Rydal Penrhos Pre-Prep pupils return following the second educational lockdown.
There was plenty of excitement in the air at Rydal Penrhos Prep School on Monday as another batch of year groups made a welcome return.
Following the Welsh Government‘s decision to relax coronavirus restrictions, Pre-Prep pupils at Rydal Penrhos were permitted to “return to school” after a half-term of thorough online provision provided by the school’s incredible teaching staff.
It was fantastic to see them all back smiling and conversing with their friends. Their presence has been sorely missed by everyone at the Prep School and although staff are incredibly proud of all the hard work each pupil has put it during the second educational lockdown period, there is nothing quite like human interaction to boost early development.
Rydal Penrhos has left no stone unturned when it comes to making the Prep School site safe and COVID-19 compliant over the last 12 months. The school’s vigilance enables pupils to go about their daily business with minimal fuss, even though their routines are slightly different due to current safety measures that have enabled their return.
Having such a diverse and thought-provoking online provision during their time at home will ensure Pre-Prep pupils can hit the ground running, with the Welsh Government also looking into the possibility of more children returning at their next assessment briefing on 15 March.
Speaking on Monday, Education Minister Kirsty Williams, said: “If the public health situation continues to develop as it has been doing since the lockdown in December, then I am as confident as I can be that we will be able to return more children to face-to-face learning on 15 March.
“Please don’t misinterpret this as a sign that things can go back to normal. Schools are highly regulated settings; school staff are working really hard to make them as COVID secure as they can be.
“But it is behaviour around school – on the journey to school, at the school gate, on your way home and at the weekend – that will help us keep the public health situation improving which will allow more children to go back.”
This is another hugely positive step in the right direction. Cases are falling across the country and vaccines are being distributed rapidly, so it might not be much longer before Rydal Penrhos pupils young and old are back to some semblance of normality.
Much has been made of the impact of the last year on pupils. At Rydal Penrhos, teaching and support staff have gone above and beyond the call of duty to ensure there was minimal learning loss and individual goals remain unchanged.
It’s taken a great deal of work and dedication. But seeing all the happy little faces of our Pre-Prep children makes it all worthwhile.
We hope every single pupil in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 has a fantastic first week back and a smooth transition back into the classroom.
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Anyone wishing to enquire about Rydal Penrhos School can do so by calling 01492 530155, email admissions@rydalpenrhos.com or register your interest online here: https://rydalpenrhos.com/admissions/apply-now.
