Cornish secondary school's plan to keep pupils learning during pandemic
It includes masks, robust testing and hiring extra cover staff to cope with absences
One of Cornwall’s biggest secondary schools has explained how it is prepared for the new term and ensuring children can continue to learn through the covid pandemic.
Penrice Academy in St Austell has been busy providing testing for all students ahead of welcoming them back into the classroom last Friday (7th January).
The school has prepared for the new term by inviting students in for their tests and has been able to offer both lateral flow and PCR tests.
In a statement the school said: "We were one of a small number of schools that were able to secure PCR tests for students to further improve the accuracy of our testing programme. All pupils aged 12 and over were invited for dual testing which will help the NHS in their research on the accuracy of lateral flow tests. Pupils aged 11 were also invited for lateral flow testing only.
"We have completed a total of 1,591 tests over the last two days. There were a very small number of positive lateral flow tests identified.
"Since the start of the pandemic, the total for testing overall at the Penrice Test Centre stands at 9,139 in person tests".
Headteacher Lucy Gambier added: "The back to school testing figures paint a very promising picture with very few positive lateral flows reported. We are confident that the school environment is as safe as possible for our students and we look forward to greeting them at the front gates tomorrow as we resume face-to-face learning".
This term schools have new requirements set by the Government to ensure that they can operate safely and prevent the spread of covid and, particularly, the omicron variant.
Penrice said that in line with these new requirements face masks are now mandatory in lessons, unless students are exempt, and CO2 monitors have been installed in classrooms.
In addition students will be asked to access their classrooms using outdoor routes where possible and to go outdoors during break times and lunchtimes, weather permitting.
One of the key challenges for school has been the number of staff and students who have been absent due to falling ill with covid or having to self-isolate when coming into contact with somebody who tests positive.
Penrice said: "Like many schools, Penrice Academy has also experienced difficulties from increased staff and student absences due to Covid-19. The academy has hired four additional cover teachers for the rest of the academic year to help alleviate pressures and we currently have no plans whatsoever to merge classes.
"So far, this academic year, our students have an average attendance of 92% across the school. This is notably above average compared to the 87% average attendance of state secondary schools nationally".
All this could then impact on schools’ ability to carry out usual activities but the St Austell school said that it had been working to ensure that both academic and extra curricular activities continue.
The school said: "From an academic perspective, last term we ran our full schedule Pre-Public GCSE examinations for our Year 11s at the end of November, helping our students gain valuable experience ahead of their final papers in the summer. Numerous catch up exams were put in place to ensure that those who were isolating still managed to take advantage of these assessments.
"Thinking beyond academic studies, we believe that school should be a memorable life experience and we are doing everything we can to make sure that our students don’t miss out.
"For example, in the creative arts, as we entered December and news of the Omicron variant came to light, we decided to make our annual Winter Concert a virtual event instead of cancelling it. Filmed over the course of a day, the concert went live as a YouTube Premiere with over 1,000 spectators tuning in to watch performances from the Year 11 Band, the Year 7 Choir, the Penrice Orchestra and many more.
"Elsewhere, our extensive offering of over 30 extra-curricular clubs and activities (Penrice Plus) has continued with additional Covid protocols in place. Penrice Plus attendance is currently higher than it has ever been.
"Penrice Academy’s next major event is the annual school production of Mary Poppins which takes place in March. We are closely monitoring the situation as we hope to welcome families into the school for this event".