WE WANT YOU BACK IN CLASS
Headteachers and education chiefs say all possible safety measures are in place for the big return to school
IT’S safe to return to school and we want you all back.
That is the message today from headteachers and education chiefs, keen to reassure parents that all possible antiCovid measures are in place to enable teaching to resume.
HEADTEACHERS and council bosses are urging parents to make sure pupils return to school this week after months off due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Social bubbles, hand sanitising stations and antiviral fogging machines will be the new normal for schools across Portsmouth and Hampshire as staff and pupils head back for the new term over the next couple of weeks.
And school leaders and education councillors are keen to ensure all pupils go back to school despite some concerns being raised about their ability to reopen safely.
Education boss at Portsmouth City Council, Councillor Suzy Horton, said: ‘We have been working with schools since day one to make sure everything adheres to the highest infection safety measures and the message from the council is that we want kids and staff to be back in school safely.
‘We aim to get schools back to as much normality as possible. We have had regular video and phone calls with headteachers and, although feelings have waxed and waned as the government gave out different instructions, all schools are ready to have all pupils back.’
One-way systems, staggered school days to reduce crowding and rigorous hand washing regimes are some of the measures that have been implemented in schools but after a u-turn by the government last week on compulsory mask wearing, headteachers have been able to make final decisions for their own schools.
For pupils going back to Henry Cort Community College in Fareham on Monday, masks are required to be worn while moving around but will not need to be worn during lessons.
Advice for parents also states that ‘students are required to bring their own ‘Covid kit’ containing a plain face mask and sealable plastic bag for storage, tissues, hand sanitiser and all equipment that they require for the day together with a full water bottle.’
Councillor Roz Chadd, Hampshire County Council’s executive member for education and skills, said she was ‘deeply relieved’ that the government said children can return to school for the new term.
Parents across the county have raised concerns about sending their children back to school and The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) is pushing for the Government to temporarily scrap fines for parents who do not send their children back to class due to fears around coronavirus.
The Department for Education (DfE) said fines for parents who refuse to send their children to England’s schools will only be used as a ‘last resort’.
Parents of pupils at Ark Charter Academy in Southsea have been kept informed of reopening plans, including students wearing masks in corridors, through school visits, video chats and newsletters. Executive principal Fiona Chapman previously said: ‘Parents feel empowered and they feel ownership of their children coming back and I think a lot of the problems in other areas are because they haven’t been informed.’ Ms Chapman added: ‘We are very keen to make sure that we mitigate as much risk as possible. We also want to embed it so it’s part of the everyday new normal.
‘If government guidance does change or we become a local lockdown area, the pupils will be used to putting on their face mask.’
Across the city, pupils and staff at Miltoncross Academy, which had a confirmed Covid19 case in its school community back in March, will not have to wear masks when students start to return at the end of the week.
The school has also announced tests in reading and mathematics for pupils to identify knowledge gaps, with catch up sessions during school time to get students back on track.
In a letter to parents, executive headteacher Fiona Calderbank said: ‘We understand that some of you and your children will be anxious about returning in September, after some months out of school.
‘Please be reassured that we are taking exceptional measures to make our schools as safe as can be.
‘We will be providing additional emotional and wellbeing support for any pupils that need it, and will also be providing additional opportunities to support learning where this is required.
‘Although very many of our pupils have worked hard using our remote learning resources provided by our dedicated teachers, we are fully aware that learning has been lost.
‘We are all determined that your sons and daughters will absolutely not be ‘a lost generation’, and are adapting our curriculum to make sure they get the learning and knowledge that they need to achieve success in the future.’
Are you sending your children back to school? Are you happy with the measures your child’s school has in place? Are you keeping your child at home?
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We are very keen to make sure that we mitigate as much risk as possible.
Fiona Chapman
After the long absence caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s brilliant to see schools finally reopening and pupils and teachers preparing to head back through the gates to begin a new term.
Lockdown learning online at home has proved no substitute for the classroom, while many children have also badly missed the social interaction with their friends.
Now, at last, they can look forward to getting back to some kind of normality and the routine of being taught in live lessons.
Of course, life is very different now compared to the last time many of them were at school.
The ‘new normal’ means year group bubbles, hand sanitising stations and antiviral fogging machines.
There are one-way systems, staggered school days to reduce crowding and rigorous hand washing regimes.
At Henry Cort Community College in Fareham, face coverings are required to be worn while moving around the building – and students have to bring their own ‘Covid kit’ that includes a plain mask and a sealable plastic bag for storage, plus tissues and sanitiser.
All these measures are about reducing risk and enabling schools and colleges to reopen safely.
A lot of effort has gone into the planning of how schools operate in a post-Covid world.
Yes, the risk can never be completely eliminated. But we hope that those parents still wary of letting their children return stop and consider the many advantages of them being back in such a familiar environment.
Their learning will benefit hugely (with catch-up sessions to get those who need them back up to speed, adapted curriculums and tests to identify knowledge gaps) plus there is a network in place to provide emotional and wellbeing support – and they’ll get to see their mates again.