherwise have been laid off during this crisis. Employers will need to designate affected employees as ‘furloughed workers’, and notify employees of this change - changing the status of employees remains subject to existing employment law and, depending on the employment contract, may be subject to negotiation. Employers will submit information to HMRC about the employees that have been furloughed and their earnings through a new online portal. HMRC will reimburse 80% of furloughed workers wage costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month. Salaries will be subject to normal PAYE deductions. HMRC is working urgently to set up a system for reimbursement as existing systems are not set up to facilitate payments to employers. The scheme will cover the cost of wages backdated to 1st March and will be open initially for at least three months – but it will be extended if necessary. There’s no limit on the amount of funding available for the scheme. The Government will pay grants to support as many jobs as necessary. The Government expect the first grant payments will be paid within weeks, certainly by the end of April. If the Government confirm that our supply workers are eligible for the scheme, these are just some of the questions we will need the Government to clarify: How will wages be determined? For example, will it be 80% of last month's salary or an average of the last three months? Does the £2,500 cap include employers’ pension and national insurance contributions? What’s the criteria for backdating pay to 1 March? What if a supply worker has only just registered with us and not worked any bookings? When exactly will we receive the grants to enable us to pay our supply workers? Is there a minimum period that a supply worker has to be furloughed? What does this mean for the supply staff who are still working in schools that are offering provision for children of key workers and vulnerable pupils? Our Payroll team is unable to provide any further information specifically about the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme until the Government has issued further guidance to employers. Please be reassured that as soon as the Government answer the above questions, we will contact you to let you know what this means for you. Tuesday 24 March 2020 Following the Government’s announcement on Friday 20 March 2020 about the employment and wage subsidy package being put in place amid the coronavirus pandemic, we have already received a number of enquiries from concerned workers. Please be assured that it is our top priority to understand what this package means for all of our supply workers and we will, of course, communicate this to you once further information is given by the Government. To enable us to deal with any questions you may have, and support you as best we can, please direct any relevant queries or questions to accounts@smartteachers.co.uk. We are encouraging our supply staff to make a Universal Credit application as soon as possible if you haven't already done so. Please see the .Gov website at www.gov.uk/how-to-claim-universal-credit for more information. You will not have to go to the jobcentre to claim Universal Credit if you’re advised to self-isolate. If you are already claiming Universal Credit, the amount of Universal Credit you receive automatically changes if your take home pay changes. Monday 23 March 2020 During Sunday’s briefing, the Government stressed the importance of people in high risk categories self-isolating. The NHS has not defined these high categories yet, but they will be writing to these people in the coming days. Candidates who receive a letter should contact their consultant to let them know if they are self-isolating. We are still awaiting further details on the Government’s employment and wage subsidy package. We will communicate more information as soon as we are clear what this means for our supply staff. Sunday 22 March 2020 No additional information to update. Saturday 21 March 2020 The following email has been sent out to all active supply staff: Following the Government’s announcement on Friday evening about the employment and wage subsidy package being put in place amid the coronavirus pandemic, we have already received a number of enquiries from concerned workers. Please be assured that it is our top priority to understand what this package means for all of our supply workers and we will, of course, communicate this to you once further information is given by the Government. To enable us to deal with any questions you may have, and support you as best we can, please direct any relevant queries or questions to accounts@smartteachers.co.uk. For more general information, please see the coronavirus webpage on our website for the latest information and updates. Many thanks for your patience during what we know if a very difficult and unsettling time. Kind regards, Payroll Team Friday 20 March 2020 The Government announced that they are putting an employment and wage subsidy package in place amid the coronavirus pandemic. We are waiting for more information to be published to enable us to understand what this means for our supply staff and will update you as soon as we know more. Most schools will close from today to everyone except vulnerable children and those with a parent identified as coronavirus key worker – see the full list of identified workers on the .Gov website. All Vision for Education offices are closed to visitors as all our staff are now working from home. This is to ensure we are doing all we can to help slow the spread of the virus, which will help save lives and protect the most vulnerable. There are no changes to our office opening hours and contact details. Thursday 19 March 2020 Most UK schools will close from Friday until further notice to slow the spread of coronavirus to help save lives and protect the most vulnerable. Schools will need to provide some provision for children of key workers (such as teachers, NHS, police, social care and supermarket delivery drivers) and vulnerable children including pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP). Nurseries and private schools will also need to do the same. Wednesday 18 March 2020 No additional information to update. Tuesday 17 March 2020 The COVID-19: Stay at home guidance was updated yesterday evening. The updated guidance states: Stay at home if you have either: - a high temperature – you feel hot to touch on your chest or back, or - a new, continuous cough – this means you've started coughing repeatedly. 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. How long to stay at home: - if you have symptoms, stay at home for 7 days, or - if you live with other people, they should stay at home for 14 days from the day the first person got symptoms. 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. Monday 16 March 2020 We are continuing to monitor the coronavirus updates issued on the .Gov and NHS websites and the Prime Minister's daily briefings, which are due to begin to today.  We will then publish daily updates for supply workers, to make sure you are up-to-date with all the latest coronavirus developments.  We have sent a text to all active supply workers to ensure they notify us immediately if they are a coronavirus risk as per the categories issued by the Government. Current guidance  The 'COVID-19: Specified countries and area with implications for returning travellers or visitors arriving in the UK in the last 14 days' guidance was replaced by the 'COVID-19: Stay at home guidance' on 13 March 2020. However, the original guidance still needs to be applied for people returning from Category 1 or 2 countries/areas pre-13 March 2020. The guidance for people who have come into close contact with a confirmed coronavirus case has also been updated as they now need to seek advice from their Local Health Protection team to see if they also need to self-isolate. Search jobs Search site Keyword Location Register with Smart today Join a boutique education recruitment agency that connects elite teachers and support staff with the best schools across the UK, Australia and beyond Join us Call Smart Teachers Telephone: +44 (0)20 7065 7500 Copyright © 2021 Privacy ⎮ Terms of service Footer 1 Join us Teaching in the UK Teaching abroad Smart Leaders For schools Instagram Cookies policy Footer 2 Daily supply roles Long term/contract roles Online tutoring service Permanent roles Professional development Smart safeguarding Data retention and privacy Gender pay gap report Footer 3 About us Key documents Work for us Contact us News blog Events Golden Smartie Sponsorship Registered in England at: First Floor (South), Cathedral Buildings, Dean Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1PG Smart Teachers Ltd | Reg number 05497433 SmartTeachersUK