Why it is 'essential' children go back to class after lockdown - and how schools are making sure they will be safe

That is the message from schools chiefs, health experts and unions as Blackpool Council is launching a major campaign aimed at reassuring parents it will be safe to send youngsters back after the summer holidays.

Changes, including staggered drop-off and pick-up times as well as stricter cleaning regimes, are being brought in to keep the risk of coronavirus transmission to a minimum.

Children are at the lowest risk from Covid-19, health bosses say, while pupils will be grouped into bubbles to limit contact with other year groups.

Meanwhile, it is “vital” for children’s education and wellbeing that they get back to the classroom as soon as possible, the council has said. Studies have raised concerns that extended time away from schools has had a negative impact on pupil’s mental health.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the union fully supports the message that it is safe for children to return to school in September and said it was essential that they do so for the sake of their education.

He said: “Schools are doing a huge amount of work to put in place a system of safety controls to protect pupils and staff and minimise the risk of infection.

“This will not be business as normal, and everybody will have to get used to doing things in a different way, as is the case with all aspects of our lives, but it will allow everybody to return to the classroom.”

Blackpool Council is set to spend £20,000 on its campaign to ensure there are no empty seats in the resort’s classrooms when schools reopen in September.

Attendance will be mandatory once more from the start of the next academic year – meaning parents who do not send their children to school risk being fined.

But the main thrust is to reassure parents that it is safe to send their children to school.

The campaign will run until next month and will see 67,000 leaflets put through letterboxes.

Adverts will be posted on the side of bus shelters, buses, and phone boxes, and there will be promoted social media posts.

While the exact steps taken to protect staff and children will vary between schools, parents can expect to see staggered pick-up and drop-off times, as well as break and lunch times.

A strict cleaning regime has been promised, and everyone will need to clean their hands more often than usual, a ‘back to school safely’ plan revealed.

Children will be asked to stay within a specified group or bubble, similar to those that have been implemented in schools since the start of lockdown. Most in the resort had stayed open to children of key workers.

Resort health chiefs are also highlighting scientific evidence that shows children are at much lower risk from Covid-19. As well as being less likely to catch the coronavirus, any symptoms are also typically less severe.

Just five out of more than 46,000 people in the UK to die after testing positive for the coronavirus were children.

There is also some evidence that children are less likely to pass on the virus than adults.

Although there are several blanket changes, schools across the resort have come up with their own individual plans, many of which have already been explained to parents.

Sue Robinson, acting headteacher at Blackpool Gateway Academy in South Shore, told parents: “It won’t look quite the same as before and this may cause some worries but our experiences through the last seven weeks tell us that it is possible and can be very positive.

“We now have a very safe, clean environment for children and indeed staff.

“Anxiety about returning to school is perfectly normal for you and your child and we will do all we can to help you through this.”

The headteacher at Devonshire Primary Academy in Layton said teachers would be working hard over the summer break to get the school ready to welcome pupils back.

Daniel Simm said: “School activities throughout the first few weeks... will focus on settling all children back into school life.”

Anchorsholme Academy said it had received “a small number of phone calls” from families with more than one child there voicing concerns about half-hour gaps between the staggered times.

“We completely understand this, however there is nothing we can do to alleviate the problem,” it said.

Teachers tried to create a schedule that “would have the least impact” but was unable to come up with a solution for everyone.

It added: “We have been instructed that year group bubbles must be kept apart from each other at all times.”

While these is no risk-free way out of lockdown, a Blackpool Council spokeswoman said the measures being taken would “help to reduce the risk of transmission”.

And she said schools in the resort were being told to use a “low threshold” for testing if anybody displays even minor symptoms.

“The message is that we need to continue to socially distance where possible, maintain good hand hygiene, and catch our coughs and sneezes to prevent asymptomatic spread,” she added.

Children with underlying health conditions will be expected back in school, with the Government hitting pause on its shielding advice from August 1, while pupils with special educational needs will get “specific help and preparation” for the upcoming changes to routine.

“Naturally all schools and staff have some concerns as we emerge from the [first wave of the] pandemic, but this is no different to any other profession or business,” the council spokeswoman said.

Three schools closed temporarily in May so they could be deep cleaned “following a very small number of adults linked to children in the school community testing positive for Covid-19,” she added.

While schools have also been told to make plans in the event of a local lockdown, the children’s commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, has argued schools should be the last places to shut if a second wave does strike.

What changes are being made in Blackpool schools for the 2020/21 academic year?

Parents and pupils can expect to find a “new normal” when schools reopen after the summer holidays.

Among the changes being announced are staggered pick-up and drop-off times and the use of ‘bubbles’ to keep year groups apart. These are some of the other ways resort schools have responded:

Holy Family Catholic Primary will be split into four bubbles with adults (but not children) expected to socially distance

Kincraig Primary has drafted a five-page plan for when pupils return.

Langdale Free School says it has followed “all the recommendations” to ensure safety.

Revoe Learning Academy is set to reveal details of planned changes to parents later this month. Bosses said they were waiting for the “most up-to-date information”.

Aspire Academy said it had “spent considerable thought and time” on making the school as “safe as possible” after more than 80 per cent of pupils said they missed being in class.

Montgomery Academy is urging pupils to walk or cycle to school if possible.

South Shore Academy said it may have to change how it teaches music, drama, and technology temporarily.

Graham Warnock, headteacher at St George’s in Marton, suggested the secondary school’s start time will be staggered on the first day only to help pupils “get back to a normal routine as quickly as possible”.