Pupils return to King’s St Alban’s

27 Jul 2020

It’s school but not as we know it. Monday saw some of our pupils return to King’s St Alban’s after ten weeks away. It was a delight to see children returning to the school and for the classrooms and grounds to be filled with laughter, excited chatter and purposeful learning. We have all missed this. For those that did make the return there were a number of changes in place to ensure the health and safety of all those on site. As part of the Government’s phased reopening of schools we only welcomed back Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils. These year groups were then split into pods, each with their own specially designed classroom to ensure social distancing.

The co-curricular activities that make up a big part of life at King’s St Alban’s are also noticeably absent with no breakfast club and no after-school clubs running at present. Many of those returning might also have spotted a number of new signs that have cropped up around the grounds that act as a constant reminder to ‘keep 2 metres apart where possible’ and to practice good hygiene: ‘CATCH IT, BIN IT, KILL IT’.

Despite these changes, pupils were happy to return to school yesterday, to catch up with their friends and their teachers and return to a familiar setting.

Head of King’s St Alban’s, Mr Chapman spoke to Free Radio about how hard his teaching staff have been working to deliver Remote Learning and prepare for the return to school this week. Mr Chapman also shared his thoughts on pupils returning to school and the changes that will be in place. The mental health and well being of King’s St Alban’s pupils and staff are extremely important. The school prides itself on its use of mindfulness across all age groups and mindfulness tools have been used during remote learning to promote resilience and adaptability. Now more than ever, well being and mental health are at the forefront of Mr Chapman’s mind.