Headteacher’s video shows realities of socially distant classroom

Sara Pecheur, headteacher at Wheelers Lane Primary School in Kings Heath, has taken a video showing what life could look like for the city’s schoolchildren in the coming weeks and months.

It shows desks stationed two metres apart, reducing the average class size from around 30 to just 11 pupils, while a ‘teacher zone’ marks out an exclusion area for teachers to remain socially distant from their pupils.

Reduced class sizes also means that many school desks can no longer be used, with the video showing a surplus of classroom equipment cluttering hallways. Some children could also be forced to sit facing the wall, in order to maintain two-metre social distancing guidelines.

Sara says that it’s been a struggle to adapt to the rules so far, with the video showing the first classroom the school has attempted to alter to meet guidelines.

And she added that she believes the youngest pupils will find it particularly difficult to adhere to social distancing rules.

“It’s hard for adults, so it’s going to be difficult for children. And the younger they are, the harder it is for them to understand,” she says.

“I think the younger children probably won’t be able to keep to social distancing, and it’s going to be very difficult for the older children too.

“They may not have seen their friends for a very, very long time, and they are going to want to be close to their friends, have conversations, and be together and have that social time.

“The first classroom that is in the video has been a bit of an experiment really, just to see what it would look like and whether it would be practical.

“We’ve had to move a lot of furniture out of the classroom and we’re not quite sure where it’s going to go, and also it’s created quite an unpleasant environment where children aren’t able to work in groups and be sociable and do all of the things that we like to do in school when we’re working.

“And for our school, which is pretty large, we’ve got three classes in each year group – so that’s 90 Year 6 children that we’ve got to accommodate, but not necessarily all at once. But then you’ve still got to be able to manage them all getting into the building, getting out at the end of the day, parent collections, and then lunchtimes, break times, toilet breaks.

“We also have a lot of play equipment in our playground, and in the guidance it says that any play equipment needs to be cleaned between uses. So are we able to let groups of children use the play equipment or not, and if we do, have we got to get it cleaned in between, and how do you clean it?”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in his televised address on Sunday that some children could return to primary schools as early as June 1, though Sara says that the school has received little guidance from government in regards to the new rules.

And the headteacher also has concerns for her teachers, who she says are worried about their own safety.

“The guidance is that we don’t need PPE in schools, but I think staff would feel more comfortable if it were available,” she says.

“I know that there are some who are making their own masks in order to protect themselves even before they come into work. But they’re very concerned about how it’s all going to work and about how safe they’re going to be, because of the lack of evidence in how children transmit the disease.

“There’s high levels of anxiety from the staff, as there will be with parents about sending their children to school.

“I think we do need more guidance, but more evidence as well that it is going to be safe. And that, from a head’s point of view, I can keep my staff safe, and that the children will be safe when they’re in school, because they’re in our care for that amount of time and we want to be able to do a good job for them and a good job for the parents.”

Councillor Nicky Brennan has three children, two of whom are aged six and four and could be among the first to return to schools and nurseries.

But she believes that the government’s actions are premature, and is worried about the safety of her daughters should they return to school.

“I’m quite worried about the impact schools opening during Covid will have on my two youngest children’s wellbeing,” she says.

“I think it will do more harm than good. They are four and six so in the age group the government has said schools will reopen for. But to me they are too young and it doesn’t make sense at all.

“How are we expecting four-year-olds to understand social distancing? What if they fall and hurt themselves and need a cuddle from a teacher? How will they play with their friends?

“My daughter’s nursery have been fabulous as always and have called to talk about options, but have said they won’t be able to have toys due to risk of spreading the virus. In my opinion it’s too premature to ease lockdown. The government haven’t thought about this properly at all. I’ve got friends that are teachers tearing their hair out over the proposed plans."