THE head of a Thurrock secondary academy says she believes schools are not getting enough credit for what they are trying to achieve in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on teaching.

Joanne Williams is head teacher at Ortu Hassenbrook Academy in Stanford-le-Hope and she has spoken out after the school re-opened at the beginning of September, after being closed since 21 March.

The school has introduced a number of new COVID regulations to keep staff and students safe. This includes three different student bubbles, an emphasis on increased cleaning around the premises and introducing more cleaning staff and sanitising stations.

Staff at Ortu Hassenbrook Academy have also been reviewing the practices they have put in place to ensure what they are doing is working efficiently. This has included changing tutor times back to morning rather than the afternoon and stopping split lunch times.

Joanne is keen to celebrate the hard work staff and students have put into this challenging transition - and wants to see more of this publicised.

She said: "There's just not enough positive media about how well education has been doing and has done. The negative press when lockdown happened and that we weren't able to stay open was a travesty.

"I think trying to deliver education now, in this context, is a huge challenge for schools. I don't read enough about what schools are doing to make their systems work and to keep their students separate. There's not enough on what we're doing in terms of what education does to work with our communities and our children."

Following returning, the school has kept an emphasis on continuing with specialist subjects, such as PE and the arts, which has worked extremely well since re-opening.

Joanne said: "We felt that, particularly for younger students, they need time to do those more hands-on subjects, so school is still a positive experience and not all about keeping distance and not moving. This would make for quite a miserable experience if that was what we were doing."

Ortu Hassenbrook Academy has also had a focus on psychological care for students following lockdown. This has included additional support for students, along with tutorials and mentoring. Joanne also credits good communication from home as key to helping students transition back into school life.

Joanne said: "I absolutely think having everyone back is the best thing to do. We needed to see the children. Trying to deliver lessons online, do phone calls and have home visits was not an enjoyable experience for anyone in education.

"We knew that we had to lockdown and this was essential to deal with COVID, but it was never something teachers wanted to do. We get our kicks out of teaching and seeing children learn, building relationships, and this is very difficult to do online. So, we are all very happy to be back with our students to give immediate feedback in the classroom"

What the students say

Abigail Hemmings, aged 11 in year seven, said: "The new system is different and not what I was used to at primary school. I was a bit worried about moving around, mixing with other children, but it's been a relief because we don't mix bubbles and there's a limit to our movement around school."

Louisa Pond, age 11 in year seven, said: "I feel very safe and welcomed at this school. The one-way system is working well, and you stay in one room for most of the lessons, I'm not worried about anything!"

Graycie Griffin, year 11: "I never thought I would have missed school this much. Hassenbrook Academy has made me feel safe and ensured that whatever happens, I'll still get my education. It was nice to see friends and teachers with everything going on in the world. There is amazing support for us when it comes to our exams, but also our mental health. The staff really cares about us."

Grace Catterick, year 11: "Since coming back to Hassenbrook, I feel relieved and more confident in my learning. Doing interventions has helped me gain confidence. Seeing friends and teachers has me feeling more comfortable and at ease with school life once again."