Back to School

Produced in Partnership with the UK Government

It is time for the nation’s children to begin their phased return to school, now the government’s “five tests” for easing the lockdown have been met.

School is where children need to be, with their friends, learning and building skills for their futures.

Closing the education system down was simple. Opening it up again, while delicate and complex, can be done relatively easily with the right safety measures in place.

But there are at least three groups of people who must feel comfortable with unlocking the school gates and resuming face-to-face education:

• Parents need to be reassured
• Teachers must know it is properly done
• Above all, pupils must be protected as they rejoin the academic routine.

Since the beginning of the month, children in nursery, reception, year 1 and year 6, along with some priority groups have been back in the classroom – and not to forget that throughout the lockdown, the children of key workers have been attending school with their teachers every day – so we already know that sending children in to learn during the pandemic can be done safely when done right.

Pupils in years 10 and 12, who need to get back to school to get their exam studies back on track, will soon also be having physical face-time in the classroom to add to the programme of remote learning that has been rolled out by their dedicated teachers over the past few months.

What needs to be done is for safety rules and parameters to be observed, and this is being done:

From 15 June secondary schools, sixth form and further education colleges will offer face-to-face support to supplement the remote education of year 10, year 12, and 16 to 19 students who are due to take key exams next year, alongside the full-time provision already in place for priority groups.

The safety measures include smaller class sizes and alternate attendance periods, along with personal space, marker guides on floors and the placing pupils in groups of friends to limit contact with other groups.

One of the schools that has been dealing with the virus while at the epicentre of the pandemic is Bonneville Primary School in the London borough of Lambeth. Its headteacher, Andrea Parker, has kept the school open to help key workers but now says, “We are all desperate to see the children again. We’ve missed them dearly.”

Bonneville is an inner-city school with all the needs and demands that entails. ‘‘We have children from a wide range of backgrounds,’ says Andrea. “With a large proportion of staff and students from BAME backgrounds, we are developing specific risk assessments looking at additional factors like age, existing health issues and people they live with, so that due care can be applied.”

Every school is unique and must fashion its own methods for returning safely.

At Bonneville, more outdoor learning in groups of up to 10 has effectively protected staff and children during lockdown lessons. This month, with around a third of pupils dueback, a “bubble” system will scale up safety measures, with each year group divided into three bubbles of up to 15 children with staggered arrival and departure times.

“It’s about being clear on who’s been in contact with who,” says Andrea.“There will be a 10-minute gap between each bubble. There’s a two-metre painted boundary around the school gates to keep parents at a safe distance, while routes to each classroom have been marked on the floor for the children. Each child gets their own desk and chair for the whole day.”

Please check with your Local Authority for the latest news on schools opening in your area.

Andrea’s innovations

Go outdoors: “We really want to maximise the outside space, especially for our younger years. Equipment, like hockey sticks and tennis rackets, that our children love will be used by one group at a time and then routinely cleaned.”

Hygeine: “After every session, the children will wash their hands with soap. We’ve installed hand sanitiser dispensers outside every classroom. On Fridays we will close early to facilitate statutory planning and preparation time for teachers and additional cleaning.’

Lunchtime takeaway:“Instead of communal eating in the school halls, meals will be hand-delivered to the classrooms for cleanliness and efficiency, while playtimes will be a chance for getting outdoors.”

Access: “We’ve removed all soft furnishings, to make navigating around the school easy, and doors will be left open to avoid touching handles.”