Back to School: Tonbridge welcomes boys for new term
Tonbridge School is welcoming back its boys, and extending a warm greeting to First Years, as the new academic year gets under way today (Wednesday 2 September).
A great deal of planning for the opening of the school has taken place in recent months, with the emphasis on ensuring the safety and well-being of all in the school community.
Measures taken to keep everyone safe on site include the deployment of heat-sensitive cameras and infra-red thermometers for regular temperature checking; Tonbridge-designed face coverings, to be used regularly in certain situations; ‘traffic flow’ and one-way systems to ensure social distancing; numerous hand sanitising points; increased staffing resource in the school’s Medical Centre, and an internal ‘Track and Trace’ system.
Tonbridge’s Headmaster, James Priory, said: “We are very excited at the prospect of seeing all our pupils in the coming days. The school will, of course, look and feel a little different, as we all adapt to new routines. But keeping safe will not be stopping us from having a highly stimulating time as the boys start to explore new activities, new learning and new friendships, and benefit from all the richness of experience that Tonbridge offers.”
In ensuring that its Back to School strategy is as secure as possible, Tonbridge has been working closely with Sutton House, a team of globally recognised experts in biosecurity with experience of advising governments, military services, the United Nations and the World Health Organisation.
Through its partnership with Sutton House and with Cambridge-based company Diagnostics for the Real World (DRW), the school has been able to acquire a SAMBA-II testing facility, which will enable rapid and highly reliable testing on site.
This device has been described as “a real game-changer in infectious disease management”, with Tonbridge becoming the first school in the UK to introduce such a capability. Tonbridge is also looking at how it can use its testing facility to assist other schools in the locality.
The school has also created multiple ‘Households’ within its Boarding Houses, where specific groupings of boys will share the same washing and social facilities, and will eat together at mealtimes, ensuring less interaction between the different year groups.
A ‘Back to School Strategy’ document has been sent to all parents and staff. The content includes keeping everyone safe on site, the start of the school day, new arrival procedures, the Medical Centre, classrooms, timetables, breaks and mealtimes, and co-curricular life.
James Priory added: “The return to school will not be without its challenges, but our preparations and planning demonstrate that we continue to offer a robust response to the pandemic. We have a clear plan of how the school will operate from the start of term, and we will continue to refine this plan as the term progresses and respond to events as they occur.
“I am confident that we will provide the best possible education and care for the boys, and as ever I am grateful to our parent community for its invaluable help and support.”
Pictured below, from top:
The SAMBA-II testing device; The Back to School Strategy document; different layouts for classrooms; new signage around the school, and one of many hand-sanitising points.
