The following booking and safety conditions are special for summer 21 to reflect the unpredictable natural of current travel and need for safety measures. Please note unless stated differently here, all other normal conditions exist. Below the special reservation conditions you will also see information on safe learning CV19 protocoles.
Spark has run a safe academy and safe summer camp in last year. Hence we have established active system of protocols for dealing with CV19 prevention in our academy and residence. These protocols follow the current guidelines from the Spanish Ministry of Education and relevant Health Authorities. They were elaborated in partnership with our sister companies: TECS (summer camps) and El Centro Inglés (bilingual school) and cover all areas of our operations to guarantee the safest set up possible. We regularly check relevant parts with our cleaning company – Sodexo – and risk prevention company, Cualtis. We form part of the “academia segura” and “campamento seguro” network of academias and summer camps having successfully implemented the needed safety and prevention protocols to best provide a safe learning environment for students. Of course all protocols adapt to the ever changing legal requirements and regulations and the continuing evolving situation of the virus.
Spark’s protocols include the following:
Before Arrival
1. Before arrival, the student’s bedroom and other communal areas are disinfected following the current requirements and advice.
2. Spark staff are trained in the needed measures in CV19 prevention and have experience implementing them both in an academy and summer camp setting.
3. Daily checks are done of staff temperature and staff showing symptoms of: cough, fever, loss of smell/taste, or that have been required to quarantine by the authorities due to contact with an infected person, are not allowed to come to work.
3. Clients will be asked to follow similar protocols before attending a spark course in order to ensure no person showing symptoms or having had recent contact with an infected person attends a spark course during this period.
4. This protocol is made available to clients before their trips and on arrival.
General Information on Regulations in Spain
1. The use of a mask is obligatory in Spain and should be worn at all times, except whilst sleeping, eating or doing an activity requiring physical exertion or contact with water. Spark will have reserve masks in case of need but it is responsibility of clients to bring enough masks for their stay.
2. 1.5m is the legal distance in Spain that should be attempted to be maintained at all times: including off site. Onsite: class tables, beds, canteen tables would all be spaced in order to help ensure this and when moving around the building students should also do their best efforts to maintain this distance. However as said, regardless Spanish law is that masks should be worn at all times when not in the bedroom setting.
Spark Measures to help prevention
1. Entry to Spark residence will strictly be for clients only. No other people are permitted in the residence.
2. Parts of the programme could be run on a rotational basis in order to prevent large groups of students, this could include eating, showering and class times. Also staggered entry and exit to and from the build could exist. Class spaces may also be adapted to fit foro requirements. We have a large building so have no problem doing this.
3. Temperature checks of all students and teachers could be carried out morning and night if deemed needed.
4. Students will not be allowed to share materials or food and activities will be adapted to prevent activities that encourage this.
Cleaning and other hygiene measures
1. Hand-sanitizing gel will be made available throughout Spark. It should be used on entering the building, or between activities, if hands are not being immediately washed. All spark staff will carry gel with them on activities done off site. Students and schools should also bring their own.
2. The whole building will be disinfected completely once a day. All following the existing legal requirements.
3. Bathrooms/showers will be revised a further 2 times. Soap, hand towels and bins will be checked regularly.
4. Bathrooms, classroom and bedrooms doors and windows will, where possible, be left open in order to allow ventilation.
5. Classrooms will be wiped down after each turn over of a class.
Set Up of Classrooms/Bedrooms/Canteen and other
1. Classrooms are set up to maintain the required distance of 1.5m between students. Also during activities these distances will also be maintained.
2. There will be 1.5m2 between each bed and the number of students per room will respect the existing aforo limit.
3. The canteen space will be set up to respect 1.5m distance and also larger groups will eat in rota turns in order to reduce large gatherings of students.
Actions in event of symptoms of CV19 or a diagnosed case
1. Students with a temperature would be immediately isolated. If they also showed symptoms they would be moved to alternative accommodation. Spark staff showing symptoms would not come to work.
2. In the case of a diagnosed case of a student during their trip, Spark and the student would follow all legal requirements in Spain. The same would exist in the case of proven contact with someone who had CV19.
3. In all situations Spark would commit to supporting the student to the maximum extent possible.
4. Spark and the student would commit together to carrying out all these protocols.
We have a complete company protocol in Spanish but the above covers the main relevant elements. We remind students that these protocols will adapt as the situation and legal requirement evolve.