Portsmouth headteachers reveal how they will manage coronavirus risk as only a quarter of primary schools widen opening

WITH some primary school children set to return to school today the city’s headteachers have been revealing how they will be mitigating the risk of coronavirus for children and staff.
Turtle Pod learning in a socially distanced classroom.Turtle Pod learning in a socially distanced classroom.
Turtle Pod learning in a socially distanced classroom.

Staggered timetables, group bubbles, allocated entrance points and a thorough cleaning programme are just some of the measures being implemented at the city’s schools.

However, with only 13 out of 49 (26.5 per cent) of Portsmouth primary schools meeting the government’s June 1 target of opening for Year R, 1, and 6 pupils, many headteachers still have concerns and have chosen to wait until a later date to enable more time to put measures in place and to ‘hopefully allow infection rates to reduce further’.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

One school which has opened to all stipulated year groups is St George’s Beneficial C of E Primary School in Portsea which confirmed ‘between 30 to 40 per cent’ of targeted children returned on the first day of wider opening. The day has been staggered to ensure all pupils are not on site at the same time.

Markers on the floor to help ensure social distancing.Markers on the floor to help ensure social distancing.
Markers on the floor to help ensure social distancing.

Headteacher, Sandra Gibb, said: ‘Nursery children will do their usual two-and-a-half hours in the morning while Year 1 will be in school from 8.50am until 12.15pm with Year 6 pupils arriving at the same time but finishing their school day at 12.30pm. Reception children will then arrive at the infant end of the school at 12.30pm for lessons until 3.15pm.

‘We also have a staggered break-times for all year groups and our key worker children.’

Mrs Gibb has put the structure in place to avoid ‘pinch points’ in the day.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘This will ensure certain areas of the school remain less crowded and avoids children having lunch together in school,’ she said.

Sandra Gibb, headteacher at St George's Beneficiary C of E Primary School.Sandra Gibb, headteacher at St George's Beneficiary C of E Primary School.
Sandra Gibb, headteacher at St George's Beneficiary C of E Primary School.

While government guidelines accept that ‘social distancing will not always be possible with younger children’, Mrs Gibb has placed markers around the site to ‘constantly remind the children about what two metres looks like’.

‘We positioned cones outside for children and parents to line up on a morning and we have also put velcro dots and arrows on the carpet to remind pupils about social distancing and which way to move around school,’ she said.

While staff constantly remind pupils about the need for social distancing, Mrs Gibb admitted that it was difficult for younger children to adhere to.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘The Year 6 pupils were very good, maintaining their two metre distance when coming into school this morning but it’s more difficult with the younger children. We’ve done a lot of training with our key worker pupils and we now need to do this with our returning year groups,’ she added.

Year 6 pupils at St George's Beneficiary C of E Primary School line up two metres apart.Year 6 pupils at St George's Beneficiary C of E Primary School line up two metres apart.
Year 6 pupils at St George's Beneficiary C of E Primary School line up two metres apart.

While government guidelines have stipulated a maximum class size of 15 pupils, the school have introduced ‘teaching pods’ of between 10 and 12 children. Each pod has been allocated a combination of two or three teachers and teaching assistants.

Another school widening reopening this week is Ark Dickens Primary Academy which is anticipating welcoming back around 100 pupils – around 40 per cent of the identified cohort – on Wednesday June 3. The school has remained open to teach key worker children during the pandemic.

Headteacher, Fiona Chapman said: ‘We’ve had an inset day today and all the staff are keen to get back to teaching. We are eager for children to return to classrooms – just the way it should be.’

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘We are fortunate to have a large site and will be operating in pods of around 10. They are large classrooms and this will allow us to maintain social distancing with children in the same group learning, playing and eating together.’

A trike being cleaned down at St George’s Beneficial C of E Primary School.A trike being cleaned down at St George’s Beneficial C of E Primary School.
A trike being cleaned down at St George’s Beneficial C of E Primary School.

Ms Chapman is confident the school’s ‘meticulous planning’ can help mitigate the risks and ensure a successful return of pupils.

To prevent the spread of the virus, all schools who spoke to The News are insisting that shielded staff continue to work from home and have implemented a thorough cleaning and hand-washing regime.

Mrs Gibb said: ‘The cleaners will be in school throughout the day and will deep clean classrooms as they become free. Any shared toys are also washed down and quarantined for 24 hours.’

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

While headteachers are looking forward to seeing more children return to classrooms, concerns do remain – particularly if the government continues to push forward with plans for all primary pupils to return by the end of June.

Mrs Gibb said: ‘Headteachers cannot guarantee everyone will be safe from the virus – all we can do is mitigate the risks. If all year groups return then under the current guidance I would have to double the size of my school or implement a rota – something which the government is currently saying not to do.’

Portsmouth City Council’s cabinet member for education, Suzy Horton, is ‘cautiously optimistic’ that children are starting to return.

Ark Dickens Primary Academy headteacher, Fiona Chapman, said all her staff are keen to get teaching.Ark Dickens Primary Academy headteacher, Fiona Chapman, said all her staff are keen to get teaching.
Ark Dickens Primary Academy headteacher, Fiona Chapman, said all her staff are keen to get teaching.

Cllr Horton said: ‘It’s still important we recognise our responsibility to protect the vulnerable but school is a good place for children to be. Schools are going to very different places but if anyone can turn this into a positive learning experience for children then it’s our teachers.’

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Hampshire County Council has confirmed that all its schools were ready to reopen from June 1 but the scale of wider opening to all stipulated year groups is dependent on individual schools staffing numbers and space where ‘classroom sizes present logistical problems’.

Commenting on school returns the county’s executive member for education, Cllr Roz Chadd, said: ‘Attendance at schools, by children in priority year groups who are returning, is largely as we expected in that it varies from school to school.

‘In some cases, 90 per cent of the children in specific years have gone back to school, in other cases around half of the year group is attending, alongside the children of key workers and vulnerable children in other year groups.

‘From the initial feedback we have had, schools are reporting that children are pleased to be back and excited to see their friends.’

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.