Youngsters get their first taste of the way schools will look

Laura Knapman with Theo and Elsie (left), and Rachel Chick with Dylan and Henry. Theo and Dylan both returned to school last week.

CHILDREN in Wales had their first taste of school life during a pandemic last week as education establishments welcomed pupils back into the classroom.

Schools are now allowing pupils to return to school, albeit only in limited numbers at any one time to allow them to adhere to strict social distancing and hygiene measures.

Pupils arrive at school in small “bubbles” of five to eight children and remain with their group throughout their school day, which is often much shorter than they are used to.

In some schools marks have been put on desks, chairs, floors and outside play areas to show where students should stand to be at two metres’ distance from one another.

And limits on numbers mean most children will get only a single day in school once a week for the next two or three weeks.

Laura Knapman took her son Theo to attend his reception class at St Andrew’s Primary School in Newport on Thursday.

The five-year-old went equipped with his own hand sanitiser and was looking forward to seeing his classmates for the first time since March.

“He loves school so he did miss going,” Laura, 27, said.

“We obviously did the home schooling. At the beginning he was loving it but by the end he wasn’t so much.

“A lot of schools are only able to offer half-days so he is lucky that they can do the whole day.”

Laura said Theo spent the day in a classroom with seven other children, with a focus on outdoor play.

She said she feels the three weeks in school will give Theo a chance to adjust to what school might be like in September.

“The school is amazing anyway,”

Laura said. “We can’t fault them. Children need routine. They need their normality and we don’t want any of them falling behind with work.

“At the beginning he was really emotional. It does affect them in that way.

“The opening of the schools is a way to show them how it will be in September. Hopefully they will get a bigger class in September.”

Rachel Chick’s seven-year-old son Dylan Snailham returned to his Year Two class in Bedwas Infant School, Caerphilly.

Rachel said Dylan had found the school closure difficult in the early stages of lockdown.

“He was a bit confused by it all at first,” Rachel said. “I had to explain it all so he could understand it.

“He was talking a lot about his teachers and his friends and certain events in the school.”

Rachel said the school posted video tours which explained how the reopening would work. She said both she and Dylan found these reassuring.

“It’s very organised,” she said. “I have been very surprised.

“My partner is a key worker so he isn’t at any greater risk being there.

“They uploaded a video of all the classrooms and that sort of thing so the parents had a glimpse of it as well.

“They also uploaded photos on the private Facebook page so I can see he was happy.”

Rachel said Dylan will be moving up to the junior school after the summer break and she has lingering concerns about the transition process.

“I was really anxious knowing he was going up to the juniors and to not have any virtual tour or anything,” she said.

“I’m hoping he will get a video or something to see what it will be like.”