‘Parents will be very nervous’, says Dudley headteacher as schools prepare
“A lot of work and thought has gone into this – getting the school ready – we’ve really thought about how the children will feel.”
All over the region teachers are busy preparing for the return of students – but this start of the school year will look very different to any other. Hand sanitisers at every door, one way systems, and new rules on where pupils are allowed – or not allowed – to go; all measures imaginable have been put in place to make sure the return to the classroom is as safe as possible for all.
Ellowes Hall in Dudley is just one of the local schools frantically getting ready for the new autumn term to begin next week.
Headteacher Carla Leslie said many changes had been made to the school system to keep everyone safe, but said if something didn’t work staff would “react immediately”.
“We’ve followed Government guidelines and a lot of work and thought has really gone into this. We’ve really thought about how they children will feel,” she said.
“As a mother myself I imagine parents will be very nervous. We just want to get everyone safely back to school. They’re going to have missed their friends, and also their teachers. They want the routine.
“If something doesn’t work we will react immediately. We’ve got to be fluid and change daily if needs be. And it’s key for parents to know that if they have a concern, they can come to us.”
Ellowes Hall is operating a staggered return to school – with Year 7 students coming in on Thursday morning to get to know the school on their own. Year 11 will follow from 11am, and then Years 8, 9, and 10 will begin on Friday morning.
The school has now been split into ‘zones’ with each year group having their own zone where students stay and have their lessons and lunch for the day.
Before, the students would trek across the school site to attend different classrooms for their various subjects – but now it will be the teachers that move around the grounds.
Mrs Leslie added: “We’re lucky we have quite a big site, so we’ve created five separate zones, one for each year group. So they won’t cross over at all.
“The teachers will travel between the zones. Obviously we have concerns – on paper this all works but it’s a shame for students to have to stay in the same place all day, and for the teachers to be carrying around all their equipment.
“We’ve ordered lots of equipment to put in the zones, but if you’re an art teacher you’re going to be used to being in your classroom with all your paints and various equipment.
“What we have also done, is set up trolleys and tills for lunch. Now lunches can be pre-ordered and delivered to each zone. We thought to get 1,000 children through a diner would take a few hours and would have been inconvenient. This way they can still have lunch at a reasonable hour.”
Hand sanitisers have been installed all throughout the building, and teachers have been instructed to wipe down their surfaces before moving to a different class or zone.
Students doing P.E have been told they can arrive for the day in their P.E kit to save dozens of pupils piling into changing rooms together.
Mrs Leslie added: “We’ve really tried to think about it from a personal point of view and not just professional.”
