Reassurance to parents and students over extensive school reopening preparations

Pupils across Wrexham and Flintshire will be returning to classrooms for the first time in several months - some from this week and others at staggered dates in the following days.

Adele Slinn

Adele Slinn, headteacher at Ysgol Bryn Alyn in Wrexham, told the Leader about what her school has been doing to make the transition from home to classroom as easy, safe and supportive as possible for her pupils.

"We have gone through the Welsh Government guidelines and had to balance between the wellbeing of the students and mitigating the risk of covid-19," she said. "A lot of students are worried about coming into a different environment. "We very much had a mindful eye on that. "They have been through a lot and their wellbeing is paramount.

"We have looked at keeping students in bubbles, particularly by year group. "We have one way systems in place and we have also looked at staggered finishes so they can leave safely.

"Another thing we have looked at is arrangements for lunch and break times to make sure they are in year group zones which will reduce coming into contact with others, as well as having food distributed to them in their year group zones.

"Every entrance to the school and classroom has hand sanitisers and every classroom is equipped with disinfectant spray to make sure all desks and surfaces are wiped down after use."

Students at Ysgol Bryn Alyn have been asked to bring their own equipment, in order to avoid sharing.

Books will also be kept in year group boxes in order to reduce the number of things being moved in and out of the school.

Adele continued: "We are going to be using things like Zoom to have online assemblies to avoid large gatherings. "Pastoral support has been ramped up massively to support any students who have concerns.

"Intensive training has been put in place for staff and we will be staggering the start of school for students so they can be properly inducted into the site and learn how it will work.

"It's very much a case of we have thought of everything we can to mitigate the risks. "Everything we have done has been in the best interest of the students. "We are here to support them and do the best we can for them in their mental health and wellbeing and getting them back to a situation which is as normal as possible.

"We're also doing everything we can to make sure any lost learning is caught up on."

Ysgol Bryn Alyn

Claire Homard, chief officer for education and youth at Flintshire Council, said: "As every school building is different, headteachers and governing bodies have to make decisions that meet their individual needs and so have been given the autonomy to make arrangements for the phasing in of pupils based on their own risk assessments.

"Welsh Government has also given schools flexibility to phase pupils in and to determine local arrangements.

“Flintshire schools have been working closely to the Welsh Government Guidance on the safe operation of schools from September.

"They already had robust risk assessments in place for the Check in and Catch up sessions before the end of the summer term.

"These are now being revised to reflect full time provision for all students.

"These risk assessments are being finalised by headteachers and their staff and are being quality assured by the Council’s Health and Safety Team and senior education officers.

"All Flintshire schools are making appropriate arrangements to be Covid-secure in line with the advice within the operational guidance which includes grouping of pupils, good hand and respiratory hygiene, social distancing wherever possible and increased cleaning regimes.

“All Flintshire secondary schools will begin phasing some pupils in from Thursday, September 3.

"The vast majority of primary schools will begin phasing in pupils from Monday, September 7 but a very small number will begin sooner.

"All Flintshire schools will be fully operational for pupils of statutory school age from Monday, September 14 as per Welsh Government’s expectations.

"Nursery pupils attending school for the first time will be given slightly longer to ensure that the start of their educational journey is a positive one.

“Individual schools have communicated their arrangements directly to their students and parents and will continue to reinforce that information over the next few days via their normal communication channels.”

Councillor Phil Wynn, lead member for education at Wrexham Council, said “There’s been a huge amount of planning behind the scenes, with the council, schools and transport providers working together to make sure all government guidance is followed.

“Arrangements will vary slightly from school to school, depending on circumstances.

"But if we all play our part – and follow all the guidance issued by schools and the council – the return to school should be a rewarding and enjoyable experience for all children.

“As part of this, we’re asking parents to remind their children about some of the simple do’s and don’ts around hygiene and safety – including the need to wash hands regularly, and catch any coughs or sneezes.”