Students ‘Inspired to learn’ as The Prince of Wales School expands capacity

As schools begin to welcome students back into the classroom, there are many challenges to face and obstacles to overcome. With increasing expectation on school leaders and teachers to create safe and accessible environments for children, there is regular conversation about how best to alter current classrooms and learning spaces to accommodate the government guidelines for reduced class sizes and social distancing.

The Prince of Wales School in Dorset have been thinking outside of the box, and the classroom, when it comes to expanding their capacity. As well as running lessons in the school hall, library and staff room, they have recently built a temporary marquee in the school grounds to add an additional learning space.

The initiative adopts the school’s ethos of being a place where ‘we are all inspired to learn’, and has been named accordingly; #InspiredToLearnNightingale.

Adhering to the social distancing guidelines, the #InspiredToLearnNightingale marquee has been kitted out with individual desks and chairs for returning students. Following the Gratnells Learning Rooms 1-2-3 Recipe for Return, the children each have two Gratnells trays to hold their learning resources and personal belongings, keeping them separated from others and avoiding the need for communal cloakrooms. Setting out the marquee in this way encourages social distancing within the students, but allows them to come back together in a social environment.

Cleaning and reducing the risk of spreading of germs within the classroom has been a big consideration for schools and parents/carers as they prepare to send their children back to school. The learning spaces at the Prince of Wales school are using a range of Gratnells products from the new Classroom Health and Hygiene collection. The antimicrobial coating added to the trays and trolleys combats surface contamination from a wide range of bacteria and viruses and offers an additional layer of protection between cleans.

The school has now become the first in the country to open to children from all year groups, and welcomed back 92% of their students last week. The children are currently learning in ‘kingdoms’ which are smaller versions of their class groups, allowing them to safely learn and socialise at a distance. Although the school has been getting busier, they are still offering a ‘your child, your choice’ ethos and are offering support for those children and parents who are more comfortable learning from home.

Headteacher, Gary Spracklen said, “It has always been our desire to get all children back into school as soon as possible, when it is safe to do so. We are delighted to have worked with Gratnells to deliver the #InspiredToLearnNightingale Kingdom to make our vision a reality. Children and adults alike love the space and it’s given us lots of ideas for how we can use space better in the future to support learning”.

Gratnells Learning Rooms is proud to sponsor the #InspiredToLearnNightingale initiative. Follow @Gratnells and @POWFS on social media for regular updates on the project.

Explore the full range of Gratnells Classroom Health and Hygiene products here: https://www.gratnells.com/classroom-health