The country has made significant progress in reducing the transmission of coronavirus, the government is therefore encouraging all eligible children in nursery, reception, year 1 and year 6 to return to school.
African Voice paid a visit to some schools in the London Borough of Lambeth to find out that parents, children and school staff were all excited as government relaxes lockdown andit is no longer necessary for parents to keep children at home.
From the 1stJune, Her Majesty’s Government have asked for all children to be in school and nurseries for them to learn and support their mental wellbeing by seeing friends and teachers.
The Department for Education (DfE) has issued guidance to reduce the risks, through class sizes and limiting contact between groups as well as good hygiene practices and maintaining social distancing. Children are encouraged by schools to wash their hands frequently and thoroughly and stay in their small groups for lunch and break times. It is also recommended that classes are split in half with no more than 15 pupils per group but this will vary according to the size and type of the teaching space. Wearing of face covering or face mask in schools or other education settings is not recommended.
Bonneville Primary School in South London
During the lockdown schools across the country stayed open for children of key workers and the vulnerable. Now that schools are opening doors for the return of additional children in accordance to government guidance, we take a look at what the preparation looks like.
Bonneville Primary School, a 420-capacity lower school situated between Clapham Common and Brixton Hill in the heart of South London has remained opened for a priority group of children from the Lambeth community every day since lockdown began in March.
At the heat of the lockdown, Bonneville Primary School transformed into a ‘virtual school’ but kept the grounds open to around 25 pupils a day to provide essential care, education and daily meals, which can be a lifeline for some families. The school has now put adequate preparation in place for a smooth and safe transition like hundreds of education settings across the UK.
Andrea Parker, lead headteacher of Bonneville, Jessop and Stockwell Primary Schools, said, “We are all desperate to see the children again, we’ve missed them dearly.”
“It’s so important to get the children back into school, homeschooling is not a replacement for the structured education that we can provide here. For the early years students, it’s what creates long-lasting learning, and for our oldest pupils, Year 6 is a key milestone. Seeing friends is a huge part of their general wellbeing, and this term will be key for their transition to secondary school.”
Andrea says, ‘‘We have children from a wide range of backgrounds, ‘The school reflects the community it is part of and it’s a place where diversity is celebrated as a real strength of the school.
“Everybody has been working incredibly hard to keep the whole thing going during a difficult time. With a large proportion of staff and students from BAME backgrounds, we at Bonneville Primary Schoolare 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.”
As such, fewerresources and more outdoor learningin groups of up to 10 have been used to effectively protect staff and children for the last seven weeks. This month, with just under a third of the school due to return, a brand-new ‘bubble’ system has been developed to scale up the safety measures.
Ms Parker explains: “It’s about being clear on who’s been in contact with who. In the event that a child presents with Covid-19 symptoms, we can therefore act efficiently for that child, the teacher and the bubble of children they have been closest to.”
Each year group is divided into three bubbles of up to 15 children with staggered arrival and departure times at the school gate.
“For morning drop off, 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. Inside classrooms, the layout is more spread out, and each child gets their own desk and chair for the whole day.
“We’ve also removed all soft furnishings, to make navigating around the school easy, and doors will be left open to avoid touching handles.”
Lunches and break times look a little different, too. 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.
“For breaks and PE lessons, we really want to maximise the outside space, especially for our younger years,’ says Ms Parker. ‘Equipment, like hockey sticks and tennis rackets, that our children love will be used by one group at a time and then routinely cleaned.”
So, how can the school keep shared spaces and surfaces clean throughout the day? Special attention to hygiene has been carefully considered in accordance with government guidelines, as Andrea explains.
“After every session, the children will wash their hands with soap. We’ve installed hand sanitiser dispensers outside every classroom and extra cleaning materials are available for desks. A janitor works throughout the school day but on Fridays we will close early to facilitate statutory planning and preparation time for teachers and additional cleaning.”
The same efficient systems will be rolled out across south London sister schools Jessop and Stockwell when it’s safe to reopen. Andrea’s own six year old daughter has been attending Bonneville throughout lockdown because she is the child of a key worker, and the Headteacher wants other parents to feel reassured about the hard work that’s gone into these measures.
“Like every school Head, the children’s safety is my top priority, and the high level of safeguarding I expect for my daughter is the same for every child in my care.
“After all, our school community is like a family and we will do our utmost to protect them. The measures will be reviewed weekly and we will work hard to actively respond to everyone’s needs as they arise.”
Please check with your local authority for the latest news on schools opening in your area and closely refer to the protective measures in education and childcare settings.
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