Trinity School in Newbury adapting well to coronavirus pandemic

Pupils now using virtual learning environment

THE headteacher of Trinity School, Newbury, has spoken of how pupils, parents and staff have adapted to teaching during the coronavirus pandemic.

Schools were closed down on Friday, March 20 in an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19.

Exceptions have been made for children whose parents are key workers like NHS staff, police and delivery drivers, who need to be able to go to work and children who are “most vulnerable”.

Trinity headteacher Charlotte Wilson said the school had needed to adapt very quickly to provide pupils and the school community with a virtual education.

With a virtual learning environment (VLE) established, Mrs Wilson said that staff, pupils and parents had adapted brilliantly in the last week.

A weekly whole school challenge has been set for pupils, and work has been shared through a weekly pupil update.

Mrs Wilson has video-briefed staff on updates, as well as sharing their news through a weekly virtual presentation video.

She hoped that the weekly pupil update would “give them a chance to see what others are doing and remind them about some of the things we have been focusing on this term”.

Mrs Wilson said that Trinity would be open to support key workers of children from families in the Newbury Academy Trust – Trinity, Fir Tree and Speenhamland.

She said sessions had been well attended and parents had been “very understanding” of the definition of a key worker.

Closures have cut short young people’s school journeys with the usual proms and end-of-year goodbyes disrupted.

Mrs Wilson said: “Our Year 11 students understandably wanted their last day to be memorable so wore non-uniform in exchange for a worthy donation to the Newbury Foodbank, raising over £200.”

An assembly about the importance of the educational journey, and its continuation throughout their lives, was held for sixth formers.

Mrs Wilson said that the school prom was intended to be held “when things return to normal”.

A-level and GCSE examinations have been cancelled, with exam boards asking teachers to “submit their judgment about the grade that they believe the student would have received if exams had gone ahead”.

Teachers will assess coursework, mock exam results and other evidence to award grades.

Mrs Wilson said: “Our exam students were incredibly upset when we announced the situation with exams.

“These are very challenging times and we talked to them about the importance of remembering that even though they may not achieve their grades through an exam, the knowledge they have built over the last two years will support them in their next phase of learning.”

Parents across the country have been forced to home-school their children.

Mrs Wilson said that Trinity’s VLE and other on line learning packages had proved successful so far.

She said that staff were setting work in line with pupil timetables to “help them keep a sense of pattern to their day”.

Trinity has provided parents with links to teaching resources and has said that parents should support their children with their normal timetable and the work teachers are setting.

Mrs Wilson said another tip was ensuring frequent breaks and offering small rewards where possible.

“We have also encouraged sticking to normal bedtimes, encouraging exercise and fresh air where practical and limiting screen time,” she said.

“Parents have a key role to play at this time working in partnership with teachers.

“As ever our parents have been fantastic.”

Pupils have been encouraged to work together on new Headteacher Challenge Tasks and have been advised to stick to a normal school day as much as possible.

Mrs Wilson said that Trinity had been partially open in the week before schools closed.

This, she said, was “due to the numbers of staff available to work, either due to their own self-isolation or through family members isolating”.

She said: “As a school our priority is always to keep our community safe and healthy and provide them with the very best.

“Ultimately we are guided by the medical professionals and we accept their decisions and timings.”