Temperature screening, washing hands regularly and minimising contact with others are among school’s social distancing measures during COVID-19

Temperature screening, washing hands regularly and minimising contact with others are some of the social distancing measures taken by Wisbech Grammar School to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Teachers also prepared videos for parents and pupils to show them what the school would look like ahead of children in kindergarten, reception and prep 6 returning on June 1.

The school said support and teaching staff worked through half term to “make the environment as inviting as it could be under the circumstances”.

They also put COVID-19 control measures in place by following the five main risk areas that the Government advised schools to focus on. These were:

1 - Minimising contact with unwell people. We are temperature screening for all staff and pupils. Staff have access to PPE equipment and there are smaller groups of staff and children; each group staying in their own teaching bubble.

2 - Cleaning hands. Pupils are being encouraged to wash hands regularly and use the hand gel in their section of the School.

3 - Catch it, kill it, bin it. This advice is something that the school encourages at any time, particularly during this Covid outbreak.

4 - Cleaning. The school is being cleaned on a rota during the days and evenings, and our cleaning and maintenance team have been focused on cleaning the sections of the school that are being used by the bubbles. Every night these areas are also being sprayed with a virucidal fogger which offers an extra layer of protection to every surface in those areas.

5 - Minimising contact and mixing with others. Alongside our pupil groups being separated, the children are being given their own personal equipment to use and where helpful, can also bring in their own items from home.

One parent of a reception pupil said: “My child has been really anxious about returning with school being different to normal but after watching your video several times she is actually now excited to be returning.

“She loved the number spots going into school, that she will have her own tray and will be able to have lunch on a picnic blanket.

“We have also been able to talk about having to wear a mask at times and she was fine with this.

“She had been asking lots of questions but this weekend she hasn’t asked any and I think the video has given her some reassurance of what school will be like.

“I’m sure there will still be lots of challenges ahead but I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to do this as it has certainly helped a great deal for us preparing our child to come back.”