Children Welcomed Back to School Across the Trust

It’s September, which means that across the country families are ironing shirts, tying ties, and preparing packed lunches as children prepare to return to school for the new academic year! Nowhere was this truer than across the households of Wessex Learning Trust learners today (Wednesday 8^th September) as children across our fourteen partner schools all returned to the classroom after the summer break.

The last eighteen-months have proved a challenging time for all industries, in particular education, with lockdowns, remote learning, and learner isolations placing added pressure on schools. As we enter the new year, we are therefore hopeful that our schools will be able to return most of the way to normality, with trips, concerts and performances, and sports days all hopefully able to resume over the course of the year.

Children’s first day back saw them enjoying lots of fun activities to help them settle into their new surroundings – be that a new classroom, new teacher, or even new school! For instance, at the Kings of Wessex Academy, new sixth formers took part in teambuilding exercises including tug-of-war and sports competitions; and at Hugh Sexeys the new Year 5s met up with their Year 7 buddies and exchanged postcards with each other to introduce themselves.

Although this year will hopefully see many of the restrictions imposed by COVID start to ease, we are still taking the risks of virus seriously and as such maintaining a number of precautions to ensure schools can stay open and safe. For instance, regular hand sanitising points will remain dotted around school sites, and staff will still be taking bi-weekly lateral flow tests to ensure that they are virus free.

Chief Executive of the Wessex Learning Trust, Gavin Ball, welcomed children back to school, saying:

“It’s wonderful to see all our children returning to the Trust after not only the summer break, but also all the uncertainty we have faced as schools over the last year. Although the pressure of COVID has not quite gone away, we are still hopeful for a more normal year for our learners, and a return of the extra-curricular activities which enrich and support our children’s learning so much!”.

Chief Executive, Gavin Ball

Learner’s return to school follows a successful summer exam season with our GCSE, A-Level, and vocational students all achieving exceptional results in their assessments, with the majority going on to take up places at leading universities, employers and apprenticeships including the University of Oxford and Dyson.

See below for some more photos from the children’s first day: