Rossall School partially reopened yesterday (8 June), with nursery, reception, year one and year six pupils all returning to the classroom.
The rest of the Lancashire-based school is scheduled to fully reopen in September.
Ahead of the phased resumption, headmaster Jeremy Quartermain said: “We are very much looking forward to welcoming back all of our students, and we are very excited to meet those who will be joining our community for the first time.”
Rossall has kept functioning – albeit on a reduced scale – throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. A small number of boarders have remained in situ and more than 10,000 lessons have been delivered via online learning.
Ahead of the physical site’s full reopening, the school published a parent-reassuring brochure outlining steps taken to ensure safety and wellbeing. These include fostering a culture of social distancing, investing in thermal imaging technology, maintaining a steady supply of PPE and sealing a testing contract with Oncologica, a Cambridge-based biomedical company.
“I am confident that, collectively, the measures that we have put in place serve to ensure that our children will remain safe within a caring environment,” said Quartermain.
Rossall has also partnered other safety-conscious schools to establish Safe Schools UK, detailing the measures they deem necessary to keep their communities protected.
From the archive: Rossall School appoints new head
