Safety first for head caring for pupils in an ‘unreal’ situation
What it’s like to run a school in lockdown during the coronavirus crisis? Education editor Abbie Wightwick reports
WORKING from a school where two-metre rulers now lie on the floor to remind people to socially distance, head teacher Jane Jenkins feels a huge sense of responsibility to keep staff and children safe during the coronavirus crisis.
All schools are shut to all but children of essential workers.
Jane’s school, Moorland Primary, in Cardiff, is one of the 15 schools out of more than 120 primary, secondary and special schools in the city to remain open for childcare for essential workers.
She admits the new situation feels overwhelming and unreal as she, along with colleagues and families, face altering challenges on an almost daily basis.
As Cardiff council sets in motion new arrangements for a smaller number of hub schools to stay open for childcare during the coronavirus outbreak, her school, Moorland Primary, in Splott, is one of the 11 primaries and two secondaries and two special schools now open to children of key workers across the city.
All the rest are shut, with their staff and heads running the hubs on a rota basis for the foreseeable future – as well as continuing to send work electronically to pupils at home.
Moorland’s school day is unrecognisable compared to a few weeks ago.
At the moment there are only 10 pupils in the entire school – compared to more than 450 on a normal day. Between three and five staff now come in, depending on the number of children each day.
Instead of learning in classrooms from 9am until 3pm the children attend from 8am until 5pm and are all based in the school hall. Each family group of pupils, or pupil, has their own table to work at and dedicated mats on the floor and they are encouraged to play outside as much as possible.
There is a constant check on hygiene. Every member of staff has a bottle of D10, a bleach solution safe to use with children. They spray tables and clean toys and equipment after every use. Each time anyone uses the toilet they are cleaned and disinfected, along with washbasins and door handles. Although cleaners are still coming in, this is also now the work of teachers.
At lunchtime parents who are not key workers, but whose children are eligible for free school meals from Moorland and the seven schools now in its hub, line up outside, at a two-metre distance, to pick up the new “grab-bag” free lunches.
These will also be handed out in the Easter holidays starting next week, although arrangements may change to provide vouchers for use in shops instead, Cardiff council has said.
“Nothing has been straightforward. There is no word I can use to describe it. It feels unreal. The enormity of the situation comes in waves,” said Jane, a head for more than 20 years and chairman of the Cardiff Primary Headteachers’ Association.
“School does not feel like it normally would but we are trying to keep it normal for the children.
“I am worried for all our safety. To be honest it is a risk to everyone to be in this situation.We are spraying D10 as we go and have rulers on the floors to remind us of what two metres apart is.”
Jane, who has now worked 21 days in a row, either from the school or home, thanks to the crisis, has been writing safety and work protocols for her own staff, as well as those from seven other schools who will now run the premises on a six-week cycle.
During that time most teachers and heads will send work electronically from home and only be required to come in to work for two days during the week their school runs the hub.
“We are trying to keep the hubs small enough to keep people safe. I would be very unhappy if they went above 20 children. If you keep it small it is easier to ensure social distancing.
“If everyone remains well there are 15 teams in place over a six-week period and we never meet other teams, to lower risk of infection. Everything we know about education is the importance of continuity, but now it is about infection control.
“Staff are staying two metres from each other, but not really from children. There is less risk of infection from children than from other staff, that’s what we’ve been told.”
She thanked staff, who she said had been “outstanding”.
“These are such strange times. To think a few weeks ago we had no idea what was coming.”