Lomond School will reopen full-time for all primary and secondary pupils from 11 August for the autumn term.
The independent school in Scotland will open its facilities, including its boarding house, in line with government guidance around social distancing and safety measures. An adapted timetable will be followed that focuses on core learning.
Lomond School will minimise movement around the building with a base classroom and area for each group of pupils, with teachers moving between where possible. Each year group will also be given a designated zone where they will enter and exit the building, and access toilets and handwashing areas.
Instead of uniform and work attire, pupils and staff will be asked to wear ‘PE type’ casual clothing that must be washed daily. Outdoor spaces will be used as much as possible for learning, and pupils and staff must bring a packed lunch in a labelled container.
There will be an increased cleaning and sanitisation schedule throughout the day to minimise:
- Cross-contamination of surfaces
- Shared use of resources, including textbooks
- Gatherings of pupils, staff and parents
- The use of paper
- The number of items that move between home and school
- The mixing of pupils across ages and stages during the school day
For international students, online learning will continue until flights resume and then the school will accommodate those arriving from overseas who may need to quarantine for 14 days – during which they can continue online learning.
Johanna Urquhart, principal of Lomond School, said: “As a small school, we are fortunate that our class sizes, flexible facilities and high staff-to-pupil ratios enable us to take precautions which allow our primary and secondary pupils to return to school full-time.
“Ahead of August, we will continue to review plans in line with the most up-to-date government advice and prepare for our children to return in the safest manner possible. We are very much looking forward to opening our doors again and getting back to some form of normality.”
The school will host virtual information sessions for parents ahead of the reopening.
