Perth head teacher outlines the ‘new normal’ for pupils’ Covid routine

Few environments have changed as much as schools since the pandemic struck.

St John’s RC Academy head teacher Sean Hagney has given The Courier a flavour of the frequently fluctuating daily life the Perth school, like every other in Scotland, is experiencing.

The school day looks vastly different, even to last term, but staff and pupils are adapting well, keen to contribute to the fight against coronavirus while maintaining p o s i t i v i ty about the future.

The end of the day is staggered and ample exits mean year-group bubbles can safely decant in just three minutes. Parents at the school gate need face masks.

Seniors are kept separate from the younger classes, with altered breaks and lunchtimes.

Pupils wipe down desks and keyboards before and after every class and Mr Hagney says while face masks are mandatory in hallways and on school buses, youngsters are keen to wear coverings during lessons too.

Tape on the floor marks two metres from teachers’ desks and the cleaning products used in the likes of home economics were changed.

While PE is now able to be indoors, there are still restrictions in music classes.

T he techniques have proved successful for the school at limiting the number of pupils forced into self-isolation and have been implemented in the adjoined primary school and nursery, where there have been no cases.

Mr Hagney said: “Ever yone is becoming more aware as cases rise in the community that these changes make a difference.

“The congestion in the car park is something we’ve tried to make more orderly.

“We can’t remove the risk but we can reduce and mitigate it.”

Earlier this week, council officers revealed hundreds of pupils and more than 50 members of staff from across 18 schools were selfisolating af ter testing positive or coming into contact with someone who had.

“The reality is that there are cases in this school,” Mr Hagney said.

“Not every school has had cases but I think it’s the nature of our school community and there is no evidence that i t ’s transmitting in school.

“We’ve been managing that by communicating transparently. If we had a positive case, we would be checking how they get to school and who they’d be sitting beside.

“If it’s after the school day, we’d contact them by text and letter and follow that up.

“Normally t h e r e ’s a window that Public Health Scotland would tell us they were infectious, usually two days.

“We’d be looking at their movements for the two days and speaking to them, identifying who they sat beside on the bus, at lunch and at break. Then we’d look at class plans to identify who has been within two metres.”

It is deemed vital the school is more than just a set of classrooms.

Mr Hagney said: “Some young people didn’t have a good experience during lockdown. We’r e still focusing on helping them heal and reintegrate and it isn’t without its challenges.”

Sean Hagney, head teacher at St John’s RC Academy.