How one academy boss is preparing to reopen her primary schools next week

Cones and stickers will be used on the playground floor, as well as outside the canteen, to remind pupils about social distancing requirements
Cones and stickers will be used on the playground floor, as well as outside the canteen, to remind pupils about social distancing requirements

Keeping schools closed for any longer than necessary never crossed Jo Coton's mind. As the chief executive of NET academies trust which runs six primary schools in Essex, she wanted to get everything in place so that pupils in Reception, Year One and Year Six would all be able to return from June 1.

“Our communities are very disadvantaged, so we were very keen that they would not become even more disadvantaged by keeping our schools shut,” she said.

“We are trying to be as compliant with the official guidance as possible because we believe it is best for the children. Getting them back into school is the right thing to do.”

From June 1, each of the schools in her trust will have a member of staff at the school gates every morning acting as a steward to make sure parents and children stay two metres apart as they arrive.

Cones and stickers will be used on the playground floor, as well as outside the canteen, to remind pupils about social distancing requirements.

Break times will be staggered, and some play equipment will be cordoned off to prevent crowding. Classes will be split into smaller “bubbles” of 15 children, in keeping with official advice, and they will have their play time and lunch with the others in their group.

Children will only be allowed to go to the toilet one at a time, and communal stationary pots will be removed. Pupils will be told not to bring school bags in with them.

Instead they will each be given a plastic wallet to keep their exercise books and pencils in, which they can leave at school overnight.

Every school will set aside their own “isolation” room, which will have a full set of personal protective equipment at all times.

If a child displays Covid-19 symptoms they will immediately be escorted to the isolation room and will remain there until a parent can come to pick them up and take them home.

The most upsetting thing of all, Ms Coton said, is having to limit children’s access to library books.

“This is really frustrating because reading is a huge push for us,” she said, adding that schools will use different ways to encourage pupils to read.

“This will include using multiple copies of the same chapter book so that each child has their own copy and also using technology to read a class book together on the interactive whiteboard,” she said. “Teachers  also read stories to children everyday as part of the daily timetable.”