Staff and pupils are “rising to the challenge” as they adapt to new routines in a hub school for the children of key workers in Edinburgh.
Drummond Community High School (pictured) is acting as a hub for 12 schools in the city, taking children from P1 - the first year of primary - through to S2.
There are 29 children on the register and the headteachers of the 12 schools take it in turn to lead each day, bringing teachers from their own schools with them.
Coronavirus: What Scottish education did in the holidays
Covid-19 response: Staff and students’ reasons to be cheerful
Latest on school closures: ‘Inconceivable’ all pupils will return at same time
The children have been split into six groups, with no more than six pupils per class, in order to adhere to social-distancing measures, with siblings kept together in the same class.
Social distancing is also in place in the lunch hall, while classes take it in turns to rotate around different areas of the playground.
Stephen Gilhooley, quality improvement officer for schools in north-east Edinburgh, said that teachers are adapting well to the unusual teaching environment and showing impressive dedication.
He added: “It’s allowing our staff to think out of the box a bit more and be a bit more creative and responsive to the children learning as well.”
When not working in the hub school, teachers are working from home with their own classes, through distance learning.
Mr Gilhooley said: “I think everybody who can who is healthy…is wanting to do more and be involved as much as possible. We are not short of people who are willing to man the hubs, who are wanting to contact families and make sure they are safe and secure, and managing to learn in some shape or form. Some are creating packs to make sure they have the right resources.
“The attitude of everyone I’ve come across has been exemplary. It’s humbling, everyone is wanting to do the best they can for their school.
“People are rising to the challenge.”
On pupils, he said: “They are coping remarkably well. The children understand that they have to stay away from each other, they understand they are being put at polar ends of tables for particular reasons and are adapting quite well.
“The siblings are no problem, they can play together, but for the others it’s more chat rather than playing together.”
He added: “Children instinctively gather around a game or computer or whatever in normal circumstances.
“Now we can let them have a chat at a distance and it’s a lot of individual activities where children are busy and the leader in charge is facilitating discussion. We are trying to make it fun and interesting.
“We have to ensure the key workers’ children are safe and happy and the parents don’t have additional worry on their behalf.”
