WITH a three-hour school day, no school uniform and hand gel on every desk, an Oldbury secondary school has shown how it has reinvented how it does things in the Covid-19 era.

Thousands of pupils have begun to return to classrooms across the West Midlands.

One headteacher has now lifted the lid on the months of planning required to get pupils safely back through the school gates – and the changes that have taken place

Kully Uppal, headteacher of Bristnall Hall Academy in Oldbury, said every element of the school day has had to be re-evaluated – including his teachers adapting to a more informal atmosphere.

“We have relaxed things so students are coming into the academy not necessarily having to wear their uniforms which is in line with the guidance that clothes are easily washable, unlike school blazers that aren’t always suitable for washing machines

“The same has been applied to our staff who now wear smart and casual but still maintaining  a professional feel.”

 “We can have no more than eight children in a classroom with a teacher at any one time, and we can have only 25 percent of our year-ten pupils in the school on any given day.

 “Every class has a first aid kit and also PPE for use in an emergency.”

In addition there are bottles of hand sanitisers and antibacterial wipes the children and staff can us.

Pupils in year 11 who would have been sitting their GCSEs have not returned after the government cancelled exams due to coronavirus.

Like teachers across the country Bristnall’s staff have spent much of their time at home evaluating coursework,  non-exam assessments and mock results to give a final grade before being published in August.

Lessons are now limited to three hours between 10am and 1pm so children can return home for lunch and avoid the need for breaks when pupils could mix in playgrounds. 

 “The students have returned and thanked us at the gates, one said ‘It is better to be back here than stuck at home’ and another child just said ‘we have missed you’ and we want to thank them and their parents.”

“We have missed these students and if it is safe to do so we are definitely looking forward to having more back.”

Only 90 out of the school’s 950 pupils have returned but staff have been preparing for weeks, talking directly to parents by phone and coordinating with education specialists and council officers.

Mr Uppall added:  “All of this has been very well received. Parents who are dropping their children off have been fantastic, as always, ensuring there is no mass congregation at the gates.

“At the end of the day when normally children are running through the gates because they’ve had enough they are now leaving in a calm manner and again thanked us for the day.

“Which is reassuring for us as teachers because ultimately we have missed them too.”

Since the government announced the phased reopening schools have had to cope with 151 different guidance notices from the Department of Education outlying how pupils and staff can remain safe.

That has meant daily video conferences for all of Sandwell 19 secondary schools discussing how it can be managed and taking steps ‘unprecedented’ in experience of education.

 “We are fortunate in  the school has two buildings, so on different days we can use one half of the school and the next day on the other half and we also have different entrance and exits for each of the buildings.”

The school already had a one way system in for pupils moving from classroom to classroom and this has been kept so youngsters don’t have to pass  each other in corridors.

Bristnall is part of the Academy Transformation Trust, which has been helping the school prepare. 

Its regional educational director, Vince Green, says the return to eduction is a gradual process. 

“That has been the key line across our trust. We want more children in. But we are making sure that when we do get them back in, we are able to offer them something really meaningful that will support their education.  

“But we are doing it really safely so the kids and their families have got confidence in what we are doing, and everyone gets to get home safely at the end of the day.” 

Emphasizing the school is a part of the wider Oldbury community, Mr Uppal adds: ”I think it is important to point out the role of our parents, carers and the support of our governors .

“The have taken on home schooling, taken on the role of teachers, almost like new recruits to our profession, so there has to be a huge amount of respect for their work.”