In Luxembourg, schools returned from lockdown at the end of May after two months of home learning.
The initial response from children was one of excitement to be able to leave their homes and see their friends again.
Parents, too, were pleased to be able to return to work or working from home without the need to look after children.
However, there were also many real concerns about safety in school, and how the children would be able to follow the stringent new regulations, especially the youngest students.
Coronavirus: How to settle children back at school
So we took the unique step of using a blow-up T-rex to help to prepare the children for what to expect on return.
She went cavorting around the school, dancing in the corridors, running around the classrooms and sneaking into the headteacher’s office.
It was an instant hit, receiving a record number of comments, with the children thrilled to see the school again.
However, when lockdown eased the school they knew and loved would not be the same.
Normally the children get to enjoy many free-flowing areas, regular group work, and additional lessons in specialist rooms.
Mrs T-Rex to the rescue
As such, we were not sure how they would react to sitting at one desk all day, with the teacher at the front of the classroom.
Additionally, children would be required to wear masks in external areas, follow specific circulation routes, and to leave their parents at the gate in the morning, to name but a few of the new regulations.
All these changes posed a potentially stressful situation.
It was clear then that the children needed to be well prepared for the changes they would encounter on their return, so it would not be such a shock.
There was one obvious person - well, dinosaur - we could turn to in order to highlight the changes: Mrs T Rex.
“It was an obvious choice,” explained Ms Collins, team leader for MP2. “The children loved Mrs Rex - she was absolutely hysterical. It was a great way to introduce the message in a friendly, non- threatening way.”
In two videos sent to all children from Reception to Year 6, Mrs Rex entered the school, waving goodbye to her parents on the gate, put on her mask and washed her hands.
She showed the play equipment that could not be used, and modelled non-contact games with her friends. She showed the children how to take their temperature , and how to follow the new circulation routes. In the classroom, she sat at her individual desk, and used her personal resources.
A roarsome response
The response from the videos was wonderful. And, importantly, not only did the children enjoy it, but they also reflected that they had understood the changes, and were ready to return.
One of our youngest children even made her own video, showing herself sitting at an individual desk, putting her mask on and taking her temperature. Parents, too, expressed their thanks for the positive preparation.
One of the parents posted that their four-year-old wanted to know if Mrs Rex was real!
The reopening passed without a hitch, with Mrs Rex making a guest appearance in the playground to welcome the children in. “It made my son so excited - he could not wait to get in and see Mrs Rex. He did not even notice that he left me at the gate,” laughed one of the parents.
Mrs Rex is so popular that when I visited the younger classes, the children were not interested in me, they simply wanted to know where Mrs Rex was!
I think she will be around for some time.
Claire Nuttall is headteacher at St George’s International School in Luxembourg. She tweets @nuttall_claire
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