Back to School: Principals and parents adjust to new normal

Staggered time drop offs, new classroom layouts and physical distancing requirements await pupils, parents and staff as new term approaches

Principals, staff and boards of management across Meath are preparing for the reopening of schools over the next fortnight with a range of measures being put in place to facilitate a safe return for students and staff.

Many schools have introduced staggered starting times, some are bringing students back on a phased basis and many have had major renovation work carried out to their buildings to facilitate social distancing.

“All principals are working flat out to have schools ready to reopen safely at the end of the month,” according to LMETB chairman, Nick Killian.

“It has been difficult for many of them, but they have been innovative in getting over the problems.

“Throughout the pandemic, LMETB has been organising and putting in place sanitising equipment and PPE.

Parents and pupils will have to get used to doing things in different ways.

“If a student forgets his bag or lunch, his mum or dad won't be able to turn up and drop it off, so it is important the student realises it is not the end of the world.”

Cllr Killian expressed concern that an information campaign promised by the Department of Education about the return to school has not been delivered.

Meanwhile, Enfield Primary School will see its first students return on 27th August.

“We will have fifth and sixth classes returning on 27th and then third and fourth will join them the following day,” said principal, Enda Flynn.

He pointed out that the younger classes will return the following Monday and Tuesday.

Starting and finishing times will be staggered for a time inititally.

“We have told parents that pupils can start between 9 and 9.30am and can go straight into class. In the evenings there will be a 20 minute gap between each group leaving.

“This is something we are doing at the start but we hope to be able to revert to normal when we have got used to the new measures.

“We have purcased our sanitisers, PPE and signage. A lot of work has been done over the summer and teachers are at work doing the layout of classrooms and ensuring we can keep to social distancing. I will be meeting with the Board of Management to discuss the measures this week,” he said.

“We will have staggered yard times. We have 22 classes in the school and only six will be allowed in the yard at a time.

“Each class is divided into pods and they have to be one metre apart.

“The important thing is to make sure children feel relaxed coming back to school and that is particularly important for children with special needs and for junior infants who didn't have the opportunity they normally would have of visiting the school in June.”

“The school has been divided into colour coded zones and each colour has its own entrance to the school.”

Mr Flynn said that all measures would be reviewed on an ongoing basis.

Angela Crowcock, principal of Beaufort College in Navan, said they are very busy preparing for reopening which will begin on 31st August.

There will be a staggered return to school and have been working on the timetable and reconfiguration of rooms.

“We will only have 24 in each room and we have had to revise timetables to facilitate that.”

Ms Crowcock said that the school's recent extensions have ensured that there is plenty of space within the building for social distancing.

Students at St Joseph’s Mercy Secondary School will not be fully returning to class until 7th September with induction days taking place ahead of that.

Cllr Sharon Tolan, a member if LMETB, said that the key is to get everyone back to school safely.

“Everybody has been working very hard to make sure that everything is in place.

“My heart goes out to the principals and staff of schools who have been working all summer, preparing for reopening.

“Boards of management are being presented with plans as we speak. Every school looked at every inch of their buildings to see how to make the best use of them.

“It has been a long few months and it was difficult on kids and young adults,” she said.

Meanwhile on social media, Meath parents have mixed views on the preparations for return to school.

Many have expressed appreciation at the great systems the schools have in place, while others complained they have heard nothing about when their child's school is reopening and some have expressed concern at what they felt was a lack of social distancing measures in their schools.

One parent who contacted the Meath Chronicle said her daughter’s school was enforcing children wearing the school tracksuit on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with full school uniform on Tuesdays and Thursdays while staggered drop off times meant her junior infant pupils couldn’t arrive at the school before 9.45am.

This she pointed out was going to cause great difficutly for her and many other workiong parents.