After only two weeks into the start of term, school children throughout the UK have already adjusted to the new changes put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite back to school jitters, made more intense by the coronavirus pandemic, school children throughout the UK have already adjusted to the new changes. Only two weeks into the start of term, what has it really been like to be back at school for the class of Covid-19?
Sitting in the classroom, pupils will find their desks further apart from one another, with the teacher remaining in their own social distancing bubble at the front of the class. Before the echoing sound of the bell, they wipe down their desks and any shared equipment they used. Then, they finally put on their masks as they walk through communal areas, carefully following arrows put in place to ensure a safe one way system, to their next lesson.
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Although the new “rule of six” in England does not apply to schools, pupils are still allocated “bubbles”. In most cases these are year group bubbles. Each bubble has their own toilets and social areas, with lunch and break times staggered to prevent year groups (or “bubbles”) overlapping.
Throughout the school day, pupils are constantly reminded to wash their hands regularly. Sanitising stations, tissues, and replacement masks are also readily available.
These new guidelines may seem tough, but pupils have taken them in their stride. Despite coronavirus measures limiting their social freedom at school — for older children especially as they are at higher risk from suffering from the virus — it is far better than being forced to stay at home without seeing friends.
After 6 months of lockdown, students and teachers all over the country are keen to have schools open for as long as they can. And given how much of the curriculum was missed in that time, the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to do all he can “to ensure that remains the case.”
